Corporate Volunteering
Employee Volunteering
Employees are in a great position to get their organisation thinking about
how they can contribute in their communities. The success of any corporate
volunteering program is dependent on the employees, and most successful
corporate volunteering programs were initiated by committed and motivated
employees. There are a number of ways that you can start the ball rolling,
whether your organisation gets on board or not.
Creating a group
- Start talking: express your interests and your motivations for volunteering.
You will be surprised how many like-minded people you will come across.
- Power in numbers: once you have generated a few people you are in
a good position to approach management. It is even better if you identify
someone in the management team with similar interests to drive your
idea forward.
- An out of hours event: get together and put your ideas into action.
It could be a Saturday morning working bee, an evening assisting in
soup kitchen, or assisting at a sporting event or carnival.
- Keep talking: take photos, tell stories, share your successes and your challenges. People will come out of the woodwork to support you. This evidence is often what it takes for an organisation to donate employee time, pro bono services and sometimes even sponsor a cause their employees value.
Independent volunteering
- Act on your motivation: call an organisation that shares your passion.
If you are not sure where to start, contact Volunteering Queensland,
or go to the “I want to volunteer” section of the Volunteering
Queensland website to find an opportunity near you that meets your needs.
- Start talking: as above, sharing what you are doing is a great way
to contribute to your cause and find like-minded people. At this point
a group may spontaneously form.
- Talk to your manager: often a performance appraisal is a good time to do this. Asking for volunteer time as a reward could be viewed favourably by your organisation, and the request will be on your record.
Ways of contributing as an employee
- Volunteer using your specific skills set. Accountants could volunteer
as Treasurers or on Management Committees and make a really valuable contribution
with their specialist skills. Graphic designers, landscapers, chefs and
teachers all have specialised skills often sought after by organisations.
- Volunteer based on your available time. It seems everyone is time
poor in recent times. Talk to the group you would like to volunteer for,
and find out what you can do in the evenings, on a weekend, or on one
weekend a month. There are many different ways of contributing that neither
you nor the organisation may have considered. Virtual volunteering (online)
is a great way for professionals to volunteer.
- Volunteer based on the needs of the organisation. Approach an organisation and ask them “Where are your gaps? What do you need?” You may be surprised. Help painting a building or in a working bee, fundraising or simply raising awareness by word of mouth may be pressing needs at a point in time. All levels of contributions are important to community organisations.
An important note... don’t overstretch yourself. Start small and give more if you are able rather than over committing and pulling back.