Ask a CSR Friend: When it Comes to Volunteering, What Counts?

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, we know it takes a village to create vibrant workplaces where employees are equipped to contribute to the communities and causes they care about. So, when you need a trusted advisor to lean on, rely on Points of Light to be Your CSR Friend. Each month, our experts share their wisdom and wit to address a specific but often universal challenge related to your work as a corporate social impact practitioner.

Have questions about employee community engagement? Submit your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.

Dear CSR Friend,

I lead a well-loved and, I think, well-used employee volunteer program. However, every year we struggle to confirm how many employees are participating because we can’t seem to convince all employees to report what they’ve been up to. I know it’s only one way to measure the output of our employees’ efforts but it’s disheartening to not be able to move the needle on the annual participation goal we set because so many aren’t reporting their activities. Do you have any new ideas to incentivize or reward employees who track their volunteer time?

Signed,

Underreporting in Union City

Dear Underreporting, Don’t you wish every CSR role came with a 101 session on behavior change and organizational psychology? Alas, it doesn’t, and corporate social impact leaders like yourself have been grappling with this question since the dawn of time! There are some straightforward ideas to motivate employees to track their volunteer activities, but first, let’s highlight one crucial element—defining your company’s view on volunteering. At Points of Light, we have a formal definition of an employee volunteer program: a structured effort to motivate and enable employees to volunteer under the guidance of their employer. However, the true definition is shaped by each company’s unique culture, values, goals, priorities, employee interests, and the needs of the communities they serve. Let’s first address the elephant in the room. Should we be tracking activities and participation in the first place? Inputs and outputs are great to have on hand when goal setting, benchmarking, and applying for external recognition. For instance, I can tell you that, on average,

this year’s honorees of The Civic 50 engaged 40% of their workforce in external volunteering

. But that number doesn’t paint a clear picture of the impact that these volunteers had on communities and causes. It does tell us that these honorees are going above and beyond the average participation rate provided each year by

CECP in their Giving in Numbers report

. And it tells us that there is still room to grow when it comes to widening the pool of potential participants, ensuring equitable access across all employee roles and work settings. A pro tip from me to you: tracking activities and participation help you understand employee interests and engagement but consider what else you may want to report on related to your volunteer activities to demonstrate the impact of your employer’s social impact strategy. Check out this resource from

ACCP and True Impact

to get started on measuring outcomes. Explicit, written guidelines – especially as they relate to what counts as volunteering – ensure consistency and provide a clear understanding of eligible activities and partners. Surprisingly, many companies don’t write out guidelines, leaving employees unsure of what’s expected and what they should be reporting. With a global workforce where many cultures view volunteerism as simply being neighborly and some companies introducing “acts of kindness” that aren’t associated with a nonprofit, an agreed upon definition of what counts as volunteering will help all employees better understand what they need to track.

Why written guidelines matter:

• They serve as a go-to source for program details.
• They prevent misinterpretations and ensure uniformity.
• They help manage future requests and align with company interests.
• They solidify the program’s principles and expectations.

Accessible, up-to-date guidelines, regularly communicated to all employees, reduce daily inquiries and boost engagement. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach—each company should define what counts as volunteering based on its goals, culture, and reporting needs. A word to the wise: don’t get caught up in semantics. Call them “guidelines” or a “policy” or a “program manual,” whatever will indicate to colleagues that this is a resource that will explain what they should be reporting. To start, consider your response to the activities listed below and whether they would count as volunteering at your company. There’s no right or wrong answer to whether or not these activities should count as volunteering and be tracked; it’s up to your program’s goals, your company culture and values, and most importantly, what your company wants to report at the end of the year.

• Coaching a Little League team each spring
• Running in or training for a charity race
• Attending a bowl-a-thon or charity golf tournament
• A gala dinner for a prominent nonprofit partner
• Chaperoning a child’s field trip to a nonprofit arts museum
• Volunteering for the PTA at your child’s school
• Donating to a collection drive or shopping for holiday gifts for under resourced families
• Giving blood at a company-organized blood drive
• Participating in a career fair sponsored by your Veterans’ employee resource network
• Fostering animals for a local pet rescue
• Shopping for essentials for a home-bound neighbor
• Marching with a well-known environmental nonprofit to drive awareness of climate change

Keep in mind some of the activities listed may come with stipulations, spell them out so no one is surprised when they go to track hours or when you pull a report! Consider specific parameters like:

• What is the maximum number of hours that can be claimed for fostering an animal?
• How much time can you track for donating a pint of blood and does that amount differ if you donated platelets?
• Do the PTA volunteer hours count if there is a minimum required number of hours of service by my child’s school?
• What if the organization is not a 501c3 – how do I track that?

Clear, thoughtful guidelines build a more cohesive and impactful volunteer program that aligns with company values and maximizes social impact. As promised, here are some tried-and-true methods that many companies employ to encourage employees to report their volunteer activities:

• Make it easy! Use technology to your advantage and automatically track the hours of volunteers who show up for their shift. Ask employees to share a story or photo on social media or on internal channels after their volunteer experience. Use a special hashtag and track the use of that hashtag as a proxy.
• Ask volunteer champions to remind colleagues of the significance of reporting activities. Sometimes a personal request works better than another company-branded email arriving in inboxes.
• Add achieving certain thresholds to your current volunteer recognition strategy.
• Offer donations to the employee’s charity of choice for every hour they volunteer.
• Consider non-cash incentives such as reserved parking spots, more vacation time, or access to key company leaders.
• Create a points system where employees earn points for every hour volunteered or activity reported, redeemable for company or program-branded swag.
• Offer professional development opportunities on social impact topics or volunteer leadership as a reward for committed volunteers.
• Feature dedicated volunteers in company newsletters or on social media.
• Provide letters of appreciation signed by senior leaders or schedule virtual lunches with senior executives for top volunteers.
• Create digital badges for volunteers to add to their email signatures as they hit designated milestones.

These strategies not only reward employees but also foster a culture of giving back, enhancing employee engagement and satisfaction. Tailor the incentives to align with your company’s values and the interests of your employees for maximum impact. Until next time, Your

CSR Friend

Learn more about how we can help you level up your employer’s social impact efforts and why your company should join top corporate social impact leaders and become a member of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council. Still have questions? Don’t forget you can always ask a CSR friend!

Ask a CSR Friend: Gaining Senior Leader Support for Employee Volunteering

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, we know it takes a village to create vibrant workplaces where employees are equipped to contribute to the communities and causes they care about. So, when you need a trusted advisor to lean on, rely on Points of Light to be Your CSR Friend. Each month, our experts share their wisdom and wit to address a specific but often universal challenge related to your work as a corporate social impact practitioner.

Have questions about employee community engagement? Submit your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.

Dear CSR Friend,

I work for a small business, and we’ve done a few group volunteer projects from time to time over the years. I sit in HR and this has become a passion of mine after witnessing the benefits it can provide for our staff. I recently asked my supervisor for resources to turn our sporadic efforts into something strategic and sustainable. She’s set up a meeting with senior leadership so that I can present my ideas. I want to be fully prepared for what they might ask me. Do you have any guidance?

Signed,

Anxious in Annandale

Dear Anxious, In today’s world, making a positive social impact is more important for businesses than ever before. If you’re about to pitch a workplace volunteer strategy to senior leadership, you’ve got a golden opportunity to turn those occasional volunteer events into a solid, ongoing strategy. Anticipating potential questions can help ensure you are well-prepared, so here are resources to respond to the top three questions senior leadership are likely to ask you.

Why should we invest in employee volunteering? What are the benefits and projected outcomes?

First, identify the business challenges that are top of mind for your senior leaders and then tailor your pitch accordingly. A strong and strategic employee volunteer program will benefit the communities where the company operates, employee well-being, and several other key business factors that will be incredibly relevant to your audience like:

• Talent attraction and recruitment. Company support for employee volunteering provides an additional incentive for strong candidates to accept job offers.
• Employee morale. This can lead to improved retention, greater satisfaction and productivity, along with increased company pride and loyalty.
• Skill development. Participation in volunteer activities helps employees develop new skills and leverage current skills in addressing community needs.
• Company image within the community. This can help differentiate a company from its competition while also creating a positive reputation among investors and consumers as a responsible corporate citizen.
• Return on investment. Reduced turnover, increased productivity, potential new marketing and sales relationships, and more.

Honestly, it’s also incredibly risky to NOT engage in some type of corporate responsibility activities due to loss of market share – regardless of whether your company is B2C or B2B. See our learning brief,

Proof Points to Support Investment in Employee Community Engagement

, which will link you to research to help you further illustrate the need to invest in an employee volunteer program.

What resources are needed?

The adage “volunteering isn’t free” is true when it comes to your community partners and is paramount for senior leaders to understand. You’ll need to request financial investment for a multitude of things like salaries, partnership grants for project management and supplies, technology platform implementation and maintenance, communication materials and their production, volunteer t-shirts and branded swag, recognition and other operational items. You might also eventually consider having a budget set aside for supportive programs such as Volunteer Time Off or Dollars-for-Doers in which small grants are issued to nonprofits served by employees. But, you don’t have to ask for a sizeable investment upfront. Start slowly so you can showcase that return on investment after the first few years and then grow your budget. Budgets vary greatly, and companies invest anywhere from less than $20 to more than $1000 per employee.

CECP’s 2023 Giving in Numbers report

tells us that companies with revenue under $5 billion had median management and program costs of around $1.3 million. Traditionally, investments are low compared to employee training, which might be the most cost-comparable business function. The average organization spent $1,220 per employee on workplace learning in 2022, according to the

Association for Talent Development’s 2023 State of the Industry report

. CECP’s 2023 Giving in Numbers also reports that the median number of FTEs for contributions staff (employees who oversee, manage, or directly administer corporate/foundation community investments and/or employee volunteering) was 11 in 2022. For companies with a less than 10k workforce, the median was 8. Having the support of 11 FTEs may seem totally unrealistic for the size of your workforce, so reiterate that, while top executives are increasingly recognizing the importance of having a dedicated team for corporate responsibility activities, we have seen magic happen with one FTE and some

passionate (and well-trained) employees

spread throughout business functions. Having a dedicated team, though, will send a message internally and externally that the company understands their important role as a good corporate citizen.

What might be barriers to success and how can we plan for them at the outset?

A tried-and-true sign of a leader is bringing solutions rather than issues so absolutely be prepared to illustrate the barriers to success and ways you — with help from senior leaders — can overcome them.

• Not being strategic: Identify those business priorities that can be supported through engaging in communities. But also think about the core services and competencies that the company and your fellow employees can offer to nonprofit partners. This will reinforce the notion that your program is a business initiative, not just the warm-and-fuzzy volunteering of yore. Be thoughtful about when and who you partner with and align with company milestones and those important focus areas.
• Lack of buy-in from middle management (and sometimes senior leaders): Middle managers especially may feel that they do not have a stake in the program. Developing policies and practices that institutionalize the program and associated activities will give the workforce a place to reference and better understand what is permitted. You might also develop communication and training materials to provide to your middle management, so they feel confident in administering policies. Reinforce the benefits of serving together and how that can reap dividends for teams and the company at large. Top-down communications will also go a long way to support the idea that this is the direction in which the company is headed.
• Driving internal awareness and participation in year one: Besides developing a strong and consistent internal communication plan using the appropriate channels and vehicles to reach your diverse workforce, use a galvanizing enterprise-wide moment to build excitement and motivation. Or build out an employee champion or committee infrastructure to support markets outside of HQ and ensure they feel empowered and educated. Download this learning brief to find out more about creating effective volunteer champion and council models.

Hopefully the last question you’ll be asked is, “how do we get started?” which indicates that senior leaders are ready to start the company’s formal social impact journey. But remember, you don’t have to go it alone. There are organizations out there that can help you fully design the right strategy for your company, including Points of Light. Check out our

resources

on creating an employee volunteer program that has value for your colleagues, your company, and the communities in which it operates, and

reach out

if we can help. Until next time, Your

CSR Friend

Learn more about how we can help you level up your employer’s social impact efforts and why your company should join top corporate social impact leaders and become a member of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council. Still have questions? Don’t forget you can always ask a CSR friend!

Ask a CSR Friend: 5 Ways to Increase Access through Volunteer Ambassadors

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts right here in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, we know it takes a village to create vibrant workplaces where employees are equipped to contribute to the communities and causes they care about. So, when you need a trusted advisor to lean on, rely on Points of Light to be Your CSR Friend. Each month, our experts share their wisdom and wit to address a specific but often universal challenge related to your work as a corporate social impact practitioner.

Have questions about employee community engagement? Submit your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.

Dear CSR Friend,

Like most companies, we saw a significant decrease in participation in our employee volunteer program during the pandemic. Now that most employees are back in the office three days a week, we’re still not seeing interest and engagement close to our pre-pandemic levels. Our small but mighty team has tried hosting lunch and learns to build awareness for upcoming projects and offering company-branded swag to those who sign-up first but what are we missing?

Searching for Solutions in St. Louis

Dear Searching for Solutions, Have I got an idea for you! But before I get to it, I encourage you to reframe your interest in increased participation. Sure, it feels great to hit higher participation goals year over year, but (as we like to ask ourselves at Points of Light), “To what end?” Too often corporate social impact leaders get weighed down by the endless pursuit of achieving lofty numbers without realizing that what they’re truly seeking is providing opportunities for every employee, regardless of their role or work setting, to make positive change happen. You’re likely not interested in tracking more volunteer hours from the same employees but, instead, widening your pool of participants. Now back to the idea. Drumroll, please! Although it will take time, resources and relationship building to get started, I promise the value it will bring to your company, your coworkers and the impact it will make on communities is worth the effort. The idea is simple: introducing people-powered infrastructure to not only scale and manage volunteer activities but truly, to ensure that every employee can realize their potential for creating community impact. This isn’t a new idea for the sector, but it is one we continuously advocate for. Many companies employ a champion or ambassador model to help them mobilize in markets outside of HQ and connect to local community issues, those that might have impacts on the business and those that employees are most affected by. While companies may call them by different names, local champions can drive an uptick in participation by leading and communicating social impact throughout your company’s footprint, reaching and advocating for those who often aren’t considered easily eligible. It’s a powerful, cost-effective way to develop leaders, strengthen relationships and, ultimately, ensure equitable access. Let’s unpack the connections between setting up a volunteer ambassador network and accessibility. These local leaders can help social impact teams to:

1. Better understand and advocate for the functional areas or markets they represent. They’ll be able to tell you what barriers employees face for certain roles and work settings, along with the business priorities for their department or market, important timing and guard rails to keep in mind, which leads to less friction with business processes.
2. Foster a culture of inclusivity and support. Volunteer champions create an environment where all employees feel empowered to participate, create local connections, rally their colleagues, and offer new perspectives as the voice of employees.
3. Reinforce the company’s purpose, culture and commitments. Ensuring equitable access to social impact activities demonstrates corporate values and directly ties to fostering a sense of belonging and strengthens relationships across the enterprise. They can gain buy-in and more easily share information and success metrics with middle managers or local leaders who are often the only hurdle to inclusion.
4. Inspire colleagues to get involved. By sharing their own experiences and passion for volunteering, they raise awareness for the company’s social impact strategy. Because they’re situated in that market or function, they can more easily cascade information to their peers and be the “personal ask” that influences a potential volunteer.
5. Serve as relatable and approachable points of contact for their peers. They can offer guidance, address concerns, and provide valuable insights to ensure that volunteer opportunities cater to diverse needs and preferences within the workforce.

To help get you started on developing and implementing an ambassador network, check out our learning brief,

Advancing Social Impact: Are Employee Volunteer Champions and Councils Still Effective Models in this New Hybrid World of Work

. It presents more benefits of implementing people-powered infrastructure along with considerations to think through before finalizing your strategy. You’ll also find a compilation of best practices gathered from leading companies who’ve seen great success with this people-powered model. We’ve also gathered successful practices for incorporating accessibility into social impact programs for your coworkers in

Making Social Impact Accessible for All Employee Roles and Settings

. Both briefs offer guidance, but it’s your leadership that holds the power to ignite more positive change by expanding accessibility to all your colleagues. The world, and your co-workers, will thank you for it. Until next time, Your

CSR Friend

Learn more about how we can help you level up your social impact work and why your company should join top social impact leadership and become a member of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council.

Ask a CSR Friend: Launching an Employee Volunteer Recognition Strategy

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts right here in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Hear from our experts right here in our

Ask a CSR Friend

monthly column. Have questions about employee community engagement?

Submit your question

and it may be featured in a future post.

Dear CSR Friend,

I lead my employer’s employee volunteer program and, while we do some great spontaneous recognition of employee volunteers, we’ve never put together something that formally honors their dedication to showing up and going above and beyond. Plus, I’ve heard from a few of my peers that other companies use recognition strategies to accelerate growth and interest in employee volunteering. I think 2024 is the year we start putting plans in place, but I’m not sure where to begin. Can you give me some advice?

Ready to Recognize Volunteers in Rome

Dear Ready to Recognize, There’s no time like the present, and I commend you for seeing the need for improvement in the way you celebrate and lift up employee volunteers and volunteer leaders. I’ve put together some questions to guide your journey in developing a formal recognition strategy. Let me know how it turns out.

Determine Readiness

Is your organization and program prepared to integrate a recognition strategy? Is now the right time to begin formalizing your plan and tactics?

Knowing that it will take time to develop and approve a strategy, begin with an assessment of current capacity and upcoming milestones while surveying your key stakeholders for their thoughts on timing.

Set the Stage

• What are the overall objectives underlying your recognition strategy? Set goals around what’s important to you, the program and your senior staff. Think about setting goals around increased awareness internally or externally, increased participation, increased volunteer satisfaction and retention, increased understanding of volunteer guidelines and so forth. Then, create a plan for data collection.
• Who should be included in the program’s development? Gather feedback from employees (whether they volunteer or not) on how they’d like to be recognized and include them, as well as other key stakeholders, in the process of designing the strategy.
• What kind of budget will you have access to year over year? To sustain momentum and avoid inconsistency, a formal recognition program must be consistently well-funded and administered. Can you take advantage of enterprise-wide recognition tactics already in place to defray your need for a sizeable budget? If you’re working for a small organization or haven’t yet been able to set aside funding for recognition, understand those limitations and focus on what you can accomplish in that environment.
• How can the recognition program help meet the volunteer program’s objectives and overall company or employee development goals? When you are celebrating someone’s actions, you are also lifting them up as a role model. Consider aligning your tactics with certain leadership competencies important to your company.
• Do you have a solid understanding of cultural nuances that may affect localizing a company-wide volunteer recognition strategy across all markets? While corporate culture may override local culture in some instances, ask your in-country teammates for direction. For example, in some countries emphasis is placed on productivity so a celebratory event that takes employees away from their workday may not fit. Employees in China have a deep respect for authority, so engagement with and acknowledgment from senior leaders is key. And your European co-workers may feel uncomfortable being recognized formally for their participation and may balk when asked to report their volunteer time.

Design the Right Approach

• How can recognition for — and from — different types of volunteers be integrated into the strategy (e.g., project leaders, executive sponsors, champions or committee members, etc.)? Evidence shows that when recognition is shared and peers can add their own congratulations, it is more impactful and amplifies your investment.
• Will your strategy be 100% digital and virtual, solely events-based, or a mix of both? Will you give symbolic awards, financial rewards, some or all of these? Many of these decisions will be based on capacity, resources, corporate culture and goals along with how your colleagues want to be recognized.
• What will the reward criteria and eligibility rules include? Who will judge nominations if needed? Are there company assets or resources that can be leveraged as rewards? Ensure rules and criteria are specific and in line with the achievement and the degree of effort they represent. To be impactful, recognition must be specific and call out exactly what was so remarkable. Make sure your strategy is fair and objective and appears that way to participants; every employee volunteer who meets criteria should be eligible.
• How and when will the volunteer award(s) be announced? What communication vehicles currently exist to promote the award internally and externally? Are there corporate milestones to which you can align the planning process and/or announcement(s)? Make sure award presentations are timely. Once a year may not be enough for the volume of your program. Create a steady drumbeat of communications around recognition, even if your budget only allows for an annual company-wide opportunity.

Implement and Administer

• How much staff time can be devoted to administering the recognition program? Will it be administered from the company’s headquarters or local offices? You may decide that everyone has access to informal recognition tactics, while the more formal, enterprise-wide strategy is led by your team with input and support from champions or staff in other markets.
• What resources will you need to develop to reinforce and support the program? Write guidelines and make them readily accessible in different languages so that all employees and especially your volunteers know: eligibility requirements, approval/decision-making processes, types of awards provided, frequency of award presentations, performance goals or behaviors or desired outcomes that will be measured, as well as thresholds for awards. Senior leaders and managers may need communication materials like talking points, templates or training to deliver volunteer rewards.
• Are there core functions of the program that should be outsourced? Should external counsel and expertise be sought to help develop this volunteer recognition program? There are organizations (including Points of Light!) readily available to help design a strategy or provide technology platforms to manage your recognition activities. U.S. employers should also consult with their legal, employee relations and tax teams to fully understand their tax obligations and how rewards could affect employees.

Evaluate and Evolve

• What plans can be implemented to ensure the recognition strategy is regularly evaluated? As the volunteer program evolves, so should your recognition efforts. Add a disclaimer to your guidelines that reminds employees the company has the right to re-evaluate the recognition program at any time.
• How can the recognition strategy inform future program enhancements or support other business functions? Companies measure what matters. Keep track of who is being rewarded as those trends and data can be useful in the future or when your HR team or senior leaders are looking for high performers to lead a significant business effort.

Until Next Month, Your

CSR Friend

Learn more about how we can help you level up your social impact work and why your company should join top social impact leadership and become a member of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council.

Ask a CSR Friend: Building the Case for Volunteer Time Off

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts right here in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, we know it takes a village to create vibrant workplaces where employees are empowered to contribute to the communities and causes they care about. So, when you need a trusted advisor to lean on, rely on Points of Light to be your CSR Friend. Each month, our experts share their wisdom and wit to address a specific but often universal challenge related to your work as a corporate social impact practitioner.

Have questions about employee community engagement? Submit your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.

Dear CSR Friend,

I lead my employer’s community engagement strategy and, each year, when my team contemplates improvements, a large portion of our conversation centers on increasing employee participation. While we have plans to double-down on communication and better understanding employee interests, we know we could improve by simply ensuring that every employee, regardless of their role, has an opportunity to take time off to volunteer during the workday. We say that supporting communities is a core value but, honestly, it feels like it’s only for the chosen few—those who have flexible schedules because they’re not on the sales floor all day. How can I appeal to senior leaders that now is the right time to explore an enterprise-wide VTO policy?

Vexed by VTO in Vancouver

Dear Vexed, If I had a nickel for every question we receive around boosting participation, I would be the richest social impact expert on earth! But what you’ve hit upon is actually bigger than hitting participation goals and touches leaders like yourself no matter the industry or size of company they work for. And that’s the issue of volunteer equity and access. I’ve seen many companies in recent years lift up their corporate values around diversity and inclusion, start new programs and reinforce public commitments but, when you look under the hood, it’s easy to see they’re viewing the employee experience through a myopic lens. Good news: it can be done. Senior leaders have bought into implementing a volunteer time off policy for all even where it feels like an impossibility such as in manufacturing and retail environments. They understand that the benefits of having an employee volunteer program aren’t fully realized if only some of the employee population can take advantage. Here’s my advice on how to make the case for developing and implementing a Volunteer Time Off (VTO) policy:

1. Understand Your Audience: Before presenting your case, understand the business priorities of your senior leaders. They each bring a different perspective to the table depending on what function they lead, so tailor your arguments to align with their goals.
2. Research and Gather Data: Collect data on the positive impacts of volunteerism on business goals like employee engagement, job satisfaction and recruitment. Use statistics to illustrate how a VTO policy can lead to improved employee morale and productivity. You can also use proof points from Edelman that highlight the disconnection that deskless workers feel to bolster your argument.
3. Highlight the Benefits for Employees: Emphasize how VTO can contribute to employees’ well-being along with personal and professional development. It provides them with opportunities to develop new skills, network and engage with the community, which can boost morale and job satisfaction. In fact, some of the unique skills these frontline employees possess are exactly what’s needed by your grantees and community partners.
4. Connect to Company Values: Demonstrate how a VTO policy aligns with the company’s values and commitment to social responsibility and inclusion and belonging. Ensuring all employees – even those in diverse roles and work settings – are eligible to participate sends a values-aligned message.
5. Address Potential Concerns: Anticipate and address any concerns senior leaders might have. Common concerns include potential productivity loss, scheduling conflicts, or abuse of the policy. Come to the table with solutions to mitigate these concerns.
6. Present a Pilot Program: Propose starting with a small-scale pilot program to test the impact of VTO. This tactic allows the organization to measure the benefits and make adjustments based on the initial experience before rolling out the policy company-wide.
7. Provide Details: Clearly outline how the policy could be implemented and maintained, including technology, communication plans and any necessary training for managers.
8. Quantify the Current Impact: Showcase the impact that your existing volunteer efforts and associated policies have on business and community priorities and how they could grow by ensuring every employee has the opportunity to participate. This step could include metrics such as employee engagement scores, positive feedback from consumers and community partners, progress on social issues important to the company, and the correlated cost savings due to decreased turnover. Demonstrate that what you’re doing now is just the tip of the social impact iceberg.

Implementing an enterprise-wide VTO policy that enables equitable access to your company’s social impact initiatives isn’t just good for employees; it’s also a significant way of fostering a sense of inclusion and belonging and deepening the employee experience – all incredibly important priorities to senior leaders as they deal with recruitment and retention challenges. Of course, implementing the policy is just the first step; it must be accompanied by continual education and reinforcement at all levels. But that’s a story for a future column. Until Next Month, Your

CSR Friend

Learn more about how we can help you level up your social impact work and why your company should join top social impact leadership and become a member of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council.

Ask a CSR Friend: Working With ERG Leaders

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts right here in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, we know it takes a village to create vibrant workplaces where employees are empowered to contribute to the communities and causes they care about. So, when you need a trusted advisor to lean on, rely on Points of Light to be your CSR Friend. Each month, our experts share their wisdom and wit to address a specific but often universal challenge related to your work as a corporate social impact practitioner.

Have questions about employee community engagement? Submit your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.

Dear CSR Friend,

My company’s employee volunteer program has been around for ages but we recently launched employee resource groups to foster inclusivity, shape the employee experience, develop leaders, and influence business practices. I am super grateful that they now exist (truthfully, they are long overdue), and I want to ensure that my corporate social impact teammates and I begin collaborating effectively with our colleagues who lead the ERG strategy and its implementation since some of our community goals and engagement activities overlap. Do you have any tips for starting off on the right foot?

EVP & ERG Enthusiast in Eugene

Dear EVP & ERG Enthusiast, I love to hear that your employer has realized the value that comes from formalizing ERGs as part of its DEIB strategy. You’re not the first to pose this question since it can seem like the work of ERGs and employee community engagement is at odds in certain ways – namely how they approach community partnerships, establish goals and guidelines, and why and when they mobilize their members. I’ve jotted down a top ten list of ideas to help you and your DEIB counterparts set both programs up for success.

1. Create clear communication channels: First, I think the main hurdle to cross is ensuring open and regular communication between the leaders of these two work streams. Determine whether that’s through scheduled recurring meetings, joint working group sessions, or hosting virtual mixers with the goal of getting to know one another both professionally and personally. Heck, make plans to do all of the above AND share ideas and concerns as they surface through a dedicated Slack or Teams channel.
2. Understand each other’s roles and missions: Both ERG leaders and their corporate social impact colleagues should have a clear understanding of each other’s roles, responsibilities, and missions to avoid duplicating efforts and discover synergies. Get to know how the roles and responsibilities differ and capture it in writing. Even though you are both reaching out to the same internal audience, you’ve each got your own expertise and can use it to better each other’s programming.
3. Define common goals: Even though your charter may differ, you are working toward some similar goals, and a few might even feel identical. Identify those common goals—the ones that get everyone involved fired up—and then unite to drive positive change. This alignment can help both parties work together toward a common purpose.
4. Develop a joint strategy or two: Work together to create a comprehensive DEIB and social impact strategy that leverages the strengths and expertise of both parties, which can help set clearer priorities and direction. This step doesn’t have to be all encompassing—just the parts where the outcomes are aligned. For example, if you both have a goal to develop an inclusive talent pipeline, work together to identify potential nonprofit partners that provide individuals from underrepresented groups with pathways and skill development.
5. Share resources: Pooling appropriate resources when it makes sense, whether financial, personnel or expertise, can lead to more effective initiatives and can help maximize impact. Bring your skills and resources to the table. Share the workload, and you’ll cook up something amazing together.
6. Align measurement and reporting: Agree on common key performance indicators (KPIs) and data collection methods to track progress, especially if you have similar goals and outcomes (e.g., employee engagement or sentiment). Consistent measurement and reporting can demonstrate the impact of your collaborative efforts rather than highlighting tensions.
7. Employee engagement: Team up on employee engagement initiatives that promote both DEIB and social impact and are mutually beneficial. This can include volunteer opportunities, diversity and inclusion training and awareness campaigns. For example, a few years ago, AT&T designed a 21-day Racial Equity Learning Challenge that included many different DEIB and social impact-related activities that supported the education and development of employees enterprise-wide.
8. Advocate for senior leader support: Show that you’re a dynamic duo and go to bat for similar causes that can help you both achieve your goals. When you show up to jointly advocate for buy-in from senior leadership for activities you both want to pursue, it demonstrates alignment.
9. Celebrate successes collectively: Acknowledge and celebrate achievements and milestones as a team. This simple act can help foster a positive and collaborative work environment. When you reach your shared goals, throw a virtual victory party! Celebrate your wins as you champion change together.
10. Evaluate and adapt: Regularly assess the effectiveness of your collaboration and be open to adjusting as needed. Continuous improvement is key to achieving long-term success and working well together. You may not get it right the first time or every time but put in the effort so that you can lean on one another when needed.

Collaboration between a company’s ERG leaders and social impact counterparts can be a powerful force in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as well as advancing corporate social responsibility. By working together to achieve common goals and by leveraging respective strengths from the outset, you will both develop programs that employees will be proud to be a part of. Until Next Month, Your

CSR Friend

Learn more about how we can help you level up your social impact work and why your company should join top social impact leadership and become a member of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council.

Ask a CSR Friend: Distributing Employee Volunteer T-shirts

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts right here in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, we know it takes a village to create vibrant workplaces where employees are empowered to contribute to the communities and causes they care about. So, when you need a trusted advisor to lean on, rely on Points of Light to be your CSR Friend. Each month, our experts share their wisdom and wit to address a specific but often universal challenge related to your work as a corporate social impact practitioner.

Have questions about employee community engagement? Submit your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.

Dear CSR Friend,

I have managed my company’s employee volunteer program for years and, at the beginning of each year, we struggle to figure out the best method for distributing volunteer t-shirts before projects take place. Now that many of my colleagues are working remotely a few days a week, it’s posing an even more difficult logistical challenge. What are our best options?

Signed,

T-shirt Turmoil in Tupelo

Dear T-shirt Turmoil, Having been nicknamed “T-Shirt Lady” in my previous social impact role, I feel your question and your quest deeply! For many companies, volunteer t-shirts serve as more than just promotional apparel; they embody a culture of community engagement and an outward display of employee pride. They also foster a sense of belonging and purpose among employees. But how and when do you get them into your eager employee volunteers’ hands?

Here’s a quick rundown of options you might try this year:

• Distribute During Onboarding for All New Hires: One of the best times to introduce employees to your company’s social impact initiatives is during their onboarding process. Providing them with a volunteer t-shirt from day one sets the tone for their journey within the company and demonstrates the company’s commitment to making a positive difference where they operate.
• Use an Annual Milestone to Send to All Employees: To keep the spirit of social impact alive, consider making it a tradition to send a volunteer t-shirt to all employees once a year, perhaps on the anniversary of the company’s founding or the month in which the employee volunteer program launched.
• Add to the Company’s Branded Merch Website: Make it easy for employees to get their hands on volunteer t-shirts 24/7 by adding them to the company’s branded merchandise website. Maybe they’ll even buy one to wear to the gym!
• Encourage Volunteers to Wear Vintage T-Shirts: Instead of creating new designs each year, invite employees to wear a branded company shirt or past volunteer t-shirt. This not only reduces waste but also creates a sense of nostalgia and pride. Those paint stains and rips will now be seen as badges of honor!
• Pick a Convenient Distribution Day: When distributing t-shirts, choose a day when most employees will be in the office, especially in a hybrid work environment. Distributing them in common areas like the lobby or cafeteria can be a great way to build excitement for your upcoming projects. Collaborate with your HR team in case there are other building-wide activities happening (or that COULD happen) on that day. Make sure distribution happens several days in advance of a volunteer project and bring a handful in different sizes to the project just in case a few employees forget or don’t have a chance to claim while in the office.

Three Extra Tips on T-Shirts:

• Fostering a sense of belonging with volunteer t-shirts includes ensuring there is a range of sizes available for all employees. If they can’t obtain a shirt in a size they feel comfortable in, an employee is sure to feel excluded, which might dissuade them from participating and certainly diminishes the company pride and community vibes branded t-shirts can establish.
• When selecting a vendor to work with for design, production and shipping of your volunteer t-shirts no matter when you distribute, consider collaborating with organizations that align with your company’s values. Look for partners that serve a greater purpose, such as veteran-owned, female-owned, or minority-owned businesses like Social Imprints. Some even offer options to offset shipping and production emissions.
• The production and shipping of t-shirts each year can seem wasteful not just to you but also to eco-smart employees. Choose materials that are not only comfortable to wear but also environmentally responsible. Provide instructions for employees on how to repurpose their shirts when they’re no longer wearable, such as donating them to a local charity or turning them into reusable bags or dog toys.

Incorporating volunteer t-shirts into your employer’s social impact strategy (and budget) can be a powerful way to promote a sense of unity and purpose among your employees. These shirts become more than just clothing; they become symbols of your company’s commitment to the community. And they serve as the perfect attire for capturing photos that can be used for internal and external communications, showcasing the positive impact employees are making, both offline and online. Until Next Month, Your CSR Friend

Learn more about how we can help you level up your social impact work and why your company should join top social impact leadership and become a member of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council.