A Step-By-Step Guide to Planning a Corporate Volunteer Event

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives have rapidly evolved from optional programs into near-mandatory assets for companies in the 21st century. Consumers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders are increasingly favoring socially conscious businesses.

New CSR leaders and those who have already begun to gain traction in launching programs alike can benefit from hosting a corporate volunteer event. Volunteerism is a fantastic way to engage employees in rewarding work that leverages their unique skills and aligns with your corporate purpose.

Planning a corporate volunteer event, however, can seem easier said than done. Who to invite, where to volunteer, what benefits to offer in return – the list of things to consider only grows the deeper you dive into the planning process. That’s why we’ve put together this guide, which is packed with the insights you need to know to pull off a successful first corporate volunteering event that will hopefully be the first of many.

Table of Contents:

• What is Corporate Volunteerism?
• 4 Steps to Planning a Corporate Volunteer Event
  
  • 1. Identify Your Ideal Outcomes
  • 2. Define Your Audience
  • 3. Find an Event or Build Your Own
  • 4. Spread the Word
• During the Event: Keep Things Running Smoothly
• After the Event: Transforming Volunteer Data into Actionable Insights
• Plan Corporate Volunteer Events in Minutes with Groundswell

What is Corporate Volunteerism?

Corporate volunteerism, sometimes referred to as just employee volunteerism, involves workers of all titles and hierarchies at specific companies dedicating their time to charitable and worthy causes. Volunteering with coworkers is a pillar of corporate social responsibility (CSR), a broad term that describes businesses’ efforts to make a positive impact in their communities.

It’s common for employers to sweeten the deal a little for employees; they may allow certain workers to volunteer during business hours or earn perks for their selflessness. Gamifying corporate volunteerism through departmental competitions is another way to increase CSR engagement.

Why does volunteering in the workplace matter?

The benefits of corporate volunteerism are numerous, particularly when it comes to employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. For instance, in their 2024 report Philanthropy, Purpose, and Professional Development: Why Workplace Volunteer Programs Matter, Ares Management found that 79% of employees who engaged in workplace volunteering said they were satisfied with each aspect of work life, compared to just 55% of their non-volunteering counterparts. 

What’s more, volunteer events create natural opportunities for employees to learn new skills – including soft skills, like collaboration and leadership, as well as hard skills – which they can then bring to the workplace.

Something as simple as a monthly volunteer opportunity, then, can be the catalyst that leads to engaged employees, more successful talent retention, and better morale.  

4 Steps to Planning a Corporate Volunteer Event

It’s natural to feel a little nervous before your company's first employee volunteering event. You might worry about committed employees not showing up, attendees not having a pleasant time, or whether the volunteer event will actually make a positive impact. As for the last part, no act of service is too small or insignificant to change the world.

Relaaaaax—you’ve got this. You’re smart and capable, and you can dramatically increase the chances of success if you follow these four steps!

1. Identify Your Ideal Outcomes

To hone the volunteering event into something you (and your bosses) consider a success, visualize the ideal outcomes and work backwards to achieve them.

Perhaps the best way to do that is to create S.M.A.R.T. goals: that means they should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

If you have the capacity, planning the first event can dovetail with CSR planning for the next few weeks and months. For example, how much do you want employee participation rates to increase by between the first, second, third, and fourth events? 

→ Pro Tip: Don’t forget to gather opinions from employees and executives during the planning phase.

2. Define Your Audience

Your audience includes coworkers, executives, nonprofits, and anyone else who might be involved in making the event a success. Depending on your company's size, you may want to invite all employees or only select departments or segments to the event. Don’t forget to consider remote or frontline workers, too.

The purpose of defining your audience is to get the right content and CSR opportunities in front of the right people. Determining the proper volunteer pool will also help you accurately measure participation rates.

3. Find an Event or Build Your Own

Now it’s time to get creative and really let your brain’s neurons start firing!  After you’ve established the who and the what, it’s time to determine the how. After speaking with your coworkers and executives, you might have a decent idea of what you want your first event to look like. 

If you still need help narrowing things down, though, you can use the extensive volunteer events database from a resource like VolunteerMatch, which seamlessly integrates into Groundswell’s comprehensive CSR software. You can choose from numerous volunteering opportunities and even partner up with local nonprofits.

One option you may want to explore is skills-based volunteering. This opportunity allows your company to provide focused help to the community. For instance, an accounting firm may provide free or discounted tax preparation services to low-income individuals. 

Your coworkers get a chance to show off their expertise, and your company can endear itself to a potential customer base. 

4. Spread the Word

After you’ve decided on a volunteering event and set the conditions for attending, the last big thing you need to tackle is making sure you hit the desired participation rate. 

A company-wide email (multiple, if possible) to inform everyone about the volunteering event would be a good first step. Post physical signs in high-traffic areas around the office. Have department heads mention it at personnel meetings. Take advantage of the communication capabilities of existing employee portals.

If necessary, help your coworkers download the company’s CSR software. A comprehensive option like Groundswell allows organizers and attendees to manage many aspects of volunteering events straight from their phones.

During the Event: Keep Things Running Smoothly

Your first corporate volunteering event will probably feel like organized chaos, and that’s okay. Understand that the data and feedback you get from attendees is worth almost as much as the work they’ll do during the actual event.

To emphasize the “organized” and tamp down the “chaos,” choose a CSR platform that allows for robust day-of event management. You’ll have a lot less tedious work to do after the fact if you can track participation and log volunteer hours in real time. In-app communication tools are the greatest assets for organizers, so don’t forget to send one last reminder message the day of the event.

After the Event: Transforming Volunteer Data into Actionable Insights

Assuming the initial volunteer event will be followed by many others, it’s vital to collect as much data as you can from attendees, nonprofit partners, and other involved parties. Post-event surveys can yield invaluable information, but they’re most effective if sent promptly after the event, when memories are fresh, and ideas are still flowing.

That’s why Groundswell builds post-event follow-up, like surveys, right into the planning workflow, allowing you to customize your survey and deliver it to participating employees seamlessly, all in the same place they’ll find other information about the event. 

A well-rounded CSR platform can also organize event data to help maximize actionable insights. Groundswell allows users to export data into company repositories, but it also offers powerful in-app data features to inform future volunteering events and reduce logistical paperwork.

Plan Corporate Volunteer Events in Minutes with Groundswell

Because planning a corporate volunteer event requires a fair bit of work, you owe it to yourself not to give yourself even more chores before, during, and after the event. Groundswell, an intuitive yet comprehensive CSR software, provides users with numerous organizing options to streamline the planning process. 

Our platform lets you pinpoint the right employees for the event, send detailed messages, capture on-site information, and process employee hours from your smartphone. One platform means one login for all the tools you could ever need for your corporate volunteering events.

Ready to learn more? Your personalized demo is just a click away.