2012 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards: A Look at Finalist NV Energy

On May 17, 2012, winners of the 2012 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards will be announced at our annual VolunteerMatch Client Summit in San Francisco, CA.

In this series of posts, we’ll introduce you to the facts and folks behind the ten most effective employee volunteer programs in our family of corporate clients compared against our 2011 benchmarks.

VolunteerMatch congratulates NV Energy for its nomination for Employee Volunteer Program of the Year (Small to Medium Business).

In 2011 NV Energy Employee Volunteer Program supported organizations that advocate health, education, arts and culture, and the environment. The NV Energy Employee Volunteer Program volunteered 30,000 hours in 2011, surpassing the goal of 26,000 hours. NV Energy partners with many organizations in Nevada, including The Outside Las Vegas Foundation, American Red Cross, and the Nevada Partnership for Inclusive Education.

NV Energy’s employee volunteer programs also include:

• Team Grant Program – This program provides employees with the opportunity to form a team, lend their time, energy and skills to improve a nonprofit’s operations. Team grants pay for materials and supplies to complete a hands-on project for a nonprofit agency. The grants are inspired and led by employees who want to partner with qualified nonprofit organizations to identify community needs and then plan, organize and participate in episodic volunteering.
• Dollars-for-Doers Program – The Dollars-For-Doers Grant Program is an incentive program that rewards individual volunteerism. Full-time NV Energy employees who volunteer 25 or more hours per year of personal time to their favorite nonprofit organization may apply for the program to benefit that organization. Eligible nonprofits in Nevada are eligible to receive grants up to $250. Since inception, the program has awarded over $20,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations.
• NV Energy’s Employee Volunteer Council (EVC) – The EVC is responsible for organizing and leading community activities. In 2011, the group led 60 projects that impacted 26 cause areas. They also hosted an annual volunteer recognition luncheon for employees during National Volunteer Week. The EVC led a new Make a Difference Month initiative and completed twenty projects that garnered over 2,000 hours of community service.
• Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) – Throughout the year, the NV Energy Community Relations team provides prizes, often in the form of gift cards and baskets, for VolunteerMatch drawings, United Way raffles and many other volunteer events. The VIP allows selected employee volunteers to choose a gift that suits their lifestyle from a list of tiered incentives.

We commend NV Energy for its service in its community and for facilitating an excellent volunteer program!

Stay tuned for more finalist profiles in the coming weeks, and announcement of the winners on May 17, 2012 during the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit.