How Do I Create an Employee Volunteer Program? 4 Steps for Success

A great place to work is about more than just a fair paycheck – it’s also about feeling like the work you do actually makes a difference. For many businesses and organizations, employee volunteerism (among other CSR initiatives) is one of many ways to bring that feeling to fruition. 

If you’re wondering, “How do I create an employee volunteer program that people actually engage with?” We have good and bad news.

The good news is that employee volunteer programs (EVPs), like all good things, take time. So, take heart in the fact that no matter how your early employee volunteer events and efforts turn out, it’s just one step in the longer journey. 

The bad news? EVPs, like all good things, take time. During that time, it’s easy to get discouraged – but the process of building a program that truly fits your organization is one worth pursuing. 

Fortunately, with a strong EVP strategy and purpose-built tech, you can ensure that the opportunities you offer resonate with your teams, increase engagement, and deliver benefits like talent retention and improved morale.

Below, we’ll explore how to create an employee volunteer program from scratch. We’ll also discuss the steps you can take to improve and tinker with your program as it evolves.

Table of Contents:

• Why Start an Employee Volunteer Program?
• How Do I Create an Employee Volunteer Program? What to Know Before You Start
• How to Start an Employee Volunteer Program in 4 Steps
• Best Practices for Maintaining Employee Engagement
• Create an Employee Volunteer Program Unique to Your Organization with Groundswell

Why Start an Employee Volunteer Program?

Besides enriching your community and extending a helping hand to vulnerable populations, employee volunteer programs are just good for business. Younger workers are placing a greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility, as evidenced by a Deloitte survey. Nearly 9-in-10 respondents reported feeling that companies with volunteer programs have better workplace cultures. 

The potential benefits of EVPs for your company are numerous. Volunteering events offer great opportunities for employees to shake off the stiffness of the office and form real bonds with each other. Another benefit of EVPs is the opportunity to showcase your company’s CSR initiatives on social media and in marketing efforts. 

How Do I Create an Employee Volunteer Program? What to Know Before You Start

Before you start planning your employee volunteer program in earnest, you and your CSR team will need to decide on a few things. Here are three tips for getting some traction on your fledgling EVP.

Get Buy-In from Relevant Stakeholders

Securing buy-in goes beyond getting permission from the higher-ups. Your company’s leadership team should be 100% on board with the volunteer program and be prepared to play a part in engaging employees, too. 

The C-Suite sets the tone for everything. Employees will notice their enthusiasm (or, in a worst-case scenario, the lack thereof). Make sure each department head, along with some of the company’s natural leaders, understands the EVP and its purpose. 

Decide on Incentives for Volunteers

In a perfect world, every employee would volunteer out of the goodness of their heart. But we live in a hectic world where employees don’t always have the luxury of taking time out of their workdays for out-of-office activities. In other words, sweeten the deal if you want to maximize employee engagement. 

Many companies offer a small amount of paid leave for employee volunteering. Others might create friendly competitions between departments and award an extra vacation day for the winners. The incentives you offer have to make sense with the realities of your company’s operations, so choose wisely.

Consider Skills-Based Volunteering

The image many people conjure in their heads when they hear “volunteering” has to do with picking up trash alongside a roadway, for example, or serving food at a soup kitchen. 

Your EVPs can certainly include those classic volunteering options, but your company might have even more to offer the community through skills-based volunteering. Your tax preparation firm could offer free income tax review services to community neighbors living below the poverty level; your law office could review contracts for local nonprofits; your marketing agency could create content for worthy organizations. Don’t be afraid to branch out.

How to Start an Employee Volunteer Program in 4 Steps

Now that your CSR team has gotten some of those housekeeping items out of the way, it’s time to start mapping out the EVP journey. 

1. Assess Community Needs and Your Company’s Capabilities

It shouldn’t be difficult to find worthy causes to support on a grand scale, but your community might have unique or pressing needs that make sense to tackle first. You can always check news coverage or local social media groups to find out what your immediate area might be lacking. 

Once you gather this information, determine whether your employees are able to meet those community needs. If it’s a natural fit, then you’ve found a great initial volunteer opportunity.

Another way to determine what your community needs is to connect with local nonprofit organizations and charitable programs that are already doing great work. Supporting and partnering with these groups can be a simple but effective way to make a difference that you can actually see.

2. SMART Your Company’s Volunteering Goals.

Your company does need smart goals, in the general sense, but it also needs S.M.A.R.T. goals. That stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. This means being specific about your company’s CSR goals and what you want the EVP to accomplish. There’s no shame in starting small and being realistic; you’ll gain experience and practical knowledge over time!

3. Partner with Area Nonprofits if You Want a Proven Program.

Coming up with an entire EVP from scratch can be a little intimidating, so you may want to see if some local nonprofits have plug-and-play volunteer opportunities. That can take some of the organizing off your plate and offer your company chances to network with future charitable partners.

4. Find the Right Software to Organize the Program.

Spreadsheets and shared documents have their place in the CSR environment, but today’s EVP software can do some pretty incredible things. Even better, digital CSR platforms are no longer luxuries that only Fortune 500 companies can afford. Simple, intuitive platforms like Groundswell aim to democratize CSR and make EVPs and related programs easy for busy employees. 

Best Practices for Maintaining Employee Engagement

So, you’ve mapped out your company’s EVP and want to get the ball rolling. Now, you’re wondering how to engage every employee in volunteering.

We might not have the magic formula to get every single employee on board, but we can get you close.

• Communicate with employees before you even roll out the program. If you want the EVP to be fully embraced by your employees, they need to be in the loop from the beginning. Today’s workers are keen to be involved in executive-level programs, so allow them to take the reins as much as possible. To use a football analogy, every championship team has locker room leaders who operate as extensions of the coaches.
• Highlight the EVP’s impact and recognize employees who go above and beyond. Celebrate every EVP outing and CSR win to make your employees feel worthy and appreciated. Such programs are great to highlight in internal reports and through the press.
• Track key metrics so future volunteering outings work even better. That’s where the “M” in “S.M.A.R.T.” comes in handy. A comprehensive EVP and CSR tool can help your team identify potential deficiencies in the planning and execution processes. 

Create an Employee Volunteer Program Unique to Your Organization with Groundswell

Groundswell's all-in-one platform, featuring five-star-rated native apps on iOS and Android, allows you to create, execute, monitor, analyze, and adjust your company’s CSR programs without the administrative headaches that come with the legacy software providers. Launch, manage, and grow your volunteering program with ease.

It doesn’t matter, however, if your EVP has five, 500, or 50,000 participants—our software is here to help your company change the world. Your personalized demo is waiting.