Volunteering is a fantastic way to give back to the community, whether your employees are working as a group during a team volunteer project or independently off the clock. It can be a transformative experience for your employees, creating a culture that is vibrant and appealing. How can you encourage your employees to volunteer?
Offer Paid Time Off
Employees lead very busy lives and, when not on the clock, are moving between extracurricular activities, spending time with friends and family, and managing chores and activities at home, making it tough to find time to give back. By extending paid time off every year specifically for volunteering, you can increase staff participation. A 2017 employee benefits survey by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) revealed that 22 percent of U.S. companies offer VTO. Many of the companies listed on the Points of Light Civic 50 also extend paid time off for volunteers.
Publicize Volunteer Opportunities
Some employees simply don’t know where to find out information about volunteer opportunities, so they avoid starting the process. Make an effort to include volunteering events in your company-wide mailings. If you are organizing any service projects or organization-wide outings, let employees know far in advance so that they can plan accordingly. To make volunteering a part of your company culture, you can also make a point to announce new volunteer opportunities during meetings, put flyers on bulletin boards, and post information on company intranet sites.
Recognize Great Volunteers
Does your business take time to recognize great employees for their volunteer efforts in your organization? Just like taking time to recognize your employees who complete trainings or go above and beyond, highlighting and rewarding the work that your best volunteers do can help to encourage other employees to volunteer. How can you recognize your volunteer-minded workers? Take it into account when awarding raises or additional paid time off. You can also host a special event just for employees at your company who volunteered.
Contact Business Volunteers Maryland to Learn More about Team Volunteer Projects
Business Volunteers Maryland is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community by creating strategic connections between businesses, nonprofits and individuals. We help companies like yours to establish and expand community impact efforts while achieving your business goals. To learn more about our services and learn more about volunteering as a team, contact us by calling (410) 366-6030.