Other than perhaps cash, what does your business have that charities and not-for profit organisations desperately need? The answer is human resources – and more specifically, skills. Encouraging and putting arrangements in place for your employees to volunteer can bring benefits to everyone involved: the charities, your employees and your organisation as a whole. This assumes that you approach volunteering in the right way though – which means giving careful thought to what you want to achieve through volunteering and how your resources can be put to best use.
Will employees be willing and able to volunteer?
The simple answer to this is to ask them; to get your workforce involved in a company-wide conversation on whether volunteering is something they would be interested in. Do they have any preferences on what form that volunteering might take? Can existing personal links between employees and not-for-profit organisations be developed further? Remember that it will be your staff who are going to be actually ‘hands-on’ in all of this, so their thoughts should be sought as a starting point.
Employee development: what can volunteering offer?
There is of course the element of personal satisfaction; of being able to ‘give something back’ when it comes to volunteering. This could be in the form of involvement in outreach activities that are linked directly to the specific skillset of employees or linked directly to the activities of the business. By way of example, the Investing in Volunteers for Employers organisation points to the involvement of Barclays Bank employees with Leonard Cheshire Disability charity. Under the project, the charity provides help for people with disabilities to establish their own businesses, with Barclays volunteers acting as mentors.
For an employee, volunteering can offer a fresh personal and professional perspective, offering a valuable opportunity to put their skills to use in a different context to their usual ‘day job’. It can be a useful string to the bow when it comes to career prospects too; according to a TUC survey, three quarters of employers prefer to see volunteering experience on a CV.
The business as a whole: what can be gained?
For a start, having an employee-volunteering scheme in place can be an important factor in attracting and retaining the best staff – especially with ‘Generation Y’ applicants. Social Market Foundation research suggests 90% of potential employees think that a company that is active in the wider community is more likely to be a good employer – and skills-based volunteering has shown to be a particular draw for 18 to 26-year olds.
There is also a significant reputational advantage to be gained through involvement in volunteering – especially where this is linked to a wider commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The suggestion is that most consumers prefer to do business with organisations that operate responsibly and are actively engaged with the wider community. Research shows that 93% of consumers would like to see more companies support CSR, and a similar number have a more positive image of companies with a CSR policy in place. It is relatively easy for an organisation to claim to take wider social issues seriously; active involvement in volunteering is a way of putting good intentions into practice.
Meeting a genuine need: what to look out for…
Are the aims of the charity of your choice likely to resonate with your customer base? Is the organisation administered competently with adequate charity insurance in place? Remember that any reputational issues concerning a charity your business is involved with could have consequences for your business too.
Think carefully about what form the volunteering should take – and rather than making assumptions, liaise closely with the organisation to determine their actual needs. Your employees are likely to be on board with the idea of volunteering – but this attitude could quickly change if the impression is they are not adding value through their efforts.
