Four Steps Toward an All-Star Employee Volunteer Program

Beyond benefiting a community, a well-executed employee volunteer program boosts morale, fosters leadership and teamwork skills, and provides a positive corporate image for your business. Here are four steps from FingerCheck experts to help business leaders in launching and managing a strong volunteer program.

Choose Wisely

It’s important to pick a cause or charity organization that is a good fit for your company. It should complement both the interests of your business and your employees. For instance, if you are in the food or beverage industry, it might be smart to seek out a local soup kitchen; if you’re in construction, you can see if there’s a nonprofit that needs rebuilding.

Make it Convenient

If you are inviting your employees to participate in an established event, such as a relay or building project, try to provide transportation and refreshments. If you want a more passive role, try holding an in-office event, like setting up a donation bin for food or clothing drives. You may even want to consider hosting your own event!

Incentivize

Employees shouldn’t feel pressured to participate in any volunteer program, or like they need to do so to save face with their managers. Instead, look for appropriate ways to incentivize, such as paid volunteer hours– for example, socially conscious Ben and Jerry’s offers up to 40 days of paid service days! Tech solutions such as a mobile time clock app can make it very easy for employees to track their volunteer hours using their mobile devices, even off-site. Another way to incentivize service hours is to provide recognition for participating employees. This could be a certificate, a sponsored party, or even just a heartfelt thank you note.

Spread the Word

Share images from your company’s volunteer work on your social media. If that seems too self-congratulatory, keep in mind that your posts will raise awareness of the charity you chose to work with along with your company. Start the social media chatter pre-event and keep it going!