Corporations organize Employee Volunteer Programs (EVP) to empower and enable employees to give back to their communities and the world by contributing their skills and time to organizations that seek to improve people’s lives and the environment.
Most EVPs are part of a company’s corporate social responsibility program (CSR) or community engagement program (CEP), which primarily focuses on how companies can contribute to different causes in local communities and the world.
Corporate volunteer programs are valuable to a company as they boost employee morale and employee retention while providing outlets for them to dedicate time toward causes they are passionate about. Through volunteer experiences, employees can hone their skills in leadership and teamwork while instilling a sense of purpose. Successful EVPs prove a company’s ability to develop leaders and meet the needs of those locally and worldwide.
Read further to learn more about the creative ways companies are incorporating EVPs and rewarding employees for volunteering and giving back to their communities.
Microsoft | Hack for Good
Microsoft prioritizes making a difference by empowering its employees to volunteer at various nonprofits and make a positive impact. Microsoft’s Hack for Good volunteer program connects a worldwide community of Microsoft employees to collaborate and create solutions to empower nonprofits by using their unique skillset for impact.
Microsoft Give Match facilitates employee volunteering by giving $25 for every hour of volunteer service. Employees can also contribute to nonprofits they are particularly passionate about with a one-to-one match of up to $15,000 annually. Through Microsoft’s giving program, US employees have volunteered 720,000 hours and donated $255 million to 32,000 nonprofits and schools worldwide in 2022.
Learn more here.
Patagonia | Environmental Internship Program
Patagonia has set up an Environmental Internship Program in which employees can volunteer for up to two months for an environmental group of their choice while continuing to receive their paychecks and benefits. A free Patagonia employee intern is a huge asset to local nonprofits and social impact communities. Also the employee returns with uplifting stories and a new commitment to Patagonia’s environmental mission.
Patagonia set a new tone for impact when billionaire owner, Yvon Chouinard, announced in 2022 that all of the company’s profits will go into supporting the fight for the Earth’s climate devastation.
Learn more here.
Timberland | Path of Service
Timberland’s Path of Service Volunteer program has long been an active volunteer program. Every employee gets up to 40 hours of paid time off every year for volunteer work. Volunteer efforts range from clean up, painting, planting, rebuilding, and whatever else needs to get done.
They even host an organic garden at HQ whose proceeds go to a local food bank.
Learn more here.
FleetPride | FleetPride Nation
FleetPride’s Corporate Social Responsibility has a very active volunteer program. They create excitement during volunteer month through competition with a regional volunteer contest: the region with the most volunteer hours will win money to donate to the nonprofit of their choice. They include a second and third place pool as well, all with big rewards. They use this opportunity to create awareness around select nonprofit organizations.
FleetPride also supports other initiatives throughout the year. For example, they run a Mental Health Awareness volunteer campaign during Mental Health month. The campaign offers deliverable opportunities to choose from as well as nonprofits to support. They offer information on virtual volunteering opportunities, like becoming a crisis hotline counselor.
Learn more here.
Hasbro | Team Hasbro
Team Hasbro is responsible for developing several programs, all developed to enhance team building and all dedicated to serving children in the local communities.
Service for Schools – An initiative that can include painting, landscaping, designing murals, creating playspaces and donating toys and games. The purpose is to make the first day of school extra special for students in local communities.
Game Day – A day dedicated to seeing products come to life and gives children the opportunity to “play with the pros.”
Global Day of Joy – An annual volunteer day. Every December, thousands of Hasbro employees worldwide gather together to complete service projects for families in their communities.
Learn more here.
Fooji | Local Impact
Fooji is a huge supporter of their local community with 100% of their donations made to Lexington, Kentucky-based organizations.. They are dedicated to prioritizing local small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations that focus on mental health, education, youth development, and housing Initiatives can include sponsorships, donations, workplace campaigns, and volunteer work.
Fooji has recently kick-started a volunteer program through Millie and wasted no time setting up a program kick-off event supporting Lighthouse Ministries in honor of National Volunteer Month. Fooji is a great example of moving the needle in support of local communities.
Learn more here.
Sentinel Group | SentinelCares
Sentinel Group is known for employee engagement through internal championing. Community Development Specialists support their modern digital event efforts with a dedicated grass roots approach – in person communication. Sentinel strongly believes that employees demonstrate the greatest level of passion and generosity when serving those in need. They encourage employees to take advantage of a paid day of service each year so they can give back in the way that matters most; their time.
Sentinel has a very active volunteer program, with multiple events going on every month. One popular program is their Remote/Virtual Hands Only CPR Training. This event partners with the American Heart Association to become a CPR Anytime sponsor. This program not only has major health and safety benefits for loved ones, but is also a great way to engage employees for future events.
Learn more here.
McKesson | Vitality Program
McKesson is a pharmaceutical company that partners with the government, pharmacies, and care providers to develop and deliver quality healthcare in a more affordable and accessible manner. McKesson is also dedicated to facilitating volunteering initiatives and empowering employees to engage in their communities.
McKesson encourages volunteer time through an online volunteering platform on which employees can log their volunteer hours and earn grants for every ten service hours. By volunteering, employees also earn wellness points through McKesson’s Vitality program, which seeks to care for employees’ mental health, financial needs, and overall well-being.
McKesson will also match employees’ donations to nonprofits up to $2,500 a year per employee.
Learn more here.
NVIDIA | Inspire 365
NVIDIA Corporation manufactures graphics processors, mobile technologies, and desktop computers globally. As of 2023, NVIDIA is #5 on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work 2023 list. At NVIDIA, giving back is a top priority, as various incentives and programs are in place to empower employees to volunteer.
Through NVIDIA’s Inspire 365 initiative, employees have flexible time off to dedicate to volunteering and opportunities to volunteer on company time. Volunteer activities involve tutoring, mentoring, assisting with disaster relief, and organizing volunteer events.
NVIDIA will also match employee donations up to $2,500 a year per employee, and new hires are granted $25 to donate to the cause of their choice.
Learn more here.
HireMinds | Hearts of HireMinds
HireMinds empowers its employees to volunteer through a social impact program that supports many initiatives.
Career Collaborative – A cause that supports underrepresented individuals entering the workforce by volunteering time and resume writing expertise.
Company Summer Outing – A yearly scavenger hunt where teams are sent out to purchase supplies to build backpacks for the Pieces of Home project.
100 Mile Challenge – An exercise challenge supporting employees by adding $1.50 per every mile ran, walked, or cycled into their company wallet to be donated to the nonprofit of their choice.
HireMinds is always supporting creative volunteer opportunities that support employee passion areas. They are also very active communicators through social media on their volunteer initiatives, which is a great opportunity to boost excitement and increase awareness for cause areas.
Learn more here.
Interested in learning more about how to leverage your social impact program with Millie? Check out how we can support your Company Match Program, Volunteer Program, Groups Initiatives, and Campaigns.
