Employees are increasingly demanding that their workplaces not only provide opportunities for them to develop within the business, but outside of it too. With CSR remaining high on the agenda and workers craving the challenges and learning that come via volunteering and community-based initiatives, organisations must master the world of ‘intelligent volunteering’ that not only ticks the boxes when it comes to giving back, but also equips employees with critical business skills and training.

The business world is facing a significant shift when it comes to motivating and engaging with its workforce, driven mainly by the increasing presence of the younger ‘Millennial’ worker. These tech savvy, impatient, non-hierarchical and value-driven employees simply don’t respond to the traditional ‘follow my leader’ style of learning and development. They are looking for something more valuable, more engaging and more purposeful.

Millennials are frequently driven by an underlying motivation, the ‘WHY’ of working for a particular organisation. It is no longer enough to be a valuable, but somewhat invisible part of cog in the successful team. Millennials need to feel that they are directly contributing to the organisation they work for, as well as having a wider purpose and meaning. Denise Restauri describes this well in her recent article for Forbes in which she said ‘Millennials are committed to making the world a better place –both at work and in the causes they support’.

When you combine this trend with the fact that more and more UK charities are facing extinction, with the reason so often being a lack of relevant skills within the organisation, you can see why there is a very strong argument for upping the game when it comes to corporate CSR initiatives.

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