Business involved; six months working on Social Impact

Making changes that have a positive impact is something everyone wants – including companies. At Business Involved, we connect organizations to social initiatives and help them and their employees make a positive contribution to the region. In our first six months, we have linked various social organizations to companies like Wipro, Personio, Universal, and Ernst & Young. Specifically tailored to their sustainability and corporate social responsibility goals, we advised them and assisted in setting up volunteer programs. Together, we have made a start in creating a lasting impact for these companies and local communities.

Strengthening the impact of social initiatives

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

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

Deepening the values of companies

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

Moreover, social organizations have a lot to offer the business sector. Here too, Stichting Studiezalen has gained a lot of experience as a frontrunner in this area: “By collaborating with [Stichting Studiezalen], companies can give their own meaning to their objectives related to the Sustainable Development Goals or corporate social responsibility, or meet a Social Return obligation,” Duovski explains. “We also provide advice and are an ideal partner when it comes to practical objectives within diversity and inclusion.”

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

Enthusiastic employees are more willing to help.

In addition to the clear benefits for the social impact of a company, collaborating with social organizations makes a huge contribution to the work environment of a company and to each individual employee within that environment. Volunteer programs lead to greater 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 collaboration with Business Involved, employees from IT company Wipro have started volunteering at various Amsterdam initiatives. In one of the first joint activities, Wipro employees traveled to the Amsterdam nursing home Vreugdehof to help with cleaning, planting, and maintenance work. “It was a great day,” says Michael Quataro, department head. “Everyone was super excited to participate.”

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

Want to collaborate with companies? Get in touch.

Would you like your organization to also benefit from the opportunities that collaboration with companies offers? Visit our website on the pages about Business Involved. Or have a conversation with Rachida el Alami.