Employee volunteer programs are no longer just a “nice to have”—they’re a strategic investment with measurable returns. From boosting employee engagement and skill development to enhancing brand reputation and attracting top talent, these programs offer tangible benefits for both organizations and their people. This article will dive into those benefits and offer some best practices to get you started.
Employees whose company has a volunteer program experienced an increase in their leadership and communication skills and gained confidence in the areas of teamwork and problem solving. Volunteering at work improves employee mental health by boosting employees’ moods, reducing stress, and decreasing burnout. These opportunities create connection and community among employees through shared experiences that strengthen their professional relationships contributing to development and growth. Employees who volunteer felt an increase in job satisfaction by giving them a sense of purpose beyond daily tasks that make their job and workplace more meaningful. This leads to stronger engagement and retention, also an organizational benefit which we will discuss next.
Employers can except several benefits from having a volunteer program including better company branding for both current and future employees as they view the organization as committed to community service, corporate social responsibility, and even environmental sustainability. This increases retention and recruitment across the board and helps attract better talent, specifically Generation Z who value giving back at their place of work. It creates better company culture and shows employees that you have compassion, as well as increasing teamwork overall. Volunteer programs also enhance a company’s public image for clients, prospects, stockholders, investors, and the general public. They build goodwill in the local community and show your organization in a responsible, value-based light.
If you are thinking about creating a volunteering program at your organization or have one that needs improvement, the following are some best practices and ideas. A successful program starts with allowing employees time off to volunteer. This could be individually, where they can have volunteer days or hours like vacation time to use volunteering for a cause of their choosing or it could be organization wide as a group, where all employees who want to participate can take the time off work without penalty and are encouraged to do so.
A common challenge you might face is selecting a cause and organization to volunteer for and when to hold your event. There are a couple of different ways to approach this. You could pick an organization to support that aligns with your company’s values or mission and select a time frame that works best with your employees’ schedules or with the needs of the selected organization. The cause you choose could have special events they need volunteers for, or they might need help throughout the whole year. Another option is to match your employees’ skill sets with volunteer opportunities. You could have your sales and marketing team use their skills to fundraise or your recruiters offer their services via free resume reviews for local community college students. Thirdly, you could select an organization centered around certain holidays or months devoted to specific causes and make your event during that time. For example, some companies chose to host their volunteering events around Giving Tuesday near Thanksgiving, donate to cancer research during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, host a book drive on National Reading Day, or get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project on Veterans Day. Keep in mind that some non-profits require specific training, waivers, background checks or other legal requirements for their volunteers. So, make sure you research what the organization needs from your employees to volunteer there and ensure that it is achievable and aligns with your company’s abilities.
To ensure a high participation rate in your volunteer program, you will want to provide options by offering different ways for employees to get involved. Some can’t afford to donate money but are willing to give their time and energy, others may have a full calendar and would prefer to donate items or give monetarily. If you have out-of-state remote workers who want to contribute make sure there are options for them as well.
Regardless of what causes you decide or options you give employees; it is crucial that you get senior leaders involved from the start. Employees who see upper management volunteering and participating will increase their likelihood to do the same, contributing to a higher success rate of your program. Be sure to monitor and track participation and reward employees for their contributions. Having a volunteer committee or community outreach committee to track donations and participation and assist with planning and implementing these programs can be a great way to get employees involved and buy in from the get-go as well as take the burden off HR to do it all themselves.
Even though it can require some hard work and coordination, having an employee volunteer program has a multitude of benefits and is a relatively inexpensive way to increase retention, engagement, and company culture as well as contribute to a brighter future!
Sources: SHRM, Groundswell.io, Paycor, HR Drive