Companies increasingly favoring volunteerism as part of employee engagement efforts

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30157
• Date: 01 February 2016
• Published date: 01 February 2016

FEBRUARY 2016

7

NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company • All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1002/nba

Industry News

Companies increasingly favoring volunteerism

as part of employee engagement efforts

New research shows that businesses are increas-

ingly focusing on volunteerism as a central compo-

nent of broader employee engagement strategies,

leading to a range of benets for all key stakehold-

ers—including the nonprots they partner with.

The research, conducted by America’s Charities,

shows a major shift in employee giving programs

from just two years ago, when the organization issued

the rst of its Snapshot reports. In Snapshot 2013,

companies indicated their employee giving models fo-

cused on corporate-branded campaigns matched with

a time-limited Fall campaign, with heavy reliance on

technology to drive workplace giving.

Snapshot 2015, however, shows a much greater em-

phasis on employee volunteerism, and in particular:

• Year–round volunteering opportunities.

• Giving and volunteering as central components

of employee engagement programs.

• Connecting employees to groups and causes they

care about, in addition to corporate-supported causes.

Volunteerism “is now the core around which com-

panies are building employee engagement strategies

and programs,” the group found. Not only does it

serve as a catalyzing force within companies but it is

what the group called an “on-ramp to full employee

engagement” and deepening partnerships with non-

prot organizations.

A well-developed volunteer program is also seen

as key to employee recruitment and retention, the re-

port said. Specically, prospective employees expect

companies to provide opportunities to connect with

causes they care about; allow them to volunteer with

nonprot groups during company time; and conduct

an effective volunteer and giving program that is

engaging and empowering.

Per the report, the most common elements of

employee volunteer strategies include:

• Company-sponsored volunteer projects and projects

that encourage employees to team with their peers.

• Dollars-for-Doers-type programs. Today nearly 27

percent of companies offer nancial grants in recogni-

tion of individual volunteer service and an additional

30 percent of companies plan to offer these within the

next two years.

• Skills-based opportunities. Nearly 50 percent of

companies offer pro bono and skills-based opportuni-

ties and nearly 30 percent plan to offer this over the

next two years.

• Mentoring. A growing number of companies plan

to introduce mentor programs that team employees

with the beneciary of a nonprot organization.

• Paid volunteer time. Nearly 60 percent of com-

panies offer paid time off for employees to volunteer,

and an additional 21 percent plan to offer release time

in the next two years.

• Professional development. About 25 percent of

companies tie skills-based volunteering to an em-

ployee’s professional development plan but 21 percent

say they plan to make this tie in the future.

Employees are also looking for an expanded

universe of volunteer opportunities than have been

available in the past. While company-supported

events remain popular—cited by 82 percent of em-

ployees—some 70 percent want the ability to orga-

nize their own volunteer events and 60 percent want

to be able to recruit peers to support their giving and

volunteer efforts, the report said.

The growing emphasis on employee volunteerism

can present challenges for nonprot partners, how-

ever. As noted in the report, nonprots have strug-

gled in the past to make effective use of volunteer

labor—especially skills-based and pro bono service,

which is often highly specialized. There is a need on

both sides to think creatively in developing ways in

which employee volunteerism can be used effectively

to the benet of companies and nonprots alike.

Based on Snapshot 2015’s ndings, America’s

Charities suggested companies and their nonprot

partners engage in dialogue to ensure volunteer op-

portunities are strategic and mutually benecial, and

called for companies to expand volunteerism op-

portunities so that their employees can support both

corporate signature programs and the groups and

causes they personally care about.

For more information, or to access the report in

full, go to http://www.charities.org. ■