2013 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards: A Look at Finalist Nationwide

On May 16, 2013, winners of the 2013 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards will be announced at our annual VolunteerMatch Client Summit in New York City, NY. In this series of posts, we'll introduce you to people and ideas behind the ten most effective employee volunteer programs in our family of corporate clients compared against our annual benchmarks.

Nationwide's successful volunteer program has greatly contributed to the health and well-being of local communities where its employees live and work. Nationwide's On Your Side Volunteer Network, created in 2005, is all about "providing employees with an easy way to find opportunities to get involved in their community whether it’s through a Nationwide project or on their own," according to Julie VanDeLinder, Director of Corporate Citizenship at Nationwide.

In 2012, On Your Side Volunteer Network recorded more than 115,000 volunteer hours and more than 9,000 volunteer activity sign ups. Its national partners are United Way, Feeding America, and American Red Cross, as well as over 1,600 local organizations around the U.S. Among its volunteer projects in Columbus, OH, where Nationwide is headquartered, Nationwide’s employees accounted for 25% of the volunteers for Mid-Ohio Foodbank. In addition, 29,835 volunteers served over 200,000 people in 2012 through various projects coordinated within Nationwide.

To tap into and unlock the passion of its team, Nationwide also provides these excellent incentives for employees:

• Employees who volunteer more than 25 hours are eligible for paid time off and their managers are notified for their service to the community.
• Seven hundred and fifty grants of $100 were awarded to organizations where Nationwide employees volunteered for more than 25 hours.
• 298 associates, served on 380 boards of nonprofit organizations. These organizations received $500 grants from Nationwide.
• Nationwide also awards one employee Volunteer of the Year, who receives a $5,000 grant and two vacation days. The other nine finalists are given $500 grants and one vacation day.

Huge congratulations to Nationwide for its service in its community and for facilitating an excellent volunteer program!