Looking for a way to improve your organization’s culture and make a difference in your community? A great way to do both is to implement an employee volunteer program where your business partners with nonprofit organizations to provide corporate volunteering opportunities.
For many corporations, company culture is top of mind, especially as the world recovers from the ongoing pandemic and office culture has morphed into something new with fully remote and hybrid work situations becoming more and more commonplace. The pandemic also put community needs at the forefront of many minds, prompting a surge of philanthropy and volunteerism. Employee volunteering is the perfect combination of both.
Eager to get started? Find out more details below on what a great employee volunteer program looks like. Then, check out the corporate engagement opportunities created by our team here at the United Way of the National Capital Area.
What is an Employee Volunteer Program?
An employee volunteer program is a planned, managed effort that seeks to motivate and enable employees to effectively serve community needs through the leadership of the employer.
Often, employee volunteer programs include corporations partnering up with local nonprofit organizations to meet the needs of their community and to help coordinate volunteer events for their employees.
How to Start an Employee Volunteer Program
The easiest way to start a corporate volunteer program at a business or organization is to partner with a local nonprofit whose mission aligns with your company’s values. Although each nonprofit organization has a different approach when it comes to partnering with corporations, we break down how United Way NCA develops relationships with corporate partners to incorporate corporate volunteer programs below.
A Step-by-Step Process for Creating a Corporate Volunteer Program with United Way NCA
To create a corporate volunteer program with United Way NCA, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Contact United Way NCA
The first step in establishing a corporate volunteer program with United Way NCA is to gather information and details on how your organization can help United Way NCA in its mission to improve the health, education and economic opportunity of all community members. The easiest way to get started is to contact us to discuss corporate engagement opportunities.
Step 2: Launch a Workplace Campaign
A United Way NCA workplace campaign provides life-saving support for the children and families who need it most in our community. Through a workplace campaign, corporations and their staff learn more about United Way NCA and its nonprofit partners’ work, fundraise through campaign pledges, promote philanthropy in the workplace and coordinate staff volunteer events to benefit United Way NCA programs.
Step 3: Coordinate a Volunteer Event
When you become a corporate partner with United Way NCA, our Resource Development team will work hand in hand with your workplace campaign coordinator to assist in planning, implementing and evaluating all aspects of your campaign, including setting up volunteer events for your employees. To learn more and to get started, contact us today.
Alternatively, corporations may also reach out to us to coordinate volunteer events without holding workplace campaigns, and can also become corporate sponsors to support United Way NCA programs like Thrive United 365, the Weekend Hunger Backpack Program, Financial Empowerment Centers and much more.
The Pros and Cons of an Employee Volunteer Program
Implementing an employee volunteering program can be a great decision for organizations that want to enhance employee engagement, foster a positive brand image, and make a meaningful impact in the community.
However, employee volunteering can come with its own set of challenges and considerations.
The benefits of an employee volunteering program:
1. Employee Engagement: Volunteering fosters a sense of purpose and fulfillment among employees, improving job satisfaction and retention.
2. Skill Development: Volunteers often gain new skills and experiences that can be beneficial in their professional development. For example, your employees might develop and enhance their professional leadership skills through volunteering!
3. Positive Public Image: Demonstrating corporate social responsibility through volunteering enhances your organization’s reputation and brand image.
4. Team Building: Volunteering activities can strengthen relationships among employees, promoting teamwork and collaboration.
5. Community Impact: Employee volunteering programs contribute to social causes and make a positive difference in the community.
Cons include:
1. Time Constraints: Balancing work responsibilities with volunteering commitments can be challenging for employees, leading to potential productivity issues.
2. Resource Allocation: Implementing and managing a volunteering program requires resources such as time, money, and administrative support.
3. Participation Challenges: Not all employees may be interested or able to participate in volunteering activities, which can lead to unequal engagement.
4. Measurement Difficulty: It can be difficult to measure the direct impact of volunteering programs on employee morale, retention, or the community.
5. Risk Management: There may be legal or safety risks associated with volunteering activities, requiring careful planning and oversight from the company.
Tips for Successful Employee Volunteer Programs
To ensure an employee volunteer program is successful, it is important for corporations to:
- Ensure the volunteer events align with company values.
- Schedule volunteer events at times that work best for their employees.
- Promote the volunteer events during the weeks and days leading up to the opportunity.
- Seek out partnership opportunities with local nonprofits.
- Create a corporate gift-matching program to encourage further workplace philanthropy by giving monetarily to local nonprofits.
8 Inspirational Ideas for Employee Volunteering
- How about rallying your team for an environmental clean-up day? It’s a fantastic way to bond while making a real difference in the community by cleaning up beaches, maintaining parks, or planting trees!
- Ever thought about tapping into your employees’ professional skills for a good cause? Skills-based volunteering can be incredibly fulfilling for everyone involved. From tax assistance to financial empowerment counseling, there’s always a need for skills-based employee volunteering.
- Want to inspire the next generation? Consider starting a mentoring program where your team can provide guidance and support to students or young professionals—it’s a great way to give back and nurture future talent.
- Get your team together for a day of volunteering at a local food bank! Sorting and packing food donations, organizing food drives, or serving meals to those in need—it’s a hands-on way to make a difference in the community. You can also do this through volunteering with weekend backpack programs to ensure school age children receive the resources they need.
- Partner with homeless shelters and offer your support. Whether it’s serving meals, organizing clothing drives, or offering resume-building workshops, your team can help individuals transition out of homelessness and into a better future. We hold a yearly event – Project Community Connect – to connect the unhoused with vital resources.
- Animal lovers on your team? Volunteer at local animal shelters! From walking dogs to socializing with cats or assisting with adoption events, there are plenty of ways to help care for animals in need.
- Make a difference in education by supporting literacy and education initiatives. Your team can volunteer to read to children at libraries, tutor students, or participate in book donation drives—it’s a rewarding way to invest in the future.
- Promote health and wellness in the community by hosting workshops or fitness classes. Whether it’s nutrition, stress management, or mindfulness, your team can help improve overall well-being for underserved populations.
Local Employee Volunteer Programs in the Washington, DC Area
Interested in starting your corporate volunteer program? Check out our guide on how to start a volunteer program at work in 6 steps with us.
Or, if you’re thinking you’d rather volunteer solo, we also have available volunteer opportunities near the DC area and surrounding regions.
Here at United Way NCA, we offer ways to get involved both individually and with groups (like corporations and workplaces) by creating notecards, packing kits for those in need, assisting with one of our economic opportunity programs and much more.
Whether you have volunteered with United Way NCA in the past, are a new volunteer or are interested in corporate volunteer opportunities, we encourage you to volunteer today or see if a signature event is scheduled soon. When none are ignored, all will thrive.
