Creating Positive Corporate Volunteering Experiences: 3 Tips

This is a guest post provided by the good folks at Double the Donation.

Your nonprofit already works hard to rally support from its donors through fundraising campaigns and volunteer opportunities—but, are you taking advantage of other kinds of support?

For example, many for-profit businesses have corporate social responsibility programs through which they promote social good with matching gifts, grants, and donations to charitable causes. Some companies have corporate volunteer programs that encourage their employees to serve the causes and organizations they are passionate about.

Attracting more corporate volunteers brings your nonprofit more committed, qualified supporters. In this guide, we’ll explore the top tips you’ll need to acquire, manage, and steward corporate volunteers.

1. Help volunteers find the right opportunities.

Not all volunteer roles are created equal. Some require more physical labor, a significant time commitment, and varying levels of fitness or ability. To ensure the corporate volunteers enjoy their time with your organization, recommend volunteer opportunities that are tailored to their interests and skills by:

• Aligning with your nonprofit’s needs. Above all else, the volunteer opportunities you offer must align with your mission and vision for the future. Carefully examine your existing projects and programs and put together a list of the specific tasks and responsibilities associated with each one. Then, determine how those tasks relate to your mission. Consider prioritizing the opportunities based on their importance to your current needs and goals.

• Creating clear role descriptions. Once you know which tasks must be filled, you’ll need to write clear and compelling role descriptions. These descriptions help volunteers make educated decisions about their chosen role, leading to a better fit. Funds2Orgs recommends specifying why you need the volunteer, which responsibilities they will complete, when they will be needed, where the opportunity will take place, and how the volunteer can apply for the role.

• Clarifying any special qualifications or requirements. Some of your roles may require additional training or qualifications. For example, you may ask volunteers to complete a short course before working with neonatal kittens at your cat rescue. Specify other general requirements too, such as being able to lift heavy objects repeatedly or having reliable transportation to the site.

In addition to being able to complete the tasks associated with the role, volunteers should feel connected to the cause they are supporting. While it’s up to the volunteers’ employer to choose which causes they support through corporate volunteerism, your nonprofit should also aim to make connections with businesses that align with its values.

For example, let’s say you run an animal shelter. In this case, you might aim to work with a business like a dog groomer or boarding service because its employees are likely passionate about animal welfare.

2. Show volunteers their impact.

Volunteers want to know that they are making a tangible difference by working with your organization. After all, if they know that serving one volunteer shift helps you inch closer to achieving your mission, they’ll be more motivated to return in the future.

To boost engagement and make each corporate volunteer’s experience more meaningful, consider sharing impact metrics related to their service, such as:

• Hours served: Report how many hours each volunteer served and the company’s total volunteer hours to show the impact of collective efforts. For example, if 10 employees volunteer together for eight hours, this translates to 80 hours of individual work.

• Number of beneficiaries served: Track how many beneficiaries were impacted by the volunteer’s service. A four-hour shift at a meal center may serve 150 people.

• Project-specific metrics: If your volunteer opportunity centered around a specific project like planting a community garden, report metrics specific to that activity. In this case, you might outline how many plants the volunteers planted and how many people the crops could feed.

• Funds raised. Some volunteer opportunities involve fundraising, such as charity auctions, raffles, and other events. Make sure to report how much your nonprofit was able to raise with their help. Additionally, clarify the specific ways that you plan to use that funding to serve your beneficiaries.

It can also be helpful to share how working with your nonprofit can benefit the volunteers themselves. For example, Double the Donation’s roundup of volunteer statistics reports that those who volunteer regularly have a 27% higher chance of finding employment. These statistics coupled with the volunteers’ individual impact metrics prove that the time they spend serving your beneficiaries is a worthy investment.

3. Get personal when showing your appreciation.

Finishing corporate volunteer opportunities on a positive note is just as important as making a great first impression. One of the most effective ways to do this is to frequently show your appreciation for volunteers.

Your nonprofit can express its gratitude to volunteers through emails, handwritten thank-you notes, eCards, and even phone calls or face-to-face meetings. No matter which option you choose, it’s key to personalize these messages by:

• Greeting the volunteer by their preferred name.

• Recapping the specific event or opportunity where they served.

• Expressing the impact their support had.

• Inviting them to future opportunities that align with their interests.

• Thanking them for their service and reinforcing that your nonprofit relies on their support.

Making your volunteers aware of how critical they are to your nonprofit’s success can increase volunteer retention and deepen your relationships with them. When they feel like an integral part of your mission, they’ll be much more likely to return again and again.

Corporate volunteers can be an excellent source of support to complement your existing volunteer base. When you make the experience positive and steward the relationship, you’ll build deeper connections with volunteers that motivate them to return to future opportunities—even outside of company-affiliated volunteer days.