Volunteers from Russian companies discussed plans for the year

A meeting of the National Council for Corporate Volunteerism (NSCV) was held in Moscow. More than 50 representatives of companies from various sectors of the economy discussed the possibilities of corporate volunteering programs to solve business problems and topical issues of cross-functional interaction in the implementation of volunteer initiatives. The meeting was held at the Moscow headquarters of Philip Morris International affiliated companies in Russia.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Dobro.Russian Federation, Mosvolonter, HSE St. Petersburg State University, the Skolkovo Center for Sustainable Development, the analytical center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, representatives of the Brazilian online platform Atados.com.br . Organizational support was provided by the Association of Managers.

Systematic work on the development of corporate volunteerism in companies is reaching a new level, said Irina Zhukova, Chairman of the NSKV. She recalled that indicators characterizing corporate volunteerism are becoming an integral part of the standards of non-financial reporting and sustainable development, such as the Standard of Public Capital of Business approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.

"The possibility of including volunteerism in a collective agreement translates these initiatives from the "informal" area of the company's activities or unilateral decisions of the employer into the field of social partnership, corporate volunteerism becomes part of the employment relationship," Zhukova said.
She also drew the attention of the audience to the changes in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, demonstrating the consolidation of the status of corporate volunteerism and attention to this phenomenon from government institutions.

Anna Bushlyakova, Deputy Chairman of the NSKV, presented the main provisions of the Concept of Promoting Volunteerism until 2030 to the participants of the meeting. She stressed that the document focuses companies on the systematic implementation of volunteer practices, linking them with national goals and a measurable contribution to GDP and human capital.

"An important difference of the new Concept until 2030 is the change of focus in relation to corporate volunteerism: it has become one of the priorities of state policy from an additional area. The business, which was previously considered as a partner for individual projects, is now recognized as a full-fledged entity developing volunteerism. The concept focuses companies on the systematic implementation of volunteer practices, linking them with national goals and a measurable contribution to GDP and human capital," she said.

Elena Dubovitskaya, Director of the Skolkovo Center for Sustainable Development and Professor of Business Practice, described modern methods for measuring the effectiveness of corporate volunteerism, noting the growing interest in disclosing these metrics in Russia.
"The adopted Concept of Promoting Volunteerism encourages businesses to evaluate their initiatives through metrics of contribution to the National Development Goals of the Russian Federation in addition to standard ESG indicators. The focus on a more systematic approach to the disclosure of metrics will allow us to develop corporate volunteerism as a strategic tool for national development, taking into account the best international practices and ESG standards," she said.

The participants of the meeting came to the conclusion that corporate volunteerism is becoming a tool for solving common tasks of various departments.
"Corporate volunteerism becomes a strategic resource when it ceases to be an internal project of one of the departments and becomes a cross-functional corporate project: HR receives a tool for developing leaders, marketing — brand support, operational functions — a testing ground for innovation development. An integrated approach to volunteerism is a significant corporate resource that feeds departments with new ideas, talents and competencies," said Irina Garth, Director of the Department of Sustainable Development at Mobius Technologies.

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