Career Development

How to Set Up a Company Volunteer Program in 6 Steps

By: Jackie Nees
November 23, 2009

How can you draw positive attention to your company, strengthen your community and encourage teamwork in your office? Simple! Start a Company Volunteer Program. Your employees and your community will thank you for it.

Before jumping in and laying the groundwork for your program you must first figure out what kind of volunteering you will be doing. There are many options, but choosing a cause that coincides with your business goals and interests is important to ensure that all parties benefit from your efforts. You should also consider polling employees to find out what their interests are, if anyone already has a favorite cause they volunteer for and how much employees would like to participate in donating their time and talent to charity.

When you have an idea of the type of volunteer work your company wants to participate in as well as employee commitment, begin contacting volunteer organizations like the United Way, City Cares or VolunteerMatch for volunteer opportunities in your area. Another great resource is the Points of Light Institute which has a wealth of information, resources and tools to help you start your own program or find local opportunities to volunteer.

Six Steps to Building a Successful Volunteer Program:

1. Create a volunteer team made up of motivated, caring, enthusiastic individuals who are willing to put time and effort into volunteering in the community. Appoint a coordinator to act as a liaison between the company and the charity. The coordinator will be responsible for keeping the team updated on what is happening with the designated charity. This person will also track volunteer hours, goals and assist in creating policies and structure for the program itself.

2. Create written policies for your program including whether or not volunteering will take place during working hours, what the number of hours your company is willing to donate and what types of volunteer work your company is willing to provide.

3. Issue a press release announcing your new volunteer program to the world.

4. Contact your designated charity to schedule time for volunteering and find out what their policies are. You also need to find out if you will be volunteering as a group or if one or two people at a time will volunteer on certain days. Arrange a meeting with the director or coordinator of the charity to gain a better understanding of what their expectations are from the volunteers they recruit.

5. Develop a rewards program. Employees will be more motivated to go the extra mile if there are incentives to work toward. Consider offering rewards like time off, gift certificates or bonuses for a certain amount of volunteer hours for each team member. It's also a good idea to recognize exceptional volunteers from your team by mentioning them in your newsletter or company website.

6. Evaluate your program regularly to measure its effectiveness in the community as well as your company. Look over your initial goals and decide whether you are accomplishing everything you set out to accomplish when you began. You may need to make some changes to your policies, your team or your charity.

Volunteering is a fantastic way to build credibility, create brand awareness and foster a team spirit within your company while at the same time helping to build a stronger community. So what are you waiting for? Start your own volunteer program today!