By: Chelsea Cox
Employer sponsored employee volunteerism is a way for companies and organizations to engage their employees by supporting their involvement in the community through volunteer opportunities. These opportunities can be as simple as a donation drive for food and supplies or can be more involved, such as a corporate habitat for humanity build. There are endless possibilities to get involved in the community and many non-profits need help to support their mission. Employer sponsored volunteerism is beneficial for everyone involved including employers, employees, and the community. It’s a win-win-win situation.

Companies and organizations should demonstrate interest in the they communities they service. “Corporate social responsibility is a type of international private business self-regulation that aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethically-oriented practices.” This demonstration sets the bar for corporate behavior and also invests in the social and economic ecosystems of the communities that the business is located in.

Companies who actively participate in volunteerism can benefit from brand awareness and company recognition. When consumers associate a company with the good will that they are doing in the community, brand perception increases. Simply put, customers want to support a company that is involved and gives back to the community.

Positive brand awareness can also play a role in attracting and retaining talent. Today, employees want more than good compensation and benefits. Social responsibility and company culture have sky-rocketed to the top of millennial priority lists for deciding on where they want to work. People take pride in their work and the impact that they are able to make as a whole. Employees want to be part of a company that is supporting its local community and helping to create change. They want to be empowered to support organizations and programs that they are passionate about.

Volunteer opportunities at the workplace are beneficial for company morale, as employees want their work to be fulfilling and purpose driven. Volunteerism is an excellent way to engage employees and the benefits can extend beyond the workplace. When employees find fulfillment in their experience with company-sponsored volunteerism, this in turn will change behavior not only at the workplace but in the employee’s personal life. Helping others contributes to happiness. Happy people enjoy their work more and are also generally more productive at work.

Employer sponsored volunteerism changes the culture in the workplace by bringing everyone together to share a common goal. When employees at every level of the company contribute their time to a local volunteering event, it changes the way employees view the company and colleagues in a positive way. Volunteerism is a perfect strategy to realign employees with the company’s overall mission and to structure the vision of the company. Volunteering will bring your employees together as a team and provide fulfillment while maximizing your impact on the community.

Further, employees will likely gain new skills when volunteering such as, empathy, teamwork, public speaking, critical thinking, problem solving and leadership. Developing these skills amongst employees can be beneficial for productivity in the workplace. Promoting volunteerism provides a competitive edge for companies when hiring employees but at the same time helps in retaining talent.

Overall, company-sponsored volunteerism is a no-brainer for companies because it contributes to the strength of the organization in a myriad of ways: Happier employees. Brand awareness. Stronger teams. Professional development. Social responsibility. Better customer engagement. Higher retention. Stronger culture. Community support.

For best results, consider structuring a program that engages your team on a continual basis. Decide whether you will engage in weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly events. Encourage employees to participate at all levels of each initiative and empower team members to take the lead. With the impact from COVID-19, Not for Profits need assistance now more than ever.  Now is an excellent time to rally your team together to support local organizations for a win-win-win.