ENGAGING BUSINESSES AND THE CORPORATE VOLUNTEER

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Sudeshna Das-MenezesDirector of Volunteer Services, FeedMore

June 13, 2013

What we will talk about

Why corporate partners play a key role in your organization

Expectations and Challenges How to set up a corporate volunteer

program Logistics Cultivation

Why corporate partners

By encouraging employees to participate in community activities through company sponsored volunteer programs, a business contributes to building better communities.

Corporate volunteering allows people to contribute skills and knowledge to a not-for-profit organization and actively participate in the community. It makes people feel good.

Corporate volunteering can be a low-cost, short-term, low-risk, high-impact way of making the knowledge, skills and experiences of the business sector accessible to the not-for-profit sector while building understanding, employee skill and community goodwill.

Why corporate partners – contd.

Corporate volunteering provides an opportunity for potential partners to experiment with a relationship by getting to know each other before embarking on something more complex.

Corporate volunteering programs can be structured and formal or ad-hoc and informal

Excerpted from Take Your Partner for the Corporate Tango by Kate Reynolds 2001, Volunteering SA, Inc. pp. 25-26.

Why corporate partners– contd.

People power Availability during the week and weekends Company retiree programs Skill sets Energy Exposure Funding Skill based volunteering Project based partnerships

Expectations

Team building opportunities Sense of achievement Fun Accommodating Organized & prepared Structured Be prepared to add additional activities Provide details of activity – job description,

dress code, parking and any additional information that might be needed

Engage the staff!

DUCKS IN A ROW – How to start a corporate volunteer

program

Research and identify corporate partners aligned with your mission – enlist volunteer help with the research, comb websites for information.

Get with staff and create a menu of opportunities.

Show off your facility and talk up your programs. Chat with your volunteers - individuals and

groups and ask them to spread the word and get feedback.

Make it EASY for corporate volunteers!

Documents

Confirmations should include –

Date & time, age requirement, group requirements: Group contact (Name, cellphone, work number, email) Volunteer Job Description Dress code Other notes (might include parking details, photo releases,

signing in procedures if you have an automated process etc.) Directions to facility Contact details for the onsite coordinator (Name, cellphone, work

number, email)

Cultivation – before and during and event

Keep in touch with the lead Meet and greet; orientation Involve staff from the organization to talk

about the activity and impact other than the volunteer coordinator

Provide direction and support during activity

Appreciation

Cultivation – post event

Follow up with a thank you email or notecard

Have the lead fill out a survey about the experience

Learn from the experience Provide them with options for the next time Add the group to your email list so you can

notify them of upcoming opportunities

Reads

http://www.handsonnetwork.org/files/innovations_in_

employee_volunteering.pdf

http://www.energizeinc.com/art/subj/trends.Html

http://blog.artsusa.org/2011/08/08/five-trends-to-watch-in-corporate-social-responsibility/

http://www.prweekus.com/five-corporate-communications-trends-to-watch-next-year/article/273824/

Q&A

THANK YOU!

Contact information

SUDESHNA DAS-MENEZESDIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEER SERVICES

FEEDMORE804.521.3277

EMAIL: SDMENEZES@FEEDMORE.ORG