Content Attributes
Employee volunteer programs refer to those activities that offer a sense of pride and purpose in the lives and works of employees. According to a statistical survey, it has been found that 75% of people who willingly walk out of their jobs actually don’t quit their jobs. They quit their bosses and resign due to other internal factors. This is one reason that makes the presence or application of employee volunteer programs all the more crucial for managers or CEOs to conduct.
However, mere ideas or initiatives won’t do any good unless you are well-aware of the strategies to be implemented to proceed with such volunteer programs in a structured way. So, in case, you are looking out for strategised plans and constructive route maps to proceed with the initiative, read this blog.
It comprises the six best ways to create a successful employee volunteer program.
Happy reading!
Step #1: Assess your company thoroughly
First things first, you should carry out a thorough survey and assess your company based on the following grounds.
- Investigate and evaluate the present needs of your business communities and employees.
- Use employee motivation tracking apps such as Motivate, iAppreciate and Sparcet to analyse factors that are holding your employees back from performing good.
- Talk to them personally and figure out things that would help them perform better or motivate them to work on projects more productively.
You can simply jot down the minutes of the survey or personal meeting with your employees in sticky notes, and plan to launch the volunteer program accordingly.
Step #2: Rope in the higher authorities of your firm
If you want to take up things from managerial perspectives, then consider roping in the top executives of the organisation as well.
Here’s how.
- Write a mail to your CEO or the directors explaining the plans or objectives you would like to achieve through the Employee Volunteer Program.
- Remember, it is important for you to keep CEOs or Directors in loop regarding the initiatives taken within the organisation or resources used to carry out the program.
- Take a letter of confirmation or a “go ahead” from the senior officials prior to making a move.
After all, you cannot dodge the person who runs the show and take decisions regarding employee programs on your own.
Step #3: Quantify the success of your Employee Volunteer Program
This is important. You got to quantify the effort based on certain metrics. Here’s everything you need to know.
- Keep track of the number of employees who would volunteer
- Take note of the amount of time devoted to each employee volunteer activity
- Make a list of the number of volunteers served and how many of them are yet to be attended.
- Also, make sure that the resources used for the program are well-accounted.
Any theft or instances of misplaced or lost tools will lead to unfavourable consequences. So, make sure each of the resources is used and brought back to the organisation as it is.
Step #4: Recognise and reward the participants
This is, by far, the best one can do to carry out employee volunteer programs successfully. Rewards and recognitions work great when it comes to conducting volunteer programs.
Here are some ideas you can implement in this context.
- You can always give away small token of appreciation in the form of coupons, plaques, gift cards, memento and the likes.
- One can also issue an official certificate of recognition for his/her employees and announce their names in the presence of CEOs or other top executives.
- If possible, invite media people for public exposure and reward employees in their presence.
- Stay away from all sorts of biasness. Reward and recognise the one who truly deserves the praise.
Remember, the idea is to “recognize” employees in its truest sense. Most successful volunteer programs are based on how effectively one chooses to bring out the very best of his/her programming assignment employees.
Step #5: Make the program worth signing up for
The volunteer program should be a meaningful experience for employees at the end of the day. You got to make the program productive for the participants.
Here are some areas you must prioritise.
- Do not force employees to devote extra personal hours to participate in the program.
- Try and conduct the drive within working hours, preferably during the weekends (Friday or Saturday)
- Do an audit of your plan and see whether all the objectives are at all necessary for employees to meet or things can be simplified further?
- On successful completion of the program, make it a point to collect honest feedback from participants and evaluate whether the event was helpful for them.
Step #6: Establish clear communication with employees
You must lay focus on the modes of communication you choose to convey the message regarding Employee Volunteer Programs.
Here are some recommended ways for your knowledge.
- Try out communicating via digital content. For example, you can publish blogs, who can do my coursework, press releases, and social media posts regarding upcoming event.
- Set up email campaigns to deliver information to employees regarding the volunteer program, date, venue, key objectives, and other details.
- Also, post notifications regarding the program on the office bulletin board, at least two weeks prior to the program.
You must always choose a clear and convenient medium of communication, so that the participants face no contradictions while attending the event in person.
Key Takeaways
Every corporate assignment is crucial, which of course includes the Employee Volunteer Programs as well. I hope, you have got the hang of the strategies to be implemented for to make this event a success.
Here are the key takeaways of the blog for you to refer on the go.
- Make a clear assessment of your organisation
- Involve the top executives of your firm
- You must quantify the success parameters of the program
- Take the aspect of reward and recognition seriously
- Make the entire experience productive for participants
- Communicate to the participants/employees clearly