In today’s social and environmental climate, it is more important than ever to volunteer your time and resources when you can. The problems in the world are ever-increasing, and COVID-19 has recently shown us how crucial it is for everyone to come together during times of crisis. Corporations can make a sizable dent in volunteer work because they have access to many people at one time. However, not everyone is immediately motivated to start a philanthropic journey. Below we will discuss different ways companies can encourage their employees to volunteer, as featured in an article on Points of Light.
- Offer paid time off for employees who volunteer.
Even if an employee is interested in participating in volunteer work, he or she might not want to use their days off or miss out on being paid to do something for free. This can easily be fixed by providing paid time off for employees to volunteer. That way, they are more likely to participate and do not have to worry about if their paid or vacation time is affected by volunteering. This shows your staff that you genuinely care and value them as well as the community and builds a good brand reputation.
- Offer a variety of options to choose from.
It is important to remember that employees all have different interests and different schedules. There should be various options for volunteer work so that employees can participate without affecting their work and personal schedules. It is also important to have a variety of options because employees might have different values and charities that they want to support over others that they feel more connected to. There should be options ranging from crowdfunding to manual labor and opportunities that can appeal to multiple different generations.
- Document and reward employees for the good deeds they accomplish.
Recognizing your team’s hard work is one of the best ways to keep them motivated and encourage them to continue. You can do this by providing various financial compensation packages or making donations to an employee’s favorite charity in their name. If your company cannot make a meaningful financial contribution, there are other ways to let employees know that you value their dedication. These include sending them personal thank you notes, providing special outings or meals, giving public recognition, and having a volunteer appreciation day.