Start a corporate volunteer program and promote a culture of philanthropy with these tips from CIT. Corporate volunteerism has many benefits.

1. Corporate volunteerism has many benefits – it helps to improve the fabric of our communities,
in turn helping others, and it can also help to improve an organization’s employee morale and
bottom line.
Studies show that companies that take part in corporate giving have employees that are more
engaged, higher retention rates, and better connections with customers.
A strong, well-executed and skillfully-promoted corporate volunteer program can help to improve
corporate visibility within the community and internally. A positive community rating can prove
itself vital during times of growth and adversity.
If you are interested in fostering a culture of philanthropy within your organization, here are some
tips to help you get started:
Decide on Your Objective: Determine the goal of your efforts. Will your contribution
be in the form of time, or will it be monetary? How long will your commitment be?
Who will be the recipient of your efforts? These questions should be answered for
the short term and the long term, as they will serve as the baseline for your program.
Make the Right Choice: It is important to choose a cause that complements both your
employees and your business. Aligning your business with a nonprofit that will add value
to your brand and to the community perception of that brand is key. Your staff will also
need to be fully invested for the program to succeed. The size of the organization,
interests and objectives should all be considerations when choosing a non-profit to
partner with. Alternatively, having a wide array of causes to support can satisfy the
pet lover, home builder and gardener in your workforce. The important thing is to
choose what works for your culture.
Philanthropy…
It’s About Giving and Receiving
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© 2015 CIT Group Inc. CIT and the CIT logo are registered service marks of CIT Group Inc.
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2. Offer Incentives: Volunteering is a feel good activity that many people already do in
their personal lives. One way to encourage employees to volunteer on behalf of your
company is to offer paid time off to volunteer. It shows employees that the company
truly believes in the volunteer program and supports the community by donating
employee time to lend a hand. Recognizing these efforts with certificates of
accomplishment signed by executives are terrific ways to say thank you.
Measure Your Success: It is important to understand the impact of your program on
the community and on your business. Evaluating the success of your volunteer program
can provide the data needed to ensure that you are meeting company objectives,
enhancing the program where needed, and setting new goals. Speak with members of
your local non-profit organizations and find out how they measure success and how
your company can support their efforts.
CIT has taken many of these steps. In 2006 the Jacksonville office of CIT organized its first food
drive in support of local community action groups and food banks, with the mission that no one
in their communities should go hungry.
In 2013 that mission expanded into the company-wide food drive program Shared Harvest, a
100% employee-supported corporate volunteer program. The Shared Harvest program supports
food organizations around the world by providing donations of food, money and other needed
items that help local food banks and public action groups meet the needs of people living in
their communities.
To create engagement and encourage social media participation, CIT implemented The
Foodortunity contest. The term is a portmanteau derivative of the words “food” and
“opportunity” which ties into the company’s advertising campaign.
Also launched in 2013, the contest was designed to increase awareness of local community
organizations that focus on providing food and meals to those in need. Over the course of a
6-week period people voted online for their favorite charities, and at the end of the voting
period, CIT made donations to the top three winners.
With over 1,100 volunteers annually, CIT employees have volunteered more than 45,000 hours
globally, with a 5% increase in hours every year since the program’s inception.
For many it’s a time that they look forward to, “It’s the only time of the year I enjoy shopping”,
said Shedrick Kinard, a CIT Customer Care Manager, during a much needed visit to a local market
for the 2014 food drive. For his team, it is a time when all employees, regardless of professional
level or responsibilities, are united under a common cause.
CIT is just one of many companies that offer company- sponsored volunteer programs to help
their employees get involved. These organizations understand that as a good corporate citizen
they have an obligation to give back to the communities in which they live and work, and the
impact this has on their businesses and employees.
Sources
http://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/corporate-volunteerism-why-corporate-volunteer-programs-are-important/
http://truist.com/the-case-for-corporate-volunteer-programs/
http://www.causecast.com/blog/6-tips-for-creating-employee-volunteer-programs/
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