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A culture of community involvement can do wonders for a company. Not only does it strengthen your relationship with customers and generally improve your image, but employee volunteerism actually makes your employees happier. According to an e-book published by MicroEdge.com, employees who had regular or frequent opportunities to volunteer<\/a> were more loyal and proud of their company, had a more positive view of the company culture, and were more likely to recommend the company to a friend. <\/p>\n Here are a few ways you can increase volunteerism among your employees:<\/p>\n Create Opportunities<\/strong> Having a fun opportunity is great, but it's more important to make sure that there's a clear impact. When you send out information about the volunteer opportunity, be sure to include statistics and information about what the non-profit is doing, and how your employees' actions will fit in. When people can see that they're making a difference, they're more likely to be interested and passionate in the activity.<\/p>\n Provide a Call to Action<\/strong> If you can, invite someone from the non-profit to come and give a presentation about the opportunity and its effects. People who attend the informational meeting are likely to move forward in the process and volunteer. <\/p>\n
\nMany employees will be interested in volunteering, but won't know where to start. By creating specific volunteering opportunities and events, you can give these employees an avenue to get started. Reach out to local non-profits and ask if they have any events that need a large group of people to help out. If you want a more regular opportunity, consider reaching out to tutoring programs or pet shelters: These types of non-profits are particularly likely to have volunteer schedules that run weekly or monthly. <\/p>\n
\nOnce you have a specific event or opportunity in mind, it's not enough to let employees know it exists. Be sure to use action phrases when you reach out to people, like "Volunteer for X" or "Sign Up for Y." Encourage them to reach out with more details if they're interested.<\/p>\n