The Allstate Foundation, in collaboration with Common Impact, hosted a July flash consulting event—a day dedicated to skills-based volunteering to empower nonprofits focused on preventing domestic violence, and ending the cycle of abuse. More than 90 Allstate employees with expertise in human resources, marketing, program management, and data management came together to support 19 nonprofits with their most pressing challenges. To deepen the impact, Allstate Foundation invited Bumble Inc., another company working to disrupt the cycle of relationship abuse, to join the event. Bumble and Allstate employees collaboratively provided pro-bono services based on their skills.
At the heart of this effort is The Allstate Foundation’s social impact mission: to empower communities so they can thrive. The event further highlighted Allstate’s dedication to fostering teamwork and community engagement among employees. Volunteers worked hand-in-hand with nonprofit leaders to develop actionable solutions, making sure this day of service would have a meaningful and lasting impact.
Volunteers Boost Impact for Moving Rasa and A/PI DVRP with Strategic Support
Among the nonprofit organizations supported was Moving Rasa, whose mission is to empower individuals from marginalized communities who have experienced trauma, encouraging self-acceptance and reframing conversations around cultural stigmas. During the event, volunteers assisted Moving Rasa in designing an outreach brochure for the upcoming National Sexual Assault conference, aiming to raise awareness, build partnerships, and attract potential funders to expand their mission.
Similarly, the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (A/PI DVRP), which provides culturally competent, trauma-informed services for Asian/Pacific Islanders, benefited from guidance on improving data collection and analysis. Volunteers worked with DVRP to enhance their ability to track and report key metrics such as socioeconomic and mental health data, strengthening their case for funding and advocacy on a public policy level.
From Discovery to Delivery: Generating Actionable Solutions for Nonprofits
Before the day of service, volunteers were given materials to review, including the nonprofit’s business collateral, strategy presentations, data reports, and website, to better understand their partner’s challenges. In addition, Allstate offered a Domestic Violence 101 training session, created in partnership with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, that volunteers were encouraged to attend before the event. This dual preparation approach ensured that volunteers familiarized themselves with the nonprofit’s specific needs and gained valuable insights into the broader context of domestic violence work.
On the day of the event, the schedule was divided into three focused segments. The first was a discovery session, where Allstate and Bumble volunteers had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with their nonprofit partners. This allowed the volunteers to ask deeper questions and gain a more thorough understanding of the nonprofit’s challenges and objectives. Next came the incubation tank, a dedicated time for volunteers to harness their skills and craft solutions, strategies, and tactics tailored to their nonprofit’s project challenges.
The final consultation section was where volunteers presented their recommendations to the nonprofits. This session provided a collaborative space for nonprofits to ask follow-up questions, seek clarifications, and gain deeper insights into the proposed solutions to their business challenges. By the end of the event, nonprofits gained valuable tools, actionable strategies, and concrete next steps to implement immediately.
Program and Company Experience
The flash consulting event made a meaningful impact on the nonprofit sector and resonated deeply with volunteers. An impressive 98% of volunteer respondents said they considered the experience a useful professional development opportunity. The event not only reinforced Allstate and Bumble’s commitment to social impact and employee engagement but also strengthened many volunteers’ connection to their company’s mission-driven work. Bumble’s Director of Social Impact & Sustainability, Heather Venard, stated, “I’m deeply moved by where these conversations have led us. This is truly inspiring, and our Bumble team is excited to go back and share how transformative this experience has been.”
The event also sparked a deeper interest in volunteering, with 98% of volunteers sharing that participating in the program positively influenced their desire to volunteer in the future. For many, the experience was eye-opening.
Professional Development and Relationship Building
The event was a powerful catalyst for skill-building and collaboration. A remarkable 93% of volunteers felt their skills matched their assigned project well. Volunteers also noted improvement in key skills such as collaboration and teamwork, creative thinking and innovation, client focus and empathetic approach, adaptability and synthesizing ideas in real-time, and problem-solving and navigating ambiguity.
This hands-on experience enhanced individual skills and collective teamwork. “Our team had an immediate energy of passion, commitment, and respect. Fantastic attitudes all around and ease with one another as though we had worked together for ages,” stated Jill Gordon, an Allstate employee. Moreover, 89% of volunteers who completed Domestic Violence 101 training said it better prepared them to engage with this project, enhancing their ability to contribute meaningfully to the nonprofits’ mission.
Social Impact and Community Connections
The event left a lasting impression on the nonprofits. All nonprofit partners shared that the volunteers successfully addressed their project challenges, delivering practical and impactful solutions. Additionally, 95% of nonprofit respondents stated that the work accomplished made a real difference in their organization’s ability to meet its goals, highlighting the transformative power of skills-based volunteering.
The feedback from nonprofit leaders was overwhelmingly positive. Seema Kak, executive director at Kiran, shared, “My team was very impressed with the volunteers’ deep understanding of our concerns and their efficiency in creating a comprehensive roadmap for us.” Volunteers provided invaluable insights into enhancing Kiran’s social media presence, a crucial area for the organization as it seeks to increase visibility and engage with key audiences. By assessing Kiran’s Instagram and Facebook channels, along with their communication strategies, the volunteers helped identify effective methods to boost awareness of Kiran’s culturally specific services.
Nonprofits also expressed their desire to continue building the relationships they established during the event and continue engaging corporate volunteers. All 19 nonprofits indicated they will likely use skills-based volunteers again, and 95% said they hope to develop their relationships with corporate volunteers further.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the volunteers. They are very knowledgeable and empathetic towards our mission and work. It was incredible to accomplish so much in such a short time. They provided us with a tool that will be invaluable in our daily work. This was an incredible experience, and I look forward to continued collaboration,“ said Martha Maffei, executive director of SEPA Mujer. The volunteers brought their expertise and developed a deep understanding of SEPA Mujer’s mission, allowing them to develop a tailored vendor selection framework for a new customer relationship management system. This framework will streamline data collection across SEPA Mujer’s three key programs enabling the organization to track vital information for government grants and enhance their support services.
The flash consulting event provided nonprofits with innovative solutions and fostered growth and learning on both sides. Nonprofit professionals shared that they improved their skills through interactions with Allstate and Bumble volunteers. This event’s impact will have ripple effects beyond the day of service – it built lasting partnerships, strengthened nonprofit organizational capacity, and empowered nonprofits to continue their missions with additional resources, knowledge, strategies, and connections.
The data presented in this article is based on survey responses from 58 volunteers and 19 nonprofit organizations who participated in the event.
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