Announcing the 2015 Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year

At the 2015 Conference on Volunteering and Service in Houston today, Points of Light honored the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council as 2015 Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year for serving as a primary local resource for encouraging, educating and connecting businesses that support employee volunteerism.

Kate Laepple Hertzog and Neil Bush

Corporate Volunteer Councils are local networks that businesses join to share best practices and address community needs through workplace volunteering. The Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year Award recognizes councils that have a clear purpose, activities that relate to that purpose and measurements for success. All entries are reviewed and winners selected by an awards committee comprised of national Corporate Volunteer Council leaders and convened by Points of Light. 

The Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council was presented the Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year award by Neil Bush, chairman of Points of Light, during the conference’s Business Track Luncheon. Kate Laepple Hertzog, manager of the council, accepted the award on the organization’s behalf.

Since its founding in 2011 by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council has grown both in numbers and in impact. Its corporate members have opportunities to increase their skills and find new ways to engage their employees in order to better meet the needs of their community. 

“The Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council has provided me with the opportunity to connect with colleagues who are also focused on employee engagement. Through peer learning and sharing of best practices, I’m able to implement my knowledge to ensure our employees are giving back to the community in new and impactful ways,” shared Debbie O’Brien, senior vice president, market manager, Bank of America, and co-chair of the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council. 

Led by an active steering committee that reflects its corporate members and managed by United Way, the council offers its members robust year-round programming that includes skill-building and issue-based sessions, along with monthly roundtable discussions that provide practical knowledge to use in members’ daily work. It also makes available satellite programming specifically for suburban members and small businesses.

"As a one-person community impact department at my company, I find the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council to be a fantastic resource,” said Jan Waldauer, manager of global corporate social responsibility and internal communication at Quaker Chemical Corporation. “Not only do I learn best practices from other companies, but expand my professional network as well as gain valuable insight into the Philadelphia-area volunteer space.”

To learn more about the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council, click here.