Corporate volunteering to help the economically disadvantaged in an underdeveloped region – case study of three companies

Eszter Sipos Nándori

Abstract

In the framework of corporate volunteering, companies actively contribute to the well-being of the community, not only with financial support but also by involving employees and volunteering. The study examines how and what characteristics corporate volunteering presents in the context of helping those in need in one of the most disadvantaged areas of Hungary, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, through the case studies of three companies. After reviewing the literature, I present the voluntary activities of three companies in the county (MVK Zrt., Borsodi Sörgyár Kft., and Miskolc Autó Kft.) to help those in need. In addition to the available information (sustainability report and press releases), I collected information from written materials made available to me by Borsodi Sörgyár Zrt. and from an interview with MVK Zrt. As a result, I conclude that philanthropic donations and cooperation with civil organizations are prominent in the field of helping those in need within the framework of corporate volunteering. The examined companies demonstrate successful volunteering through the complementarity of bottom-up and top-down initiatives. Corporate volunteering has started and is evaluated from donations in all three cases.

Keywords: corporate volunteering, those in need, corporate social responsibility