How to Make Them Give

By Logan E. Orlando

Sexy sounding it's not, but corporate volunteerism is all the rage, as more companies wise up to the decisive benefits of good corporate citizenship and employees, in a world awash with disaster victims, feel the need to give. Eighty-six percent of respondents to a 2005 Business Strengthening America survey said they believed that volunteering adds to a company's strategic value. Here's what some of the most generous firms are doing to mobilize their staff:

o CREATE A WEBSITE Aetna launched My Aero Home. Run by a third-party administrator, this site answers all volunteer-related questions, logs hours of service and matches employee volunteers with suitable nonprofits. Managers are encouraged to log on and assess how giving can help the bottom line, through new skills, for example, and motivation, as the company allows employees to customize their time donations.

o PROVIDE TRAINING IBM's pilot program Transition to Teaching will train prospective retirees to be math and science teachers. Reimbursed up to $15,000 for tuition and stipends, employees learn while still on the payroll and can continue to use IBM's online teacher-training services after they graduate to the classroom.

o INCENTIVIZE GIVING Employees had better get philanthropic at the Washington Trust Co., where volunteer efforts are written into year-end reviews. An awards system lets do-gooders earn "stars" redeemable for company swag like umbrellas and clothing.

o CHOOSE A CAUSE Cisco Systems' $40 million pledge--$10 million from the chairman and $2 million from the CEO--to rebuild Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast schools underscored the company's commitment to educational reform. That followed on the heels of a 2003 Jordan Education Initiative, spearheaded and partially funded by Cisco, to offer Internet-enabled learning to the developing world. Volunteers were also sent to Ethiopia to teach computer and Internet skills.

o IMPLEMENT TIME OFF Whether it's four hours a month or six days a year, Wachovia employees are guaranteed paid time off for community service. A glowing, comprehensive memo from corporate community-service advocate and CEO Ken Thompson on the year's employee-volunteer accomplishments (600,000 volunteer hours in 2004) is another company tactic to facilitate charitable action.