Relevant Corporate Volunteerism Means Stronger Employees and Leaders

Many companies have corporate volunteerism programs and encourage their associates to become active citizens within the communities they serve. We often find that these types of programs vary from company to company and don’t always connect to the overall company mission, but they should. Corporate volunteerism is actually another opportunity to connect your company’s corporate social responsibility strategy to your overall business goals.

In his recent post on the Co-Exist blog, Jean Case discusses the importance of creating strategic and reliable volunteer programs so companies can ladder up to their overall business goals and engage their employees in a meaningful way.  Case cited a 2011 IBM survey, which found that “88% of Corporate Service Corps participants reported that they had improved their leadership skills through their pro bono work.”

At Emanate, we look at all p.r. initiatives through the lens of relevance in order to determine if we are reaching our audience directly and helping our clients achieve the shortest path to success. For cause-related activities, that means identifying the initiatives that make the most sense for organizations without diluting the message or missing the target.

While employees could participate in a food drive or help build homes in a community, it is important to look at how these activities align with the the company’s mission and values. In the world of relevance marketing and reliable corporate partnerships, this point is where pro-bono activities and corporate volunteerism meet. For example, it makes more sense for a beef distribution company to invest employee time and company resources into helping nonprofits like Heifer International. Ultimately, this type of program is more relevant to both the company’s employees and consumers.

How is your company integrating their reliable corporate partnerships into employee engagement?