Employee Volunteer Programs: Companies Pair Up with Nonprofits

Millennial employees are driving a shift in how companies think about attracting engagement with their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. Traditionally, companies have relied on matching funds for donations. But today, millennials prefer volunteer activities. It is possible to set up programs where employees can choose a charity and get time to participate. Even better, your company can improve relationships between employees by having them volunteer for a shared cause. A recent study by UnitedHealth Group reported that “81% of employed volunteers who volunteered through their workplace, agreed that volunteering together strengthens relations among colleagues.”

Research has made a strong case that CSR employee volunteer programs are good for both company profit and morale. We present four examples of companies that have created significant employee volunteer programs and support for “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles (IHADLA), along with some of their recent activities: FBI Los Angeles Field Office, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Sony Pictures and Michelman & Robinson LLP (M&R). At the bottom of this page, you will find an article summarizing relevant research.

FBI Los Angeles Field Office Employee Volunteer Programs

Consider mentoring as a possibility. The FBI Los Angeles field office has established a relationship with IHADLA to encourage their employees to become mentors for our dreamers.

The depth of the relationship is reflected in this NBC News clip:

“The Adopt-A-School Program puts FBI special agents and staff members into local schools to mentor and tutor kids. In most cases, our volunteers create programs to help kids who are ‘at risk’ or disadvantaged learn how to improve academically and become good citizens. They hope, above all, to show kids how to resist bad influences that could lead them to crime, drug use, gang participation, and violence. It goes without saying that our volunteers respect the privacy of the students and their families and all information is kept confidential. The Adopt-A-School Program puts FBI special agents and staff members into local schools to mentor and tutor kids.”

“In most cases, our volunteers create programs to help kids who are at risk or disadvantaged learn how to improve academically and become good citizens. They hope, above all, to show kids how to resist bad influences that could lead them to crime, drug use, gang participation, and violence. It goes without saying that our volunteers respect the privacy of the students and their families, and all information is kept confidential.”

FBI Los Angeles attending our Dreamer Dinner March 20th — Kendrick Williams, special agent in charge of the Intelligence Division at the FBI Los Angeles office, attending our Dreamer Dinner March 20th

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Employee Volunteer Programs

PwC was recognized in a Trends in Excellence study by the Corporate Institute: “PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PwC) introduces new hires to their employee volunteer program at the onset of their orientation. New hires work together to build a bike that they donate to a local youth organization.” PwC describes their CSR employee volunteerism as highly localized. This is demonstrated in the volunteer activities with our IHADLA programs. Please see PwC’s May 20th employee volunteerism activity at “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles below.

Sony Pictures Employee Volunteer Programs

Sony Pictures has a program through which a group of employees volunteered to train our sponsored students (“Dreamers”) for their WISIP prep. This group of millennial employees, known internally as the Emerging Professionals, is one of many similar groups at the studio that host speaker series, career development seminars, panel discussions, outreach, volunteer activities, and social/cultural events for employees.

Sony Picture Emerging Professionals supporting I Have a Dream Foundation Los Angeles student Dreamers — Sony Pictures Emerging Professionals volunteer group providing valuable teaching to Inglewood high school Dreamers in our Work is Success Internship Program (WISIP)

Michelman & Robinson, LLP (M&R) Employee Volunteer Programs

M&R list 10 specific nonprofits in 3 different categories that they support on their giving back page. While M&R now have offices around the country, their headquarters are in Los Angeles and the majority of their philanthropic activities are Los Angeles based as well. Please see M&R’s February employee volunteerism activity for “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles below.

Individual and Group Local Volunteerism Supported by Companies

Companies can get involved with Los Angeles nonprofits like “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles by arranging group activities (a couple of examples follow) or by supporting individual employees to volunteer with a charity of their own choosing.

Exposing employees to a pre-chosen, trustworthy nonprofit can demonstrate opportunities for employees to get more deeply involved by becoming a mentor or volunteering at some future time.

PwC’s Volunteer Experience at IHADLA on May 20

Walter Smiechewicz, a Managing Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and an “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles board member brought over 25 PwC employees to our Boyle Heights Program 19 after school program at Sunrise Elementary School. The majority of the PwC staff were CPAs, but there was also some representation from HR/recruiting as well. Walter and several other employees spoke to the kids about PwC, what accounting is, what a CPA is, and why companies would use a firm like PwC. After speaking, they played a currency game with the kids, starting with a certain amount, then talking about expenses and savings, so the kids got involved with some math. The PwC employees divided up and worked with the kids in teams. Then they played a series of games our program coordinators provided, including giant Jenga and Uno. Friday was an excellent choice for their visit because Friday is traditionally “fun day” in our after school programs.

Walter Smiechewicz wrote: “The PwC team had a wonderful time on May 20th with you all {program coordinators, executive office staff} and the students! I’ve attached some pictures, we could have sent dozens! The smiles by all parties tell the story. The only open question from the PwC side is: When can we do this again :)!”

PwC employee volunteer currency game at I Have a Dream Foundation Los Angeles — Currency game

PwC Managing Partner Walter Smiechewicz speaking to IHADLA student Dreamers — Walter Smiechewicz speaking to Dreamers

PwC employee volunteer program Jenga game with IHADLA student Dreamers — PwC Jenga game with Dreamers

Employee Volunteer Programs PwC speaking about accounting at IHADLA Boyle Heights facility — PwC’s Brian Woodward and Walter Smiechewicz talking about accounting to Program 19 Boyle Heights 3rd graders

Michelman & Robinson (M&R) Hosted an Employee Introduction to IHADLA Bowling Fundraiser

This past February, Ron Camhi, a managing partner with Michelman & Robinson (M&R), and an “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles (IHADLA) board member spearheaded the organization of an employee night featuring bowling for a cause at Pinz in Studio City. For every pin that was knocked down, each bowler donated a dollar amount of their choosing to IHADLA. When someone bowled a strike, M&R made a $20 donation. Our former CEO, Debra Fine had the opportunity to participate and socialize with the M&R employees to talk to them about IHADLA. Over $3,800 in donations were raised for IHADLA, and importantly, several employees became interested in getting further involved with IHADLA, possibly as a mentor.

Michelman and Robinson Employee Volunteerism at Pinz Studio City with managing partner Ron Camhi — Ron Camhi from M&R, who is an IHADLA board member, bowling for our Dreamers

Michelman Employee Volunteerism at Pinz Studio City with IHADLA CEO Debra Fine — IHADLA’s former CEO, Debra Fine, supporting our Dreamers with strikes

Pinz scoreboard with M&R and IHADLA logos for the event

As you can see from these examples of CSR employee volunteer programs that support IHADLA, volunteering creates positive results for companies and boosts morale for employees as a new trend in company charitable giving. The following article on the benefits of employee volunteerism summarizes a number of important findings from reliable research sources.

Three Reasons Why Your Workplace Giving Program Should Include Volunteering!

Article by FrontStream Insights

Thanks in part to the rise of Millennials in the workplace, employee volunteering is a growing hot topic for employers! While monetary donations usually steal the spotlight, many innovative companies across North America are promoting volunteer programs from understudy to the lead in their sustainability agendas.

1. VOLUNTEERING ENHANCES EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT
Millennials now occupy about 54% of the workforce according to Pew Research Center. This generation of employees is not just looking for careers where they will have opportunities to make a positive impact, they’re demanding them! So, what do millennials consider most impactful?

According to the Case Foundation’s 2015 Millennial Impact Report the answer is volunteerism. Millennial employees prefer being part of a company volunteer project rather than donating to a giving campaign. Subsequently, about 77% of millennial employees would be more likely to volunteer if they could use their specific skill-set or expertise to benefit the cause. Companies that are adjusting their CSR approach to include a heavy dose of volunteer opportunities are more successful at recruiting and retaining a millennial workforce.

2. VOLUNTEERING INCREASES EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
According to the Trends in Excellence study by the Corporate Institute, volunteering increases participation in CSR programs at work. For example, PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PwC) introduces new hires to their employee volunteer program at the onset of their orientation. New hires work together to build a bike that they donate to a local youth organization.

When companies like PwC embed volunteerism into their company culture, employee satisfaction and engagement increases substantially. Findings from a recent study by UnitedHealth Group reinforce this by reporting, “81% of employed volunteers who volunteered through their workplace, agreed that volunteering together strengthens relations among colleagues.”

3. VOLUNTEERING IS BETTER FOR YOUR BOTTOM LINE
It seems counterintuitive to match philanthropic goals to corporate goals. After all, isn’t it the objective of corporations to acquire money and resources while philanthropy is all about giving those things away? The surprise reality is that effectively integrated CSR is actually better for a company’s ROI. That’s why many corporations are already working towards this alignment.

Employee volunteering offers companies the opportunity to help the communities they serve, increase employee retention, improve happiness at work, and in-turn improve efficiencies.

Volunteerism’s potential to increase employee morale and retention while improving company metrics across the board, clearly demonstrates why volunteering programs are essential to a successful CSR program!

Many thanks to FrontStream Insights for the excellent article.