05 Feb 4 Tips for your Corporate Volunteer Program
Now more than ever, employees are looking to give back or engage with causes they are passionate about. Businesses want to harness this energy, and many are already doing so through their CSR or corporate volunteering programs. In fact, offering employees paid time off to volunteer has become a standard in company perks. Salesforce, for instance, offers their employees seven paid days of volunteer time off (VTO) each year. Their VTO program started in 1999, and since then, Salesforce employees have volunteered over 1 Million volunteer hours.
How can you implement or grow your corporate volunteering program? Here are 4 tips on engaging employees to do good:
1. Offer Virtual Volunteering Opportunities
Flexibility is key. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, business leaders have to find new and creative ways to engage their teams in positive impact. As social distancing and stay at home orders are implemented across the globe, people are searching for connection, community, and purpose. By offering and focusing on virtual opportunities during this time, employees can feel connected to causes they are passionate about without leaving their home.
To find virtual volunteering opportunities, check out:
2. Provide Different Ways to Get Involved
Besides offering virtual opportunities, consider broadening the scope of what volunteering means. Offer non-traditional ways for your employees to give back like donating blood, offering pro-bono work, or joining a nonprofit board. This enables employees to find their sweet spot in giving back, as well as the motivation to keep doing it.
3. Establish Local Team Ambassadors
Whether your business is located in various cities or not, it’s a good (and fun!) idea to have a local team lead to spearhead your volunteer program. They can spotlight local organizations and opportunities that are unique to the city. Besides supporting local causes, the team ambassador can be the cheerleader for your local team by knowing the needs of the team, specific skills that they can leverage, and the group’s passions.
Lastly, with COVID-19 and remote work, local ambassadors can work together to bring all employees closer. Through monthly or quarterly Zoom meetings, each team can share their progress and local organization features. Bringing everyone together to discuss their volunteer work will foster connection and empathy.
4. Recognize your Volunteers
While your volunteers will feel rewarded for their good work, the best corporate volunteering programs recognize their do-gooders! From certificates to gift cards, these gestures inspire your volunteers to stay motivated.
More importantly, showcasing the efforts of your employees TO your employees is a thoughtful gesture as well. If you have the budget, consider an annual recognition celebration to bring all your volunteers together! If that’s not possible, consider a “Volunteer of the Month” award of monthly blog post highlighting the volunteer work of an employee.
Volunteering programs are known to boost employee morale, increase team pride, decrease employee turnover, and nurture employee well-being. As we embark on the new year, consider starting a volunteer program for your employees today!
For international and unique one day volunteer opportunities, visit Give a Day Global’s volunteer page.
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