Conference on Volunteering in Paris
On 24 February, a meeting was held in Paris to share the main conclusions of the latest 2025 Study by the consultancy VOILÈS and its think tank VOLUNTARE, and to discuss and work together on corporate volunteering in a key year marked by the International Year of Volunteering for Development (IYV 2026).
Thanks to the courtesy of the MAPFRE Foundation, and accompanied by Marta Granero, Head of Volunteering at the Foundation, the PGI was invited to the event together with Paulo Cavaleri, Executive Director of the Paris office, and Begoña González, Head of Volunteering at SSVP Spain.
VOILÈS is a certified consultancy that connects companies with real social causes, transforming employees’ commitment into a driver of social impact and strategic value. During the meeting, which was attended by several corporate volunteering managers, participants discussed the 2025 Study on the state of corporate volunteering in Europe and Latin America.
Among its main conclusions, the report shows a steady increase in participation: 77% of organisations already mobilise more than 10% of their workforce, and in nearly half of the companies one in five employees takes part in corporate volunteering initiatives. Moreover, volunteering activities mainly take place during working hours, reinforcing their integration into companies’ daily operations.
The analysis highlights the ethical and social motivation behind these programmes: almost all organisations promote them as part of their social responsibility, directing them towards causes valued by their stakeholders. Corporate volunteering is therefore clearly aligned with corporate values, the real needs of communities and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the social, educational and environmental fields.
The impact on people is another key focus of the report. Organisations report significant improvements in skills development, motivation, engagement, sense of belonging and workplace climate, reinforcing the role of volunteering as a driver of talent development.
The Study also identifies challenges and opportunities: the need to further professionalise programme management, improve volunteer training, strengthen impact measurement and enhance communication. At the same time, it highlights trends already shaping the present and future of corporate volunteering, such as virtual and hybrid volunteering, skills-based volunteering, and a stronger culture of partnerships between companies, social organisations and communities.
At the end of the meeting, Marta Granero and the representative of the MAPFRE Foundation in France visited the international headquarters of the SSVP in Paris.
On behalf of the CGI, we would like to thank the MAPFRE Foundation for its warm welcome and kind hospitality.
