develop a corporate volunteer program

Why your business should have an employee volunteer program

Types of employee volunteer programs

Join a corporate volunteer council in your area

Why your business should have an employee volunteer program

Visionary corporate leaders have recognized that businesses of all sizes can do more than take up space in a community. They see their companies as being socially responsible and are committed to giving back in a variety of ways, one of which is through employee volunteer programs.

Reasons that your business should have such a program include:

• Recruitment of high quality employees. People like to know that the business for which they work is socially responsible. They will seek employment in businesses that are seen to be participating in the civic life of the community.
  
  
• Retention of high quality employees. All businesses know how expensive it is to recruit and train new employees. Employee volunteer programs create loyalty among employees and they will stay with companies that have these programs.
  
  
• Teamwork. Programs often bring employees together outside of their regular workplace roles. The power of being involved as a team player leads to increased commitment among employees. Teamwork also brings employees together who may not otherwise interact, creating even more company loyalty.
  
  
• Creating a better environment for your business. Volunteer programs that focus on community needs foster better communities. Safer, cleaner, healthier, better educated communities serve everyone’s interest. They become more economically viable, serving both the needs of the community and the economic results for the business.
  
  
• Creating enhanced public image. A company’s employees can be their best form of advertising. Having employees visibly engaged in volunteer programs creates brand loyalty from consumers.
  
  
• Fulfilling your mission and vision. Social responsibility is a part of the core values of many businesses. Employee volunteer programs foster these values. The results of these programs can be a source of both internal and external recognition that the business is adhering to its promise.

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Types of employee volunteer programs

There is no prototypical program for employee volunteering. Businesses assess their resources, needs of their employees, the communities in which they do business and create programs to best serve their needs and capabilities.

Corporate volunteer programs may include some of the following:

• Release time. This is paid time off to volunteer. There is a wide range in the hours that businesses allow for volunteering but many are in the two to six days per year range. Allowing employees time off during normal businesses hours helps nonprofits that have difficulty in recruiting daytime volunteers. In some instances, businesses may provide a sabbatical for an employee to take off an extended period of time in order to volunteer.
  
  
• An annual volunteer day. A business may choose to concentrate its efforts by having their employees volunteer on the same day. Employees can team up to have a visible impact on the chosen activity. Publicizing these events shows the social responsibility of the business.
  
  
• Targeted causes and nonprofits. A business may wish to concentrate its volunteer efforts by having employees serve a small number of nonprofits. These organizations may be tied to the products manufactured by the business or to their business functions.
  
  
• Financial contributions. Some businesses make cash donations to organizations served by their employee volunteers. This is often based on the number of hours that employees volunteer. Greater effort by volunteers directly results in more money for the nonprofits they serve.
  
  
• Recognition. It is important to recognize employee volunteerism. There are many ways to do this, from intranet communications, corporate bulletins, recognition lunches or the corporate picnic. Businesses may make donations to those organizations served by the top volunteers.
  
  
• Helping employees to find the right volunteer opportunity. Businesses may have a corporate volunteer office where employees can go to learn more about the variety of volunteer possibilities that exist in their locale. The corporate newsletter can post information about upcoming volunteer opportunities as well as provide connections with the local volunteer center or volunteer clearinghouse.
  
  
• Employee designed programs. Employees living and working in a community are aware of local conditions. They may design a program that addresses specific needs such as in the classroom, at-risk youth, housing or other issues.
  
  
• Combining employee volunteering with corporate philanthropy. Financial support for nonprofits may be tied to specific organizations that reflect the focus of the business. Having employees volunteer for these specific organizations furthers this support.

Employee volunteer programs should provide opportunity for everyone who works at the business. From the CEO to the new hire, having co-workers involved in volunteering is good for the community as well as the corporate bottom line.

Another good strategy is to give educational and inspirational books such as Giving from Your Heart, A Guide to Volunteering to your employees and clients/customers.

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Join a corporate volunteer council in your area

In over seventy communities around the country, businesses have joined together for mutual support and information exchange concerning their employee volunteer programs. Through corporate volunteer councils, businesses can share in the enrichment, development and pooling of resources to enhance their individual as well as collective workplace volunteer programs.

The mission of the council is to further the cause of employee volunteerism by serving the businesses involved. By working with nonprofits, local community agencies and their employees, businesses can tailor programs to meet specific local needs. They are able to pool their knowledge to mutually discover those practices that are successful in a particular area. Businesses may combine their efforts to more effectively meet community goals.

The Points of Light Foundation actively serves the corporate volunteer councils and is instrumental in their proliferation. They may be locally involved with a volunteer center or the United Way. To learn more about a corporate volunteer council in your area, go to www.pointsoflight.org.  A recent initiative has combined the resources of the Points of Light Foundation with that of Business Strengthening America (www.bsanetwork.org) to form the Corporate Volunteer Council Partners Program. Their mission is to mobilize businesses through collaborative volunteer efforts and provide resources to those responsible for managing employee volunteer programs. Their goals are to support existing corporate volunteer councils and to expand the network onto communities where there are not yet councils.

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