Workplace Giving Guide

Workplace Giving Guide
Updated: March of 2018

What is Workplace Giving?

Recent research has proven that humans by nature are good, and we want to help and cooperate. How does workplace giving play into this concept? Some people believe there is an unwritten social contract for companies to give back. Companies are given this opportunity through corporate philanthropy and employee volunteering and giving.

Companies work to create a certain image that represents and targets they wish to exemplify. Using this as their guide, they can give back to their communities, charities and even employees.

Why is Workplace Giving Important?

In the past, workplace giving wasn’t a prime topic in the corporate world. Companies would donate to charities around the holidays and employees would maybe take a day or two out of the year to volunteer their time in the community, but lately workplace giving has started to evolve.

As they enter the workforce, Millennials especially have started to demand more workplace giving, philanthropy and volunteering. Simply because this younger generation has a new outlook on life, which includes a strong sense of giving back, workplace giving has become crucial to implement or companies risk losing out on top talent.

Curious how this takes a toll on Millennial decision-making when choosing a job? Take a look:

• In a survey of 15,000 “Class of 2014” graduates, most wanted jobs with companies that make a difference in the world and give employees opportunities to meaningfully contribute to society. Corporations are increasingly implementing corporate philanthropy programs to attract talented employees.
• A whopping 76% of Millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work.
• A survey done by Robert Half showed that 61% of U.S. workers believe that taking part in philanthropic activities outside of work enhances their wellness, allowing them to be more effective on the job. Imagine what could happen if they were able to also volunteer on the job.

Workplace Giving Statistics

Need a few facts to sway your decision on workplace giving? It’s not just a trendy phase that’s going to come and go. It’s here to stay for good with this generation and the ones to come. We compiled just a few stats for you on why workplace giving is an important factor for you and your employees and why you should be implementing it in your business today:

• A study by PwC showed that employees who are engaged at work are 87% less likely to resign than employees who consider themselves disengaged. 
• Studies found that companies that correctly implemented continuous giving programs saw higher revenues, greater customer loyalty, higher employee satisfaction, engagement and productivity, better employee retention, significantly better customer service and satisfaction and improved profitability.
• Of the Millennials who heard about cause work in the interview, 55% of them said the company’s involvement with causes helped persuade them to take the job.

How to Start a Workplace Giving Program

Whether it be a holiday event or a year round program, you’re going to need to cover the basics first. When first starting out, employees can have a short term attention span towards giving. The campaigns or new programs may be like a new shiny toy that’s fun in the beginning, but as schedules get busier, employees can lose focus and not prioritize it as much.

With that being the case, it’s crucial to implement the following steps to have a successful long-term giving program:

Steps for starting a giving program:

1. Define your focus to align with employee and company values.
2. Tailor the program to fit your company’s specific and unique needs.
3. Design achievable goals to ensure you can reach them.
4. Put together and pitch to leadership implementing a giving program into the budget.
5. Get support from company leadership to kickoff employee participation.
6. Create a meaningful experience by surveying employees and get them involved.
7. Communicate to employees via email, meetings, social media and company intranet.
8. Set up a quarterly giving goal calendar to make sure you are staying on track

Workplace and Employee Giving Best Practices

As the workforce gradually gravitates more and more into Corporate Philanthropy and Social Responsibility, companies are finding that internal giving programs are becoming a benefactor in recruiting talent and retaining current employees. Not only is it an employee perk, but also an effective PR tool for the company as consumers value socially responsible businesses.

We put together the 3 P’s of Workplace Giving Best Practices:

Promote:

Promoting continuously to your team and company is an important step in making sure your giving program is seamless and goes off without a hitch. People can’t participate if they don’t know about the program. While email alerts, SMS text and flyers are okay, focus on adding it into company meetings and social events to spread the word. What better time to talk about it than when the whole organization is all in one place?

Provide:

Providing options to your employees and teams is a surefire way to get EVERYONE involved. People love options and we all know that you will NOT be able to please everyone with one single option. Determine two to three options in your giving program to make sure everyone can take part in it and not feel left out or not capable of investing in it.

Place:

Placement of your giving program can make or break it. As busy people, we like it quick, easy and on the go. If you are able to make your giving program mobile, do it! Not only is this beneficial for you and your team, but for those in the company that travel the majority of the time or work from home.

Workplace Giving Program Ideas

The following workplace giving programs should be considered:

• Dollars for Doers
• Event Management
• Payroll Deduction
• Charitable Spending Account. 

Get the full list of our CSR programs to increase employee participation and learn how to maximize your impact. Want to be able to manage your giving program efficiently and seamlessly? With our robust and innovative management software you can do it all from the comfort of your desk, on the go or even at home!

Workplace Giving Articles:

• https://blog.cybergrants.com/company-giving-secret-weapon-payroll-integration-201702.html

• https://blog.cybergrants.com/best-practices-to-supercharge-giving-programs

• https://blog.cybergrants.com/16-tips-to-increase-employee-participation-in-this-season-of-giving-part-2-201612.html

• https://blog.cybergrants.com/16-tips-to-increase-employee-participation-in-this-season-of-giving-part-1-201611.html

• https://blog.cybergrants.com/employee-giving-and-volunteering-program-201506.html

• https://blog.cybergrants.com/long-term-giving-program-201406.html

• https://blog.cybergrants.com/employee-giving-is-the-community-connection-your-company-needs-201606.html

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