Aramark

Without a doubt, the free staffing of corporate volunteers can be invaluable. But the unfortunate reality of corporate “days of service,” well-meaning as they are, is that they can be burdensome, time-consuming headaches for nonprofits, and of dubious value. The “help” may not be all that helpful.

A company may want to organize a team-building project to paint a community center, when what that center actually needs is a volunteer social media strategist to teach its staff to use Twitter, for example.

While companies have had corporate giving programs for years, they increasingly are involving employees by giving them a say in which charities to support and providing time off with pay for volunteering. Corporate volunteerism is growing, with 20 percent more companies allowing employees paid time off for volunteer projects than three years ago, according to a report by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy.

Corporate giving also has been a bright spot. Corporate charitable contributions rose 5.5 percent in 2009, according to Giving USA Foundation's report.

WALTHAM, Mass., November 11, 2009 — ClickSquared, the leading interactive relationship marketing firm, announced its relationship with SPCA International, a non-profit devoted to advancing the safety and well-being of animals. ClickSquared began working with SPCA International a few months ago to help it better communicate with its donor community. With a variety of databases in use, it was challenging to get a complete picture of each and every donor and to fully understand when, where and how they made donations.

Launching a new fundraising solutions program for the non-profit industry, ClickSquared announced today that direct marketing agency Brickmill Marketing Services selected the company to offer eServices to its non-profit clients. The program, which begins immediately, will enable Brickmill to enhance its existing strategic donor and fundraising solutions offering by providing an integrated view of a constituent’s activity across all channels and program areas.

It’s no secret in the nonprofit fundraising world that the days of donors writing checks and then forgetting about their charities of choice until the same time the following year are coming to an end. Donors increasingly are reaching out to the organizations they support more as partners than as mere checkbooks. Organizations that respond in kind foster the best relationships and, hence, the most loyal donors. It could be somewhat of a difficult transition for some of the more old-school nonprofits out there. But it suits City Year just fine. The 20-year-old organization, which enlists young adults in a year of service in