Your employee giving program is not taking off as you’d like. What should you do next to ensure your program is enhancing the employee experience?
Here are eight tactical tips for leaders tasked with engaging employees through charitable giving at their companies:
Getting feedback is critical to the long-term success of your employee giving program. You can send out a survey, conduct one-on-one interviews, or set up a focus group to learn from employees what matters most to them. You can also select an employee giving solution that provides employees with the opportunity to provide feedback each time they donate.
If employees know what to expect from your program, they’ll be more likely to participate. Launch a holiday giving campaign or an annual corporate giving month, then plan to stick to the same timing and terms each year. With well-established flagship programs, you can introduce your events at new hire orientation and advertise them on your company’s careers page so that everyone hears about them when they join the company.
If you are surprised by low employee participation in your one-off campaign, think about how you can incorporate a charitable mission more into your company’s year-round operations. Many companies introduce volunteer activities to new employees at orientation and swap out typical swag for gifts that give back (LINK to GIFTS page).
Tie together your employee giving initiatives under their own brand, hashtag, or logo. Programs with names and slogans are more memorable and can connect the giving program to your company’s values. Here are some favorites:
Advertising experts say a message has to be seen at least three times before viewers take action. Are employees seeing your message? Here are three ideas to get more visibility for your program:
Whether you want to see half of all employees participate or you want to raised $100,000, SMART goal-setting and impact measurement is critical. How will you know if your program is successful?
Make sure your employee giving program is not supporting just one cause or one single nonprofit organization. Let employees choose among different cause areas, so that whether they are passionate about children, animals, or STEM, they can support a charitable project that is meaningful to them.
Unlock employees’ generosity by first offering up a leading gift or a match. In either case, your company will be showing employees that the employee giving program is important enough for your company’s or foundation’s dollars to be dedicated.
We’ve seen lots of giving campaigns fail. Learn from their mistakes and from your own.
Learn more about how GlobalGiving can support your employee giving programs.
Featured Photo: Equip 200 Jamaican Youth to Combat Climate Change by ACDI/VOCA
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