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CPCU Society Member Opinion Panel Survey Finds Volunteering Develops Leaders
How Do Members (and Employers) Benefit from Volunteering?
Opportunities to volunteer one’s time and talents abound throughout the year, but particularly during this, the season of giving. While the benefits reaped by the recipient are obvious, what do volunteers receive from their efforts?
In this second survey of the CPCU Society Member Opinion Panel, conducted in November 2005, panelists were asked about the types of organizations for which they volunteer, their volunteer experiences, and what would motivate them to increase the time they spend volunteering. Even more importantly, panel participants were asked how they, and their employers, benefited from their volunteer activities, and whether their employers supported their volunteer efforts.
Measuring Value
Members of the CPCU Society Member Opinion Panel were invited via e-mail on November 1, 2005, to participate in a web-based survey on the value of volunteering. Details of the survey include:
Methodology: Web-based survey
Survey Period: November 1 to November 14, 2005
Sample Size: 176
What Can We Conclude?
Simply stated, the return on an investment in volunteering is leadership. Regardless of whether it is for a professional organization or for a personal cause, volunteering helps develop leadership and management skills, and has the added benefit of enhancing the company’s image in the community. An employer who supports its employees’ volunteer activities can also improve its retention of professional staff, because working for a supportive employer is important to 75 percent of CPCUs who volunteer. And lower staff turnover makes volunteering a very cost-effective approach to management development.
What Else Did The Survey Find?
Other key findings of the research, and recommendations for CPCU employers, include:
- Altruism rules, but only if there is time available. Motivations for volunteering, and the expected benefits, revolve around a desire to give back to the profession or community, ideally through a cause or organization that is a good fit with the volunteer’s personal beliefs and values. Personal satisfaction and the opportunity to develop enduring friendships are the most valued benefits of volunteering. However, individuals must have the time available to volunteer. Supportive employers recognize the constraint that time can place on the best of intentions, and sponsor or facilitate volunteer opportunities for their employees, or contribute company-paid time off to volunteer.
- Volunteering develops leaders. Both CPCUs and their employers recognize that volunteering provides leadership experience, and exposure to leaders in the industry and community. CPCU Society volunteers also believe volunteering can help polish their negotiating and facilitation skills, making them better managers and more valuable employees.
- CPCU employers agree. Most CPCUs believe their employers are supportive of employee volunteer efforts, and recognize that volunteering can positively impact their employees’ performance and capabilities as managers and leaders. In addition, employers gain from a more positive image of the company in the community as a result of employee volunteer work.
- The name of the volunteer game is interpersonal interaction. Volunteering is “high touch.” The opportunity to network, and to gain personal access to other professionals and experts in the industry, are strong motivators to volunteer, particularly for professional organizations. Volunteering can also put a human face on what appears to the outside to be a cold and impersonal organization. Employers and volunteer organizations need to understand the personal nature of volunteering. To start, try a personal invitation from a colleague to persuade a person to volunteer their time. According to this survey, it is likely to be successful!
Interested In Finding Out More?
Read detailed findings of the second CPCU Society Member Opinion Panel Survey, “The Value of Volunteering,” (doc) or by e-mailing Suzanne Kinsler, marketing manager of the CPCU Society.
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