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What is the On Demand Community (ODC)? Why should employees participate? If you are already volunteering your services to your local community, did you know that you could nominate that organisation for a donation of equipment or cash?
Mark Wakefield, Corporate Community Relations Manager, answers your questions on ODC...
Q. What is the main objective of the On Demand Community initiative?
A.To assist our IBM employees and retirees to make a real difference in the communities in which we live and work.
Q. Why 'On Demand'?
A. Those volunteering and those interested in volunteering can download and access resources from the ODC intranet 24/7 to enable them to volunteer or become more effective volunteers 'On Demand'.
Q. What does it mean to employees in the UK who already volunteer their services?
A. It means more and better resources to help them be more effective volunteers and it gives them access to Community Grants for the organisations that they volunteer with - provided that they have registered on the ODC site, recorded their volunteering hours and that they have completed a minimum of eight hours volunteering per month for five months. ( Please note there are some restrictions on which organisations and activities can be supported - details are available on the ODC intranet site.)
Volunteers also receive recognition - when they sign on, and at a later stage will receive a certificate from Sam Palmisano, IBM Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, copied to their manager, when they have completed a certain level of volunteering.
Q. Who is eligible to participate in ODC?
A.The ODC initiative is open to IBM employees and IBM retirees in receipt of an IBM pension.
Q. What is your advice to employees who might be thinking of volunteering?
A. The skills, knowledge and resources you possess can make a real difference to the communities we live and work within, creating more cohesive communities in which to live and work, which benefits us all. Volunteering can also be great fun and very rewarding.
Q. What should employees do, if they would like to get involved in volunteering?
A. They should visit the ODC intranet site and find details of national voluntary organisations who provide volunteering opportunities and volunteering brokerage. There are opportunities local to their working locations, plus information and training materials on what it takes to become a volunteer.
They can also read profiles of existing IBM volunteers who are helping to make a difference in their local communities. Employees find that volunteering helps them to acquire and develop a broad range of skills and knowledge that can also assist them in their careers and personal lives.
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