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Studies have shown that volunteering can improve a person’s mental health and lower blood pressure. It can also increase their happiness and help them feel better about themselves. Many companies have volunteer programs encouraging employees to give back to their communities. A volunteer program can also help a local nonprofit organization by providing them with much-needed assistance. There are a variety of tips that can help you implement effective volunteer programs at your company.

One of the most effective ways to give back to the community is by establishing a volunteer program. This can be very cost-effective, providing free labor to an organization that may be understaffed. It can also help boost employee morale and enhance the company’s engagement. There are a variety of ways that you can encourage your employees to give back to their local communities, such as volunteering at an animal shelter or school.

Pay Employees for Volunteer Time

In addition to being very cost-effective, providing paid time off to your employees for volunteering can also help boost employee morale and encourage them to give back to the community. Many people would like to help a local nonprofit organization but may not have the time or resources to do so.

Highlight Nonprofits

To help inspire your employees to give back to the community, you can highlight various nonprofit organizations through your company’s internal communications platform. This can be done by starting with those with a solid connection to your company. Your company’s communications team can also create profiles of the individuals or organizations they’ve helped, as well as the work the nonprofit needs help with. These can be done in various ways, such as by posting photos of the organization’s work.

Integrate Volunteering Opportunities

At the start of every meeting, your managers can discuss the need for volunteers at a local school or nonprofit organization. They can also ask an employee to share their experience volunteering. You can additionally place volunteer posters in various areas of the office, such as the break room and the bathrooms. Having enough exposure to volunteer opportunities can help inspire your employees to give back to the community.

Invite Feedback

After their paid leave has been used up, your employees might have ideas to share with you. You can provide them various means to communicate their experiences, such as an online portal or an email address. You can also feature their feedback in an article or a meeting.

Have a Volunteer Work Day

A companywide volunteer day is ideal for leveraging your workforce and giving back to the community. You can partner with a local nonprofit organization to identify the various tasks your employees can perform daily. Then, set aside time for everyone to volunteer. One of the most common ways employees can participate in corporate volunteering is by cleaning city parks.

Suppose you’re not happy with the idea of having everyone doing work for a single organization. In that case, you can partner with an umbrella group that can connect you to other groups in need of assistance. For instance, if you have an inter-faith alliance or United Way agency, you can easily split your staff into multiple sites by having employees paint at a domestic violence shelter and perform other tasks at an elementary school.