It’s no secret that Corporate Social Responsibility is a business strategy must these days. No one likes a business that is not is the business of giving back. Whether it is a percent off of a sales promotion that goes towards a worthy cause or actually giving time and/ or funds to said cause, one is expected do something altruistic for the community.

When I started my business nearly 8 years ago, I knew that a charitable effort would be a crucial part of how I wanted to run things. It took me a while to find the right organisation to attach myself with. Once I finally did, it was a no brainer. Dress for Success Calgary through its recently merged partner organization Making Changes helps all sorts of Calgarians get professionally dressed and get out there. This is the official “what they do” non-profit rundown:

Dress for Success Calgary is committed to our mission of helping women succeed in the mainstream workplace and achieve economic independence.

Through our suiting program, our clients experience personal styling sessions at our boutique in a one-on-one and comfortable atmosphere. Interview and employment outfits are chosen for the client based on their individual needs and preferences. We strive to ensure every client’s experience is enjoyable and confidence-boosting.

Our team is committed to helping empower women in Calgary. We are united in an effort to end poverty. Dress for Success Calgary is part of a global network of people working to achieve our shared mission and to support women as they strive to realize their full potential.

No wonder I signed up over five years ago, hey? Simply put, every time I see a woman transform in under 90 minutes by simply giving them clothes that will help propel them confidently into their professional life, a new style angel gets their wings. It’s totally a ta-dah moment when we get on that first suit, dress, or separates on and it’s working for them. That joy, in turn, makes them glow from the inside out.

From my career experience history at a non-profit, I knew that to make a lasting impact, routine and consistent volunteering helps a charitable organisation soar. Basically, when a non-profit can count on operational volunteers, who directly help the charities clients they serve, they can focus on other, bigger business things like planning, funding, and staffing. While I focus on showing up on the regular, I was curious what other folks are doing.

A quick look at volunteering statistics in Canada helped shed some light on what is the average takeaways. I found these presentation takeaways on Voluteer.ca

Using the 2018 GSS GVP we provided a generational focus, describing differences between the five generational cohorts with generally higher participation rates among the younger generations while older generations contributed more hours.

Certain sectors found to receive the most hours of support such as hospitals, sports and recreation and arts and culture have and continue to experience reduced activities during the pandemic.

This is the first time informal volunteering hours are reported, providing a picture of engagement across a spectrum of volunteering types.

Overall volunteering increased from older to younger generations.

Provincial differences narrowed when factoring overall volunteering.

While this data pre-dates the pandemic they provide a reference point that may help the volunteer sector following the pandemic.

Interesting, am I right? Some people may assume that younger generations are “lazy and don’t care about other people” but this data proves otherwise. They just have less time than older folks. It seems like no matter who volunteers, each of those volunteers do what they can. Are you?

As the holiday season approaches and we know we have community members who have more than what you may have while others have way, way less, I’m curious to know and challenge you to think about how you are giving back?

Do you help out your neighbours, school, community centre, or loved ones?

Do you regularly volunteer with a non-profit or charity? Curious what is out there? Check this Check this out.

Is a part of your annual family budget dedicated to donating to a cause near and dear?

Do you do something else?

And as we move forward through this pandemic, are you considering something more substantial in either time or resources in the New Year?

Frankly, what do you do for your larger community? It’s time to give a little (or a lot).