Volunteer Appreciation Week takes place each year celebrating volunteers. This year, Volunteer Appreciation Week takes place April 18 – 24.  

Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs), who rely heavily on the goodwill of volunteers, use this week of recognition to celebrate those who dedicate their time and energy to help the causes they represent. 

Dedicated and committed volunteers are key to keeping a nonprofit sustainable. Volunteers, along with donors, allow NPOs to pursue their mission, accomplish their goals. They are also vital to ensure that an NPO can serve those they aim to help. However, recognizing and showing appreciation to volunteers should not be exclusive to nonprofits.   

Chances are, as an organization with employees, you have people on your team who regularly volunteer.

Organizations are encouraged to take this opportunity during Volunteer Appreciation Week to recognize and celebrate employees who regularly serve others. By volunteering, employees not only help their communities but studies show it can also improve their work-related skills and provide positive goodwill towards their respective organizations. 

For-Profit Organizations Value Volunteering Too

While volunteering is certainly important to the organizations they serve, employers also believe volunteering is important for their organizations. According to Kickresume.com, organizations tend to favor candidates who regularly volunteer in their community. In fact, 41% of hiring managers in the U.S. believe volunteer work is as valuable as paid work. Meanwhile, 20% of hiring managers stated they hired an employee specifically because of their volunteer experience. 

When organizational leaders celebrate employees who volunteer, employees who volunteer feel good, valued, and can inspire others to volunteer. Here are two ways you can celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week in your organization:

• Focus On Employees Who Volunteer 

Odds are, your organization has employees who volunteer. Recognizing these employees can have tangible benefits to both the organization and the employee including encouraging employees to consider volunteering. 

Individually, volunteering can help employees improve their professional skills including leadership, communication, and problem-solving.

• Focus on Company-Wide Volunteering 

While individual volunteering makes an impact, company-wide volunteering can have an even greater impact on communities. Organizations that encourage and coordinate volunteer opportunities can leverage their resources and teams to make a substantial difference to the organization and the people they serve. For the nonprofit, working with an organization who provide multiple volunteers is more efficient and effective than trying to coordinate single volunteers. 

Beyond the nonprofit, corporate-run volunteer programs can have a significant impact on your organization as well. 

Organization-based volunteer programs help businesses in three main areas

• Improve Employee Engagement 
  • A study from Boston College found that 90% of companies that measure the connection between employee engagement and on-the-job volunteering observed a positive correlation between the two.
• Positively Affect Company Culture
  • A company’s culture can be significantly improved through volunteer programs. A research study by the Deloitte Volunteer Impact Research showed that 89% of employees believed that organizations who sponsored volunteer activities offered a better overall working environment. Additionally, 75%of employees believed volunteer programs were essential to employee well-being.
• Attract The Best Talent 
  • Employees of all generations but especially Millennials take great pride in performing good deeds and working for organizations that are actively helping out social causes. Setting up a volunteer program is a great way to show employees that your organization cares about those living in its community.

The Business Of Volunteering 

Partnering with a nonprofit can open up new opportunities including extending the reach of your organization’s marketing campaigns, building brand awareness, and helping your local community. Our recent article on partnering with a nonprofit offers more details and benefits about working with nonprofits.

Inspired To Volunteer More?

If your leadership team has been looking for ways to unite your workforce, let us help. 

We’ve been making it easy for individuals and organizations to serve others. As a volunteer-driven organization, we rely on volunteers and organizations to help us serve the seniors who need our help. 

For more resources on working with a nonprofit, please see our article offering recommendations on finding an NPO which outlines three main questions to ask:

• What services does the NPO provide?
• How long has the nonprofit been operating?
• Who receives their services?

By partnering with us, your organization can ensure that seniors who need our services will receive them. Additionally, DSCC can help your organization run a successful and effective volunteer program by:

• Making it easy on your employees 
• Helping coordinate volunteers
• Helping rally employees 
• Making volunteering fun
• Ensuring it positively impacts your organization

For information on how easy it is to partner with DSCC, please send an email or contact us at (630) 620-0804.