Employee volunteer programs (EVP) are becoming a popular way for companies to give back. Large organizations such as Deloitte, Telus, and Starbucks, have long recognized the value the programs bring to their employees, investors, and community.
Some say that volunteering is an essential part of a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, and we must agree, it is a great CSR investment that all companies including small and medium sized businesses, can engage in. And unlike other strategies, it does not require a large administrative overhead or budget to yield high returns.
So, if you think that volunteering would be a great addition to your social impact initiatives, here are 5 steps you can take to start a successful employee volunteer program.
#1: Get your leadership on board
It is just as important to get your leadership engaged with the program, as it is your employees. Getting the support can help increase awareness of the program and its policies, and kick off participation! You can really get the ball rolling if you have management leading by example!
If you need help getting your leadership on board, here is a comprehensive business case for employer-supported volunteering.
#2: Align employee volunteer program with your company mission and purpose
The second step is to think about why you want to start an employee volunteer program (EVP) and how it aligns with your company mission. What are you looking to achieve and what impact are you hoping to have? How does this integrate with your overall business goals?
Although both consumers and employees are expecting companies to give back, it is important that companies do so in an authentic way so your efforts can be easily communicated to the community. For example, if your company strives to improve health and wellness, you could focus your EVP on helping nonprofits that are providing health services to disadvantaged communities.
Not only will this differentiate your CSR strategy, it will also add authenticity and credibility to your EVP and actions.
That said, you don't need to pick a focus-area in order to have a great volunteer program. You can also let your employees lead the way in terms of the types of activities and organizations that you support.
#3: Understand the needs of your community and local nonprofit organizations
Your employee volunteer program will be different from another as every community has different needs, every nonprofit organization has different pain points, and every company has an unique value to bring.
Look into the immediate needs of your community and reach out to nonprofit organizations to better understand how you can help them in their mission. There may be ways that you can help that they didn’t even know about. For instance, you may be able to help them improve on their bookkeeping system that they thought was sufficient enough.
Not all opportunities are posted out there and communicating with nonprofit organizations is one way you can find the right opportunities for your team. This is one of the reasons why Purposely actively seeks out opportunities to share with its beta program participants.
#4: Establish volunteer policies that are known by everyone
Now that you have aligned your employee volunteer program with the company mission and have understood the needs of your community, it is time to establish some policies. Here are some things to consider:
- How many volunteer hours would be given?
- Will volunteer time be paid or unpaid?
- How much flexibility do your employees have in choosing the nonprofit and/or cause they want to volunteer for?
When you have outlined the policies, make sure they are visible and known by everyone! This may seem obvious but awareness is essential to get your employees engaged with the program. So, let them know that volunteering is supported and how they can participate!
#5: Find volunteer champions among your employees
Almost 12.7 million Canadians volunteer so you definitely have volunteer champions in your workplace already without you even knowing it! These individuals are great to help lead the program, share their success stories on volunteer projects, and motivate others to join!
