5 Tips To Ensure Your Company Is Ready For The Giving Season

5 Tips To Ensure Your Company Is Ready For The Giving Season

The holidays are upon us along with the busiest corporate volunteer and giving season. This includes Giving Tuesday and the weeks of December where employees are more eager for their company to give back than ever. Your employees are expecting a giving or volunteer event. These are 5 tips to make sure you’re ready:

• Start your planning now! This is probably the most important tip we can give. Volunteer opportunities go quickly, especially in major cities. By the time November rolls around, companies are scattered looking for opportunities with few nonprofits having remaining availability. Start your planning now and get your company in the calendar for the causes your employees care about. If you’re looking at this in November, we highly recommend our WeHero DIY volunteer events to save the day.
• The Giving Tuesday that positively impacts the world, and your company. When planned in advance, a great Giving Tuesday can make a positive impact but done the right way, it can significantly excite employees, increase your brand sentiment, and make for a better business. Remember the WeHero saying, “people want to work for and buy from companies that give”. Think strategically about your Giving Tuesday campaign and involve marketing, HR, and any other departments you think would be valuable to get behind it. It may just be the biggest boost for your company to end the year with a bang.
• Get your employees involved in deciding which causes to support. Sometimes getting employees engaged is can be a challenge. We have found that if employees receive a survey with a few options on causes to support, they buy in very early to the process and are much more likely to attend a corporate volunteer activity. If you want to take it to the next level, allow your employees to submit ideas early on and see if you notice a consistent theme. Remember, as tempting as some causes may be to support, make sure your efforts will create an actual impact and not just create busywork. You’ll also want to do your best to make sure the cause you support is aligned with your company mission and values.
• In-office volunteer opportunities may be your best bet. Baby, it's cold outside! While it may be tempting to get offsite and volunteer at a homeless shelter or remodel a classroom. Remember, that the holidays are often the year-end for many companies, which means employees may be strapped for time. To get the greatest engagement possible, consider hosting a volunteer event in office to make the opportunity to give back easy and accessible for employees. For in-office volunteer ideas, make sure to get in touch with us!
• Continuous improvement. After all the hard work of executing your giving campaign or volunteer event, it can be easy to sit back, relax, and enjoy the egg nog. However, before you set out for your ski trip, survey your employees. Learn what they liked and what they didn’t. Remember, we can build a better company with our giving efforts. With the right data from your team you can make a better campaign next month or next season. Again, like the survey you may send in advance for ideas on where to give, employees will feel they are being heard, and can get directly involved in the company's social efforts.

We wish everyone a happy giving season! As always, WeHero is here to support with any of your corporate giving and volunteer efforts. Don’t be afraid to say hello and we’ll be excited to get into the giving spirit with you!