3 Effective CSR Ideas that Engage Employees and Boost Morale

Your business may offer a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program to facilitate positive change in the world. However, if you don’t apply your efforts just as equally to your internal operations, you could miss out on a valuable opportunity to engage employees, increase job satisfaction, and promote retention. 

According to CSR research, 71% of employees say it’s important for employers to give back through philanthropy and volunteering. With that in mind, this guide explores three ideas for engaging employees through CSR and strategies to increase their participation in your program. 

Whether you recognize employees with gifts, facilitate employee volunteering, or support employees’ charitable donation efforts, your staff will appreciate your efforts to go above and beyond to create a positive experience for them. 

Volunteering 

Corporate-led volunteerism encourages employees to get out in the community, make new friendships, and strengthen their bonds with coworkers. Employees actively seek out businesses that offer these opportunities—in fact, 87% of employees think workplace volunteering opportunities are important when considering whether to stay with an employer. 

Strategies to Incorporate

• Offer volunteer time off (VTO). VTO is paid time off that employees specifically use to volunteer. Providing VTO allows employees to avoid taking time out of their weekends or after work. As a result, they can be more present during volunteer opportunities and get more value from their experiences. 
• Plan group volunteer events. Send a survey to gauge employee availability and plan volunteer outings on days when employees are most likely to be free, such as Saturday mornings. Try to get as many employees to participate as possible to foster a more engaging environment for participants. 
• Use a volunteer management system to keep volunteer activities organized. Volunteer management software is a tool for tracking all information relevant to your employee volunteer initiatives. You can store data about employee volunteers, including their contact details, availability, and T-shirt sizes. You can also track volunteer impact by monitoring volunteers’ hours and specific projects they complete. This functionality allows you to evaluate and share the impact of your employee volunteer program to motivate participants to stay involved. 

Example

Verizon offers an online hub for employee volunteers where they can manage their profiles and find events to get involved in. The company's primary initiatives are digital inclusion, climate protection, and human prosperity. Verizon partners with nonprofits such as the International Rescue Committee, the Trevor Project, and Black Girls Code to further its charitable aims. 

Corporate giving

Corporate giving programs are company-sponsored initiatives that raise money for charitable organizations. Approximately $5 billion is raised annually through workplace giving, making this a significant revenue stream for nonprofits.

Strategies to Incorporate

These workplace giving initiatives are particularly engaging for employees: 

• Matching gifts: In matching gift programs, employers match employee donations to nonprofits, schools, and other charitable organizations. 84% of employees surveyed say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered, making matching gifts a compelling strategy for engaging more employees in CSR. 
• Volunteer grants: If your organization wants to start a volunteer grant initiative, you’ll be in good company—40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs. In these programs, employers donate to a nonprofit after their employees volunteer with that organization for a specific amount of time, such as 25 hours. 
• In-kind donations: In-kind donations are gifts of tangible goods or volunteer expertise rather than monetary donations. For example, your company might contribute extra office supplies to a nonprofit in need or offer pro-bono marketing and design services to spruce up a charity’s website. 

Example

Microsoft is the largest contributor of matching gift and volunteer grant funds, and 65% of employees participate in the company’s annual giving campaign. Their employee giving and corporate responsibility program has facilitated $250 million in employee gifts (including company match) to over 35,000 nonprofits. The company also offers opportunities for employees to give back through pro-bono volunteer services. 

Sustainability initiatives

Protecting the planet has increasingly become a priority for consumers when making purchasing decisions. 78% of U.S. consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them. As a result, according to Forbes research, 65% of C-suite executives said sustainability is a top-three priority today compared to only 28% three years ago (25% of C-suite executives say it’s number one).

Strategies to Incorporate

• Increase energy efficiency at your office with sustainable lighting and appliances.
• Offer composting and recycling at your office.
• Work with environmentally conscious suppliers.
• Leverage environmentally friendly product packaging. 
• Use electric company vehicles. 
• Track sustainability metrics to evaluate progress. 

Example

Patagonia is an athletics retailer that has been committed to sustainability since its founding. The company prioritizes environmental and animal welfare, safe and fair working conditions, and supply chain transparency. It also offers Worn Wear, a program for trading in and buying used Patagonia gear to prevent clothes from ending up in landfills. 

How to Encourage Employee Involvement in CSR

The more employees you can engage in CSR initiatives, the more benefits your business will reap, including enhanced employee morale and a PR boost. No matter which initiatives you choose, increase employee participation in your program with these strategies: 

• Incorporate a team-based challenge: Inspire friendly competition with a team fundraising or volunteering challenge. For example, encourage employees to group up for a team peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or a volunteer challenge to see which group can contribute the most hours in a month. Track progress using your employee management or volunteer platform and award prizes to the winning groups. 

• Publicize opportunities: Include information about your CSR initiatives in your employee handbook and onboarding guide. Additionally, regularly share updates about your program’s impact, reminders for upcoming volunteer opportunities, and information about how to participate in workplace giving. 
• Show appreciation for participation by rewarding employees with gifts: Gifts are a compelling way to thank employees and encourage their ongoing involvement in your CSR program. Unwrapit’s guide to corporate gift ideas recommends prizes such as restaurant gift cards, luncheons, tickets to a sporting event, or themed experiences/company excursions. Remember that your CSR impact will go even further with a digital gift, as you’ll keep physical items out of landfills and reduce your carbon footprint!

Survey employees regularly to get their feedback on your CSR program. Ask for their input on your volunteer opportunities, workplace giving process, sustainability plans, and other initiatives. Follow up with respondents to outline the changes you’ll make to your program in response to their feedback so they know their voices were heard. 

Wrapping Up

Growing your CSR program can be the boost your business needs to take its employee engagement and retention to the next level. When employees feel like your organization cares about supporting causes that are meaningful to them and increasing its positive impact in the world, they’ll feel much more fulfilled in their roles.

About the Author

Peter Deitz, Co-Founder, Unwrapit

Peter Deitz is a B Corp entrepreneur committed to creating enduring companies that have a deeply-rooted social and environmental purpose. Over the past 15 years, he has co-founded two successful social purpose businesses, Unwrapit and Grantbook.

He is active on LinkedIn and regularly posts about leading positive change through sustainable business, relationship-building, and philanthropy.