I just gave a speech two days ago about trends in philanthropy, and one of the trends I mentioned was what I called “the Activist Philanthropists,” those people who bring together their personal passions, their philanthropy, their work, their social and business networks, their consumer habits, everything about their life to try to make the world a better place.
If you don’t work in the nonprofit industry, though, it can sometimes seem difficult to get philanthropy into your work. But here’s an article from ABC news that talks about how you can convince your employer to start an employee-volunteer program so that you can “give back on the company’s clock.”
As with an employee matching gift program, the trick is to help the business understand how it is in their own best interests. Beyond employee satisfaction and retention (not minor advantages) businesses can be thoughtful and strategic in how they offer employee time.
Strategic Corporate Philanthropy
A growing company can use employee volunteer time in the community to attract attention from potential clients, establish its expertise and brand itself as a good corporate citizen. Most also agree that volunteering helps develop leadership skills, skills that transfer to make volunteers better employees.
- If you work for a company that has expertise in technology, perhaps you could offer IT assistance to a small nonprofit.
- If you are an accounting firm, maybe the company could help a nonprofit tighten up their bookkeeping or assist them with donation collection practices to improve cash flow.
- If you are in the marketing business, perhaps your company could offer some pro-bono consulting or design assistance.
The ABC article mentions that “At Ernst & Young, for example, its Corporate Responsibility Fellows Program sends manager-level employees on three-month, full time assignments to work one-on-one with entrepreneurs in under-served markets in South America.”
How To
For a step by step guide on how to implement an employee volunteer program, see this 8-step guide from the Points of Light Foundation. If you like more steps, try this 10-step guide from the National Service Resources site.
Anyone have experience implementing such a program? Lessons learned would be welcome.
Tags: corporate philanthropy, corporate responsibility, employee volunteer program, nonprofit, strategic philanthropy, volunteer
