Support from your president or CEO is crucial. He or she should actively promote and encourage the EVP program to all employees within the company and also support the recognition and reward of company-sponsored volunteerism.
Not only will your managers be more generous in allowing time off for members of their department, but they will also be more likely to volunteer their own expertise to the organization of your choice. You will easily expand and strengthen your EVP by partnering with other organizations. Consider teaming up with customers or suppliers. Schools and nonprofit organizations almost always welcome chances for additional volunteers.
If your EVP centers on a partnership with a nonprofit, use company fundraisers to donate proceeds to that organization.
As with all aspects of business, quantifying the success of your EVP is a key factor. These are numbers you will want to highlight in your community relations pieces and in your board reports.
Be sure to keep statistics on items such as:. Feedback is another important piece of evaluation. Make sure to survey the EVP participants to find out the degree to which they enjoy their volunteer opportunities, find them satisfying, and feel they are making a contribution to the community. If possible, your company may also want to quantify any increases in areas such as revenue or brand recognition due to its heightened visibility in the marketplace.
Although an act of altruism is often thought to be its own reward, your program should also recognize its participants. Small gestures such as certificates, plaques, coupons, or gift cards can go a long way in keeping your volunteers motivated and your program invigorated. Most successful volunteer programs also hold an annual ceremony to formally recognize volunteer efforts; this is often an opportunity to invite media for additional public awareness.
Outlets such as social media , newsletters, bulletin boards, websites, e-mail, and even traditional advertising methods are all great ways to get both your employees and your community talking. This can be a great way to recruit new volunteers for upcoming campaigns.
Its also a wonderful public relations tool for your company. The benefits of an EVP are clear, and the steps toward setting up and maintaining a successful EVP, in theory, seem simple. In reality, however, EVPs do require organization, management, and in a word, time. If you are like most small to medium sized businesses, its hard to justify the hiring of another employee solely for the purpose of coordinating your EVP. So how do you get the benefits of an EVP without a detriment to your core business?
Many organizations in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors are turning to an online tool called VolunteerHub. VolunteerHub assists EVP coordinators by streamlining all aspects of volunteer scheduling. With VolunteerHub, coordinators can easily post information about volunteer opportunities. Volunteers are then able to sign up at their convenience via Internet, drastically reducing the coordinators time that would generally be spent fielding questions about schedules and registration.
Here are some of the benefits that come along with launching an employee program of your business:. Increase employee engagement and satisfaction. According to the Deloitte Volunteer Impact Survey , 77 percent of employees said that company-sponsored volunteer activities are essential to their wellbeing. Purpose-driven employees are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, and when they know that the work they do matters, determination and engagement increase. Increase employee retention.
When employees are engaged in volunteering activities that involve giving back, it leads to a deeper commitment and connection to their work, increasing employee retention. Many customers or clients support companies that prioritize leaving a positive impact in the world rather than just pursuing profits. When your business connects more meaningfully with your community, it boosts your reputation and public image. Train employees in specific skills. For instance, if your business is a bakery, you can engage your employees in a volunteer bake sale to help them put their skills to work.
Now that you know the benefits that come with creating an employee volunteer program for your business, read on to learn tips on how you can get started with building your own program! Having a step-by-step plan is crucial in ensuring that every element of your employee volunteering program is well-thought-out, leading to greater success. There are plenty of moving parts involved in setting up an effective volunteer program, from goal setting to getting executive approval to onboarding your employees..
Here are some concrete steps in helping businesses like yours to begin your program:. Invest in a quality corporate volunteerism platform. As your program will grow over time and more employees get involved, you may need to investigate your options for robust volunteer management software. For instance, platforms like InitLive offer everything your business needs to manage its EVP, from volunteer scheduling tools to excellent communication and engagement features that help you stay connected with employees and share new opportunities.
Set goals for the program. Why do you want to start an EVP? How many employees do you want to engage? How many volunteer hours do you want to aim for? These are some questions to consider before you establish your program. Create or discover local volunteer opportunities. Reach out to local nonprofits or use an online resource like VolunteerMatch to discover new opportunities that you think will interest your employees and align with their skills. Create additional charitable opportunities.
Engage your employees in even more philanthropic endeavours by offering them donation opportunities to help support nonprofit organizations. This can include adding a corporate matching gift program or volunteer grant program to your roster of corporate philanthropy initiatives. Promote your opportunities to employees.
Provide detailed descriptions of each volunteer opportunity so that your volunteers have an idea of what they will be working on. Promote these opportunities during a meeting, in your lunchroom, or on your social media and email platforms.
Track volunteer data to assess progress. Store data on volunteer attendance, hours, and successes to get an understanding of your program. This is also a great way to help you identify any obstacles and develop strategies for overcoming them.
Thank volunteers for their hard work. They will be more likely to stay connected with your program when they feel appreciated and valued. There are plenty of ways you can thank your employees, including planing an appreciation event , offering a free t-shirt as a thank-you, posting social media shout-outs, or even writing personalized letters.
Creating a proper plan is essential to ensure that your volunteer program will be sustainable and long-lasting. You can gain valuable feedback from your employees from time to time to assess how they feel about your program.
Employee volunteer programs improve your corporate image and relationships with key stakeholders, including your employees and community members. To make the most of your program, you can incorporate several best practices that will be effective in helping your program thrive.
You can use this software to ensure your employees have a seamless experience, from sign-in to check-out, and that they have access to the tools and resources they need.
As you work to expand your volunteer base which builds capacity and impact , think about how your resource allocation may change. Volunteer recruitment is essential when starting a volunteer program. Volunteer recruitment involves 1 advertising your opportunities, 2 managing new volunteer registration, and 3 screening incoming volunteers. Look for ways to streamline your registration and screening process by employing a volunteer management software. That way, you can spend more time on creative processes like marketing your program to potential volunteers.
Your volunteer program plan should also include a strategy for engaging volunteers. Active volunteers are the backbone of your program. They invest in your volunteer program, and you can count on them to uphold your mission. So, your strategy should address questions like these:. How will you foster an engaged group of volunteers? How will you engage different types of volunteer groups, like families or teen volunteers?
Volunteer engagement starts by cultivating a positive experience for each volunteer. Here are some more strategies for better engagement:. Establish a simple system of communication between volunteer managers and volunteers. Your plan should allow you to share important information effectively and respond to volunteer queries efficiently. A robust volunteer management software will help centralize your communications and automate much of your outreach. Successful volunteer coordinators consistently thank their volunteers.
From a simple thank you note to an annual volunteer banquet, there are many creative ways to show your appreciation. Volunteer incentive programs are a fun way to engage volunteers and recognize their efforts. Create hours benchmarks and motivate volunteers by creating incentives, like leadership opportunities for your top volunteers ice cream socials or pizza parties are popular among young participants. Developing a volunteer program requires you to establish good relationships with incoming volunteers.
Having an organized system to gather and store volunteer contact information is critical to maintaining these relationships. A successful volunteer program is well-organized and attentively managed. In many cases, nonprofits may not have the resources to hire a team of full-time staff to coordinate volunteers. With thoughtful processes and a robust volunteer management software in place, the designated volunteer coordinator can manage volunteers and needs with greater ease.
When putting the groundwork for your volunteer program, keep in mind that a streamlined volunteer process, from registration to check-in, can both foster deeper engagement and substantially reduce administration time. Generally, the most effective volunteer database is web-based so that all your volunteer contact information is stored online and accessible anywhere.
Besides storing volunteer contact information, your volunteer program database can also house detailed records on potential volunteers, like their skills, interests, and availability. Many volunteer programs use volunteer management software to help manage a growing volunteer base.
A robust platform optimizes your registration and engagement capabilities, eliminating the need for manual data entry. So, the process of developing and maintaining a volunteer database is easy and automated. A volunteer program utilizes volunteers to help address a community need or solve a problem.
From nonprofits to businesses, all kinds of organizations rely on volunteers to help make their communities safer, healthier, and happier places. Many organizations rely on the contributions of unpaid volunteers to:. During the volunteer program planning process, your organization will determine how it will tap into volunteer time and skills to help achieve your mission. Effective volunteer management is essential to a well-functioning volunteer program.
Volunteer managers should strive to address four main management areas:. By managing each area well, your volunteer program can better support active, long-term volunteers. There are plenty of tools to help volunteer program professionals—and their volunteers—succeed in their roles. Your tools should help you perform each management area listed above effectively and efficiently. Here are the top tools for managing a volunteer program:. A communications tool, like a CRM or email platform, is vital for effective volunteer management.
You will use this tool to:. Some volunteer management software options offer an integrated communications tool that allows coordinators to filter and sort contacts already registered in the system.
They also provide automated messaging , which helps to streamline communication and save time. Online registration and scheduling can save volunteer program managers hours per week. We found that the best registration and scheduling options integrate with your existing website or volunteer management platform and also allows volunteers to:.
Successful volunteer programs track and communicate impact to generate enthusiasm and sustain support from stakeholders.
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