Engage Your People in Meaningful Volunteerism

Happily for society, the clarion call of volunteerism is echoing across the business world, and National Volunteer Week (April 10-16, 2016) is expected to have more of an impact this year than ever. Initiated by Points of Light in the United States (the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service), the week is about “inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage their communities.” It’s also the ideal time for companies to spearhead workplace programs that respond to the growing interest in volunteer opportunities in ways that both business and community impact. 

These approaches extend well beyond the one-week timeframe of National Volunteer Week, but the annual event itself presents a chance to both test drive new volunteer strategies, as well as begin planning life-changing volunteer experiences on a much larger scale. Recognizing that today’s diverse workforce is hungry for volunteer opportunities that can accommodate a wide spectrum of ages, abilities, interests, skills and available time is the new key to unlocking greater engagement across your organization. Having a smart tool like Spark to track and reward volunteer time will be sure to get even more people on board too (and make your life easier at the same time).

Identify which motivators drive engagement
Prior to launching any kind of employee volunteer program, it’s critical to understand the intrinsic motivations that drive volunteerism in the workplace. Simple altruism is not the only motivator, and studies now reveal the inspirations behind giving back are as diverse as the people themselves. True, many of your people will take part out of a basic desire to make a charitable or social impact. But some will also sign up to share their skills and training, perhaps even in a mentorship capacity. Others might volunteer hoping to learn a new skill, or gain insights into the cause itself. Still others will be there to network, and possibly advance their careers. Before launching any new volunteer program or initiative, it’s wise to recognize the many possible entry points into the activity, and design accordingly.

Strategies that drive greater impact: breadth, incentives and low barriers to entry
Once you have identified your motivators and determined your goals, volunteer strategies follow in lockstep...

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