Serving the community means more than offering goodwill – it means coming together to solve problems. As a result, community service not only makes the world a better place but it makes us better people, too. Planning and volunteering in community service projects is one form of social investment that businesses can leverage for team-building and to boost employee morale. With Groundswell, you can plan and host events that encourage your teams to make an impact on the world around them and cultivate a more productive and synergistic work environment. Below, we explore some ideas that can help you get the ball rolling.
There’s no denying that community service projects are good for people – but are they good for businesses? When used as a team-building exercise, community service activities can actually be quite effective. They encourage employees to get to know and understand each other better, leading to increased happiness on the job and an estimated 12% boost in productivity.
However, not all team-building efforts are made equal. It’s time to ditch the icebreakers and mini-games and introduce a new era of team-building, one focused on creating a company culture of giving. Approximately 76% of employees in today’s workplace want to work for companies that try to have a positive impact on the world. Why not give them the chance to get involved firsthand in that positive impact?
Beyond attracting talent and driving productivity, community service can also help employees build valuable skills and create a positive legacy for your organization within your local community. It creates a space for bonding over shared passions that is separate from the workplace yet still directly connected to your organization.
Recognizing the benefits of community service projects for employee engagement is simple enough. What’s often less straightforward, though, is how to actually execute those projects.
With a purpose-built tool like Groundswell, you can simplify the process of planning, facilitating, and reporting on volunteer and community service events. Our platform empowers you and your employees to get involved in the ways that matter most to you.
To see why, let’s take a closer look at some employee volunteering and community service project ideas that Groundswell can help you bring to life.
Spending time outdoors is a simple but effective way to break up the monotony of time spent working at a desk (or on your feet). Plus, research shows that being in nature can boost an employee’s attention span, creativity, and overall well-being, all of which support better productivity.
Make that time outside even more impactful by spending it on valuable, fulfilling activities. One way to do that is by organizing a cleanup day at your local park, riverbank, or beach to bring teams together outside of the workplace.
These projects are easy to plan, require few resources, and have an immediate impact that you can literally see. Be sure to snap lots of photos to share with your entire organization!
Invite your entire organization to get involved in a community service project by hosting a company-wide donation drive.
What you collect is up to you – essential items like clothing, books, school supplies, and hygiene products are always in demand. Alternatively, you could decide to partner with a local nonprofit organization and join an existing event or project by inviting employees to spend a day volunteering.
Go green and beautify your community by partnering with a local environmental organization to plant trees. This can be especially impactful if you’re able to plant in urban or deforested areas. Pair it with a cleanup effort or other outdoor activities, like planting flowers or doing other landscaping tasks, to make it a more fleshed-out event.
Where there are people, there will likely be a need for hunger relief efforts. Collaborate with local food pantries or food banks to help collect, pack, sort, and distribute food to individuals and families in need. Employees can also choose to spend volunteer time working at a food bank during certain days or shifts.
Utilize your employees’ expertise by offering educational programming – like tutoring, hands-on workshops, after-school activities, mentorship programs, etc. – for students and young professionals. Through skills-based volunteering, you can encourage team members to leverage their unique skill sets to change your community for the better.
Host a game night, offer an exercise class, or simply plan scheduled visits to seniors in assisted living facilities to give employees a chance to forge meaningful connections while giving back.
A single day or instance of volunteering can make a massive difference in the lives of others. Take things to the next level by creating a dedicated employee volunteer program that allows employees to plan their own events and participate in ongoing initiatives.
With a tool like Groundswell, you can offer paid volunteer time as an employee benefit. Invite your team members to spend a portion of their work hours volunteering and getting involved in the projects they care about. Or, offer volunteer hour matching or other incentives for volunteer hours racked up off-the-clock.
While many of us want to make a difference, fewer of us have the resources to do so. By offering volunteerism and other social impact opportunities – like employee donation matching – as an employee benefit, you can ensure that working for your organization means supporting the causes a person is passionate about.
To start planning volunteer and community service events for your team, you’ll need to follow a few basic steps:
Community service projects are a staple of any philanthropic organization, but they can be a valuable experience for businesses and work teams too. As a team-building activity, community service helps bring individuals together over shared values and goals. Paired with employee volunteer programs, community service projects help drive engagement, make your organization a unique place to work, and increase productivity.
To reap all of the potential benefits of launching volunteering programs for your teams, you need the right tech. Groundswell is the only social impact tool to combine employee volunteerism, corporate donation matching, grantmaking, and employee assistance programs into one platform. That means you get everything you need to launch a corporate social responsibility program without the corporate-sized price tag.
Ready to learn more? Book a demo with us today to see how Groundswell can help you maximize your organizational impact.
