What Exactly Is
Business Volunteering?
Engaging teams, talent and expertise
Business volunteering enables organizations to contribute to real community needs by mobilizing teams, talent and expertise, depending on the context.
Corporate volunteering, employer-supported volunteering (ESV), skills-based volunteering, employee-led initiatives, or internal engagement programs: the forms may vary. The intention remains the same: to contribute where these strengths can make a difference.
93% |
of business volunteers surveyed assess their contribution not only based on the time they devote, but also on the expertise and networks they mobilize.Source : Épisode, 2025. |
Engagement can take place on personal time or be supported by an employer, including through paid time off, flexible schedules or other measures that facilitate participation.
Key takeaway: In the connections facilitated by the VBM, the volunteer contribution remains free of charge for the community organization receiving it.
Who Is this For?
For individuals and organizations across the professional and business communities who want to contribute to their community.
Engagement can be individual or collective, on personal time or with employer support.
What difference does it make for your teams?
For people who get involved
Discover new realities, build connections, broaden your horizons, and put your expertise to work in a different context.
The exchange goes both ways: community organizations also bring valuable expertise, ways of collaborating, and a practical understanding of social realities.
For your organization
Supporting your teams’ involvement can foster engagement, attract and retain talent, showcase your organization’s values, and create opportunities to apply, broaden and develop certain areas of expertise in new contexts.
72% |
of Quebec respondents consider it important to work for an employer that is socially or culturally engaged.Source : Épisode, 2025. |
What makes a
contribution truly useful
A useful contribution starts with a real need
Start with the community’s needs |
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Understand what the organization actually needs before looking for a way to contribute. |
Consider the organization’s context |
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Engagement opportunities also depend on each organization’s mission, priorities and capacity to welcome volunteers. |
Find the right match |
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Match identified needs with the skills, experience or strengths available. |
Expertise rooted
in the Montreal
community
The Volunteer Bureau of Montreal has been at the heart of volunteer action in Montreal for nearly 90 years, including 20 years in business volunteering, and now brings together more than 500 member organizations.
This close connection to the community allows us to better understand organizations’ realities and to foster contributions that are relevant, respectful and tailored to their needs.
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Nearly 90 years of volunteer action in Montreal
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20 years of experience in business volunteering
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More than 500 member organizations
Would you like to engage your teams, talent or expertise?
Work at Heart helps you give them
greater reach in the community.
Receive monthly inspiring tips, testimonials, as well as ideas and tools to grow your engagement.
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