Amidst turbulent times, business leaders are scrambling to protect their organizations from political headwinds. But it’s an uphill climb. As I wrote about recently, employee engagement levels are on the decline across the world, and one of the reasons is because of the ways in which global uncertainty foments anxiety and pessimism amongst the labor force.
But one reliable port in the employee engagement storm is CSR. Well-run corporate volunteer programs are important for so many reasons, including their proven link to increased engagement, recruitment and retention.
In PwC’s Employee Engagement Landscape research study last year, employees are categorized into several groups, including “Champions,” “Disconnected” and “Captives.” On average, twenty-four percent of employees are described as Disconnected, and thirty-two percent of employees are Captives. The average company has only 41% of its employee base in the “Champions” category, but in higher performing companies that number rises to 74 percent.
The report found that the strongest driver for catapulting employees into the “Champions” category is leadership trust and vision. The findings revealed that confidence in leadership, excitement about the direction of the organization, and cooperation/collaboration are key to employee engagement.
Well run corporate volunteer programs manifest all of these drivers of employee engagement. But forget lip service; a lackluster approach to social responsibility won’t move the needle on a company’s social impact or bottom line. The key is to bring innovation, creativity and laser-sharp strategy to corporate philanthropy as a pathway to building community.
Now is the time to fully understand how to leverage CSR for increased engagement, when events on the world stage are impacting corporate cultures more than ever before.
Join us at +IMPACT East in Washington, D.C. on May 15th and 16th, 2017 to explore how you can drive increased employee engagement through innovations in social impact. This is the second in an ongoing series of conferences designed to engage CSR managers and nonprofit professionals in hands-on learning to help them create strategic impact together.
At +IMPACT East, we’ll hear from some of the most cutting edge thinkers and practitioners around CSR, who will share their perspectives on cultivating community through giving back. Speakers include leaders from The Bozzuto Group, a company that has been repeatedly recognized as a “Top Workplace,” in part due to a culture based on community, inclusion and purpose; America’s Charities, a major force in transforming and growing philanthropy, and which aims to raise $1 billion for causes by 2026; and Volunteermatch, a groundbreaking pioneer in connecting employees with the causes that inspire them; amongst many others.
Here’s what you can expect at +IMPACT East:
- Network & learn together with a diverse group of innovative industry experts to uplevel your company's social impact
- Exchange best practices and lessons learned with inspirational employee giving and volunteering practitioners
- Engage in insightful discussions, exploring future trends and themes in corporate giving
- Discover ways to use new technologies including Artificial Intelligence to support community activation, communication and engagement
- Experience fun hands-on, interactive learning and the human-centered design difference
The key differentiators of this event include:
- Best practice sharing around workplace giving from leading Fortune 500 and Fortune “Best Place to Work” companies
- Interactive and productive team-based learning experiences that engage non-profit and for-profit organizations in collaborative problem-solving
- Insights into creating CSR programs to help attract, retain and engage top Millennial and Founder (Gen Z) talent
- Innovative methods and technologies to help companies and nonprofits increase employee participation in workplace giving and volunteering programs
+IMPACT East is designed to give workplace giving and volunteering professionals the skills to overcome these challenges and make a lasting difference by supporting them to:
- Identify and make sense of global trends
- Solicit employee voice and harness authentic storytelling
- Build an agile program strategy
- Secure stakeholder buy-in and budgetary support
- Measure ongoing program results
- Make informed decisions that drive process and program improvements
The conference includes inspirational keynote speakers, powerful breakout workshops and expert best practice sharing and networking.
We hope you can join us at +IMPACT East and that together we can explore the best ways to innovate amidst challenging times.
Find out more about +IMPACT East and save your spot!
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