Announcing the 2016 Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year

At the 2016 Conference on Volunteering and Service today, Points of Light honored the Corporate Volunteer Council of Orange County as 2016 Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year for serving as a primary local resource for encouraging, educating and connecting businesses that support employee volunteerism.

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 winning entries are reviewed and selected by an awards committee comprised of national Corporate Volunteer Council leaders convened by Points of Light.

The Corporate Volunteer Council of Orange County was presented the Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year award by Points of Light Board Member Jeff Hoffman during the conference’s Business Track Luncheon. Dan McQuaid, president and CEO of OneOC—the HandsOn Network affiliate that manages the council—accepted the award on the organization’s behalf. 

Since its founding in 2012, the Corporate Volunteer Council of Orange County 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. In fact, the CVCOC has made nonprofit outreach a priority to further strengthen corporate and nonprofit partnerships in Orange County. Not only do they invite smaller nonprofits to present their missions and employee volunteer opportunities during their bi-monthly member meetings, they host annual mixers with their counterparts in nonprofit volunteer management as well as nonprofit fairs. By connecting CVCOC members to the Orange County, California, nonprofit community, they are continually learning about the critical issues facing the community and the agencies that offer employee volunteer opportunities that can make a difference.

“As a member of the CVCOC, it’s an honor to have our network of volunteer-focused organizations recognized as the 2016 Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year,” said Diane Killeen, manager of Disneyland Resort Corporate Citizenship. “Every time the CVCOC comes together, we find creative, hands-on ways to positively impact Orange County communities, and we look forward to connecting with more communities in need.”

Led by an active steering committee that reflects its corporate members, the council offers its members robust year-round programming that includes special convenings with recognized corporate social responsibility experts along with regular meetings that allow for best practice sharing to support members’ daily work. Each year, member companies also commit to recruiting their employee volunteers to serve during a transformational community project, which contributes to community pride and ownership while generating great media exposure for CVCOC and member companies alike.

“Our CVCOC is thrilled to win CVC of the Year from Points of Light. What an amazing honor! From our bi-monthly meetings to our networking events to our learning conversations to our annual Corporate Combined Project, we strive to be connectors and resources for each other and our broader community,” shared Sarah Middleton, executive director of The PIMCO Foundation. “I love hearing best practices and innovative ideas from other CVCOC members. I also appreciate the collaborative effort our CVCOC pursues to create shared value and real impact for those in need in Orange County.”

Visit their website to learn more about the Corporate Volunteer Council of Orange County.