Dollars for Doers Programs: A Guide to Employee-Driven Contributions for Nonprofits

Imagine a program that transforms every moment of employee volunteerism into an additional catalyst for impactful change. That’s the power of a “Dollars for Doers” initiative, which some companies might call volunteer or community service grants. Not only does it amplify the positive footprint of your company’s corporate social responsibility efforts, but it also ignites a virtuous cycle of employee engagement and community upliftment. With Dollars for Doers, you’re not just recognizing volunteerism, you’re supercharging it. By converting every hour volunteered into monetary support, your employees are doubling down on turning goodwill into measurable impact. As CSR leaders, you’ll witness the ripple effect firsthand: increased employee morale, stronger community relationships and a tangible demonstration of your company’s commitment to creating a better world. It’s more than just a program; it’s a dynamic expression of corporate values that has the potential to improve the lives of both employees and recipients. Let’s take a deeper look at this employer-sponsored but employee-driven program. A “Dollars for Doers” (D4D) program in its simplest form is a corporate philanthropic initiative that encourages employees to engage in volunteerism by providing monetary donations to the nonprofit organizations where they volunteer their time. It’s part reward and part incentive by allowing the employee to donate their time to an organization, while the company acknowledges its employees’ dedication by donating cash to the same cause, therefore allowing the employee to theoretically “give twice.” It’s becoming increasingly popular among companies and

CECP’s Giving in Numbers™: 2022 Edition

tells us that 59% are offering this as part of their social impact strategy.

Dollars for Doers: What to Know

Advantages

• Provides employees with a way to direct company dollars to causes and organizations they support.
• Recognizes and reinforces employees’ contributions of time and energy for community organizations.
• Provides data for tracking volunteering involvement, which is helpful in developing new programs and communicating the program’s success.
• Can be used to support specific company-sponsored activities or partners.

Disadvantages

• Requires the development, implementation and monitoring of specific company policies and procedures.
• Depending on employer-defined guidelines, it can be difficult for employees to hit thresholds and take advantage of the program. In fact, though widely offered, it’s rumored to be one of the least utilized community engagement offerings due to high thresholds, restrictions, communication challenges and lack of supportive policies to enable its use.
• Running the program may be costly and requires a strategy for determining qualifying organizations and activities.

The specifics of a Dollars for Doers program varies from one company to another, including factors like the donation rate, maximum contribution limits, eligible nonprofit organizations, eligible activities, and reporting mechanisms. Some companies tailor their programs to align with their focus areas and strategic partners while others allow Dollars for Doers to support the causes that employees care about personally.

Here’s a general overview of how it often works:

1. Eligibility Requirements: Consider the types of organizations and activities that you want to make eligible for the program along with any restrictions on employee eligibility. Use this time to also determine the value of a volunteer hour and any miniums or thresholds.
2. Budget: Determine how much money to set aside to fund the program by analyzing your current volunteer efforts, participation rate and the grant dollars you can allocate. This should also include the use of technology to support administration of the program.
3. Build Awareness: Provide information on the program in recruitment efforts and in new hire onboarding. Communicate this opportunity to employees throughout the year.
4. Volunteer Hours Tracking: Employees volunteer their time with eligible nonprofit organizations. They log their volunteer hours through the company’s designated system or online platform.
5. Submission and Verification: Employees submit their volunteer hours to the company along with relevant documentation or verification from the nonprofit organizations they serve.
6. Donation Distribution: Once the submitted hours are verified, the company calculates the total donation amount based on the accumulated volunteer hours. This amount is then donated to the respective nonprofit organizations. Turnaround time for the donation varies and could be processed at set times during the year.
7. Recognition and Reporting: Employees may receive recognition for their volunteer efforts within the company, fostering a culture of service. The company might also report on the impact of the program by sharing the total number of volunteer hours contributed and the corresponding donations made.

A “Dollars for Doers” program serves multiple purposes. It promotes employee engagement, increases corporate social responsibility, strengthens ties between the company, the employee and the community, and provides much-needed support to nonprofit organizations. Additionally, it can enhance your company’s reputation and brand image, showcasing its commitment to social causes beyond its core business activities.

Support Your Company’s NGO Partners by Investing in Volunteer Engagement

As the world closes out the first half of the year, leaders in corporate social responsibility may begin thinking about how to maximize the remainder of their company’s social impact budget. More than likely, their thoughts turn to determining how to use it in support of their employee volunteer engagement goals.

At Points of Light, we encourage these leaders to think of the many ways they rely on their grantees and nonprofit partners to provide meaningful, relevant and impactful employee volunteer programs to support their company’s social impact strategy. There is no better way to ensure that those community organizations have the right resources and infrastructure in place to create these service opportunities than by investing in volunteer engagement.

Consider the amount of effort, assets and staff time that goes into having volunteer opportunities at the ready. While many companies employ volunteer leaders who help plan and manage projects for their colleagues, there are often unseen costs to the nonprofit partner. When corporate volunteers go hand-in-hand with budget to support their work, so much more can be achieved. Funds can be used for volunteer management training, expanding the ways volunteers support an organization’s mission or even recruitment materials to welcome in community volunteers.

The Funders Guide to Investing in Volunteer Engagement, a 2017 ground-breaking resource from The Leighty Foundation, gives grantmakers and nonprofit organizations common data and common language to jointly create innovative strategies to better utilize critical volunteer energy for the good of our communities. A strategic investment in building organizational capacity to engage volunteers can leave an impact that far outlasts a one-off corporate volunteer project.

We invite everyone involved in corporate social impact and employee volunteering to read The Funders Guide for more compelling reasons to include these types of investments in grantmaking plans for the rest of this year and beyond. To access more research around this topic, check out the 2022 report, “Investing in Strategic Volunteer Engagement: A Qualitative Study” which explores the dichotomy between the need for more volunteers and adequate funding to engage and manage them.

Our thanks to The Leighty Foundation for continuing to champion and bring to light the importance of effective volunteer engagement in the nonprofit sector.

Designing an International Employee Volunteer Program: 8 Essential Tips for CSR Leaders

Establishing an effective international employee volunteer program (EVP) is a valuable endeavor for corporate social impact leaders. With three decades of insights from working with diverse businesses, we’ve gathered several essential tips to help you navigate the complexities of building a global program. Let’s explore these recommendations, which will enable your company to engage employees around the world in making a positive impact.

1. Alignment and Adaptability: Decide whether to fully align your program globally under one strategy, focus area or goals or allow for total customization, considering the unique needs and cultural nuances of each country. Either way, strive for a balance between a unified mission and local adaptations. Avoid imposing American values and recognize that what works in one country may not be effective in another.
2. Budgets and Resources: Think through how you might implement budgets, tracking systems, and reporting tools to empower local teams but also stay knowledgeable about what’s happening should you be leading this work from the U.S. This approach enables efficient program management and encourages ownership at the grassroots level. Provide comprehensive information and training on volunteer recruitment and retention along with project management basics. Stay connected and involved by equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools.
3. Cultural Sensitivity and Legal Knowledge: Be sensitive to individual cultures and familiarize yourself with the laws governing volunteering in each country. Respect and understand cultural differences to ensure the program’s success and compliance with local regulations. You’ll find that employees in some countries are reticent to share information about their volunteer work or prefer to volunteer independent of their employer. Check out our blog that describes some of those cultural nuances.
4. Executive Buy-In: Secure executive leadership buy-in and visible endorsement of the global program. When leaders demonstrate their support, employees are more likely to participate and understand that community engagement aligns with company values and is a top priority – for the business, for employees and for the communities where your company operates.
5. Start Small for Big Wins: Consider starting off with a pilot program in a country that shows strong potential for success. Consider factors such as language similarities, existing business relations and partnerships, organizational structures, and a history of employee volunteerism. Set realistic goals to build momentum.
6. Leadership and Communication: Rely on local knowledge and leadership to foster a sense of ownership and engagement. Establish a global communication structure to ensure consistent messaging and facilitate knowledge sharing among participants worldwide.
7. Motivation and Empowerment: Structure the EVP to motivate and empower local employees to take charge of their programs and partnerships. Implement multi-faceted recognition strategies, including awards and matching programs that can help your company tell its story of global social impact.
8. External Resources and Partnerships: Seek assistance from knowledgeable resources, organizations, and individuals who understand local cultures and laws. Collaborate with community leaders and select NGOs compatible with your company’s values, social impact mission, and strategic goals.

By following these essential tips, CSR leaders can create a successful international employee volunteer program that respects cultural differences, fosters local ownership, and empowers employees worldwide. Balancing global alignment with flexibility, cultural sensitivity, and effective leadership will help your organization make a meaningful difference in communities around the globe. Start your company’s journey toward a global movement of positive change today by

reaching out to our corporate solutions team

.

5 Questions to Jumpstart Your Employee Volunteer Strategy and Program Design

Big corporations as well as small and midsized businesses all want to know whether there’s a perfect time to start providing employees with opportunities to create social impact. Thankfully, when it comes to employee volunteer strategy and program design, there is only one answer: Now. While there’s a lot more planning that needs to go on before launching a corporate social responsibility strategy, many those who ask this question have a ‘perfect’ timeline in mind, such as business age or development stage, when it fits the budget or leadership interests, or conversely, they have no idea when or how to engage the right nonprofit partner. In truth, if you’re asking this question, there’s likely no reason to wait. Corporate community engagement can take many forms, from workplace giving programs to providing volunteer time off (VTO), which allows employees to volunteer during regular work hours, to organizing group service experiences for your employees. Even giving employees time off to vote is community engagement. It’s important to know that no matter what kinds of community engagement your business decides to undertake, they all provide myriad benefits, so the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll be able to capture the value for your company, your employees and the communities where they live and work. Corporate social responsibility programs that engage employees provide benefits far beyond a healthy return on investment. We’ve made a list below of who gains significant value and how, regardless of the program type. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_HFYfS2cE8

For companies:

• Makes the company more attractive to job seekers
• Builds authentic brand value and values locally, regionally, and globally
• Provides financial returns
• Strengthens workforce skill sets
• Increases employee engagement, productivity, and retention
• Helps identify emerging leaders

For employees:

• Allows employees to feel more fulfilled personally and professionally
• Helps employees listen and learn about community challenges and opportunities
• Provides team-building opportunities
• Provides resume builders and new skill development
• Allows employees to feel more connected to their employer while living out organizational values

Forming partnerships with nonprofits also benefits the organization itself by providing much needed human capital resources from hands-on volunteers to board members, as well as advocates for the community issues they’re working to solve. When companies engage employees in creating positive change, all stakeholders reap rewards. While you should certainly start as soon as possible, there are some important questions to answer before you develop your community engagement strategy and launch initiatives.

What type of programs work for your company?

As we mentioned before, this can take many forms, from a company-wide donation campaign to hands-on, off-site work. Make sure you design programs that meet community needs first and appeal to most employees. However, you’ll want to create them with enough flexibility to include anyone with potential limitations.

Why are you doing it?

While we’ve provided numerous benefits the company and employees can enjoy above, it’s important to identify why your company wants to undertake engaging employees in community—and that ‘why’ should ideally align with business objectives, culture and values. This clarity will ensure that your company maximizes its most powerful resource, your people, and achieves meaningful impact for all.

How will you measure success?

To properly assess the progress and success of your strategy, you’ll need to know what KPIs to track so efforts and achievements can be communicated to partners, stakeholders, leaders, and employees alike. Listening to and partnering with communities and the NGOs your corporate social responsibility programs support can help you to truly understand the positive impact you are creating. For an excellent primer on inputs, outputs and outcomes—the data you’ll want to collect and share—read through

this blog

by True Impact, a leader in social impact measurement.

How will you convince senior leaders?

While community engagement programs are highly beneficial, you also need to be able to communicate the ‘why’ as well as the ‘who, what, when, where, and how’ to executives and stakeholders, or it may never come to fruition. Think of this as another incredibly important business strategy with objectives, tactics, metrics and an annual timeline to back it up. They might also be interested in data from third-party sources that proves the return on investment and, if so, check out ACCP’s

Making the Case toolkit

for 2023.

Is it meaningful?

Whether you offer ways for employees to make individual or group contributions, ensure you understand what actions and issues are meaningful to them. An employee survey can help you uncover themes and ideas. Context can also create meaning. So, offer opportunities to learn about community issues before volunteer projects and time to reflect and resources to stay engaged afterward. Most importantly, ensure the work is meaningful to the community or your nonprofit partner. Now that you’ve got the basics of what you need to consider, it’s time to get started. If you need more information, we’ve got plenty of valuable resources

right here

on our website. In fact, we’ve outlined a full list of considerations to get your company started in our

Social Impact Playbook

. Or, for more direct guidance, don’t hesitate to

reach out to us

directly.

How Employee Volunteer Councils Can Foster Volunteer Program Success

A formal leadership or governance structure for your employee volunteer program can extend the reach of your staff, provide development opportunities for employees and sustain the momentum of continually increasing community impact. Most effective employee volunteer programs use some type of leadership structure – either committees or individual champions – to support the management and operations of the program at a regional or local level and to scale their program’s initiatives throughout their company’s footprint. No matter which structure is right for your program and corporate culture, successful implementation is critical to generating enthusiasm and buy-in from your employees, connecting with senior leadership and serving as a foundation to drive the long-term success of your evolving volunteer program. We’ve compiled many reasons why developing and implementing a champion or council structure is beneficial, which you’ll find in our

learning brief

on employee volunteer champions and councils. But what does a council structure look like in composition and responsibilities? Read on for those details!

Employee Volunteer Council Composition

Typically, employee volunteer councils vary in size based on the employee count in a particular location or market and vary on their style or organizational makeup based on what fits within the operations and culture of the company. Volunteer committees can represent specific teams, departments, physical locations, Employee Resource Groups, orientation waves and alumni/retirees. They can even be composed of spouses of executives.

Each employee volunteer council typically includes:

• A cross-section of employees with different functions, management levels and tenure.
• Volunteer event organizers, senior managers and/or representatives from key departments.

Large employee volunteer councils may have an executive board or steering committee that helps to decide on details for meeting agendas and events for the year, and also communicates with senior leadership. These boards are usually made up of committee co-chairs, secretaries, treasurers and communications leads. Larger councils may have an executive advisor or sponsor that sits on the executive board and helps in the decision-making process. These senior leaders are a great resource to promote activities and to advocate for additional resources. Someone has to lead the charge to get it organized, though—whether that is through self-assembly, a call to action or the identification and selection of committee members by HR or senior leaders. The company’s social impact team typically provides the training, resources, templates and forms, and overall support. Each committee should have a charter that explains how to get the committee started, its connection to the national or global social impact team and strategy, and its responsibilities.

Volunteer Committee’s Responsibilities

Let’s take a look at what might be included in a committee’s charter by outlining the potential responsibilities of a volunteer committee and its members. Again, these will vary by company size and culture along with the goals that the social impact strategy hopes to achieve each year.

A volunteer committee may:

• Champion corporate citizenship as core to the company’s mission, values and business – infusing citizenship into the DNA of the business at all levels and across the company’s employee network.
• Serve as a conduit for employee feedback on the direction of the company’s CSR strategy and employee volunteer program. Represent employee voice by surveying employees to determine their interests in volunteering and other community engagement activities.
• Set goals each year, which reflect employees’ interests and support business objectives.
• Recommend and acquire resources for the volunteer program.
• Support the development and implementation of policies, procedures and the evolution of the employee volunteer program.
• Identify opportunities and challenges that may affect implementation or support of the program as it relates to their respective division/business unit and employees and make appropriate decisions to keep goals on track.
• Support employee volunteer leaders or committees in other offices.
• Recruit others to help lead and manage activities throughout the year.
• Communicate with employees regularly to share successes, recognize achievements and motivate them to get involved.
• Identify nonprofit organizations for potential collaborations.
• Provide input and recommendations to the social impact team.

An employee serving on the committee may be asked to:

• Serve a time-limited term.
• Attend planning meetings.
• Participate in managing activities throughout their term.
• Celebrate the success of volunteer projects with employees and the community.
• Share with others their enthusiasm for and satisfaction from volunteering.

Establishing a formal leadership or governance structure for an employee engagement program is crucial for volunteer program success and long-term impact. Whether through committees or individual champions, this structure extends the program’s reach, fosters employee development and sustains momentum in community engagement. By developing and implementing a champion or council structure, companies can maximize the impact of their social impact work and create a culture of social responsibility.

Template for Partnering with an NGO on an Employee Volunteer Project

In today’s socially conscious world, people and organizations are eager to make a positive difference in their communities. Employee volunteer programs have emerged as a powerful way for companies to engage their workforce while contributing to the greater good. Collaborating with a nonprofit organization for an employee volunteer project can amplify the impact of such initiatives, yet it’s crucial to remember that success lies not just in the intention to help, but also in the execution of these endeavors. One common pitfall that corporate social responsibility leaders may encounter when embarking on employee volunteer projects is assuming that their chosen nonprofit partner fully understands their needs and expectations. While nonprofits are dedicated to their causes, they operate under different dynamics and may have limited resources, making it essential for you as a corporate citizenship leader to confirm the details of your collaboration. After you have locked in a volunteer project with your NGO partner, which might take several conversations and a site visit or two, send them an email using the following template to confirm the details of your upcoming in-person volunteer project. Then, be sure to add it to your volunteer leader or council toolkit. This email can be adjusted as needed but will show your company’s gratitude for providing meaningful volunteer opportunities, confirm event details and roles and responsibilities. By taking the time to communicate clearly and align your goals upfront, you’ll set the stage for a collaborative effort that not only benefits your employee volunteer program and its participants, but also leaves a lasting, positive impact on the community with whom you will be partnering.

Dear [name of NGO partner contact]:

I am delighted to confirm our volunteer activity with you and [name of NGO] on [date/time] at [project location]. Although our arrival time for volunteers is [time], a handful of folx from my team will arrive at [time] to help with set-up and any prep work needed.

As we discussed, we will recruit [number] volunteers to perform the following:

• Task one
• Task two
• Other tasks

I understand you will provide [supplies, equipment, volunteer leaders and other relevant items] for our group and activity. Could you also provide me with any specific logistical instructions, including access to the site, parking instructions and public transportation options by [date] so that I can share them with our volunteers?

In advance of our employee volunteer project, [company] will be providing a grant of [funding amount] in order for your organization to [purchase additional supplies, provide stipends to needed contractors, or recoup your expenses, etc.]. The check should arrive by [date] via [shipping mechanism].

I will arrange for [company] to supply lunch/dinner for our volunteers and [# of NGO staff, other relevant event attendees], planned for [time]. We will also bring water and snacks to have on hand throughout the event.

Attached please find our organizational photo release form which is required for all volunteer activities. Signing this form will confirm that [NGO] will secure and keep on file the necessary releases from all non-company participants in this activity. This allows us to take photos more freely at the event for use on our website and for other marketing and internal purposes. Should anyone hesitate to sign, we can designate on their nametag that our photographer should not capture their image.

I’m including my contact information below so it’s easy to stay in touch. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Otherwise, I will follow up in [general timing] to lock in a complete schedule for the day’s activities and collaborate on speakers.

On behalf of [company], I thank you and the team at [NGO name] for helping us make this volunteer project a success. We are looking forward to working alongside your team and beneficiaries while creating a positive impact on the community!

Sincerely,

[Your name, followed by e-mail and cell phone number]

5 Must-Ask Questions for Corporate Partnerships with Nonprofits

Collaborating with nonprofit partners plays a significant role in achieving your company’s social impact goals, especially as it relates to employee engagement. Nonprofit organizations have deep expertise and experience in the areas where your company seeks to create impact along with an ever-evolving sense of the best ways to get involved – whether that’s through donating financial and in-kind resources or through traditional and skills-based volunteering. When you are first reaching out to a nonprofit or NGO to start conversations about how your company can provide support, you’ll want to ask a few questions to ensure a potential partnership will be mutually beneficial. And that’s the first key factor to establish – that the work you may do together will benefit both organizations and that your business needs do not overshadow your nonprofit partner’s needs. After all, they are truly the

experts

in improving a particular social condition or working with a specific population, and the greatest opportunity for a successful collaboration comes from working alongside each other to create shared value. Here are five questions to help you identify and elevate their needs in order to determine ways to partner together:

1. What are you hoping to achieve through your mission? Do you have current projects or programs that align with [COMPANY IMPACT AREA, such as education, environment, workforce development, veterans, etc.]? Of course, you’ll want to do some internet and peer research about the organization first, before you approach them. But confirming their mission, goals and offerings will ensure you start out on the same page. This is also a great time to ask about diversity in leadership and equity in operations to ensure values align.
2. Are there things that you have wanted to do but haven’t had the resources? For example, is there a population you haven’t been able to serve, a need you haven’t been able to meet, or internal processes you’d like to improve? Allow them to dream big but also be transparent with the amount of support you’ll be able to provide. Do not push them out of their core work if their mission would be compromised and new programs wouldn’t be sustainable.
3. Are you currently working with any other organizations or companies on this issue? It’s always a wise idea to understand your potential nonprofit partner’s current corporate partners and to get a feeling for their experience working with other businesses. Keep in mind, if they are a smaller or newer NGO, they might not yet have an extensive track record. However, if your company or corporate foundation does have strict guidelines around duration of nonprofit status, you’ll want to ask that specific question at the outset.
4. Would you be interested in collaborating with another organization to support this issue? Remember, the goal is to create a synergistic relationship, and your potential partners may not have the bandwidth or capacity to bring along another corporate partner. Let them be transparent with you. Should they need to decline, follow up with them at a later date or ask for recommendations for nonprofit organizations with similar missions or goals.
5. Do you have ideas for ways to engage our employees in volunteer projects to support your mission, whether they are in-person or virtual, traditional or skills-based? If it’s service opportunities that you seek, let them know that upfront. Follow up with additional questions around capacity, resources (people, processes and technology) they might have in place to support these opportunities. Not all nonprofits have access to the same resources, so they may not be able to accommodate your volunteers meaningfully now. If measuring the impact of employee volunteers is paramount to the partners you choose, ask this question, too, so that data collection and a shared sense of impact can be developed. You might have just the expertise and capacity to help them think through creating and measuring meaningful opportunities via your volunteers and budget.

By asking these questions, businesses can gain a better understanding of the nonprofit partner’s values, programs and impact, and ensure that the partnership is aligned with their own goals and values. This can help create a more effective and sustainable partnership that achieves outcomes and benefits both parties and the communities or causes your company’s social impact strategy aims to support.