During Employee Volunteer Month 2016, CAF Southern Africa will be inviting South African companies to make a special commitment to supporting the volunteering efforts of their employees.While employee volunteers alone cannot bring about a turnaround in the economy, they nonetheless have significant contributions to make. Employees have skills, social networks and access to other human and financial resources which can help NGO community partners to become even more effective in achieving their core mission whilst contributing to growing the South African economy.

There is a groundswell of interest in employee volunteering in South Africa that corresponds to growing interest in the various manifestations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Some of this interest is due to the requirements of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy, but many companies are also moving to align their CSR with business and national development goals. At the global level the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has inspired Impact 2030, a global private sector led collaboration created to mobilise employee volunteers to directly and substantially contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Direct involvement of staff in company CSR is increasing, with more companies realising the benefits of staff participation in the design and delivery of programmes. Employee volunteering is one aspect of employee involvement that has gained popularity because, provided it is well planned and managed, can inspire active, hands-on participation and tangible benefit for all stakeholders.

Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index 2015 shows that 73 percent of South Africans helped a stranger in 2014, over 3.5 million more than in 2013. This puts South Africa in the top ten countries for this type of giving and further supports the national understanding that ubuntu - the interconnectedness between people which underpins social giving - is still a strong motivator within South Africa.In 2015 CAF Southern Africa published a research report earlier called ’I believe I can make a difference’. Based on a pilot survey undertaken in Gauteng province, the report reflected high levels of giving and volunteering, much of this taking place informally in poor communities. Finally Statistics South Africa reported that volunteer efforts made an impressive R9.8 billion contribution to the South African economy in 2014.Employee Volunteer Month is a uniquely South African Campaign grounded in the knowledge that employers, whether in the private, public or civil sectors , can play a catalytic role in supporting employees and their families to contribute to positive social and economic change through volunteering.

The theme of our 2016 Employee Volunteer Month of March is a response to South Africa’s poor economic expectations. Many leaders have spoken about the need for all South Africans to pull together - one of the ways this can be done is through even more active volunteerism.During the month thousands of corporate employees will go out into communities to volunteer their time and skills for the greater good.CAF Southern Africa invites all employers and employees to profile employee volunteering this month by sharing your examples on social media. We also need the support of the media to make this campaign a real success and exponentially increase volunteering hours and associated contributions made towards positive social advancement.

For further details on the activities taking place during the month please go to: http://www.cafsouthernafrica.org/index.php/news-events/247-bpc-16march2016

Join us by participating in Employee Volunteering month March 2016, and by contributing to the conversation on our Social Media Platforms:

For more information on how to get involved please contact:

Charities Aid Foundation of Southern Africa

Tel: (011) 334 0404
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.