August 18, 2005 | Read Time: 1 minute
The UPS Foundation and two other corporate donors this month established a charitable fund to help national and local charities better manage volunteers.
The UPS Foundation, the philanthropic arm of UPS, the parcel-service company in Atlanta, will provide $1-million over three years to the effort. In addition, the Capital One Financial Corporation, in McLean, Va., will give $50,000, and Home Depot, in Atlanta, will donate $100,000.
UPS and its collaborators are asking other corporations and foundations to support the cause, with a goal of raising $6-million, said Evern C. Epps, president of the UPS Foundation. While it is unusual for companies to support charitable efforts established by other businesses, Ms. Epps predicted the fund would attract other donors. “Collectively, at the end of the day, it’s about helping communities,” she said.
The fund, which will be managed by the National Human Services Assembly, in Washington, will make grants to national and local nonprofit organizations to support efforts to improve the use of volunteers. As part of the program, the groups will share information with other charities about effective volunteer-management practices.
“It’s raising the bar for the field,” said Ms. Epps. The fund will make its first grants in the fall.
Ms. Epps said the need for the new fund became apparent after a 2004 study by the Urban Institute, a research organization in Washington, revealed that four out of five charities rely on volunteers but most were struggling to manage them effectively (The Chronicle, March 18, 2004).
The study was based on data from 1,753 charities and 544 religious congregations and was paid for by the UPS Foundation and two federal government agencies — the Corporation for National and Community Service and the USA Freedom Corps.
