’s recession probability models forecasted a 100% chance of a U.S. recession over the next 12 months. A 100% chance. Like checking our weather app and seeing, “100% chance of rain,” we seem to have reached a point of inevitability in knowing that a storm is coming. The only questions left up for debate are:
when, how bad
and
have we properly prepared to weather the storm?
In times of economic uncertainty and recession, many companies will feel tempted to pull back on their social impact strategy to concentrate on shoring up profits. Of course, profit — in good times and bad — is where any discussion of companies’ responsibilities
should
start, but corporate social responsibility (CSR) can actually support the bottom line. As Points of Light expressed in a recent open letter to CEOs in
, prioritizing investments in social impact strategy during a recession is a critical responsibility that benefits employees, customers, community and stakeholders.
In today’s competitive job market, job seekers are increasingly considering a company’s social impact strategy when deciding where to work. According to our
, companies with a strong CSR reputation experience higher levels of employee satisfaction and loyalty. Employees want to work for companies that align with their values and make a positive impact in the world. By prioritizing CSR, companies can differentiate themselves and attract top talent.
The companies most vulnerable to cuts in their social impact strategies are typically the ones that have not embraced and embedded good corporate citizenship into their corporate DNA, so how can you assess the stability and viability of your social responsibility programs?
as a framework to understand your current state and a road map to make improvements around your company’s CSR initiatives and community-based engagement. This framework is broken down into four dimensions: investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement. Companies that have developed strategies across these dimensions have CSR and purpose initiatives that are better positioned to survive — if not thrive — during challenging times like a recession.
Here are the four principles of The Civic 50 and guiding questions that help align your company’s social impact strategy:
1. Investment
Are the investments you are making in your CSR initiatives in alignment with your company’s core business? Is your company utilizing all the different resource types it has at its disposal beyond just traditional financial giving such as in-kind contributions, traditional and skills-based volunteering, and pro bono offerings?
2. Integration
Does your company integrate its community engagement and social impact programs throughout its business functions and interests? How does community engagement and social impact show up in each of your business departments? Is community engagement a standing agenda item on all staff and board meetings?
3. Institutionalization
How has your company institutionalized its community engagement and social impact programs through organizational policies, systems and incentives? Does your company have volunteer time off and matching grants? Has support of CSR and community engagement initiatives become a part of department or individual goal setting, reviews and recognition?
4. Impact
Have you defined social and business impact outcomes for your community engagement and social impact programs? Do you have a measurement, reporting and communication strategy for those outcomes that includes decision-makers and decision-influencers at your company?
While a “100% chance” of recession brings a foreboding sense of certainty about what lies ahead, it also brings clarity. Recessions can often take everyone by surprise, but we’ve been talking about this one for months. We have time to prepare for this storm. Taking the time to understand how weather-proof your social impact strategy is an important first step through tools like The Civic 50. Now more than ever, businesses need to be saying “yes” to their social responsibilities. It not only matters to those people and communities most vulnerable during a recession but to the long-term success of your business once the storm has passed and the sun shines again.
3 Steps to Help Employees Find the Right Election Volunteer Opportunities
Election Day is drawing nearer and we’ve reached the fourth and final installment of our series on how to activate your employees to more fully participate in democracy and find the right election volunteer opportunities. Pr
eviously we’ve explored how you can support employees to
There are countless opportunities for volunteerism on Election Day – which will take place Tuesday, November 8, 2022 – as well as early voting during the days and weeks leading up to it.
In this article, we’re covering some of the top ways you can
shows that today’s workers expect businesses to lead by example. Sixty percent of people choose where they work based on their beliefs and values, and companies are starting to take notice of this trend.
, 94.7% of respondent companies gave their salaried and hourly employees time off to vote. That time included anywhere from two hours to a full day off. When you indicate to your employees that fulfilling the civic responsibility of voting and promoting voter turnout is crucial to participating in democracy, you demonstrate that your organization cares about more than just your bottom line.
Provide Paid Time Off to Vote and Volunteer on Election Day
While providing time off to vote is no doubt a critical component of sustaining and fostering a healthy, thriving democracy, so is the support of volunteer-related activities around elections. Consider giving your employees the opportunity to engage in any one of the many election volunteer opportunities that exist during this season, from staffing the polls to providing transportation for voters who need it. You might even host a polling place at your company site, allowing your employees to volunteer their time and efforts throughout the day.
“Many Americans believe that U.S. democracy is at risk. Today, it is business and specifically ‘my employer’ that is seen as the most trusted institution and sector best poised to drive social impact. Companies have the ability and perhaps even the responsibility to signal trust in the democratic process through workplace policies and incentives that support all employees in voting and participating in our country’s electoral process.”– Christine Schoppe, chief strategy & growth officer, Points of Light
Publicize Election Volunteer Opportunities
In addition to supporting your workforce in volunteerism on and leading up to Election Day, you can also provide them with tools and resources to find election volunteer opportunities. Send an all-staff email blast or mention volunteer opportunities in your next team meeting or newsletter.
offers a global database with in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities in your area and beyond. Include a link to Engage in your internal communication materials to support employees in finding election volunteer opportunities that best suit their needs and capacity.
For more on the importance of volunteering in creating and sustaining democracy, check our
. This digital magazine explores the power of every single volunteer, finding the right volunteer opportunity, the diversity gap in volunteering and much more.
Don’t miss our first three posts in this four-part series that cover ways to activate around
How to Support Volunteer Engagement at the Intersection of Civic Engagement and Mental Health
What do civic engagement and mental health have in common? Points of Light Chief Growth and Strategy Officer Christine Schoppe and Crisis Text Line Chief Program Officer Becka Ross got together to talk about these two cause areas and how they intersect, starting with an overview of each organization.
Since 1990, Points of Light has acted as a cultural catalyst, working in partnership with
to build a world where it’s impossible to sit on the sidelines. Through its corporate partners and 177 affiliates in 38 countries, the organization has mobilized 5 million volunteers. In recent years, Points of Light has worked to define a
for the 21st century, one that calls on people to give their time, talents and resources to build a brighter future for everyone.
Crisis Text Line began in 2013, hosting more than 7.5 million conversations around mental health since its launch. The organization provides text-based crisis intervention by empowering a community of thousands of trained volunteers to support people in their moments of need. The service is offered in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland. It’s free, anonymous and available round-the-clock.
Both organizations have a deep understanding of mobilizing volunteers and a focus on research in their respective cause areas.
Research Shows That Civic Engagement and Mental Health Go Together
“There’s a lot of research out there around the mental health benefits of volunteering combating loneliness in particular,” said Ross. “Volunteers are telling us that they are using their training in their personal lives, too, and it’s improving romantic relationships and work relationships and being able to build the skill of empathy and understand the importance of validating somebody’s perspective”
is open-source, sharing data-informed insights into mental health with other nonprofits, corporate partners, policymakers, media and the general public to raise awareness around mental health issues.
is also shared publicly and shows that four out of 10 people see mental health as a top cause area of concern. This cause area tops a list of more than 20, including poverty and gun rights. These trends, led by Gen Z and
, a framework of nine pathways to civic engagement. These pathways include volunteerism, listening and learning, using your voice and being strategic when choosing where you work.
“The company you work for, and the internal volunteerism you can do there. The resource groups you can join to advocate for your kind of special interest group, you can use your place of employment to express your values and your beliefs,” Schoppe pointed out. “There’s more than one way to get it done.”
In addition to choosing a workplace that supports your values, Points of Light research shows that the two of the most common actions people are taking to advocate for the issues they care about are
. Points of Light research shows that a strong motivator for people when choosing which social issue to champion is having personal experience around that issue. That connection and personal investment is central to strength and longevity of commitment.
Schoppe and Ross touched upon how to find willing volunteers and how to retain and incentivize them to keep up this work. Efforts should reach beyond how meaningful the work itself is.
“Many of our volunteers come to us because they want to make an impact and make a difference in somebody’s life. [Our crisis counselors] are really changing the mental health landscape, reducing stigma, ensuring that people know that it’s okay to reach out for help and get support,” said Ross. “We center our volunteers and their experience.”
Crisis Text Line knows a lot about volunteer engagement with a volunteer base of more than 55,000 people who have gone through a 30-hour virtual training to become crisis counselors. One of first things volunteers are asked to do is create a self-care plan, so they can recharge after a tough shift.
This type of thoughtful method of supporting a volunteer force is essential to sustainability as volunteerism remains one of the most valued pathways to civic engagement. Points of Light research shows that the top three actions people are taking around the issues they care about are:
Schoppe said, “That’s really what drives our research is understanding those goals, and then creating insights and actions with our ecosystem.”
Listen and Learn About the Intersection of Civic Engagement and Mental Health
Watch the entire conversation between Points of Light Chief Growth and Strategy Officer Christine Schoppe and Crisis Text Line Chief Program Officer Becka Ross:
