Topics & trends: Pro bono work

In a telephone survey of 250 managers from Fortune 500 companies, 91 percent said they find value in using their volunteer programs as a tool for training, according to consulting firm Deloitte Services. Still, only 16 percent regularly offer such projects to employees.

“Corporate America is slowly identifying or clarifying an opportunity for volunteerism, to be more strategic and not just to do a nice thing,” said Evan Hochberg of Deloitte. “There’s no question that this is a low-cost option.”