Modern workers expect employers to be a force for good, and employee volunteer programs (EVPs) have become a key element of overarching corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies.
EVPs spark employee engagement and mobilize your people to drive change, especially when the programs are centered around causes your people care about. And when companies actively promote EVPs and allow staff to volunteer on company time, interest and participation jumps
This guide outlines how to build sustainable EVPs that rally internal support to deliver lasting results.
Benefits of employee volunteer programs
A well-run EVP will help you meet business goals while creating meaningful opportunities for your people to give back.
- Inside the workplace, EVPs foster belonging, improve recruitment efforts and boost retention.
- Beyond the office, EVPs strengthen nonprofit partnerships and deepen community impact.
According to our latest State of Corporate Purpose Report, 94% of companies say volunteering helps build a resilient business.
Additional EVP benefits include:
- Stronger brand trust and reputation: When companies support their communities, they earn greater trust from their employees and their audience.
- Leadership and skill development: Volunteering gives employees the opportunity to develop leadership traits and build transferable skills.
- Alignment between business and social purpose: A well-designed EVP connects company values with real-world impact to demonstrate what your business stands for.
“Volunteering is emerging as a critical component of building more resilient companies and cultures as we continue to experience the increasing pace of both technological and workplace change.” —Candace Worley, Chief Product Officer for Benevity
12 best practices for more impactful employee volunteer programs
You need to go beyond one-off events to build a sustainable, high-impact volunteer program. These proven practices will help you create a volunteer culture that resonates with your people, evolves with your business and embeds purpose into your organization.
1. Regularly create volunteer opportunities for your people
Building a thriving EVP starts with providing consistent and accessible opportunities for your people to get involved.
Our State of Corporate Volunteering 2024 Report found that organizations that offer company-supported volunteer opportunities experience employee participation rates that are, on average, 7.6 times higher than those without these initiatives.To create momentum among workers, offer regular opportunities to volunteer in addition to a company-wide annual event; consistency makes it easier for people to engage and keep showing up. Align these with awareness days, specific company goals or community needs to make them more relevant and inspire employees to participate.
2. Encourage and enable employees to create volunteer opportunities for issues they care about
Everyone’s volunteering journey is different, and employees are more likely to get involved when they can support the causes that matter most to them.
That’s why one of the most effective ways to build a successful EVP is by giving your people options. We found that when organizations offer a mix of company-organized and employee-created volunteer opportunities, participation increases by 12 times, on average.
Providing your team with the necessary tools to plan their own events, like informational resources and easy access to your volunteering software, empowers them to lead with confidence and motivates them to amplify their impact.
3. Build a culture of service at your workplace
Your volunteer program will flourish when it’s embedded in your company culture. Normalize participation by encouraging leaders to get involved and lead by example. Highlight employee volunteer stories in internal communications, and celebrate group achievements at company meetings or on digital channels.
Offering paid time off to volunteer or organizing team-based events can also drive participation. The more your people see volunteering as part of how things are done, the more inspired they’ll be to take part.
4. Expand your program’s definition of volunteering
Not everyone can join a beach cleanup or hand out meals on a weekday afternoon — and that’s okay. An inclusive EVP recognizes that impact comes in many forms, both big and small.
Broaden your definition of volunteering to include mentorship, skills-based projects, pro bono work, virtual volunteering, peer support and more. Consider including Volunteer Acts of Kindness, too, like picking up groceries for a neighbor.
By expanding what “counts,” you make it easier for everyone to participate in a way that fits their time, abilities and location. A broader program definition makes your EVP more accessible and inviting to all employees to help boost participation.
5. Combine giving with volunteering
Time and money are both powerful ways to support a nonprofit, and they’re even more impactful together. Integrate charitable giving with volunteer activities, such as pairing a volunteer day with a donation drive, to boost employee engagement and amplify impact.
Among employees who volunteer, 70% also donate money through their workplace giving programs. And when they do donate, they give twice as much as those who don’t volunteer.
When you create integrated campaigns and enable your people to contribute in multiple ways, you’ll see stronger participation and community outcomes.
6. Reward volunteers for their time, no matter how long or short
Recognition is one of the most effective ways to keep people engaged in your EVP. Whether someone volunteers for a half hour or a full day, acknowledging their effort reinforces the idea that every action makes a difference.
Offer rewards, like “Dollars for Doers” — a corporate giving program that provides financial donations to nonprofits based on volunteer hours logged by employees — to recognize your people’s contributions and amplify their impact. You can also celebrate participation with badges, shout-outs or other forms of recognition across internal channels.
7. Meet your people wherever they’re located
With so many employees now working remotely or in hybrid setups, a successful EVP will meet them wherever they are. That means offering a mix of in-person and virtual opportunities and making sure employees across different regions and time zones have equal access to participate in volunteering initiatives.
To make volunteering even easier for employees, no matter where they’re located, check out the Benevity app. They can discover and sign up for opportunities, log hours on the go, track their impact and share photos of their experience in real time.
8. Help your people easily identify and find virtual volunteer opportunities
Virtual volunteering opens the door for more employees to get involved with your EVPs, especially those with limited time, mobility or access to in-person events. But participation starts with visibility, so clearly label your volunteer opportunities as virtual or remote so employees can quickly find what’s accessible to them.
Benevity’s integration with VolunteerMatch, for example, helps employees find virtual opportunities from vetted nonprofit organizations. Use filters, tags and personalized recommendations in your platform to help surface the most relevant opportunities.
For more ideas and best practices, explore Benevity’s Virtual Volunteering Guide.
9. Facilitate safe, in-person volunteering options
Many people find purpose through in-person experiences, from local cleanups to youth mentoring. These opportunities build connection and community in a way that virtual options sometimes can’t.
However, some team members may be hesitant to head to a neighborhood they’ve never been to before or show up at a volunteering event where they don’t know anyone.
Make participation easier and ease employees’ worries by sharing clear event details and what to expect in advance, and provide a point of contact participants can reach out to on the day of the event should any issues arise.
For ideas and ready-made resources, explore Benevity’s National Volunteer Week Activation Kit.
10. Empower your ERGs to inform, educate and engage
Employee resource groups (ERGs) help you build a more inclusive workplace culture. These low-risk, high-trust bridges to inclusion and connection also surface valuable insights that can help you shape volunteer initiatives and expand your program’s social impact.
66% of large enterprises and 89% of small businesses consult with ERGs on decisions that affect the communities they represent. So invite your ERGs to co-create volunteer opportunities.
When your employees are directly involved in choosing which causes you support with your volunteering efforts, your EVPs become more inclusive, engaging and appealing.
11. Make use of your local champions
No one is more in tune with local nonprofit organizations and employee interests than your local champions. These passionate advocates, who handle and coordinate volunteer events from start to finish, can help identify meaningful causes and build relationships with local organizations.
So equip champions with the tools and resources they need to promote opportunities and rally employees effectively. These can include editable outreach templates, access to your volunteering platform and insights into employee interests and participation trends. You can also offer training sessions to help them lead with confidence.
Benevity’s Ambassador Guide is an excellent resource to get started on building your network of dedicated champions. It includes promotional tools, event planning tips and ideas for recognition to support champions every step of the way.
12. Motivate your employees with challenges
Doing good is often incentive enough for employees to engage in your corporate volunteer programs, but creating a challenge out of them makes participation even more compelling. We’ve found that employees who participate in challenges, specifically with Benevity’s platform, are two times more likely to volunteer or donate.
With Benevity Challenges, you get access to personalized dashboards, progress bars and friendly leaderboards to gamify your volunteer programs and keep employees motivated and accountable.
Measuring employee volunteering success and impact: 5 tips
It’s not enough to do good; you need to demonstrate the tangible impacts of your initiatives. Track metrics and engagement to evaluate the success and impact of your EVPs and broader CSR initiatives. The following tips will help you measure success and uncover insights that enable you to maximize participation, action and results.
- Set clear metrics and KPIs: Strong programs start with clear goals. Yet nearly half of companies say that a lack of defined metrics makes it difficult to measure CSR success. Setting clear KPIs that measure program impact will help you track progress and improve your strategy.
- Track engagement: Use data to understand how your people are getting involved in your EVPs. Benevity makes it easy to instantly pull participation rates, volunteer hours and engagement trends, so you can see who’s volunteering and how involvement varies across teams and locations.
- Assess your CSR impact: When you connect volunteer participation to real-world outcomes, it becomes easier for leaders to understand the value of your volunteer programs. Benevity’s Impact Reports help link every initiative to your broader CSR goals to demonstrate how employee actions directly contribute to community impact and company goals.
- Analyze employee benefits: Purpose-driven programs don’t just benefit communities; they also make your workplace stronger and more connected. We’ve found that there’s a clear link between an employee’s participation in a corporate purpose program and how long they stay at a company. Use surveys or focus groups to understand how volunteering supports morale, skill-building and a sense of belonging across your teams.
- Refine based on insights: The strongest programs are built to adapt. Continuously use feedback and data to adjust your program and ensure it remains effective and aligned with company values.
Make your EVP a force for good
Employee volunteer programs are a high-impact way to connect your people to your purpose while driving lasting results for your community. When designed with intention, EVPs can strengthen company culture, grow engagement and align your CSR efforts with what truly matters to both your business and your employees.
Start with small, meaningful steps, and let your people lead the way. With the right support and structure, your EVP can become a powerful force for good.
Need more information about building a champion or ambassador program at your company? Check out our Ambassador Network Guide.
