All employee volunteers are not created equal. And it’s important to understand the distinctions if you want to elevate your participation rates in 2017.
The more common social-oriented volunteers are driven by social opportunities and care about the mission of the nonprofits they serve. Career-oriented volunteers are drawn to professional opportunities for advancement. And 24% of employees aren’t driven by either motivation and don’t express any interest in volunteering.
It’s easier for program leaders to assess how to cultivate greater interest in volunteering from social or career-oriented volunteers. Since they have specific drivers, these employees will be attracted by an increased focus on the social or professional incentives of volunteer opportunities, whether it’s a company-wide done in a day event that rallies all the troops, or a skills-flexing nonprofit board service opportunity that bolsters the career-oriented volunteer’s resume.
But what about that niggling 24% that just seems immoveable?
There’s so much to explore when it comes to employee activation around volunteering and giving. That’s why I hope you’ll join us at our upcoming webinar on January 24th at 10:30am PT/ 1:30pm ET to learn more about tapping into the interests of all of your employees, including the ones that haven’t expressed interest in volunteering yet.
You’ll learn that even if you’re resource-challenged in managing your volunteer and giving program, there’s plenty of shortcuts you can take to make a big splash with minimal effort.
For example, for employees who don’t feel they have the funds to participate in your giving program, Causecast partner VolunteerMatch encourages people to give time. Their #GiveTime pledge steers people to commit to volunteering a certain number of hours in 2017.
Keeping in mind that one hour of volunteer time saves nonprofits an estimated $23.56 in operating costs, VolunteerMatch notes that by pledging to volunteer 8 hours, you can create an estimated $188.48 in social value for a cause you care about; by pledging to volunteer 24 hours, you can create an estimated $565.44 in social value; and by pledging to volunteer 56 hours, you can create an estimated $1,319.36 in social value. VolunteerMatch then encourages volunteers to share their story on social media using the hashtag #GiveTime.
Campaigns like this are easy to plug into and help employees see the collective value and impact of their efforts. They also encourage more long-term thinking around the commitment to volunteer.
For employees who don’t think they have time to volunteer, steer them to VolunteerMatch’s pop quiz, “How Many Hours Can I Volunteer in 2017?” This fun little test helps people understand how they’re currently spending their time and where they may be able to crack open some extra hours here and there to volunteer. Again, tapping into existing resources helps you create more intentionality around your program without lifting a finger or costing you a dime.
Some employees within that tricky 24% may have the opposite problem: money to give but no time to spare. For those employees, make sure that your company supports giving in all ways possible - ideally through matching gifts and automatic payroll deductions.
The “How to Activate More Employees to Volunteer Through Deep Engagement” webinar will help you develop irresistible volunteer experiences that your employees will want to be a part of:
- Expand your impact and involvement by knowing how to identify your employees’ motivations and develop opportunities that they feel connected to.
- Increase volunteer participation by energizing employees with year-round volunteer opportunities that are built around their varying interests.
- Shape your purpose-driven culture with higher engagement levels through building your volunteer program around goals and objectives that are in tune with your employees.
The best way to engage your employees is to understand them. Join us for this conversation.
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