MANDELA Day is upon us, and for most South Africans, that means it’s time to dedicate a day or 67 minutes to helping others.
This year, although pandemic restrictions and health concerns may hamper the volunteerism spirit, it will not stop Sage Foundation from reaching out and helping people. In a discussion with Joanne van der Walt, marketing director at Sage Foundation, we’ve learnt there are other ways to volunteer.
Van der Walt said: “We’ve had to pivot our entire CSI strategy. We used to be more focused on community outreach, but we are forced to be more skills-focused. Our teams now do things like innovation jams, hackathons, literacy skills, and mentoring with young people, all of which can happen from your home.
“Doing this has enabled our teams to collaborate across the globe to make a difference. The culture at Sage has also given employees a sense of satisfaction. According to People Powering Change research conducted by Sage Foundation, this helps improve the retention strategy of a company,” she said.
Based on insights shared by Van der Walt, it is still possible for organisations to reach out and help communities during this difficult time. There are creative ways to volunteer without exposing staff to health risks while enabling them to reach those in need.
Listen to our interview with Joanne van der Walt here:
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