The Ups (and Downs) of National Volunteer Week

Eric Franzo -

It’s always an exciting time of the year when National Volunteer Week rolls around. But if we’re being honest, Purposely members know that every week is a volunteer week. The truth is, nonprofits can use some support year round. One of the beautiful things about corporate volunteering is it can take place during work hours— that’s a powerful resource for nonprofits to tap into.

You may be surprised to know that statistically, students and retirees volunteer the most. And for all of the folks who work during the day? They volunteer less than half as much as those two other groups. That’s pretty astounding and leaves a lot of room for growth.

Companies that offer CSR programs help drive some of this volunteering growth amongst those who work. Efforts like National Volunteer Week are a great opportunity for companies to hone their efforts around giving, but that’s not necessarily the whole story, so let’s take a closer look!

The Upside to a Volunteer Week

There’s no denying the benefits nonprofits experience during National Volunteer Week. It’s a wonderful chance to drive recruitment efforts and infuse new life and ideas into an organization. New volunteers not only bring their time and talent to a cause, but they can often offer a fresh perspective and provide new insights into the hows and whys of everyday operations.

New volunteers means new ideas and energy at a nonprofit

A week of volunteering for companies is a chance to rally employees around a cause and intentionally drive turnout.

Corporate volunteering can be challenging for companies, particularly when it comes to organizing.

Condensing efforts to a single week can make things easier for those coordinating the effort and drive higher turnout. It’s a win-win for nonprofits and employees!

A Week is Great, But…

You knew there was a but coming, didn’t you? So we know why an intentional week of volunteering can be great for nonprofits and companies alike. It really is a great time to give back in an impactful way, but there are a few things that may get overlooked in our well-intentioned spirit of giving.

Nonprofits can be seriously overloaded during this week.

We highlighted in our post about the hidden effort behind group volunteering, but nonprofit administrators are often managing training, schedules, and projects, and your company is likely one of dozens looking to volunteer during the same week. That’s a lot to add to an already full place. Nonprofits may scramble to put together projects that are a good fit for your group, but this can lead to a “quantity over quality” mentality that ends up serving no one.

Is There a Better Way?

If you’re going to give back, you want it to be valuable and impactful, and National Volunteer Week can certainly check both of those boxes. But what are some other ways we can look to spread that love throughout the year?

Being intentional about your employee volunteer program can go a long way

Your company likely strives to be thoughtful and organized in your planning when it comes to product, marketing, and sales. That same approach can apply to volunteering. Let’s take a look at some things you can do:

  • Find a set of causes your company cares about and schedule regular time blocks throughout the year to commit to that cause, whether through volunteering, donations, or both!
  • If your team is hosting an onsite, add volunteering as a fun component to break up the day and have people connect and give back in a unique and impactful way.
  • On the organizational side of things, get to really know the nonprofits that you work with. Understand their needs and see if there is support that can be offered throughout the year.

We’re Here to Help

We work with companies around the world to create intentional volunteer programs that become a core part of company culture. Volunteering not only supports nonprofits, but it’s the single best team-building experience you can have at your workplace.

At Purposely, we help you come up with a plan, goals, and take care of the opportunity discovery and coordination so all your team has to do is “just show up”.

It’s the single easiest way to give back and ensure you have a thriving employee volunteer program. Book a meeting with us and let’s chat about getting your company out not just for a week, but for a whole year of supportive giving!