Where you work makes a difference, whether you’re an upper manager or an entry-level employee. Businesses looking to establish themselves as leaders in their fields and top options for talented workers can benefit immensely from corporate giving programs and employee volunteerism. These types of corporate philanthropy can simultaneously support employee engagement and a stronger brand reputation, helping businesses scale and make a positive difference.
Below, we explore how you can create an employee volunteering and corporate giving program that’s successful, manageable, and adaptable to your needs.
What are Corporate Giving Programs?
What about employee volunteering programs?
5 Key Tips for Employee Volunteering & Corporate Giving Programs
What are the Benefits of Corporate Giving?
How to Launch a Corporate Giving Program with Groundswell
Corporate giving programs are one example of corporate philanthropy and are a simple way for businesses to support charitable causes. What these programs look like varies, but they typically all have the same goal: to give back to nonprofit organizations and encourage employees to do the same.
Companies of all sizes can leverage corporate giving programs to make a difference. Depending on a business's needs and goals, there are a few main ways to structure a corporate giving program:
Either of these approaches (or both) can also be part of a larger corporate social responsibility strategy that aims to uplift, understand, and support your local community.
While they may not focus on donating funds, employee volunteering programs can still be highly beneficial for businesses and nonprofits alike.
These programs encourage employees to dedicate time and skills to certain causes–whether during work hours or their own free time–and may offer incentives or rewards. But unlike volunteer grants, classic volunteerism doesn’t necessarily have to involve monetary investments.
Corporate giving and employee volunteer programs can transform a business’ culture and impact. But to ensure that these programs serve their purpose and don’t create undue stress for your teams, it helps to have some idea of what to expect – and what to avoid.
Here are a few must-dos for your employee volunteering and corporate giving programs to keep in mind as you move forward.
As you select the nonprofit organizations and program designs that make the most sense for your business, don’t forget to consider your strategic goals.
If your business is looking to become more sustainable, for example, and attract eco-conscious shoppers, you may decide to focus your giving on nonprofits dedicated to environmental preservation. Or, if your company values community, it might be wise to seek out organizations offering supportive programming to people near you.
Don’t wait until the ball is already rolling to decide where you’d like it to go. Create a plan for your giving program in as much detail as possible before kicking off any campaigns to ensure that everything runs smoothly (and you reap as many benefits as you can from the experience).
For example, you might want to take some time to list out all of the key information about your ideal program: its minimum and maximum donations, employee eligibility, participation rates, and expected outcomes are just a few examples of things to think about.
How will employees record their involvement in your programs? Who will be in charge of overseeing and updating them? What goals do you hope to achieve through your programs, and which metrics will you use to measure their success?
If you’re just beginning to explore corporate giving, it helps to start out slow and build your programs to a level that meets your needs over time.
Choose a single cause, for instance, or launch a single campaign with clear goals and expectations. Reflect on what works well, what doesn’t, and what you’d like to see change in the future.
It’s also important to ensure that your programs are enjoyable for employees to participate in – otherwise, you may struggle to drive engagement rates as much as you’d like.
Don’t assume that your programs are running well and achieving their goals; check in often with employees and leaders throughout your organization to see how things are going.
Be open to feedback, positive and negative, and make it a habit to update programs and implement changes based on what you learn.
One of the best ways to create a program that’s engaging, rewarding, and accessible is to use a technology or software like Groundswell. When everyone on your team can access the same information in the same place, keeping up with your giving and volunteering programs becomes significantly easier.
While creating new programs can seem daunting, it’s an effort that’s well worth it, especially for businesses hoping to grow and leave a lasting mark on their industries.
Some of the main benefits of corporate giving programs include:
No matter how experienced you are with corporate giving and volunteering, a tool like Groundswell can help you save time, money, and stress, all while ensuring you still meet your philanthropic goals.
Groundswell is the first corporate social responsibility platform with both a web and mobile app, meaning your entire workforce can you in on your social impact programs - no matter where they work or what device they're on. Groundswell lets you skip the administrative burden that comes with corporate giving, too – no more headaches caused by hours of backend work or confusion about how to participate.
Investing in the software you need to launch effective corporate giving and volunteering programs shouldn’t be a hassle. With Groundswell, it doesn’t have to be.
Schedule a demo with us today to learn more and see our tools in action.
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