2020 is around the corner and you might be asking yourself several questions, like, “What CSR activities can we participate in?” “How can I engage our employees next year?” and “How can my company help the community?”
Volunteering is the answer to all these questions! From increasing employee retention and collaboration to improving overall physical and mental health, volunteering provides a unique opportunity to positively impact the lives of employees as well as their surrounding communities.
Now you might be thinking, “These benefits sound great! How do I make this happen at my organization?” Although there are different ways to incorporate volunteering into your company’s CSR activities, there are a few basic ingredients that can help you and your company build a ‘Recipe for Volunteer Success.’
Step 1: 1 cup of outstanding employees
Employees want to volunteer! With 67% of managers more likely to volunteer if their co-workers participated as well as 77% of the millennial workforce preferring to volunteer with their co-workers, many of the key drivers and supporters of volunteer programs are right inside your office.
With the support of HR managers, supervisors, and executive leadership, these employees can be key members in leading volunteer programs, co-creating a volunteer time off (VTO) policy, and even increasing overall participation.
One company in particular, Independent Bank, uncovered many of these benefits by not only giving their employees the freedom to choose where they wanted to serve, but also added incentives, such as company-branded swag, to their volunteer program. This led to an increase in tracked volunteer hours by over 25%.
Step 2: 2 ½ cups of great causes to join
From homelessness to disaster relief, there is no shortage of causes to serve. However, finding the right volunteer opportunities for your company is essential to increasing participation and making an impact in your community.
Companies can either choose to focus on a specific cause that best aligns with their values or let employees decide what organizations they would like to volunteer for. Both options provide employees with a plethora of individual and group opportunities.
With the help of VolunteerMatch’s network of 29 cause areas, professionals can sharpen or gain new skills that can assist them in the workplace while contributing to the success of nonprofits throughout the country.
Step 3: 3 cups of support from top management
Having a group of eager employees with a clear focus on how they would like to serve is a great start to building a culture of volunteerism. However, without the support of senior leadership, employees can quickly lose faith and ambition in their efforts.
Whether it’s joining employees during volunteer activities, formally recognizing a volunteer of the month, or highlighting the company’s CSR achievements, having the support of executives, managers, and team leaders can quickly spread the word about upcoming projects while fostering a company culture around volunteerism.
Step 4: 4 ½ cups of VolunteerMatch’s Network Subscription
Now that everyone is on board and ready to serve, VolunteerMatch’s Network Subscription is the last key ingredient to making your volunteer plans come to life.
Hosting over 48,000 group-friendly volunteer opportunities, this platform brings companies closer to the causes they care about. With the ability to track volunteerism and even run custom reports, it can easily integrate with your organization’s existing website, app, or third-party platform connecting users to 126,000 community partners.
Numerous companies have increased their employees’ overall volunteer participation and boosted engagement through this easy-to-use platform.
Engaged employees not only become more reliable and productive, but also hold a stronger sense of organizational pride that translates into a rewarding work environment and a 19.2% increase in profitability.
Now that you have these key ingredients feel free to give this recipe a try. Click here and find out how VolunteerMatch’s Network Subscription can unlock your recipe for success in the new year!
Author bio: Leeah Dollar is a budding researcher with a passion for corporate social responsibility and community outreach. She volunteers at VolunteerMatch as a Content Strategist and Guest Writer. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
