Intel Involved India has become a focal point in promoting volunteerism in India. Five years since its inception, it is now slowly gaining momentum and the support of management and employees alike. As of 2006, it has achieved a 75-percent employee participation rate, a first for a research and development site. Today, it strives to move beyond the quantitative aspect toward focusing on sustaining and deepening the impact on all stakeholders.

At Intel we see communities where we live and work in as critical to our success. We strive for a partnership that is mutual, continuous and lasting, engaging the communities at every step, at every opportunity; creating a world that is better for us and full of promises for the generations to come.
— Paul S Ottellini, CEO and MD, Intel Corporation¹

Intel India
Intel Corporation has corporate offices in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi, while its sales and marketing offices were set up in six other cities in India.

In Bangalore, in 1999, it built the Intel India Development Center (IIDC), the largest non-manufacturing site outside the United States. As the research and development arm, IIDC handled the design of the next-generation multi-core server processor, the mobile platform, and Intel's 100 percent e-Corporation initiative support.

The design center disclosed around 300 inventions in 2005. Its employee base increased from 100 to 2900 in only four years.

Intel India's mission was to "accelerate the adoption of computing and communication technologies and operate a world-class knowledge center."

Intel's Community Involvement Initiatives
Intel India had a very strong commitment to the communities where it located. It also encouraged its employees to engage in the company's community activities through its Intel® Involved in the Community program. Intel India's primary objective was to be recognized as a responsible corporate citizen, particularly through volunteerism, among its internal and external stakeholders.² Intel acknowledged that employee volunteerism provided employees with leadership training; helped build employee morale and skills; encouraged teamwork; and promoted loyalty, workplace appreciation, job satisfaction, and a sense of personal fulfillment. In turn, the communities around Intel benefited from the time and talent of Intel® Involved volunteers.

Intel's community involvements activities in India were categorized into four main areas, as follows:

• Education: VGMP, Intel Computer Clubhouse, Volunteering in Bangalore Corporation Schools, and Train-the-Trainers Workshops for volunteers and teachers.
  
  The Volunteer Matching Grant Program (VMGP), which was one of Intel's flagship programs, was launched in India in November 2005. Currently, 19 Karnataka Government schools, 7 special schools, 2 NGO-run schools in Delhi and Mumbai, and 1 Intel Computer Clubhouse were under the program. For every 20 volunteer hours an Intel employee spent in a VGMP-selected educational institution, the respective school received US$80 from Intel Foundation.³
  
  
• Environment: Tree Planting, Building Rain Water Harvesting Systems, Building Solid Waste Management Systems, Recycling Waste.
  
  One of the environment programs that made a significant and tangible difference in India was the "Intel for a Better Bannerghatta" project. Launched in March 2004 with the assistance of the Bennerghatta Biological Park (BBP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature, India (WWF), the project resulted in a plastic- and litter-free park, and created a learning space with the setting up of information kiosks in the park.
  
  In the last four years (2003-2007), Intel employees planted and took care of more than 5000 trees in and around Bangalore. In 2007, it was developing a Solid Waste Management Program in Annasandrapalya, Bangalore, in partnership with The Energy Resources Institute (TERI).
  
  
• People with Special Needs: Special Olympics, a Center for the Economic Empowerment of the Intellectually Challenged (CEEIC), seven special schools included in the VMGP-selected educational institutions.
  
  Aside from organizing traditional activities for the people with special needs, Intel developed Technology Training and Job Centers for Special Children in Bangalore and Mandya. These focused on enhancing their learning and creative abilities, in addition to their work skills.
  
  
• Community Outreach: Fund raisers, blood donation drives, books and notebook donation drives, village development projects, technology support programs, and waterfall equipment donation program.
  
  Intel's most crucial project under the community outreach area was the Arcoduthurai Village Development Project, launched after a tsunami hit India.
  
  The village development project was a two-year endeavor (2006-2008) in Arcoduthurai, near Nagapattinum. The project focused on infrastructure development during its first year, including the establishment of primary and secondary (from class 1 to 10) school buildings with a vocational training center, a computer center, a play school, and a community center. In its second year, the project focused on education, the environment and community programs, and activities that provided the necessary skills to children, the youth, and the community in general.

Intel® Involved India
Since its launch in 2002, Intel® Involved was slowly integrated into the company's operations through the Intel India in the Community Framework.⁴ The framework focused on promoting employee awareness, seeking the involvement of external stakeholders, setting up measurable goals, and assessing the program's impact. The following activities enjoyed the support of the culture of volunteerism, proper and efficient implementation, an integration of the needs of the community. Also supported was the sharing of talents, by considering the employees' interests and skills, and crafting sustainable and high impact programs.

Figure 1: Intel India in the Community Framework

From 2002 to 2006, the Intel India in the Community framework amplified the initiatives of the Corporate Affairs Group to ensure the proper alignment of the program with Intel India's operations as follows:

In 2002, Intel® Involved started as a small-scale informal employee initiative, which focused on activities like tree planting and blood drives. Interested and enthusiastic employee volunteers soon became members of the Intel® Involved India Steering Committee that conceptualized the charter and mission statement for the program, identified the best practices, and forwarded the need to recognize the program's achievements.

By 2003, the IISC was able to identify suitable programs that best fit the needs of the community and the Intel volunteers' capability. Intel India began to interact with other Intel sites worldwide, from which they gained insights on establishing parameters for local community partners and defining program objectives. Intel® Involved also introduced short-term (e.g., community outreach initiatives with government schools and orphanages) and long-term (e.g. Intel for a Better Bannerghatta⁵) projects, and began to align itself with local NGO partners in the implementation of its community programs. Campaigns to promote employee awareness were intensified through posters, banners, tent cards, and badges.

Figure 2: Development of Intel® Involved in the Community

By 2004, the Intel® Involved program focused its efforts on the immediate needs of its surrounding communities by mentoring students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, aiding community empowerment through technology acceptance, and adopting intellectually challenged as its major focus area. The year 2004 marked the institutionalization of the program in the company's corporate culture through the development of team volunteering activities.

In 2005, the main concern was to scale up operations and encourage high-impact activities. In line with the effort to scale up the program's operations, the organizational framework was strengthened through the creation of more core teams and sub teams that specifically delineated their roles and responsibilities in the execution of the company's volunteer activities. The Intel® Involved program's Tsunami Village Development Project in Nagapattinum was regarded as registering the greatest impact. Meanwhile, Intel put up the Center for Economic Empowerment for the Intellectually Challenged (CEEIC) in cooperation with AMBA and the Indian Air Force Training Command. The CEEIC, on the other hand, provided interactive technology training and handled the employment oppotunities of the special children.

In 2006 Intel Volunteer programs were consolidated by identifying new perspectives for employee volunteerism. The year also marked the formal launch of the Volunteer Matching Grant Program (VMGP) in India, whereby the Intel Foundation matched the volunteer hours logged by Intel volunteers via a corresponding monetary grant.

The Dynamics of Employee Volunteerism under the VMGP
The Volunteer Matching Grant Program was a "volunteer-based community program" through which Intel employees devoted some time in specific educational institutions, which Intel Foundation matched with a financial grant to fund infrastructure and learning improvements. For every 20 volunteer hours logged by the employees, Intel Foundation donates US$80 to the respective educational institution in order to improve the latter's education infrastructure (e.g., school furniture, classrooms, buildings) and enhance the student's learning through such tools as the following: a library, a science lab, sports equipment.

Although the program was introduced in the United States in 1995, it was only in 2004 that this was expanded to two international sites, namely, Israel and the Philippines. As it was noted to provide an excellent platform for strengthening education-based programs across Intel sites worldwide, VMGP rolled out to five more sites in July 2005, as follows: Malaysia, China, Ireland, Costa Rica and India. Thus, in school year 2005-2006, Intel employees in the eight Intel sites logged 226,000 volunteer hours that translated to over $2 million in VMGP funds donated to the site's respective schools and Intel Clubhouses.

The Formulation of VMGP objectives and the identification of focus and activities
Launched in November 2005, VMGP was considered one of the flagship programs of Intel® Involved in the Community in India.

VMGP's pilot phase in India lasted from November 2005 to April 2006, with 29 institutions participating, broken down as follows: 23 Karnataka government high schools, five special needs schools and the Intel Computer Clubhouse in the Bangalore area. In its second year, VMGP continued to partner with the same institutions. By the third year (2007-2008), Bangalore partnered with 19 Karnataka government high schools, five schools for special children, one school for the deaf, one school for the blind and one Intel Clubhouse; whereas Mumbai and New Delhi had one NGO-run school each.

The Intel India employees logged in 5,486 hours in the pilot phase and 13,500 hours in the second phase. By then, 64 percent of the employees participated in the Saturday programs and team events, which the principals and the students enthusiastically welcomed.

VMGP Mechanics and the Selection of Schools
Schools were pre-selected every academic year on the bases of the amount of support the principal extended to the program, the needs of the school, the school's economic status, volunteering hours logged by Intel volunteers, and its proximity to the residences of the employees. Without the principal's support, the program could not possibly succeed. On the other hand, the proximity of the school to the residences of the employees and Intel offices was crucial in the sense that more volunteers and activities could be expected if a school were nearer since this would mean a shorter traveling time for the employees.

Aligning Volunteer activities
According to Sindhu Cauveriappa, Community Relations Manager, the key strength of the VMGP program lay in its creation of a platform for the employees' involvement in community-related activities. She further explained that they were given the freedom to choose which volunteer activities to initiate in the selected educational institutions, provided that these complied with VMGP's objective.

In the formulation of community activities, Intel had taken a holistic approach so as to cater to the various interests of the stakeholders, namely, the state government, various state government departments (for education and environment), civil society, and schools. It had to take into account not only its stakeholders' needs but also the resources they were willing to contribute to ensure the proper and efficient implementation of community activities.

In collaboration with the government, Intel had undertaken volunteering activities in solid waste management, the rendering of assistance to prisoners in Bangalore, and tree planting initiatives. In 2002, the program also covered the special children through the company's activities. It volunteered in schools devoted to the intellectually challenged, the blind, and the hearing impaired.

Intel India's top management gave extensive support for the program. Frank Jones, the newly appointed President of Intel India, in particular, expressed the need for the company to be involved in community programs because of the wealth of opportunities available. However, he also strongly stressed the need for the beneficiaries to develop a sense of ownership of Intel's projects. Jones mentioned that, after Intel helped train the community, its support should be able to slowly taper off.

"Management" of employee volunteerism
The key factors significant to the success of the Intel® Involved Program were the interaction as well as the personalities of the key internal stakeholders. The internal stakeholders constituted a closely-knit professional group that sought to efficiently and effectively address the needs of its beneficiaries.

The Intel team manager handled the strategic positioning of the program, while the program manager took charge of the administrative and logistical coordination between the steering committee and the volunteers.

The Intel® Involved Steering Committee (IISC) also played a crucial role because it provided administrative and planning support to the volunteers and their activities. The primary objectives of the IISC were to encourage ownership among the employee volunteers of their respective activities, provide guidance and leadership in Intel community-related activities, and ensure an objective evaluation of the program's implementation. The key area focus of the committee included educational activities, environment-related undertakings, and activities related to special children, community outreach, and the Waterfall Equipment Donation.

The support functions of the steering committee were as follows:

• development of communication materials and the marketing of the activities to Intel employee;
• conduct of research on potential and viable activities, and the provision of training to the employee volunteers;
• the gathering of feedback and an evaluation of the internal and external stakeholders of the community programs; and
• organization of the yearly recognition awards for the outstanding employee volunteers of the company.

Figure 3: Internal stakeholder coordination for the Intel® Involved in the community Program

Documentation: Credible documentation of the activities and the volunteer hours was significant to ensure the program's integrity not only for sake of corporate records but also for communication of the program's achievements to the external stakeholders (government, private companies, civil society, and community beneficiaries).

Marketing: To encourage the employees to participate in volunteering activities, the Intel® Involved team organized events to market the program, among them Intel road shows, downloads to team managers, and their participation in boot camps. During the Intel road shows, the IISC invited the selected VMGP educational institutions to set up booths in the company cafeteria so that employees would gain an idea of the possible places where they could volunteer. The schools also showcased the various volunteering activities conducted.

The Downloads with the Team Managers referred to the constant meetings between various team managers and team administrators for them to develop a team volunteering activity that would match the interests of the employees as well as the needs of the students. Every new employee hired at Intel attended the "boot camp", where they were oriented on the company's operations, policies, values, and programs.

Forms of Volunteerism: Employee volunteerism in Intel came in three forms: individual, team, and company-wide. Individual volunteering referred to the employee-led activities, whereby employees, of their own volition, committed their time and effort to a VMGP educational institution. Team volunteerism referred to the quarterly events planned by the team manager and team administration devoted to volunteering activities, rather than to conduct team-building activities in resorts or restaurants. All members of each team were highly encouraged to attend. Company-wide volunteerism activities were annual events sponsored/initiated by the company. Details of the three forms follow:

Individual Volunteering Activities:

• Mentoring in academic subjects like Science, Math, History, Geography, and English;
• Mentoring in personal and attitude development;
• Exposure of students to science experiments and simple mathematical techniques;
• Conducting workshops on career alternatives and preparation, as well as health and hygiene;
• Developing the students' creative and artistic skills through extra-curricular activities; and
• Introducing students to basic computer skills.

Team Volunteering Activities:

• Educational and environmental field trips for the students (e.g., Wildlife Safari at the Bannerghatta Biological Park, Pegasus Institute, Visheshwariah Technical Institute, Vani Science Park, Trekking Camp, etc.);
• Support for educational or environmental infrastructure (e.g., assisting in the rainwater harvesting project, painting a school or setting up a library, clearing the school grounds and setting up a Kho-Kho court or volleyball court for children, tree planting or clean-up drive of a park, and setting-up of a medicinal herb garden with the assistance of Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Local Health Traditions );
• Educational and extra-curricular contests (e.g., inter-school and inter-employee quiz competitions, workshops, talent shows, story writing and debates);
• Community outreach programs (e.g., visiting home for the aged or students with special needs with the students of a school, environmental and health awareness programs in the school); and
• Sports activities.

Company-Wide Volunteering Activities:

• Environment: solid waste management, recycling, world earth day
• Special Children: VMGP, Skills Development, and Empowering Employment
• Community Outreach: Re-usable articles donation drive, blood donation, fund raisers for calamities

The key to the program's success in India was the support that individual employees as well as team managers provided. To a certain extent, they provided the face of the program and of the company to its community beneficiaries.

The Intel employees' interest in volunteering emanated from their personal commitment to contribute and give something back to the community. Srivatsa Srinath, a computer design engineer and a regular volunteer at the Intel Clubhouse, said that he volunteered because "it makes me feel good."

Individual Volunteers
Two factors immensely affected the volunteering patterns of employees in Intel India— the nature of business operations and the profile of its employees.

One factor that affected volunteering patterns was the nature of business operations conducted onsite. Since Intel India was primarily a Research and Development arm of Intel Corporation, almost 90 percent of the workforce was composed of experienced and highly trained engineers who worked in the office 10 to 12 hours per day from Monday to Friday. Compared to other Intel sites in Asia, which were mostly manufacturing sites and practiced a compressed work schedule,⁶ the only time that Intel India employees could perform volunteer activities was during weekends.

Another factor that determined volunteering patterns was the profile of the employees. Most of them were fresh graduates in their late 20's to their early 30's, who had immigrated to Bangalore in search of job opportunities. Because they lived alone in the city, they had the luxury of choosing to spend their free time, especially their weekends, doing community-volunteering activities. Among them were exceptional individuals who, despite their hectic work schedules and personal commitments, shared their time and talents with the students.

Identifying Volunteering Activities: Joining volunteer programs was easy to do because of the institutionalized processes and built-in volunteerism culture in the company. Interested employees could access the intranet for information on VMGP activities and briefings on the Intel® Involved in the Community.

Despite the easy process involved in becoming a member, employees faced a few major concerns: what activity to join and what educational institution to partner with. To address these issues, discussions with volunteer veterans as well as with community stakeholders were crucial since they could provide insights on matching the interests of the volunteers with the needs of the schools and students.

For example, Mayank Khandelwal, a lead volunteer in the Sheela Kotawala Institute for the Deaf, expressed his wish to participate in a volunteering activity but had difficulty assessing what activities were fit for the school. Upon learning about Khandelwal's interest, Mom Banerjee, Intel® Involved in the Community Program Manager, invited him to visit the Sheela Kotawala Institute for the Deaf. At first, he was apprehensive about joining because he did not know how to communicate with the deaf children. Since their first meeting, however, Khandelwal, together with other Intel volunteers, learned sign language and had become involved in the school's educational and recreational activities.

In contrast to Khandelwal's approach, Dulcie David, Intel's Occupational Health Manager, took a more proactive and aggressive approach in choosing a volunteering activity. A nurse by profession, she chose to foster health and nutrition awareness within her adopted school, the Divya Shanti School. Capitalizing on her interest, as well as considering the needs of the community, she was able to impart her knowledge on health to her students and the community residents.

Team Volunteering
Team volunteering was a variation introduced in 2003 whereby departmental teams spent their quarterly team-building activities⁷ in VMGP-accredited educational institutions. Team volunteering activities included improving the school's infrastructure (e.g., painting the classrooms, setting up libraries, or fixing benches) and organizing intra-school competitions. Because of the sheer number of employees⁸ attending the team-volunteering event, this innovation proved to be a crucial contributor to the number of hours logged, and consequently, to the VMGP fund.⁹

Separate from the VMGP grant for the recipient educational institutions, there is also a budget allocated for each of the team volunteering activities that constituted the collective allocated allowance of each employee, which was US$25¹⁰ each. This amount covered transportation, materials needed, and food for the students and the employees. The surplus was usually given to the educational institution or was used to provide for the additional needs of the students.

In assessing the possible team volunteer activities, the team administrator and a group of team members looked into the team's interests and matched these with the present needs and demands of the schools. To ease the selection process, a VMGP Toolkit¹¹ was developed to guide team administrators in the planning and evaluation of the volunteer activity best suited to the team. The team administrators could approach the IISC for the planning of the said event as the IISC could conduct downloads to specifically assess the interests of the whole team.

Both the team manager and the administrative support of the teams acted as "champions of the program". The team manager ensured that the team volunteering activities matched the interests and capability of his team. For the team volunteer activities, the commitment that the team manager exhibited served as the inspiration for his members. Philip Sapre, IT Team manager, shared that the key factors for pursuing team volunteer activities included "the presence of a need, the chance to become change agents and commitment to the community's needs."

Team managers were also instrumental in the design and tweaking of the team volunteering activity. For instance, G. Sreenivas, Team Manager of TMG, took on the liberty to adopting a certain school for his team's quarterly activity. By focusing its efforts on a single beneficiary, the team was able to continually assist in the further development of education in the school in the past three years. Sapre took a more aggressive approach in engaging his team members to volunteer. Rather than have a fixed quarterly activity, he mandated his 180 core team members to log 16 volunteer hours each per year.

The team volunteering activity benefited the team in the emotional and psychological sense. As G. Sreenivas expressed, "Team volunteer effort is more than just getting the activities done. It provides more value than just going to the resort. It acts as a vehicle to bond with the team."

Insights of Team Members on Team Volunteering: There was a mix of opinions with regard to team volunteering activities. On the one hand, some team managers received encouraging feedbacks from their members; and their teams' volunteering activities created an avenue for employees who had not found time to conduct individual volunteer activities, to actually become involved. This also ignited their passion and interest to be more actively involved as volunteers.

On the other hand, there were others who felt that the activities conducted did not sufficiently address the needs of the students. N. Praveen, a technical software engineer, for instance, said that the team members felt that "a day of volunteering just gives happiness to the beneficiaries for that moment, and it does not improve the overall lifestyle of the students and the schools."

Suggestions to improve team volunteering: One suggestion to improve and further enhance team volunteering activities was to continuously diversify the activities for team volunteering. For example, A K Mamtha, who provided administrative support for the TMG, received feedback that some of the team members were hesitant when the team building activity was directed at special children because they did not know how to interact with them. She said, "Things become monotonous. There is only a limited number of activities that can be done with the special children . . . Employees do not just want to be spectators during the event, they really want to be involved."

Meanwhile, Sapre suggested that teams adopt a school in order to further deepen the impact. By doing so, team members were better motivated to help and contribute their time because they knew the needs of the school and were aware that their assistance would be truly appreciated. Moreover, he encouraged team volunteering activities to follow a "big bang" approach such that events were not held quarterly but monthly. In developing an activity calendar for the team, he felt that the programs and projects would be more sustainable since the support and ownership of the employees of the activities were established.

The quantitative indicators measured in the program included the number of volunteer hours logged, the employee volunteer participation percentage, and the amount of the VMGP fund raised. Through the years, these indicators improved and continuously exceeded the yearly target, Cauveriappa pointed out.

Table 1: Volunteering Figures

Year Employee Participation Rate Total Volunteer Hours Logged (Jan-Dec) Volunteer Hours Logged under VMGP VMGP Grant 2002 18% 1,215 n/a n/a 2003 32% 3,018 n/a n/a 2004 38% 8,600 n/a n/a 2005 45% 12,000 5,486 (Dec/05-March/06) Rs. 6,05,956* $13,550 2006 75% 18,000 13,326 (June/06-Mar/07) Rs. 14,79,129** $36,630 * This amount was the equivalent of the volunteer hours logged in the education institutions during VMGP's pilot phase from November 2005-April 2006. ** This amount was the equivalent of the volunteer hours logged in the education institutions during the school year June 2006- March 2007.

The qualitative impact of the community volunteering activities could be seen in the experiences and perception of the beneficiaries, specifically, the students, principals, teachers, and the Intel volunteers. One VMGP school that greatly benefited from the VMGP was the Government High School (GHS) in Thannisandra, Hebbal.

ASHA Center for Developmental Disabilities
The school's mission was to teach the physically and mentally disabled children. Compared to other schools, it catered to the specific needs of the children. The school accepted children who were non-aggressive. Although the school targeted 41/2 to 18 year olds, it had begun accepting older students.

Intel volunteers interacted with the students through the educational program. The VMGP initiatives of the school included showcasing musical competency (there was a music coach for the students) through group dances and extra-curricular activities. The students always grabbed the chance to play with the Intel employees every Saturday. As Meera Ravichander, principal of ASHA, shared, "Children are always looking forward to Saturdays when Intel volunteers would come. They would rather miss their regular hospital check-up than the activities with the Intel volunteers."

Like the other GHS students, the students of the school in Thannisandra Hebal were not exposed to the outside world, but were limited to life in the village and the school. As Ishrath Sultana, the school's headmistress, put it, "They do not know what else is there." Her positive response to the VMGP program and her interest in pursuing the interests of the children had thus far made a good impression on Intel® Involved Managers. Through her initiative, several team volunteering events were accomplished in the school, among them the painting of the school's exteriors and its participation in the road show.

National Association for the Blind
The National Association for the Blind (NAB) was a new addition to the VMGP schools for the year 2007-2008. During a whole-day team event, various activities were conducted, such as musical chairs, quiz competitions, dice cricket, and a variety show. Since it was the first time for the students to participate in an event like so, they enjoyed themselves and took a lot of interest in mingling and communicating with the Intel employees. As M. Srinivas, CEO of NAB, shared, Intel was the first IT company to interact with the blind. Through this interaction, he felt that the integration of the blind into the community had begun.

To build upon the volunteer base, Srinivas believed in the power of sharing personal experiences because only in seeing the enthusiasm and commitment of an actual volunteer could others be moved and motivated to do the same.

One of the best things that happened to the school ever since it became a part of the VMGP was Varadraj Curam, an Intel volunteer. He single-handedly shaped the dreams of students by mentoring them both in academics and in their personal development.

Sheela Kotawala Institute for the Deaf
Last year, the Sheela Kotawala Institute for the Deaf, a school for the "deaf and dumb", was included in Intel's VMGP program. According to the school's headmistress, she was happy that Intel volunteers were in the school to assist as needed. She said that, "Intel is here to help us."

The principal was very happy to see a change in the students, which would not have been possible had Intel not come along. The headmistress shared,

"These children used to target finishing only secondary education and taking vocational courses. But the constant interaction with the volunteers, as well as their exposure to the outside world, changed the children's mindset. Now, the students are inspired to continue their college education and want to become computer engineers. They now have a different perception of the future."

In 2005, he devised a "train the trainer model" for mentoring students. It involved forming a core of twenty-two 9th grade students who would, in turn, teach five other students, effectively bringing the total number of tutored students to 110. Every Saturday from, 9:00am to 2:30pm, he mentored students in math and science. At his own expense he brought them on educational trips to teach them about astronomy, science, the environment, and society in general. Initially, he experienced difficulty in gaining the students and parents' support, prompting him to decide to visit and talk to them about the program and its benefits. After six months of weekly mentoring, he gained the trust of the students.

In his interest to involve the students in various educational research competitions, he joined Intel's Environmental Research Competition whereby volunteers partnered with a teacher and a student, and completed a research paper on selected topics. The topic they selected focused on medicinal plants, which was eventually selected as the best. When the same project was again submitted to another Science Fair sponsored by the Tata Group in Bangalore and despite its coming from the only government high school that joined the competition, they won the fair.

Through these activities, Curam only taught the students lessons but also improved their outlook in life. During the educational trips to the butterfly and astronomical parks, students developed self-initiative and self-learning as they personally made papers and reports without instructions from Curam or their teachers. The exposures further enhanced the interest of the students in science and learning. Through the English mentoring sessions-creative writing and extemporaneous speech—he was able to push the students to reach their potential, gain confidence and express themselves. As Curam shared, all of the members of his core group did not speak nor understand English when he started the program. However, after only one year, they were able to communicate and write in English. This achievement was complimented by Sultana, who noticed the impressive transformation of students who began to love science and math. They also expressed their continuous dedication to learning.

Before his commitment with the students ended in 2008 (his core group would be in 10th grade by then), Curam planned to build and complete the school's library, develop the medicinal herb garden, and establish various academic clubs to increase the interest of the students in these fields.

Sindhu Cauveriappa, Community Relations Manager mentioned that the program's benefits were experienced by both the Intel employees and managers. She said:

First, the volunteering program provided a viable and easy platform for employees and managers to channel their philanthropic initiatives. It was also a vehicle for employees to develop credible community partners in the area. Second, Intel employees were able to develop their leadership skills. Since 70 percent of the Intel employees were engineers fresh out of college, they lacked actual corporate experience to deal with various people. As volunteers, these young professionals were able to develop the confidence and practical skills to become team managers.

Meanwhile, Frank Jones identified the program's benefits to the company. He felt that as more employees and communities were affected by the program, the company reaped such gains as an improved reputation, brand awareness and increased business operations. He asserted "It helped in the overall brand recognition."

Government High School (GHS), Jeevan bhima Nagar
GHS Jeevan Bhima Nagar had been a VMGP beneficiary since its launch in November 2005. One of the reasons for its continuous selection was the proximity of the school to the Intel BGA office.

Individual volunteering activities included computer training, the completion of projects and the engagement of students in environmental issues. Other than sharing their time, the volunteers also donated books to the school's library. Numerous team volunteer events had been conducted in the school grounds, among them the painting of the exterior of the school and the classrooms. Through the volunteers, Yashoda T.K., Headmistress, shared, "students were motivated to conduct science projects."

The interaction with the volunteers, Sumathi P.A., a math teacher, said, was a great experience for the students because the volunteers acted as role models. Their relationship with the students was not limited to academic mentoring but encompassed the sharing of personal problems. According to her, because of the joy that these volunteers brought to the children, they began to long for Saturdays to come.

Overcoming VMGP challenges
Despite the success of the volunteering program at Intel, there were existing challenges that could affect the sustainability of volunteerism. As Rahul Bedi, Director for Corporate Affairs of Intel India, asserted, personal obligations somehow hindered employee volunteerism. Examples of these obligations were spending time with their families during weekends or coping with project deadlines.

To improve volunteerism in Intel, its employees suggested the following:

• Encouraging personal recognition,
• Allowing flexible volunteering periods,
• Showcasing actual volunteer experience,
• Deepening the impact,
• Launching major volunteering activities

To address this concern, the company highly encouraged Intel employees to bring their spouses and family to the volunteer activity.¹² Hence, married volunteers began to actively encourage their spouses and children to visit the schools. Ankita Choudhary, a newly married volunteer, and her husband, for example, were involved in volunteering activities in GHS Jeevan Bhima Nagar. The headmistress of the school recalled that even before she was married, she would come every Saturday with her fiance, who was now her husband.

Another hindrance to volunteerism was the prevailing notion among employees that they should visit the students weekly. Although volunteers were free to stop joining the volunteer activity, they felt the pressure from having committed themselves to the volunteer program. A volunteer at Sheela Kotawala Institute for the Deaf shared that the employees were taken aback by these perceptions and thus opted not to join volunteering activities. To resolve this issue, he suggested that volunteers should devise a program whereby a substitute volunteer could be requested to conduct the activity in the absence of another volunteer.

Improving VMGP
While volunteerism had been embedded in the employee psyche, some employees raised suggestions to further enhance the VMGP and encourage more employees to volunteer.

Encouraging Personal recognition
On a large scale, the company as well as the IISC, bestowed recognition on individuals who had logged the most number of volunteer hours. However, employee volunteers like Mamtha saw the need for the IISC and the company to recognize the exemplary achievements of various volunteers in their selected education institutions, as well. Akshay Gupta, another volunteer, suggested recognizing volunteers on a quarterly basis. He felt that waiting an entire year to report the accomplishments of volunteers was a long time. By acknowledging the volunteers on a quarterly basis, on the other hand, more volunteers would be motivated to volunteer and do well, and might even remind other employees of the progress and development of the program.

Personal recognition, according to a volunteer in the Sheela Kotawala Institute for the Deaf, did not refer to monetary rewards, but to the recognition of the contribution of the employees by the team managers as well as the schools. Team managers acknowledged that employee volunteers appreciated commendations or even a mere tap on the shoulder by their supervisors for their achievements. Such gestures boosted their morale. Where the schools were concerned, employee volunteers felt that they were seen as Intel employees rather than as individuals. According to Banerjee, "principals and students did not call them [the volunteers] by their names; they were collectively referred to as Intel employees, instead." No wonder that the employee volunteers somehow felt that their personal efforts were not recognized.

Allowing a flexible volunteering period
As for the flexibility of the volunteering period, employee volunteers suggested that if time and work schedules permitted, then they should be allowed to conduct volunteering activities during weekdays. Since their work hours depended on the accomplishment of their tasks anyway, there were instances when they were able to finish their work earlier. They thus requested that during this free time they be allowed to volunteer even on weekdays.

Showcasing volunteer experience
The IISC continuously printed newsletters reporting on the accomplishment of the volunteers in various schools and the activities implemented. However, N. Praveen and another volunteer at Sheela Kotawal School felt that reporting the events alone did not showcase the extent of the commitment and devotion of these employee volunteers. To inspire others, there was a need to broadcast the personal experiences of these volunteers through newsletters and articles, which could capture the employees' holistic approach in reaching out to the schools and the students.

Deepening the impact
Employee volunteers perpetually questioned the impact and depth of the volunteer programs. They asked about the extent to which their involvement helped the students and the schools. To address these concerns, Gupta suggested that a long-term volunteer activity (lasting two to three months) might create ownership among the beneficiaries and volunteers. He illustrated this in one of the environmental events whereby the volunteers cleaned the zoological park. Because of the Intel volunteers' weekly visits and clean-ups to the park, zoo officials became motivated and began to actively take part in the activity. According to Gupta, "When the zoo officials saw other people taking interest, they worked harder."

Launching major volunteer activities
To market the program, Gupta suggested using a "big bang" approach for the launch of Intel's volunteer activities. High-profile events would tend to make employees curious about the activities, as happened to Gupta, when he joined the cleanliness drive in one of the parks in Bangalore. Initially, a friend had invited him to participate. Then, after seeing 200-300 volunteers actively involved in the drive, he was inspired to continue being a volunteer himself. He said, "Since that experience, I got hooked on the program to the very end."

Next Steps for VMGP
As of 2007 the VMGP had helped 29 schools and disbursed Rs. 20,85,085. This development, in turn, increased the internal and external stakeholders' awareness of the community programs of Intel India. The concept of volunteerism had driven the VMGP forward. However, the fuel for success had been the efforts and consistent contributions of Intel employees.

Top-level management support and the warm acceptance of the community allowed for a more conducive atmosphere that caused the seeds of volunteerism to flourish. While a high level of awareness and enthusiasm on the part of the employees to volunteer permeated, however, personal obligations such as family affairs and work schedules slowed down employee-volunteerism. In addition, the high level of expectations of students created added pressure on the volunteers, thereby stopping them from volunteering more often.

In 2006, Intel India enjoyed a 75-percent employee volunteer participation rate, up from the previous year's 45 percent. The significant increase in the percentage of volunteers was a result of continuous consultations not just with the stakeholders but with the volunteers as well.

A look at the quantitative figures might indicate that the VMGP was a success, yet the road ahead for the program remained long and arduous. Sustainability issues and the depth of the impact of the program on the community had yet to be completely addressed. As Rahul Bedi argued, there existed a need to improve the quality of the volunteering efforts. As Director of the Corporate Affairs Group, he was less interested in the quantity of volunteers and in the number of volunteer hours. His stand was for as long as there were volunteers, the volunteer hours would follow. This position of Bedi's was echoed by Frank Jones who believed that volunteerism was "not a numbers game." Both of them asserted that the primary focus should be to sustain the volunteer programs' impact.

1   The Intel name and brands are the property of Intel Corporation. Presentation "Intel Volunteer Matching Grant Program (VMGP)" (July 2007). 2   Presentation "Intel® Involved Steering Committee, 2006." (February 2006). 3   The corresponding VMGP grant increased from its previous rate of US$50 per 20 volunteer hours in 1995, to its current rate of US$80 for every 20 volunteer hours, a change implemented in July 2007. 4   The Community Relations and Intel® Involved Manager, Sindhu Cauveriappa, designed the "Intel India in the Community Framework". 5   The Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) in India bred local endangered species, developed programs for conservation awareness, and maintained a rescue center for wild animals. To create environmentally friendly areas and promote sensitivity within the local community, Intel collaborated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Nature in India and with the BBP. Through its year-long "Intel for a Better Bannerghatta" campaign, Intel India contributed funds and gathered volunteers to bring the park up to global standards. BBP was now recognized as a prime tourist attraction and educational destination for the youth. (Source: Intel's Global Citizenship Report 2004, accessed at http://www.intel.com/intel/finance/gcr04/37-community_involvement.htm ) 6   A compressed work schedule in Intel manufacturing sites referred to the condensed working hours of the employees. In the first two weeks of each month, the employees worked for three days and took a leave of four days. On the third and fourth weeks, employees worked for four days and took a leave of three days. 7   Quarterly team-building activities sought to develop cohesive working relationships among the team members and to generate fun among them. They were usually conducted in resorts and restaurants where team members could easily relax and enjoy themselves, without thinking of deadlines or work. For each quarterly team building event, Intel India allocated US$25 for each team member. The budget covered the expenses for the team building event. 8   A team could have 70 to 600 members. 9   The team volunteering events usually lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (inclusive of the travel time to and from the school). During this eight-hour volunteering activity, a team composed of 70 members could easily log 560 hours, which was equivalent to US$2,240 (20 hours=US$80). A team of 600, on the other hand, could log about 4,800 hours, which translated to US$19,200. 10   The fixed budget per employee for a team-building activity was US$25. Assuming that a team had 70 members, then the total budget for the quarterly event was US$1750. 11   The VMGP Toolkit briefly discussed the objective of the VMGP, as well as its mechanics. Individual volunteer activities were also specified, but not limited, to the examples given. This arrangement was true for the team volunteer activities, examples or design templates of which were illustrated in the toolkit, along with details on the cost and the flow of the program. Guidelines on the proper decorum and behavior were also listed. The contact information (name of the principal, address, telephone number) of all VMGP participating schools was provided for further verifications and inquiries. 12   The volunteer hours logged by the spouse and family members are not included in the VMGP fund.