Another option that Korn says is growing more and more popular is skills-based volunteering, in which companies volunteer by sharing their own expertise with people in the community. The Boston Beer Company, which owns Samuel Adams, started a program that gives employees a chance to teach crucial business skills to low-income entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry. The company already had a list of small businesses it provides with loans, but in addition to those loans, the business owners needed practical education.
"Sam Adams did an assessment of their employees," says Korn. "The employees said they'd love to share what they do, but they don't necessarily have time to go off for a day." So, Korn helped Sam Adams develop a speed coaching program. The entrepreneurs in the program can come into the office and ask their most pressing questions to the company's lawyers, designers, packaging experts and more. "The entrepreneurs love it, because they get a lot of great advice, and there's also the opportunity to follow up for more mentoring," Korn explains.
While the first two strategies may work if you want to rally behind a single cause, some businesses find that the best way to get employees involved is to give them options. Take LUSH, for example, they're still in the early stages of developing the program, but with employees all over North America, it would be tough to find a unilateral cause to fit every employee. Even if they limit the program to just Charity Pot organizations, there are some retail stores that would automatically be excluded because they're located too far away from partner charities. What Edwards suggests, therefore, is that the company give employees an allotted number of paid hours each year to dedicate to volunteerism. Active employees would then report back to LUSH about their experiences. That model worked for Ben & Jerry's, a company that has long been recognized for its commitment to community service.
Liz Brenna, who handles PR for the Vermont-based ice cream company, says Ben & Jerry's offers employees 40 hours of paid community service time throughout the year. In addition to those hours, the company also appoints Community Action Teams to set up single-day volunteer events. Brenna has found that having both strategies in play has been a powerful combination. "Everyone really takes advantage of the service hours," she says. "And the volunteer days build teamwork. You get to work with a lot of the people you don't get to work with on a daily basis."
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How to Start a Volunteer Program: Getting People Involved
"Whatever the volunteer effort is, you really need to figure out how to educate your employees about the issue and the impact they're having," Korn says. "It's great to do hands-on projects, but ultimately, it has to ladder up to a learning experience."
The first step to getting people involved and educated is finding a point person to spearhead the program, or, if your company is national, consider the Ben & Jerry's method of forming leadership teams across the country. The employee doesn't have to work full-time on volunteerism, but says Jarvis, "When it's built into someone's job description, that really helps." But just because you have a designated leader for the project doesn't mean the company's management shouldn't get involved as well.
"Our employes are always busy and worried about losing a day of work," Brenna says. "When our CEO is there, that pressure seems to be gone. It eases that guilt." The more support the program has from the top of the company, the more it can trickle down.
Before the event, send out e-mails to create buzz and explain your plans well in advance. Bring members of the organization in to talk to employees about the non-profit's needs. Divide employees into teams to talk strategy. Ask them to list any skills they have that could be beneficial to the program.
Then, at the actual event, you need to identify the people who are fully invested and the ones who may need some coaching, especially if you plan on building a long-term program. "People are tourists when they go for the first time, but they're willing to take the trip," Jarvis says. When you encounter people who have moved beyond that "tourist" stage, give them opportunities to train other, less-involved employees.
If you decide to give your employees paid time to volunteer independently, ask that they report back, so you can celebrate their work on the company's email newsletter or inner office website. If you do encounter a particularly active employee, you may want to consider making a donation to his or her charity and put your money where your mouth is. Allow your employees to lead by example, but make sure they know you're behind them all the way.
If you do work with a non-profit, ask that they follow-up with you and explain the impact the company had. This will help you keep the momentum for the program alive until the next event rolls around.
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How to Start a Volunteer Program: Resources
The HandsOn Network offers tools and tips on starting a volunteer program, and their HandsOn Action Centers can even help you design the programs themselves.
United Way can help you find relevant volunteering opportunities in your community.
Jarvis's blog for Realized Worth provides valuable advice and news about employee volunteer programs.
