Strategies for a successful corporate volunteering program

Volunteering Australia has surveyed Australian companies about their volunteering programs. 

The results are contained in the report, Corporate Volunteering Survey. While companies will adopt different programs according to their business objectives, it was determined from the findings that four key principles lay the foundation of sound volunteering programs - internal support, staff choice and involvement, risk management and meaningful relationships nurtured with not-for-profit partners. 

Below are some other tips for operating a successful corporate volunteering program.

Consult with your staff

Fundamental to the success of your company’s corporate volunteering program will be the extent to which your employees embrace the program. Consider how you will involve them in the program, and the parameters around which you will base your volunteering program.  The more choice your employees have, the more they are likely to participate in the program.

Ask your employees what their preferences are for volunteering opportunities:

q      Skill-based or non-skill based opportunities? (Remember, not all accountants want to be the treasurer for the local sporting group, or IT specialists working on a computer.)

q      Time commitment available – what is the realistic amount of time potential employees have available for volunteering?

q      Does this include any training time that may be required?

q      How far are people prepared to travel? (Volunteering Australia’s research suggests employees like any workday activities to be close to home and take place in the morning so they don’t get ‘stuck’ at work)

q      Weekday or weekend? (This may have implications for the company’s insurance coverage.)

q      Indoor / outdoor preferences

q      Ongoing or once-off time commitment?

q      Are there any causes / activities that are of particular interest?

q      Are there any causes / activities that potential volunteers specifically do not want included?

Seek out the opportunities

Your staff may have expressed an interest in working for organisations involved in particular causes or you may wish to expand upon existing partnerships with community organisations.  A well-run corporate volunteering program will nurture mutually beneficial relationships with a variety of not for profit organisations or a small number of select community partners.

Factors to consider when seeking out volunteer-involving organisations:

q      The known quantity – contact an organisation you’ve worked with before.  Tell them you are hoping to try to build a longer term relationship that provides opportunities for staff to contribute. 

q      Use web-based resources such as www.govolunteer.com.au to find out what organisations locally are seeking assistance (even if they are not advertising for teams).

q      Ask your staff if they already volunteer with particular groups which they can recommend.

q      Read your local suburban newspaper/s – stories are always being run about local organsiations needing assistance.

Research the organisations

If you’ve managed to narrow your choice of organisations down to a couple from the hundreds of thousands that exist nationally, it’s now time to do some research.  

q      What is their capacity for accepting the help of your volunteers? While most organisations are small, some of the more well known organisations are large ‘businesses’ or enterprises in their own right.  Your company’s IT skills may not be all that useful to a large charity that already has its own paid IT support staff. 

q      Visit the organisations’ websites – key things to look at to determine size and capacity are number of staff and dollar turnover.

q      Ask for a copy of their annual report.  They may not have one or if they do, it may not be of the glossy corporate variety that you are familiar with.  However it will help to give you an understanding of what their aims and objectives are and where you might be able to assist them most effectively.

Build the Relationship

q      Make direct contact with the organisation, preferably the person that manages or co-ordinates the volunteer program.  Tell them that you have a team of people keen to help their organisation.

q      Make it real –visit them to discuss in person.  It shows that you are serious.

q      Make it easy – go to them at a time they nominate.  Everyone is busy, but often managers of volunteers work only part-time with managing volunteers only part of their responsibilities.

q      Respect their constraints but help them to ‘think outside the square’ – if they say that nothing is available or certain times don’t suit this may be the case, but try to explore whether there might be something that your team could do if someone in the team takes responsibility for organising it. 

q      Ensure honest and open communication – think about what you are wanting and find ways to convey this clearly so that there are no false expectations.  Encourage the organisation to do the same.  If the main reason that the organisation is hoping to involve volunteers from your company is the potential for sponsorship and you know that there is no possibility of this, make it clear.  It will avoid misunderstanding and difficulties down the track.

q      Are there in-kind resources that will be needed to ensure successful completion of the volunteer activities? 

q      Ensure the volunteer positions agreed to have intrinsic value.  If the organisation doesn’t value the work being done, the volunteers certainly won’t and are unlikely to undertake volunteering again! 

 Nurture the Relationship

q      Don’t be intrusive, but maintain contact with the organisation in the lead up to the volunteering project as appropriate.

Recognise the Relationship

q      Just as it’s important that the organisation recognise the efforts of your volunteers, it’s important that you recognise their efforts in making the day productive and enjoyable for your colleagues – a note to the manager or a mention in the annual report or staff newsletter (with a copy to the organisation) would be welcomed.

q      Offer a repeat visit with the same or new team of volunteers – the manager or co-ordinator will be thrilled to have someone that they know, can trust and who now has an understanding of their organisation, that they can work with.