Unlike traditional volunteering centred on hands-on labour, skills-based programmes strategically leverage teams' specialised skills in areas like marketing, HR, IT, finance and more. Employees consult with nonprofits to take on short-term projects aligned with the company's services and strengths.
The benefits are twofold – nonprofits gain invaluable expertise to improve their operations and service delivery. Companies drive employee development, morale, recruitment and branding. This win-win concept has gained traction with major corporations looking to increase their social impact and competitive advantage.
What is skills-based volunteering and how can it benefit your company?
Skills-based volunteering allows professionals to use their specialised expertise to help charities and nonprofits. Rather than traditional volunteering, employees act as consultants to take on short-term projects that add value through their professional skills.
For HR departments, this means leveraging your team's capabilities in areas like:
- Business process optimisation, strategic planning, financial management
- Programme evaluation, impact measurement and outcome-based KPIs
- Leadership/management coaching for change implementation, conflict resolution, motivational strategies
- Access to workplace well-being programmes promoting mental health through life coaching, mindfulness workshops and CBT training
These services translate seamlessly to the charity sector while allowing employees to diversify their experience. The opportunities for HR are vast, from optimising recruitment and onboarding processes to providing coaching for nonprofit managers. The benefits for participating companies are also numerous.
Skills-based programmes boost employee satisfaction and retention by providing development opportunities and a sense of purpose. Supporting impactful causes also enhances corporate social responsibility and attracts staff who prioritise working for ethical brands. With strategic partnerships and promotion, companies can gain positive PR and public image boosts.
Designing a skills-based volunteer programme that delivers results
Once you've secured internal buy-in for a skills-based volunteering initiative, the next step is structuring an impactful programme.
Identify partner charities
Seek out charities addressing causes your organisation cares about where your team's talents are a good match. Prioritise small to mid-sized partners where your input will have the greatest effect. Ensure their needs align with your expertise.
Define roles and projects
Collaborate with charity partners to design projects that leverage your teams' strengths and fill critical needs. Focus on tangible objectives that can be achieved through short-term, pro bono consultancies. Provide clear guidelines for timelines, commitments and measures of success.
Allow flexibility
Accommodate volunteers' availability by allowing flexi-time or informal arrangements. Set goals for participation rates, but don't mandate involvement. Make it easy for interested employees to contribute their skills.
Track progress
Establish metrics and collect data on participation, hours contributed and charitable impact. Survey volunteers and partners on what's working well and what could improve. Analyse the results annually to optimise the programme.
Showcase achievements
Find ways to celebrate your team's donated time and expertise both internally and externally. Promote completed projects and value added to highlight your social impact and corporate citizenship.
By incorporating this guidance, your skills-based volunteering initiative can deliver meaningful results for charity partners while driving employee engagement.
Getting buy-in and participation from employees
A skills-based volunteering programme relies on participation across your organisation. Start by communicating the many benefits to employees – it's an opportunity to build their skills, expand their networks and gain a sense of fulfilment. Emphasise how their expertise will be leveraged for good causes.
Lead from the top by having senior leaders and managers volunteer first. Their participation will inspire others to get involved. Make opting in easy by accommodating busy schedules with flexible consulting arrangements. Offer time off and remote working options to demonstrate your commitment to the programme.
Recognise both team and individual contributions through internal promotions and celebrations. Share stories of completed projects and the impact made to say thank you to volunteers. Track participation rates and regularly survey for feedback on the volunteering experience. Address any obstacles head-on and continue optimising engagement.
Partnering with charities for mutual benefit
Charities stand to gain enormously by proactively seeking skills-based volunteering partnerships with aligned corporate partners. Look for nonprofits addressing your mission or serving your communities when identifying potential matches. Clearly communicate priority needs where skilled volunteers can have high impact, based on your organisation's pain points and objectives.
Collaborating closely on project design ensures activities will leverage corporate teams' expertise while meeting pressing needs on your end. Maintain open communication throughout to guarantee mutual understanding and benefit. Provide orientation and training to set external volunteers up for success. Check in regularly to offer guidance and feedback.
Track tangible results and data on the partnerships' effects, from time and money saved to programmes improved. Recognise corporate partners publicly for their vital contributions. Jointly communicate completed projects and their community impact. Quantify the added value from gained expertise.
Measuring social impact and promoting your efforts
The final critical component of a successful skills-based volunteering programme is measuring impact and spreading the word. Start by establishing monitoring systems to quantify participation rates, volunteer hours and skills applied. Conduct regular surveys to gauge employee satisfaction as well as value added for charity partners.
Make sure to track long-term participation and corporate branding metrics that align with your goals. Analyse collected data annually to identify achievements as well as areas for improvement. Are certain teams or causes seeing less engagement? How can you better match skills to needs? Optimise based on insights.
Spotlight completed projects, personal stories and volunteer reflections through internal and external communications. Having leaders share about their volunteering reinforces its importance.
Quantify the total societal impact made through numbers of nonprofits assisted, programmes strengthened and employee skills developed. Translate figures into monetary value added. Submit for CSR awards and partnerships recognitions to gain public relations benefits. The more you promote efforts externally, the more it will attract talent and elevate your brand.
A win-win for all involved
Skills-based volunteering offers a win-win scenario through leveraging professional expertise for social good whilst driving business goals. Companies should thoughtfully design programmes, engage employees, partner with charities and measure impact.
This innovative model creates shared value – nonprofits receive much-needed skills while businesses increase their talent and branding. Overall, skills-based volunteering represents a promising avenue for augmenting community impact.
