Branching and Braiding: Sectors Join Forces for Social Purpose
Inth is 20 th anniversary of the International year of volunteers, volunteer Canada is reflecting on the evolution of volunteering to prepare us for the next 20 years of individual and corporate social responsibility. Civil society calls for the braiding of a responsive government, thriving business, and a vibrant non-profit sector.
We've seen the branching out and braiding of sectors and people, of formal volunteering, organic movements, and informal helping of family, neighbours, friends, and strangers.
Unlike blending, braiding retains the unique characteristics of each strand and we've seen these sectors branch out and reach out to each other in new ways.
The pandemic has accelerated these changes, while illuminating social injustices, economicinequities,andenvironmentalcrises.
Businesses have branched out from charitable giving to social-cause marketing, and from employee volunteering to employee engagement. We've seen the braiding of
employee volunteering, employee giving, and corporate giving into corporate community engagement strategies that facilitate both individual social responsibility (ISR) and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
In non-profit organizations, volunteer resource management has branched out from
fundraising units or human resources departments, and then integrated into community engagement initiatives, braiding the engagement of stakeholders, donors, and volunteers together, recognizing a spectrum of social purpose expression.
In preparation for the next 20 years, we're challenging ourselves to branch out to seriously address colonialism, racism, and diversity, and to choose equity and justice over a (false) sense of stability and continuity. The evolving ways that volunteers connect and engage has been a catalyzing force for achieving our social purpose and creating change. We begin to braid together ISR, CSR, and formal and informal volunteering, in all their glory.