6 National Corporate Volunteering Programs
Employee engagement programs come in several forms based on a company’s goals and objectives as well as which employee engagement program best fits a company’s culture.
Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO): Companies allow employees time off to volunteer during the workweek by setting a designated number of hours a year (such as 4, 8, or 16 hours per year). Companies can allow employees off campus or find innovative ways like TutorMate, which is an online tutoring program, where employees can stay at work but still give their time.
Dollars for Doers Program: Companies designate a contribution amount ($25, $50, $100, $500) to the employee’s charity of choice for volunteering a certain number of hours with the company or volunteering a certain number of hours with a charity. In essence, employees get “dollars for doing.”
Day of Service: A company-wide initiative where the entire company comes together on a specific day or weekend to volunteer. Companies can have monthly, quarterly or yearly day of service events.
Skilled Base Volunteering (SBV): SBV is when company employees offer nonprofits their personal talents or professional competences to help organizations meet their demands. From the COO offering free strategic planning advice to the millennial offering social media training, these well-needed services can easily be found and help transform a nonprofit organization.
Pro Bono Services: Employees offer free services for the public good without charge. Often times, charities are in need of free legal, HR, strategic planning or accounting work done.
Matching Gifts: When an employee makes a donation to a nonprofit, the company then matches the donation either dollar for dollar or matches a certain percentage of the donation. Matching gifts can have a cap on the amount a company matches.
