Volunteer Week is a special opportunity to celebrate your commitment to positive social impact, express gratitude to nonprofits, and commemorate our collective efforts to create positive change. This is a great time to foster a culture of social engagement and highlight the importance of volunteering in the community.
In this blog post, we’ll explore seven ways for you to make an impact while celebrating Volunteer Week (and beyond!).
1: Volunteer
Hopefully, this is obvious, but let’s start here anyway: Volunteering is a popular way to celebrate Volunteer Week and make a difference! Getting involved is an easy way to connect with coworkers and get to know your community. Volunteer events are also a great way to strengthen relationships with nonprofits in your community.
2: Plan your next volunteer event
Volunteering is important year-round, not just during Volunteer Week. If time has flown by for you the way it has for us this year, the next best thing is to plan your next volunteer event (what we here at Field Day call a “Field Trip”). Organize a volunteer event to unite your employees as a team and provide a tangible way for them to engage.
Pro tip: Invite employees to share their favorite nonprofits or causes. Then, create volunteer events that align with these interests. This is an easy way to engage more employees to participate in volunteer events.
3: Share your collective impact
Highlight volunteer experiences and overall impact to showcase your company's social impact programs. Share the outcomes you achieved as a group and stories from engaged volunteers to inspire employees to participate.
Here are some elements of your social impact program that are great for sharing on social media and in company newsletters:
- Photos from volunteer events
- Stories and quotes from volunteers
- Impact statistics (volunteer hours, monetary value of volunteer time)
Companies use Field Day to organize events and track data around hours, participation, cause areas, and nonprofits. Field Day collects photos, quotes, and nonprofit impact statements to help companies showcase their community engagement efforts.
4: Spotlight champions of change
Showing appreciation for active volunteers will foster an engaged company culture. You can thank volunteers on social media, in your company newsletter, or with awards. Highlight top volunteers to encourage others to get involved and show your company's dedication to the community.
Pro tip: Create a volunteer recognition program to honor your most engaged employees. Rewards can be as simple -- a company newsletter spotlight, a special perk, or a donation to the employee’s favorite nonprofit.
5: Recognize nonprofit partners in your community
Recognize and reach out to local nonprofits involved in your social impact programs. Post on social media, send thank-you notes, or make a donation to show your appreciation to nonprofit partners. Inviting a nonprofit to speak with your employees is also a great way to honor your relationships.
6: Create social impact goals and challenges
Use Volunteer Week to set goals for the rest of the year. Engage employees with challenges or set a company-wide goal to drive a greater collective impact.
Team challenges are a great way to foster teamwork and collaboration through volunteering. Set goals and gamify to motivate your employees and nurture a sense of belonging to something more meaningful.
7: Shine a light on your social impact programs
Volunteer Week is a chance to reflect on your company’s commitment to community engagement. It can also be a catalyst for your social impact programs. Use this time to remind employees of your programs and inspire them to participate.
Volunteer Week is also an excellent opportunity to make volunteering a part of your company’s culture. By recognizing the value of volunteer work, you can inspire employees to engage with your social impact programs.
Ready to build your social impact program? Field Day can help your company create innovative corporate volunteering and giving processes. Learn more about how Field Day enhances social impact programs for teams of all sizes, everywhere. Book a demo today.
Make Volunteer Week last all year long
Volunteer Week goes beyond attending events – it’s about showcasing your social impact programs, celebrating volunteers, and strengthening community partnerships.
Companies can foster a culture of social impact by creating opportunities to participate and by recognizing participants. This will ultimately inspire others to join in and make a greater collective impact on the community beyond this special week. This is what Volunteer Week is all about: the power of volunteering.
