Corporate volunteering is a compelling way for companies to make an impact in the communities in which they are based, and where their workforce live, whilst also providing an opportunity to build morale and engagement amongst staff. It also provides a fantastic opportunity to engage employees with your cause, building your supporter network and to raise vital funds.
By creating an engaging volunteer offer which enables employees to get directly involved in the work of your organisation you will also be able to secure financial support from the private sector. Large companies will often have a budget allowance that they can allocate toward team building activities, and demand for these activities is growing.
By packaging this up you can create an opportunity to “sell” meaningful and engaging volunteering opportunities. The value of the experience you offer is dependent on a range of criteria including the type of activities you can offer and the size of team you can host.
You need to ensure you are covering costs associated with planning and delivering the activity. It’s imperative that your fee covers staffing and material costs as a minimum and should also include a contribution to the overall programme. You may find that companies will say that there is no budget available for volunteering. The not-for-profit sector or community groups who are supervising and providing activities for volunteering teams should not feel guilty about covering costs or even generating a profit for your wider vision and mission.
Being able to clearly articulate this and providing a breakdown of costs associated with the volunteering activity demonstrates the value in charging for volunteering days and you will often find that budget can be found from within the business to support what will be an inspiring and engaging day for the company and their employees.