Personal Satisfaction through Corporate Giving

IT TAKES A TEAM TO HELP...

Although Fortune 500 companies have the manpower and bandwidth to allow a missed day of work for volunteering, entrepreneurs of smaller companies need to focus on giving back as well.  Larger corporations tend to have community relations efforts and philanthropic teamwork to give back to a cause.  In many cases I have had clients of which these initiatives are required of the employees.  It turns from a request for volunteers to a mandate undertone for continued employment.   But what can companies (small or large) do to increase philanthropy by ensuring their employees have a sense of personal satisfaction?

1. Put aside political agendas and reach what affects the majority of the internal workforce.  Look for causes of which mostly everyone has either been impacted or knows someone that was affected.  Drawing on that sympathy will inherently encourage participation.
2. Increase corporate visibility of the efforts by highlighting participants in videos throughout the company.  Most companies have marketing and public relations departments that focus on corporate videos.  When others sees a familiar face involved in giving back to a cause, they will evaluate the cause and give involvement a thought.
3. Listen to the employees' passions.  Distribute surveys, research their social media insights, and ask questions at company meetings.  Take the top 3 interests from the collective group and set up key leaders for the philanthropic initiatives.  After all, the more employees believe executives are listening, the more willing they are to work hard for the betterment of the company.

No one likes to be told what to do with their free time.  Requests that come off as mandates to volunteer during work hours don't motivate people to give 100%.  Use the aforementioned tips to ensure the personal satisfaction of giving back outweighs the time given and the feeling of a company requirement.

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Posted in: business expert,helping others,Leadership Skills,small business expert,Temeko Richardson