Tips to Launch an Employee Volunteer Program

Tips for an Effective Employee Volunteer Program

Tips to Launch an Employee Volunteer Program

In a previous post, I talked about creating an effective volunteer program and Corporate Social Responsibility.

What I love about KyndHub is its progressive mission of “changing lives with kindness”. From a Corporate Wellness point of view, this couldn’t be more in alignment with my values with Virtual Corporate Wellness™.

Why Start an Employee Volunteer Program?

Kyndhub’s recent blog on “Corporate Social Responsibility” examines how volunteer programs “not only benefit society, they add value to employee health and satisfaction as well as retention and recruitment”.  And what should really catch your attention is that “92% of employees who volunteer through their company report higher rates of emotional and physical health.”

From an employee wellness standpoint, this is reason alone to get your company into the modern age of volunteering. Getting employees involved with company-wide philanthropy could very well be one of the answers to boosting employee morale, engagement, and retention.

So let’s talk about how YOUR organization can build an effective volunteer program.

Tips for Building an Effective Volunteer Program at Your Work

KyndHub’s article on 3 Tips for a More Effective Volunteer Program discusses the common challenges in getting employees involved, and offers great ideas and solutions to get you started. These include:

  1. Ways to increase awareness.
  2. The importance of briefing and de-briefing surround volunteer events, as a means of communication.
  3. The power of involving the larger organizational community, such as friends and family.

Here at VCW™, I’m all about supporting companies to rise to the next level with actionable steps that are easy to implement, and I have a few additional tips for your employee volunteer program:

  1. Get leadership involved. A fully inclusive program of any kind in a corporation, be it a Wellness or Volunteer program, simply must have the full support and participation of its leadership team. A fragmented volunteer program will not work. Nothing spurs on enthusiasm and camaraderie more than employees participating in events alongside the company president and management team.
  2. Add Recognition. There are so many ways to recognize staff efforts, and celebrate employees’ involvement and success by making a difference in your community. Ideas for recognition can include:
    • An end-of-the-year award presentation that includes some sort of bonus or cash/gift card incentive for the employees that consistently participates in your employee volunteer program or other philanthropy efforts year-round.
    • Lunch brought in as a company-wide treat to wrap up a particular volunteer event.
    • Posting photos, giving individual shout outs and event updates on the company intranet site, newsletter and bulletin boards, or on your company’s social media page.
  3. Add Incentives. Affordable and appreciated ideas can include:
    • A drawing where all volunteers enter for a prize from a locally sponsored business for a free lunch or dinner, free movie, or massage, etc.
    • Provide flexible work schedules to allow employees to meet for planning meetings and organizational activities with events.
    • A company bonus in the form of money or time off for the top employees who put in the most hours involved in an event or over the course of a year.

Got the idea? Not only can your organization make a positive impact on your local community and society, but become a fun, positive and engaging place to work – a win win!

Head over to KyndHub and read their full article on 3 Tips for a More Effective Volunteer Program and to get a demo of their platform.

When you’re ready. Here are some next steps:

  1. Grab a copy of Fatal Flaws of Employee Wellness Programs. Create a wellness strategy that will actually get results. Available on Amazon here. 
  2. Let’s skip theory and talk about your company. Set up your call here at www.speakwithalison.com 
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