For companies in Germany, corporate volunteering is often standard business practice

- But when it comes to employee commitment, US subsidiaries edge out German companies

Companies in Germany regularly practice corporate volunteering (83.5% of companies surveyed), and this will play an ever-increasing role. Volunteering is more widespread among employees at US subsidiaries. These are the results of a joint survey on corporate volunteering conducted by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany ("AmCham Germany"). The survey was conducted among 109 companies headquartered in Germany.

Corporate volunteering has a long tradition at US companies

Corporate volunteering programs are found at 86.0% of US subsidiaries in Germany and at 78.3% of German companies. This discrepancy can be explained by the philanthropic mindset that is a part of the tradition of many American companies.

The difference between American and German companies is even more pronounced when it comes to the commitment of individual employees. Specifically, 41.7% of employees at German companies volunteer on their own. At American subsidiaries in Germany, this figure is only 5.4%, but that's because employees prefer to volunteer with their co-workers as part of a team. This phenomenon is due in part to the size of the companies in question. In addition, US employees frequently offer their skills and labor for volunteer projects; for example, during structured day-long activities. This format, fairly common in the US, has also gained a foothold at many American subsidiaries in Germany.

When looking at employees' positions in the companies, corporate volunteers are found mainly among workers and office staff at American subsidiaries. In contrast, support at German firms comes predominantly from top management.

Motivation for getting involved comes from the companies

When asked about the reason for involvement in corporate volunteering activities, most cited the companies as the primary source of motivation.
Of those surveyed, 31.7% said motivation came from the companies themselves; 31.1% said from other employees; and 25% stated from the parent company. This shows that companies recognize corporate volunteering as their own social responsibility.

Social and educational activities at the local level are the focus

The connection to the local community is very important to companies. In that vein, 46.6% of companies support primarily local activities and 47.7% both local and national. Social (25.8%) and educational (21.9%) activities receive the most support. 30.2% of the companies are engaged in corporate volunteering activities that concentrate on children and teenagers.

Successful corporate volunteering requires a conducive corporate culture

Most of the companies surveyed view management participation and support plus appreciation of volunteer involvement as the most critical requirements for successful corporate volunteering. Companies rated the following aspects as less important: donations (monetary or in-kind); giving employees time off for volunteering; good project selection and organization. The biggest obstacle is employees' lack of time.

Background information

As part of the "European Year of Volunteering" in 2011, this study will place the focus on the multifaceted corporate citizenship activities of companies in Germany. The survey was conducted from early November 2010 to late January 2011 among subsidiaries of US and international companies and companies headquartered in Germany.