Why is it important to talk about business volunteering?
There are more than 15,000 non-profit organizations (NPOs) in Quebec and we can therefore imagine that more than a hundred thousand individuals put their time, their expertise and their network to good use to support them and develop. These organizations constitute our social and cultural fabric in Quebec, taking care of palliative care homes, theaters, women’s shelters, school perseverance initiatives… and more. Without knowing it, we all benefit, sooner or later, from the services and programs of an NPO. And let’s not forget that it is business volunteers who ensure their good governance and, very often, their financial development.
If volunteering is a subject that is rarely discussed, although it is not at all trivial, it is nonetheless an essential vector for the development of organizations that participate in Quebec’s silent economy.
It is clear that women, who occupy fewer senior management positions than men, are proportionally less represented than them on the boards of directors of the largest charities. However, they have a natural propensity to get involved in their community. Some go so far as to qualify their philanthropic commitments as a second career. But they do it differently, under other conditions and too often don’t show much, out of humility, discretion or simply because for them, volunteering is first and foremost a matter of the heart!
Given the importance of NPOs in our lives, in many respects, we have an interest, as a society, in ensuring that gender parity exists within them.
The positive impact of this parity on management, governance, creativity and innovation has been widely demonstrated. On International Women’s Day, we unveiled the results of a report titled “Female Leaders and Philanthropy. Study on business volunteering”. And we have brought together models of inspiring women, who get involved to the extent of their abilities, in strategic roles and in roles on the ground, because the two are essential and inseparable. Of course, the philanthropic ecosystem needs women at the head of multiple campaign cabinets as leaders, but also as administrators on boards of directors, honorary presidents of events, ambassadors for a clothing drive or foodstuffs, and so on.
Business leaders, executives and leaders, get involved and, please, show yourselves in order to pave the way and inspire others to follow in your footsteps… because it is the whole community that benefits!