Yesterday we discussed the benefits of a robust employee volunteer program. As stated, companies should think beyond annual holiday drives and develop programs that encourage staff to get into the community on a regular basis during work hours. Benefits are plentiful—to the company, to the employees themselves, and to those these efforts serve.
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A few considerations for starting your company’s volunteer program:
- Find good partners. Most volunteer programs involve partnering with an existing nonprofit. It’s important to find the right partner with values consistent with those promoted within your organization. Besides the important operational questions, ask nonprofits to share their vision or mission statement. You want to make sure your employees—and your customers—can see a common thread in what you do.
- Survey employees about their existing volunteer work. You may be surprised at how many employees are already engaged in volunteer work. Find out what organizations and activities they endorse. Ask employees what motivates them to do the work they do and if they feel the organization is effective or perhaps needs the horsepower of a corporate partner.
- Can’t decide? Try out a few partners. If you don’t want to work with just one partner, try out a few. Give your employees options on a number of volunteer opportunities. Vary the type of work, considering whether or not it requires physical activity, being outdoors, or working with specific ages.
- Set your metrics. Decide how you are going to measure the success of your volunteer program. Is it hours contributed by employees? Projects completed? Impact on employee engagement or skill building? All of these are suitable and need to be determined before you begin.
The key to successful company volunteer programs is to stick with those that have the potential to most successfully meet your metrics. You may get a surge of participation at the start or just a trickle. In the long run, promoting employee voluntarism is a meaningful activity for most organizations.