While firms have vowed to become better corporate citizens than ever before as a result of 2020, this change has been in the works for a while. The 2020 Deloitte Global Millennial Survey found that employees have been reevaluating the organizations they work for in light of their mission and social impact. This change in needs clubbed with the demands of our times has led to an increasing number of companies adopting some form of CSR strategies-corporate volunteering. Employees, potential employees, and particularly younger workers are becoming more and more interested in working for organizations that value fairness, diversity, and community.
Because of the rise in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, corporate volunteer programs are becoming more and more popular. Nonprofit organizations have a fantastic opportunity to recruit a fresh group of eager and dedicated volunteers from businesses thanks to CSR programs. Approximately 60% of businesses provide employees paid time off to volunteer. Imagine how much your organization can benefit from industry professionals contributing their time.
As more and more businesses recognize and strategize programs to implement, they need to partner with nonprofit organizations for their volunteer programs. Here’s how your nonprofit can benefit from corporate volunteerism.
You will gain greater exposure to a wider network of people when your nonprofit collaborates with large enterprises or corporations in a volunteer program. Their vast workforce base will become aware of your goals and efforts, as will the company's social media followers, newsletter subscribers, stakeholders, etc.
One of the major benefits that come with collaborating with companies as a nonprofit partner is an access to a skilled group of kind hearts. These professionals not only have the right skills to offer your organization but are also good at the job. Most nonprofits agree that they would love to have skilled volunteers as compared to training volunteers themselves. This saves the nonprofit a tremendous amount of money for nonprofits.
Some corporate employees might feel a connection to your nonprofit and its goal and want to volunteer more frequently than only on the major project you do every year. These team members might contribute their professional expertise to their volunteer efforts, or they might make enduring donations and actively promote your nonprofit in the neighborhood.
Many companies provide corporate matching gift programs that match employee donations to nonprofit organizations. According to a study, in 2022, more than 65% of Fortune 500 firms will engage in this kind of philanthropic workplace giving. Alaska Airlines provides nonprofit organizations with in-kind transportation donations when they travel to raise money. Additionally, they sponsor charity activities, especially in locations where there are airlines. Instead of a long-term partnership, this is typically a one-time agreement.
Apple matches donations made by current employees to the majority of registered nonprofit organizations. These registered organizations include educational institutions, health, humanities, arts, cultural, community, environmental organizations, and more.
While the benefits of corporate volunteerism for nonprofits are plenty, you will need to have a few basic requirements to be an eligible nonprofit for corporations.
Here’s how your nonprofit can harness the potential of Corporate philanthropy
As a nonprofit, it is important that you have a clear vision and mission for your nonprofit, along with a good understanding of the causes you support as a nonprofit. This will help you in setting a direction for your organization and give potential partner corporations an understanding of what your nonprofit does and the causes your organization supports. In case their organizational goals align with yours, they will reach out to your organization.
Look for a business with goals that are compatible with the mission of your nonprofit. If you have certain objectives in mind and know what you hope to achieve with your volunteer work,
A corporation's volunteer program may not be a suitable fit or be too difficult to adequately coordinate, in which case it may be essential to decline the offer that has been made by the corporation. A huge one-day volunteer event might cost your nonprofit money and place a strain on staff resources, for example. Be sure to inform them of this and inquire about more ways you may collaborate with them.
It can be an increasingly competitive environment to bust through when directly approaching corporations. It can be even more difficult and time-consuming to wait for them to reach out to you. By partnering with a platform such as Chezuba, you will be able to reach the corporations they cater to, like Tata Group, ServiceNow, etc.
The Tata group has a skill-based volunteering program called ProEngage where they allow their employees to volunteer in their off time. You can avail some great professional help for your organization by participating in this program. Case studies of previous nonprofits and volunteers can give you a better perspective on why you should consider Chezuba to partner with.
Corporate volunteering has several benefits for both businesses and organizations. By giving employees the chance to contribute to a cause they care about, these programs improve their quality of life. In parallel, experienced and enthusiastic volunteers join NGO workers, enabling them to serve the community more effectively. Consider the chances NGOs can take advantage of as these programs spread over the world to further their missions.
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