The FirstRand Volunteers programme was launched in 2003 to facilitate and support employee community involvement. The programme provides employees from across the group with the opportunity to make a real difference by matching their time and monetary donations to their chosen registered organisation or school.
Governed by clear guidelines, and aligned to the FirstRand Foundation, the programme provides support including R1-for-R1 matched funding for employee donations of time and money, sourcing of organisations to support, annual group drive incentives and training and guidance for employees to share their time, skills and knowledge with their chosen organisations and schools.
The programme’s vision of ‘action with purpose’ encourages employees to create strong long-term relationships with the communities supported. Employees are also encouraged to use action plans and metrics to track the impact of their initiatives.
The FirstRand Volunteers programme offerings include:
- Cause-related volunteering – employees support registered causes they are passionate about
- Skills-based volunteering – employees are encouraged to utilise their skills in volunteering efforts
- Volunteering with the FirstRand Foundation – employees volunteer their time, skills and knowledge to organisations funded by the foundations.
Employees share skills and knowledge in the work of the FirstRand Foundation
FirstRand’s Youth Development Programme, FirstJob, is a one-year internship partly funded by the FirstRand Foundation and offered by the business to unemployed graduates. It includes a one-year structured immersion into the business to provide participants with exposure to workplace readiness and experience in their chosen qualification and to improve their CVs for future employment opportunities.
FirstRand Volunteers partnered with a registered NGO, enke: Make Your Mark, to develop a structured, supportive mentorship programme to the FirstJob graduates. The objective of the programme is to provide graduate interns with extra guidance, skills, knowledge, and exposure to the networks and experience of FirstRand employees during their one-year internship within the group. 54 employees and FirstJob graduates were matched and participated in the first pilot launched in October 2021.
Three structured skills workshops are included in the one-year programme which are relevant learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for the mentees, and in turn assist and inform mentors with goal setting plans for their mentees.
The FirstRand Volunteers programme is committed to supporting the ‘action with purpose’ journey through knowledge sharing, funding and a structure that is both deliberate and flexible. We salute our thousands of employees who are committed to change and moving towards a healthier, more inclusive South Africa.Email : firstrandvolunteers@firstrand.co.za
Telephone : 011 282 1773
