volonteer
 
 
  Who are we?
 
    
 
Volonteer™ is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consultancy specialised in Employee Volunteering in the fields of solidarity, diversity and the environment..

DCSR has evolved significantly since the turn of the century. Two trends can be identified:		 
    


  • From pure philanthropy to social utility

    From an optional involvement disconnected from the global strategy of the company and with no compensation, a trend towards a more strategic approach is developing. Nowadays, companies define comprehensive CSR Policies and aim to have a significant impact, principally within their own field of expertise.

  • Employee Volunteering

    Community involvement has become a tool for employees who wish to fulfil their desire to help. The company gets involved by supporting initiatives proposed by volunteers.

    "The general trend is toward a growing involvement of employees in Corporate Philanthropy. Many companies are starting to do it or thinking about it."               Marianne Eshet, déléguée générale de l’ADMICAL.








The Team







Octavie BACULARD, Founder

After graduating from the ESSEC Business School, she held different positions in marketing and communication in the corporate sector. As head of the communication department of AOL France, she implemented a Social Responsibility Strategy oriented towards employee volunteering.

Convinced that this new form of Social Responsibility presented significant potential, she founded Volonteer™ in 2005. She works with a team of independant experts.


   


Amandine BARTHELEMY, CSR Consultant

Amandine graduated from the Paris Institute of Politics and the ESSEC Business School. She took part in the creation of the consultancy Altervia Consulting in 2005, which specialised in the guidance of social entrepreneurs. As a Consultant in organisation and management, she accompanies entrepreneurs in the development of their strategy and the mobilization of their teams. She is the co-author of “A responsible business: employees and leaders facing the challenges of CSR” (Editions Autrement - May 2008).

    
 Florence LOTY, Research Specialist

Florence graduated from the Paris Institute of Politics and held different studies/research positions with the Sofres, SC Johnson and the Moulinex Group. She then became Head of Market Studies and Business Intelligence at AOL. In 2005, she founded her own business which carries out consumer studies and develops personalised study tools for companies, mainly for online studies.


 
    





Jérôme ADAM, Innovation Expert

Jérôme graduated from the Paris Institute of Politics and the ESSEC Business School. He founded Visual Friendly in 2000, which specialised in Web accessibility and Easylife Conseil in 2005. His book, “Undertake with your difference” co-written with Patrick Blanchet, was chosen as the “favourite of the Advancia-CCIP prize for the entrepreneurial book 2007”. An entrepreneur to the core, he decided to treat his visual handicap as a surmountable difficulty and not as part of his identity.


Philosophy

Create sustainable partnerships between companies and nonprofits

What is our motivation? To promote the encounter of two different worlds, to remove barriers and prejudices, to establish a fruitful dialogue leading to concrete projects.

Event  "Creating links":

In November 2008, Volonteer™ organised a first encounter between nonprofits and companies around the theme of social inclusion with Caritas France. An exceptional fashion show organised by the NGO « Tissons la Solidarité » ended the event : women from the community center of Perpignan became models for one night and wore their own creations.

    
 

Involve stakeholders in projects which have meaning for them all

Why would a company encourage employee volunteering? The idea may have been perceived as counter-intuitive until quite recently. Today, it has meaning for numerous companies which acknowledge the value of commitment.

« Volunteer meetings »:

For three years, Volonteer™ has been organising meetings between employees who wish to volunteer and nonprofit organizations. These meetings take place during lunch hour on companies headquarters like IBM or AREVA.