Twin Cities Businesses Help Communities And Increase Morale With Work-For-Free Programs

“It was a mind-blowing, hair on fire, sleep-when-I’m-dead experience. The people we’ve worked with are incredible, the need is unimaginable, the experience indelible,” said Lane Desborough, who participated in Medtronic’s pilot volunteer project in Chennai, India.

The Mall of America event, organized by A Billion + Change, UnitedHealth Group and HandsOn Twin Cities with sponsorship support from Corporate Volunteerism Council-Twin Cities, is the latest in a series of events highlighting pro bono change-makers across the nation. Since November 2011, more than 250 companies have pledged $1.9 billion worth of pro bono services to help build nonprofit capacity as part of A Billion + Change.

"By investing in skills-based volunteering, the business community can make a big impact on social issues critical to our country’s economic recovery and overall well-being,” said Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light, which houses and manages A Billion + Change. “Skills-based volunteering is central to our ability to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world.”

For nonprofits, the value of skilled support in areas such as general operations, technology and professional services can be 500 percent greater than the value of traditional volunteering, according to True Impact, which helps organizations measure the social and business impact of their operations. Skills-based volunteering programs are also valuable talent management tools that help businesses attract and retain talent, especially as skilled volunteers are 47 percent more likely to report higher satisfaction from their service than traditional volunteers.

To learn more about A Billion + Change and to see a list of companies that have pledged, please visit: www.abillionpluschange.org.

About A Billion + ChangeA Billion + Change is a national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based volunteer services by 2013. It was launched by the Corporation for National and Community Service in 2008 and continues as an initiative of the federal agency. Reinvigorated in 2011 with expanded leadership under the honorary chairmanship of Senator Mark Warner, it is now housed and managed by Points of Light. The initiative is powered by the support of Deloitte, HP, the Case Foundation and IBM with additional founding support from State Farm, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP and Morgan Stanley. Learn more at: www.abillionpluschange.org.

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