The practice of corporate volunteering in light of the past 10 years – in context of Effecteam’s studies
Klára Molnár
Abstract
In Hungary, the first volunteer activities in large companies appeared in the mid-2000s and were executed characteristically with a bottom-up approach, in the form of collegial charity cooperation, as free-time activities. The establishment of the frameworks and policies of volunteering, as well as the promotion and organization of corporate-initiated programmes gained importance in the practice of corporate social responsibility in the second half of the 2000s. This is related to the fact that corporate social responsibility itself - called CSR by the companies and professionals as well back then in Hungary - emerged strongly and became firmly established in the corporate culture in the mid-2000s. Therefore, the first development phase of corporate volunteering in Hungary can be dated back to the last ten years. This period will be examined by this analysis. In this study, we aim to demonstrate how corporate volunteering has changed in Hungary over the last 10 years, in the light of the Effecteam's research. We break down the practice of volunteering into its elements and indicators, and present an overview of how it is planned, managed and followed up. Furthermore, we present the factors that might have influenced the evolution of corporate volunteering in Hungary.
Keywords: CSR, corporate social responsibility, responsible companies, corporate volunteering