Throughout the last decade, ‘corporate social responsibility’ has taken on greater value. A growing number of companies are recognizing the impact that these practices can have on employee engagement, morale, and the company's bottom line.
Bonus read - To learn more about keeping your team fired up - Check out 'Rekindling Your Employees' Passion For Work'
As organization leaders seek to find new ways to engage employees, volunteer programs regularly top the list of effective ways to keep employee engagement in the long term
Unsurprisingly, volunteering helps employees feel a sense of connection to the company’s mission and values and promotes a collaborative work environment.
But how can you implement an effective volunteer program?
To begin – There are two options: Your organization can focus its entire volunteer program on one cause or, or allow your employees more leeway to choose their own philanthropic causes.
Before deciding to focus all efforts on one cause – Reach out to your team members and identify where they might be passionate about volunteering.
In an ideal world, you can promote a cause that can foster the philanthropic passions of your employees but also complement the company’s.
Sending out a survey or questionnaire to employees is an easy and efficient way to discover where their existing interests or loyalties lie. You could also encourage different department to nominate a cause and then hold a vote!
Once you’ve decided on where your employees will volunteer – Create a plan!
Like any other function of your business, there should be a clear process in place to ensure that your organization’s volunteer program can run smoothly.
Even small businesses who create a volunteer program will have to deal with many moving parts. Consider things like when and how you will announce the program, where people can ask their questions, which manager will handle any issues, and the different ways people will be able to contribute to the cause.
Other important parts include the program’s time budget, and your organization’s goals (i.e. money if you are fundraising) when it comes to your philanthropic efforts.
Once you have a plan in place, the success of your organization’s volunteer program will ultimately stem from your ability to have employees buy into it.
So how do you do this?
First off – get your leadership team to walk the walk.
Your business will have a difficult time getting employees to buy into the cause if management isn’t doing the same.
Next – help your employees get smart about the cause. Generally speaking, your team will be more motivated to help if they’re knowledgeable about the issue they’re volunteering to help with.
Still not entirely sure people are engaged with your cause? Try offering further incentive by giving volunteer time off (VTO). Some employees might be too busy or have other family obligations that prevent them from having time to volunteer outside of work.
An added bonus: Generous volunteering programs can distinguish your company from others and help you become an employer of choice i.e. attract engaged, committed, and ambitious talent!
Recent research supports the trend of companies having VTO policies. According to a 2016 report by the Society for Human Resource Management, 21% of companies now offer VTO programs.
Lastly – make things exciting!
If employees are being managed by their department managers when they are volunteering, it will still feel like work. Switch things up and give younger or less experience people the opportunity to take on leadership roles in the volunteering realm.
At the same time, volunteering can serve as a free form of employee training. Assign employees to a project that lets them utilize a skill or craft they don’t use in their day to day job. This helps to keep things interesting for everyone!
Want to learn more about corporate social responsibility and other ways to become an employer of choice? Check out one of our free resources!