Turner Broadcast Systems
Turner Broadcasting, the company behind CNN, Cartoon Network, TCM and Nuts TV amongst others, is one of YouthNet's syndication partners. We caught up with Nick Hart, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Turner Broadcasting, to find out how do-it.org.uk supports Turner's employee volunteering programme.
What are Turner's main objectives when it comes to employee volunteering?
Turner staff each have 16 hours paid volunteer time per year and our goal is to get everyone using them. In 2005 24% of staff used their hours and in 2006 it was up to 38% and I hope that having the do-it.org.uk opportunities on our site and our other activities will move it up towards 50% this year. It is very important to Turner to be a good corporate citizen and we gave airtime and other charitable contributions worth over £8 million last year. We really encourage our staff to do their bit as it's good for the community and the company as well as being very good for their own personal development.
What kind of activities do Turner employees take part in?
All sorts. We are a very diverse company as we have channels as different as CNN and Cartoon Network and people from all over the world. We are based in central London, so some activities are very local but we have also taken volunteers to Kenya and next year staff will be building a house for AIDS orphans in South Africa. Homelessness is a major problem right outside our door so we have got involved in several projects with Business Action on Homelessness, The Big Issue and the Homeless World Cup and staff went to play with them at Manchester United. Everyone has different interests so we are always asking people what they like doing. The answer is everything from animals to health, sport, the environment and old people - so we make sure we have activities to suit them all.
Why did you choose YouthNet as an employee volunteering partner?
do-it.org.uk is a great site and has opportunities for everyone, so really helps us to get staff interested. We have found that everyone thoroughly enjoys volunteering when they do it so our challenge is to find suitable opportunities that they will find fulfilling and do-it.org.uk helps with this.
How does the syndication feed of do-it.org.uk opportunities work for Turner employees?
It is part of a brand new CSR site and there are several links to it. It is easy to use but will get a lot more use when we launch our 'Volunteering Agency' which is designed to match staff to volunteering opportunities.
How is the programme going so far?
Very well - we got 12% more people volunteering last year and are now putting the finishing touches to our plans to make volunteering even easier so hope to get that number up further this year. Volunteering is now part of the company culture, so managers are increasingly keen for their staff to participate and it is growing fast now.
Find out more about syndicating do-it.org.uk's opportunities or contact us to discuss your requirements.