Every year new “Best Places to Work” lists are distributed, and every year these “Best” companies seem to have one thing in common: they all have an employee volunteer program.
When you look at the research behind the benefits of volunteer and giving programs, it’s no wonder. Eighty-eight percent of top companies surveyed by America’s Charities believe that effective employee engagement programs help attract and retain employees, and according to Project ROI, a well-designed corporate social responsibility program can increase employee engagement up to 7.5%, increase employee productivity by 13%, reduce employee turnover by 50%, and increase revenue by as much as 20%.
Purpose-filled work is such an essential quality for most job seekers these days, especially Millennials, and volunteer programs serve as a rich pipeline to nourish a corporate culture of giving back.
If you don’t already have a formal employee volunteer program, getting one started is probably more affordable than you think, with Volunteermatch.org estimating the baseline cost at a mere $18 per employee per year.
And even if you already do have a program in place, you should keep these five tips in mind as you continually evolve your program:
Read my article in SOLVE magazine, Giving That Gives Back: the ROI of an EVP (Employee Volunteer Program
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