Involve Your Employees in Community Service Efforts

Many organizations support local charities and events as a way of "giving back" to the communities in which they do business. But the benefits of such activities are not one-sided: The company may, in turn, earn tax advantages, increased name recognition, and a reputation for being socially responsible.

While these programs can be successfully accomplished at the corporate- or executive-level, there are added bonuses associated with involving your employees:

• Increased loyalty, morale, and overall job satisfaction
• Enhanced recruitment and retention
• The opportunity for staff members to hone skills that may be transferable to the workplace

Even small organizations lacking the resources to staff a full- or part-time Volunteer Coordinator can easily implement one or more of the strategies described in this article.

"Drives"

These need not be monetary in nature. Besides fundraising for a specific charity, you can organize collections for canned food, used clothing, "Toys for Tots," and even blood!

Group Activities

Examples include participating in "walk-for-a-cause" events, tutoring or mentoring local high school students, and competing in a baseball game for which the proceeds benefit a specific organization.

Individual Activities

There are a number of steps you can take to support employees who perform community service outside the scope of company-sponsored initiatives.

• Volunteer Matching
  
  If possible, assign an individual to develop and maintain relationships with local charities, hospitals, schools, etc. This person can then match employees who express an interest in volunteering with current needs.
  
  A simpler alternative is to post these opportunities on a bulletin board or intranet and encourage employees to pursue them on their own.
• Time Off
  
  Consider implementing a policy whereby staff members may take a certain amount of paid time off for volunteer work each year.
  
  A strong written policy should be developed:
  • Encouraging employees to limit their use of this policy to situations in which the volunteer work cannot be done outside of business hours. Furthermore, flextime should be utilized if available.
  • Instructing employees to obtain advance supervisory approval as they would for any other absence. It should also be made clear that requests can be denied based on the business needs of the department at the time in question.
  • Informing employees that time spent volunteering is not eligible for overtime pay.

• Matching Gift Program