By Sarah Hoban
Employee volunteer programs are a great way to give back to your community, as well as increase employee job satisfaction and even build practical and leadership skills. And even smaller businesses can set up such a program with some planning. Writing on the SCORE blog, marketing strategist Zoe Devitto identifies key points in setting up a volunteer program:
- Determine your objectives, particularly what you want to achieve both for your business and for the community. Employee input is especially important; you want a cause your team is enthusiastic about.
- Seek out a local nonprofit partner who can give you guidance on community needs and resources.
- Quantify and evaluate participation in the program, using information about how many volunteers participated, how much time they volunteered, and what resulted from their work. Do not forget to collect employee input on more subjective measurements, such as their feelings about the benefits and effectiveness of their work.
It is good to follow up with recognition for the work, both among employees and to your customers and community as well. Devitto points out you can create an ongoing volunteer culture for your business by keeping employees involved, regularly communicating about your program, and offering incentives for volunteering.
