There are few things that bring people together like volunteering. Seeing the benefit it brings to the community and the individual is incredibly rewarding. Corporate volunteering in particular fosters camaraderie and teamwork, creates a sense of pride, and promotes employee engagement.
For more than 30 years, AMD has encouraged our employees to volunteer their time and talents in the communities where they live and work. To build on this history, and to unite our worldwide sites around a single day, AMD hosted its first annual AMD Cares Day of Service in September of 2015. Employees from Singapore to Sunnyvale and points in between came together to support their communities through volunteer projects. The goal was simple: to mobilize teams of AMDers to make an impact in their communities on a coordinated day and to continue that spirit of service throughout the year.
AMD employees were empowered to select a variety of nonprofit organizations to work with and, in addition to providing volunteers, the company also gave donations to many of the groups. Volunteer employee champions at 17 different global sites coordinated the activities, recruited employees, and led volunteer events focused on the environment, education, hunger, animal welfare, and health related causes.
What we accomplished
When all was said and done, nearly 1,200 employees from 17 global sites volunteered over 3,500 hours for causes that benefitted 48 nonprofit organizations. Teams of AMD employees provided and packed 11,000 nutritious meals, planted over 400 trees, cleaned and restored seven parks, assembled 1,000 educational project kits, and collected at least 200 bags of trash from six different river and shoreline cleanups.
What a difference a day makes
With over a thousand volunteers, our employees racked up some impressive stats. But behind the numbers are some touching stories:
After volunteering at a children's home in Malaysia, employees saw the impact their presence made on the children and how just a little one-on-one time can truly change the life of a child. The team is planning to repeat the activity again soon.
Employees who volunteered at a soup kitchen in Austin, Texas were amazed at just how much teamwork, planning, and timing goes into feeding the homeless. Volunteers echoed the sentiment that it was one of the most rewarding and exhausting events they had ever done.
Employees in Fort Collins, Colorado enjoyed a day outdoors restoring a nature area and walked away feeling more connected with the team they solve problems with every day.
What we learned
Keep it flexible: Variety matters. While many really liked being out in the community and getting their hands dirty, others appreciated the flexibility of onsite projects. Hosting volunteer events at the office was successful for many of our sites; in fact, the AMD office in Boxborough, Massachusetts more than doubled their expected participation rate.
Make it personal: Email and social media are great tools for getting the word out, but our most effective communications were face-to-face meetings with site leaders who then became champions for the cause.
Plan early and share the load: An event of this scope takes a great deal to plan and execute. Our success was largely due to planning early and engaging a network of helpers. AMD's network of site champions around the world was on the front line identifying the volunteer opportunities, recruiting employees, and leading projects.
Recognize and reward: Recognition goes a long way and it's critical to acknowledge and thank volunteer leaders and participants so they look forward to future activities.
Keep the spirit: While one day can truly make an impact, one of the biggest benefits of the Day of Service model is to raise awareness of the importance of volunteering in the community year-round. We are continuing to use the inspiring stories from our Day of Service to encourage employees to volunteer throughout the year.
For more information follow #AMDDAYOFSERVICE on social media.
Susan Moore is Corporate Vice President of Government & Public Affairs for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
Anne Fertitta is Senior Manager, Global Community Affairs for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Their postings are their own opinions and may not represent AMD's positions, strategies or opinions.
Purpose@Work is a new series of discussions designed to explore how we can infuse a deep sense of purpose into our work - through our organizations, our people, and our impact in society.
How are you taking purpose to the next level in your workplace? Let us know at PurposePlusProfit@huffingtonpost.com or by tweeting with #PurposeAtWork.