Corporate volunteering is now strategic — Voluntare Report

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Corporate volunteering is no longer a “nice-to-have”. It is becoming a strategic driver of talent development, stakeholder engagement and corporate reputation — and the new Voluntare 2025 Report, which included 236 organisations across Europe and Latin America, confirms its growing relevance for businesses in the region.  Voluntare — our partner in corporate volunteering and shared value — provides data, expertise and practical insight to help organisations translate social engagement into measurable business value. 

As the UN marks 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, the role of companies in enabling structured, high impact volunteering has never been more important. For businesses in hospitality and travel, volunteering is emerging as a powerful tool to build stronger teams, reinforce ESG commitments and strengthen relationships with local communities. 

Over the past decade, corporate volunteering has shifted from small, one off gestures to a core pillar of business strategy. According to the report: 

• More than 93% of organisations expect their programmes to continue growing.
• 97% now offer volunteering during working hours (vs. 82% in 2015), a sign of deep integration into company culture. 

For the travel sector, this trend signals an opportunity to engage employees more meaningfully while strengthening local partnerships and brand reputation. 

The study shows consistent year on year increases in participation: 

• Around 77% of organisations involve over 10% of their workforce, and 45% reach 20% participation or more.
• Nearly 84% report higher engagement than the previous year, and in almost half of organisations, most volunteers take part three or more times annually.
• Recognition is also improving, with around 65% of volunteers feeling acknowledged and nearly 67% feeling that their contributions are valued.  

For employers in the hospitality and tourism sector, this is a clear indicator that volunteering strengthens loyalty, motivation and culture, particularly in servicedriven environments.

Corporate volunteering is becoming a reliable pathway for strengthening workforce capabilities:

• Nearly all organisations report improved professional skills (97%), enhanced teamwork (98.7%), greater adaptability (97.5%), increased pride of belonging (97.7%) and stronger connections with communities (98.8%).
• It is also used to attract future talent (91.5%) and provide leadership opportunities (62.5%), highlighting its value as a differentiator for employers in the travel sector competing for skilled hospitality talent.

Volunteering activities are increasingly strategic: 

• Nearly all initiatives link to corporate values (99.2%) and align with real community needs (99.6%). 
• Around 94% contribute to SDG 4 (Quality Education) or SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), with the top areas of activity including social (99.2%), environmental (91.1%) and educational (85.2%) programmes, and growing momentum in technology, health, emergency response, culture and sport.  

Organisations are investing more seriously in governance: 

• Most programmes have a dedicated budget (91%), a significant portion involve active leadership (61%), and nearly half maintain structured communication plans (47%). 
• Ongoing challenges include resource constraints, the need for better professionalisation, and improved measurement of social and environmental impact, highlighting the importance of partnerships with experienced organisations such as Voluntare to ensure programmes are effective and credible.

The report identifies three major shifts: 

1. Digital and hybrid volunteering — now fully established post-pandemic. 

2. Skills-based volunteering — leveraging employee expertise for deeper impact. 

3. Stronger cross-sector partnerships — linking companies, NGOs and communities to deliver systemic change. 

Regionally, Europe focuses on participation and innovation, while Latin America emphasises professionalisation and resource expansion, but both share the common goal of embedding volunteering into business culture to advance sustainable development.