Business involved; six months working on Social Impact

Making changes that have a positive impact is something everyone wants – including businesses. At Business Involved, we connect organizations with social initiatives and help them and their employees make a positive contribution to the region. In our first six months, we have matched various social organizations with companies such as Wipro, Personio, Universal, and Ernst & Young. Tailored to their sustainability and corporate social responsibility goals, we provided advice and assistance in setting up volunteer programs. Together, we have started to create a lasting impact for these companies and local communities.

Enhancing the impact of social initiatives

Social initiatives can greatly benefit from collaborating with businesses. An organization that is a pioneer in this field is Stichting Studiezalen, an organization that provides schoolwork support, life coaching, broadening horizons, and a positive perspective in vulnerable neighborhoods. In their numerous partnerships with companies, they not only seek subsidies and donations but also aim for long-term relationships. “From a socially responsible business perspective, money is not always the solution,” explains Bojana Duovski, an advisor at Studiezalen. “The real connection can be made through knowledge and expertise. A commercial company is part of society and can contribute to it, as citizens are also employees and vice versa.”

The available resources, people, finances, and expertise of companies are invaluable to social organizations. However, traditional models of sponsorship or donations are not always the answer. Instead, at Business Involved, we facilitate meaningful, sustainable relationships between companies and social initiatives.

Deepening the values of businesses

This type of collaboration also offers enormous benefits for companies. With the increasing importance of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, a company’s objectives in terms of social impact are relevant for both employees and customers. People want to be more involved in their company’s social objectives, and the companies themselves benefit from making that impact as meaningful and sustainable as possible.

Furthermore, social organizations have a lot to offer to businesses. Here, Foundation Studiezalen, as a pioneer in this field, has gained a lot of experience: “By collaborating with [Foundation Studiezalen], companies can themselves fulfill their objectives related to the Sustainable Development Goals or corporate social responsibility, or meet a Social Return obligation,” explains Duovski. “We also provide advice and are an ideal partner when it comes to practical goals in diversity and inclusion.”

Another example of an organization that has a lot of experience in collaborating with companies is Grandma’s Soup. Sophie Keijzer from this social enterprise indicates that their business collaborations often yield a variety of unexpected benefits for companies. This includes “events such as galas,” as well as “healthy meals and soups prepared in a socially responsible manner,” and also traction on social media and access to new networks.

Enthusiastic employees want to help more often

In addition to the clear benefits for a company’s social impact, collaborating with social organizations makes a significant contribution to the work environment of a company and to each individual employee within that environment. Volunteer programs lead to increased attraction and retention of talent, encourage employees to grow and develop, and strengthen HR values such as diversity and inclusion.

In our first six months, we have already seen this in action multiple times. In partnership with Business Involved, employees of the IT company Wipro started volunteering at various Amsterdam initiatives. In one of the first joint activities, Wipro employees traveled to the Amsterdam nursing home Vreugdehof to assist with cleaning, planting, and maintenance work. “It was a great day,” says Michael Quataro, department head. “Everyone was super excited to participate.”

Similar positive feedback came from volunteers at Personio, a young international HR software company. Personio employees helped out at the Coffee House on Haarlemmerstraat, run by undocumented migrants and homeless individuals. “My task as an amateur cook today was very special and I loved it,” said Justin from Personio. “Normally, I’m in the office on a weekday, switching from one, often digital, meeting to another. Being able to do this is very special, and I would definitely like to do this more often.”

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Do you want your organization to also benefit from the opportunities that collaboration with companies offers? Check the website.Business InvolvedSign up and submit a request for help. Or have a conversation with Rachida el Alami.