POTENTIAL CHALLENGES IMPEDING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Having an employee volunteer program integrated within your company continues to be a growing expectation among Canadian companies. In 2013, 89% of LBG Canada companies report having an established volunteer program. Yet, community investment professionals can face low employee volunteer participation and even limited enthusiasm….
WHAT IS SKILLS-BASED VOLUNTEERING? Skills-based volunteering occurs when organizations capitalize on professional skills, talents, and individual education to assist a community partner meet an objective through various volunteering activities (Volunteer Canada, 2015). Skills-based volunteering is similar to traditional volunteering as it provides a non-profit with a free service, it engages employees, and contributes to a…
CREATING A COMPANY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM TO REFLECT YOUR NEEDS Creating a successful company volunteer program is a process that requires recognizing a company’s individual context and circumstance to ensure the program fits its employee’s unique needs. Surveys taken by the London Benchmarking Group (LBG) Canada, indicate the following regarding company volunteer programs: (1) 11 out…
ENHANCED REPORTING A growing importance has been placed on organizations, by the public, to report above and beyond the financial status of the organization. Stakeholders expect enhanced reporting practices as they want to be actively communicated with, regarding the community investment activities. Increasingly, organizations are releasing annual community investment or corporate social responsibility reports to…
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A COMMUNITY PARTNER Trends indicate that companies with community investment programs are interested in partnering with community based organizations and institutions. By working with community partners, companies are able to directly benefit communities, while also strengthening relationships with their customers and employees. For effective long-term partnerships, it is important for…
KEEPING EMPLOYEES ENGAGED! Employee engagement is a recurring theme in many blog and newspaper articles. Engaged employees typically feel that they are respected, integral member of their teams, and important to the success of the organization as a whole. Not surprisingly, these employees are more likely to remain committed to their organizations. A study summarized…
HOW CAN YOU UNLOCK THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY INVESTMENT? DEFINE IT. KPMG’s recent report Unlocking the value of social investment states that companies around the world have no trouble reporting on community investment inputs and outputs, but reporting on impact remains elusive. Many challenges to impact reporting are listed, ones that we have all encountered in our…
IMPORTANCE OF AUDITING COMMUNITY INVESTMENT A recent blog post on Corporate Citizenship, Benchmarking Blunders, is a great reminder on the importance and benefits of using audited data when comparing community investment, employee giving and employee volunteering programs. Auditing is a fundamental part of the LBG Canada process. At SiMPACT, we believe the annual audit underpins…
