The Business Case for Employer-supported Volunteering

Everyone has volunteered in their lifetime in some sort of way. You probably volunteered as a teenager before you got your first job, whether it was at an arts festival or at a care home. But, when was the last time you donated your time to a cause?

As we get older, people are less likely to volunteer as we become preoccupied with our families and our 9-5 jobs. According to Deloitte’s Volunteer Impact Research study, 62% of respondents say they cannot dedicate time during the day to volunteering. Time is the biggest barrier, but employer-supported volunteering programs can easily break this barrier down. Employees want to volunteer, and you should support them for your community, for them, and for your company.

For your community

When you are volunteering, you are donating your time and skills to support nonprofit organizations and community causes. From sustainability initiatives to supporting minority groups, these organizations are doing great things. However, most of them are running on limited resources and rely on volunteers. Employees can help these organizations by offering their skills and expertise, allowing them to achieve their goals in more efficient ways.

For your employees

Sense of purpose

On average, we spend 40 hours a week at work. That’s 2080 hours every year. In other words, we spend almost as much time working as we do sleeping. With that much time spent at our jobs, employees are looking for more meaning and purpose in the work they’re doing. It’s not just a source of income for them anymore.

By incorporating a formal volunteering program in your workplace and allocating paid time for employees to volunteer, you are adding value and meaning to their job. In the Deloitte survey, 73% of respondents think volunteerism provides an improved sense of purpose. Employees will be proud to tell their family and friends where they work, generating positive word-of-mouth and enhancing your company reputation and brand image.

Employee morale & motivation

By giving employees a sense of purpose to their work, it can positively impact their overall wellbeing and morale. Volunteer activities are more likely to boost employee morale than a company-sponsored happy hour! They will be more motivated and engaged everyday, knowing that what they’re doing brings real value to their communities.

Team-building & communication

It can be challenging to connect with your fellow employees and management team during the work day, as everyone is busy with their tasks while juggling meetings. Let your employees get to know each other outside of work, and volunteering offers the perfect opportunity! Coming together for a common cause fosters teamwork and allows them to build rapport with one another. As well, strengthening workplace relationships can be beneficial for future team projects.

For your company

Now, volunteering doesn’t just benefit others, it helps your company as well! As we mentioned before, employer-supported volunteering is a great business investment that solves multiple problems.

Attract and retain talent

Volunteering can help attract and retain talent for your company. People are attracted to and want to work for companies that have a good community image, and 89% of working Americans believe that companies who sponsor volunteer activities offer a better overall working environment than those who do not. Employees will be committed to your company, leading to higher retention rates and lower turnover, which naturally reduces hiring and training costs.

Employee productivity

When employees feel a sense of purpose in their work, they are happy. Happy employees are productive employees. In fact, according to a study, they are 13% more productive. With more productivity, your company will benefit from higher ROI and reduced costs.

Improve brand image

It’s easy for people to view businesses as profit-generating machines, but volunteering can show them that companies are made up of passionate and talented individuals. Employee volunteers act as an extension to your brand, further enhancing the company image for your customers, investors, and employees. This can also positively affect your ROI as consumers are willing to pay a premium for products and services from socially-responsible companies.

Build community relationships

Volunteering allows your company to be involved in the community and foster real community relationships. With your happy employees acting as ambassadors, it will help increase brand visibility and awareness within communities.

Getting Started

Getting started with an employer-supported volunteering program can be hard, but we're making it easy. Purposely is building a platform focused on workplace volunteering, so you can get all of its benefits for your company. We want to hear about your experiences and challenges with workplace volunteering programs. You can sign-up here today. No commitment. We can learn and grow together.