I recently had the privilege of attending a fascinating lecture delivered by Wendy Liu, Assistant Professor of Marketing at UCLA Anderson School of Management, during her visit to Haifa University. She spoke at length about her research on how time versus money can lead to two distinct mindsets that impact one's willingness to donate to charitable causes. It's what she calls "
The Happiness of Giving; The Time-Ask Effect".
Having spent a good part of my work week throughout 2008 driving voluntarism on Intel campuses across EMEA, I am always looking for that special formula that motivates ordinary people to do extraordinary things on their own time on behalf of their communities. I can easily write pages here about the benefits of volunteer work and I think that each and every Intel EMEA volunteer will know exactly what I'm talking about. But as Shelly Esque, Vice president Intel Corporate Affairs, wrote in her blog "What does one million hours mean", it's incredibly difficult to truly comprehend the impact that this huge number of volunteer hours made".
I think that one of the greatest benefits of volunteering is a personal one. I must confess that I also got swept away in the momentum that inspired so many Intel employees to really want to do something worthwhile for their communities. To prove on a daily basis that the cliché "it's better to give than to receive" truly makes a lasting impact.
I am always trying to capture some of that Intel EMEA volunteer energy. So I asked some of the volunteers from across the region to express their feelings about volunteering. And wait until you hear what they said! Thanks to the wonders of technology, we were able to put together a short video which I hope will also inspire other companies to ignite a spark among their employees so they, too, will choose to experience the happiness of giving.
