Corporate volunteering programs shift gears to adapt to a virtual world

COVID-19 has laid bare the needs of many in America, yet corporate gift-giving and volunteer programs have been put on hold as employees work remotely and manage their own precarious financial situations.

Corporations gave $21.09 billion to charitable organizations in 2019, and 80% of employees donate to a charity each year, according to the National Philanthropic Trust. However, more than half of nonprofits anticipate raising less money in 2020 and 2021 because of the financial stressors of the pandemic, a survey by the Association of Fundraising Professionals found.

The pandemic has offered employers and employees a new opportunity to refocus on what’s important and find ways to give back, says Amy Mosher, chief people officer at isolved, a payroll software provider. As employers contemplate remote and hybrid work strategies, corporate philanthropy should be top priority.

“The pandemic has really given us even more opportunities to give that we didn't think we could before,” Mosher says. “I think that a lot of people understand the importance of that extra meal or that shelter, and giving employees the opportunity to give in different ways makes a huge impact in their involvement and connection.”

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Previously, employers would choose a non-profit organization to support or launch a day of service for employees, Mosher says. While these initiatives are important, the shift to virtual philanthropy offers employees a much greater opportunity for them to put their money and time into causes they care about.

“Instead of choosing one or two philanthropic associations that you target, you can allow your employees to give where they feel it's important to give their time, their energy and their money,” she says. “That's hugely valuable and it creates a culture shift where your employees feel like they own it more.”

Employees value opportunities to give back to their communities, through their time or monetary donations: 70% of employees say that volunteering boosts morale more than other group activities like happy hours, and 89% believe that companies with corporate giving and volunteer programs have a better overall work environment, data from Deloitte found.

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The payroll platform revamped their own corporate giving strategies to launch Giving & Volunteering, a virtual platform available for employer clients that connects companies with more than two million non-profit organizations and helps handle the administrative load around managing donations, volunteer hours and tax reporting tasks.

“We’re seeing a lot more monetary giving across the board and now employees can volunteer wherever they want,” Mosher says. “The platform gives them an administratively savvy way to manage that — the ease of access gives way to a much larger percentage of your organization participating.”

The Giving & Volunteering platform will even allow employees to make automatic deductions from their paycheck to give to a nonprofit organization. While there’s still space for volunteer days and corporate giving initiatives, these virtual efforts help employers adapt and enhance the philanthropic experience.

“There's value in bringing people together who have the same types of values and allowing them to have community within your organization and your culture, but so is the ability to give to something that you really believe in,” Mosher says. “Employees just desperately want to help during a time when they feel helpless. People in general are looking to contribute to the greater good.”