Paid time off for vacation and personal needs is a common benefit at many companies, but have you considered offering paid time off for volunteering? While paying your employees for time out of the office volunteering might seem like a strange benefit to you, volunteer time off (VTO) policies are a great way to cement your company values and encourage employees to give back.

What Is Paid Time Off for Volunteering?

Many times, paid time off for volunteering does not need to be a large chunk of time. Most companies with VTO policies only offer 8 hours, or one day, of paid leave per employee per year. Some companies choose to create a list of valid organizations for VTO use that align with their corporate mission or community. For example, some organizations require that volunteer time off be used only for organizations that have United Way affiliation. VTO often works the same as PTO, where employees need to request the time in advance and get approval.

Should You Offer Paid Time Off for Volunteering?

Just over 10 years ago, only 15% of employers offered VTO as a benefit. However, now companies are taking social responsibility and the communities around them more seriously. Millennials are interested in businesses that want to improve the world around them, and companies who are focused on corporate social responsibility are also those who are thriving in a competitive hiring environment. One survey by Fortune also found that paid time off for volunteering improves employee retention efforts. When employees feel good about their jobs and the work that their employer is doing in and out of the office, they are much more likely to stay around.

How Can You Start a VTO Policy?

If you’re interested in learning more about paid time off for volunteering, designing a policy that works for your office or finding new opportunities to give back to your community, Business Volunteers Maryland is here to help.

Encourage Your Employees to Volunteer with Business Volunteers Maryland

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.

Could you see yourself serving on a non-profit board? While many business professionals don’t necessarily see themselves as board members, board leadership has a broad range of benefits that can bolster the resume and broaden the connections of almost anyone.

Boost Your Reputation

Whether you’re a business owner or a young professional, your reputation matters. Working on a board shows that you have the ability to manage your time well and maintain multiple commitments outside of the office. Any individual who has the strength of character and organizational skills to serve in a board leadership capacity shows that they can handle increased responsibilities, a leadership role or other tasks at their job.

The reputation boost that many people experience due to board leadership doesn’t just stop once they leave the office either. When you choose to give of your time, it improves your reputation in the community. Meeting other business leaders, employees and volunteers through your board leadership will open many new doors for you.

New Skills

If you are experienced in your field of work, there’s a good chance that you aren’t necessarily learning new skills on the job. Instead, you are honing the skills that you already have. How can you get new skills to add to your resume? Other than taking classes in your spare time, one of the best ways to do so is through board leadership.

Serving on a board will introduce you to people who are outside of your field and industry, like engineers, editors, lawyers, designers and anyone else you can imagine. When you are exposed to all of those industries and have a chance to learn from other highly-skilled professionals, you will learn new skills and have new opportunities to grow. By building your skillset and learning about different trades, you will bring new knowledge back to your current workplace or business. On the flipside, board leadership also gives you the chance to share your broad knowledge base with those working in other industries.

Give Back to Your Community

Finally, one of the primary reasons why so many professionals spend time on board leadership is to give back to their communities. Being a member of a non-profit board gives you the unique opportunity to solve problems in your community and be part of the solution. Whether it’s giving books to children in need or finding funding for critical community rehabilitation projects, improving the world where you live is a powerful way to do good.

Participate in the Board Leadership Program That Is Right for You

Business Volunteers Maryland is a nonprofit that works with more than 400 nonprofits, creating strategic connections between businesses, nonprofits and individuals. We provide each candidate with a broad and diverse array of organizations to consider supporting and help them connect with the most appropriate and meaningful opportunity, while achieving their business goals. Email boardleadership@businessvolunteersmd.org to learn more about our board matching services.

As the Baltimore Points of Light affiliate, we were honored to have Jenny Lawson of Points of Light speak at our Business Impact Summit in October. At the Summit, she shared newly released information on the impact volunteering has on employee engagement and retention. The release of their Civic 50 report is always exciting, as it profiles companies with exceptional community engagement throughout the United States.

The Points of Light Civic 50 Report

The Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light, recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation each year. It provides a framework for good corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills and other resources to improve the quality of life in their communities

The Civic 50

Each year, the group of honorees are recognized at the annual Points of Light Conference. The 2019 event was held in St. Paul, Minnesota in June. At the event, the president and CEO of Points of Light, Natalye Paquin, shared inspiring words about the recipients of the honor:

“This year’s honorees of The Civic 50 collectively have $2.3 billion to their communities, often giving 50% more than other companies, and volunteered for more than 10.5 million hours in 2019.”

Those statistics shed light on how prestigious this award is, and how important it is for companies to get and stay involved in their communities. Some of the recipients of the award included Aflac, AT&T, Barclays, Capital One, Citigroup, Comcast NBCUniversal, CVS Health, FedEx, General Mills, Inc., KeyBank, Marriott International Inc., MGM Resorts International, The Hershey Company and more.

What Sets the Civic 50 Honorees Apart?

• The Civic 50 companies donated more than twice as much as United States companies on average ($283,000 for every $10 million earned).
• Almost half of the recipients made gifts where grants are supplemented with in-kind goods, multi-year pledges or volunteerism.
• 86% of The Civic 50 companies integrate community involvement into the agenda of one or more board meetings annually.
• 68% of The Civic 50 businesses measure the social impact and outcomes of their grants as part of a standardized data collection process.

 Learn About The Inspiring Businesses In Person

The 2020 Points of Light Conference is in Washington DC in 2020! Mark your calendars for an informative and inspiring event June 10-12, 2020!  Click here for more information Points of Light 2020 Conference.

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.

We held our second annual Business Impact Summit last month, and we are proud to share that it was a tremendous success thanks to your support. At our Business Impact Summit, over 225 regional business leaders gathered to learn more about giving back and the importance of community engagement for business.

The 2019 Business Impact Summit

On October 3, Business Volunteers Maryland hosted the Business Impact Summit, where Seth Goldman was the keynote speaker. Mr. Goldman is the co-founder and TeaEO Emeritus of Honest Tea and the Executive Chair of Beyond Meat. Both companies prioritize social initiatives and community impact.

During his keynote, Seth Goldman emphasized the importance of reframing how businesses interact with their communities. “In addition to doing a job, working for a company should represent a chance for an employee to serve people and stakeholders.”

Engaging Workshops

Attendees also had the opportunity to attend tailored workshops centered around strategies and tactics that businesses can use to get more engaged and find the right opportunities for their employees. The day wrapped up with an address from Jenny Lawson, the chief civic innovation officer with Points of Light. Mrs. Lawson shared vital data, including that employees who volunteer are 20% more engaged in the workplace. Company support is essential to encourage employees and boost retention.

Thank You to Our Partners and Our Sponsors

We look forward to welcoming even more business leaders to our next Business Impact Summit in 2021. Thank you for your support.

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 programs and services, contact us by calling (410) 366-6030.

How does your business develop leaders? While seminars and trainings all serve a purpose, volunteering is a unique way to nurture and build your leadership. Volunteering can make you a better leader at any point of your career, whether you’re in the C-Suite or an entry-level worker looking for a way to stand out.

Tackling Management Issues With Ease

Volunteering creates a unique management environment because fellow volunteers are not motivated by income or organizational authority like in an office environment. Instead, all volunteers are motivated by a common cause. When volunteering in a leadership role, it requires a great deal of flexibility in working with others, meeting objectives and guiding other volunteers through a given task. Working harmoniously with people of all ages and from all backgrounds helps to improve your leadership skills.

Practice Your Networking Skills

Volunteering can make you a better leader by building your networking skills in a non-professional environment. It can also strengthen connections between you and those working at lower positions in your office if you volunteer as a group. Volunteering puts you in a different, more equal environment where you can interact with high-level executives, people fresh out of college and people from entirely different industries. You might be surprised how many friendships, partnerships and business opportunities can come out of volunteering.

Remember the Importance of Vision

As a leader, you strive to unite all of your employees around a common cause. The same thing is true when you volunteer, except in many cases, it’s easier in a volunteer environment. Volunteering is a good reminder of how vital shared values can be in any work environment. When people work together and invest in a unified vision, they can accomplish far more than they would working from opposing viewpoints.

Encourage Collaboration

Great leaders are also often great collaborators. Because volunteering requires the combined effort of many people, it improves your collaboration skills and your leadership skills as a result. From bridging communication gaps to learning from someone you typically would be teaching, volunteering offers a multitude of opportunities for every leader to grow.

Learn More About How Volunteering Can Make You a Better Leader

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.

Most companies maintain a turnover rate of approximately 15%. A recent report indicated that companies spend 33% of a worker’s annual salary to find a replacement. Thankfully, one of the best ways to increase retention is offering a volunteer program. How can volunteering strengthen your company?

4 Ways Volunteering Can Strengthen Your Company

1. Show Your Company Culture to Your Employees: When your employees volunteer, they will strengthen your company image in the community and be personally fulfilled through giving back. Employees will also find personal fulfillment through engaging, well-organized activities that give back to the community.
2. Attract Employees: Employee volunteer programs don’t just help the employees that already work for you; they also are an effective way to attract new employees. A recent study of millennials found that almost 60% of millennials look for companies that have CSR programs that include volunteering when they are job hunting.
3. Team-Building: One of the best ways to strengthen your company is by strengthening your teams. What’s one of the best ways to cement those team bonds? Volunteering! By surveying your employees, you can collect data on cause areas that matter to them.
4. Improve Your Image: Your image is partially how the community perceives your company and your employees. Volunteering lends your company a more positive image in the community. Instead of just thinking of your products or services when they think of your name, they will also think about how you give back throughout the year. What are other companies doing? Over 40% of companies* have between 1-4 corporate charitable events annually, and 46% hold 10 or more volunteering and CSR-related events every year!

Strengthen Your Company and the Community with Business Volunteers Maryland

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.

 

Volunteering is an excellent practice, whether you are alone or part of a group. However, there are unique benefits to volunteering as a team for your business. Whether you get special t-shirts and support a large event or simply help to stock a local food pantry, volunteering as a team can make your bonds stronger, help you give back to your community, and motivate your employees.

Team Bonding

Just like the team building events that ask employees to fall back into the arms of another, volunteering as a team is a great way to improve team bonding. Volunteering in a group setting helps to mix together employees who do not typically spend time with each other to build relationships. It also allows senior leaders to interact with junior employees and break down the barriers that can exist in an office setting.

Build Your Brand

Volunteering as a team is great because you are helping people in need in your community. However, it’s also awesome because it builds your brand. When companies volunteer in the community and give back, they become associated with trustworthiness, supportiveness, and compassion. What company would not want those words to spring to mind when a customer thinks about them?

Lower Stress Levels

Did you know that helping others can reduce your stress level? One study commissioned by the UnitedHealth Group found that over 75% of adults who volunteer reported feeling physically healthier. 78% of United States adults also report that volunteering lowers stress levels and helps them to feel better than adults who do not volunteer. The lower stress levels that employees experience can also transfer over to the office and give you employees with clearer minds who are ready to tackle their work.

Learn More About Volunteering as a Team

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.