If you currently work for a company that is looking for meaningful ways to do more for both the local community where you work and the broader community, there are many ways to give back. Fundraising is usually the most talked about option, but many companies are now turning to corporate volunteering and seeing the benefits for both the organizations they support and their employees. But before we think about the benefits of volunteering, we must ask ourselves: What is corporate volunteering? Employee volunteer and travel programs are initiatives where employers support or encourage their employees to volunteer for the local community or for charitable causes.
Volunteering is a way for companies to give back to the community. Companies often encourage their employees to volunteer by giving them paid time off that they can use to volunteer at a charity of their choice or a charity designated by their employer. Companies are increasingly turning to technology to structure their volunteer activities so they can use their entrepreneurial skills for a good cause. Both businesses and society as a whole are increasingly arguing that employers are not only responsible for creating jobs and profits, but should also think about the impact of their organizations on society and society as a whole. Benefits of employee volunteering. There are many benefits that result from giving employees the chance to volunteer – often for all three parties involved, the employer, the employee and the charitable cause.
Giving employees the opportunity to volunteer has many benefits, often for all three parties involved: the employer, the employee and the charity. • Supporting qualified charities: Allowing employees to volunteer gives many charities access to highly skilled workers that they may not be able to attract. With the right structure, charities can do much more with your employees’ valuable time than just asking them to help raise money, whether by working with marketing professionals to improve brand strategy or with operational staff to improve internal performance. • More engaged employees: The more employees are encouraged to volunteer, the more engaged they are in the workplace. These include higher productivity, higher employee satisfaction and improved employee morale. Employees whose employers offer volunteer programs are more engaged and report higher levels of autonomy and support from colleagues and supervisors. • Employee skills and personal development: Volunteering offers employees a new perspective and even greater development opportunities. This provides them with leadership and learning opportunities that may not have been readily available in the workplace. It also allows them to work with different resources and new teams, which opens their eyes to different challenges and stimulates creativity.
It can help employees break out of their comfort zone and gives them a meaningful way to use the skills they have gained in their work life to benefit a charity. This can be hugely effective in making employees feel valued and allows them to see just how important their skills are. An effective corporate volunteering program helps to attract, engage, motivate and retain a motivated workforce. This shift has made initiatives such as corporate volunteering vital for attracting and retaining highly skilled, socially conscious young employees. By providing a volunteering program companies are both better aligned to employee values and allow employees to support causes they align themselves with.
