Catchafire Blog

How employees can bond over real impact

Written by Jamie Badia | Mar 5, 2024 5:37:12 PM
 
  

Sourcing and implementing team volunteering days can be a long process. Whether you’re in human resources, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or the lead of an employee resource group (ERG), we recognize how important it is to give back to the community while engaging your team. It can be arduous and time consuming to source volunteer opportunities, structure an outing, manage day of logistics, and track your impact after the event. For companies that lack the full time staff and expertise, it can be difficult to develop a successful CSR program, create matching opportunities, and build relationships with a wide range of nonprofits.

On Catchafire, we do all the work for you.

Introducing our new team volunteering feature: with this feature, all of your employees, regardless of role or location, can easily organize together and volunteer as a group. Our platform ensures that you have an accessible tool to make volunteering part of your retreats, giving days, and community initiatives.

How it works

Two to eight employees can sign up for flexible virtual projects and calls that they can do together from anywhere.

  1. Employees organize their own groups to volunteer on a call or project.
  2. One person from the group, the team lead, applies to a call or project.

3. The team lead schedules a call or interview with the nonprofit.

4. Once matched with a nonprofit, the group works to complete the project!

After completing the project or call, the program administrator and volunteers receive customized impact pages and success stories that are easily shareable.

The benefits 

On Catchafire, your employees have the ability to volunteer alone or sign up a pre-existing team of colleagues. Every group experience is clearly organized with a defined scope, expected results, and direct access to information about the nonprofit. When employees work together to support a cause, there are widespread benefits for both the company and the community.

Empower your employees. Employees can align their workplace giving and tailor the perfect group volunteer experience by choosing from 24 cause areas and a variety of skill sets, allowing them to focus on the nonprofits and projects that appeal to their personal interests.

Strengthen team morale and collaboration. Bringing individuals together to volunteer strengthens bonds between employees, supervisors, and executives. Open up communication channels between employees in support of a common cause, and create a stronger emotional attachment between employees and the workplace. Team volunteering leads to increased employee engagement, improves retention, and builds relationships.

Volunteering is more engaging for employees when done in groups. One reason for this is that volunteers find it easier and more enjoyable to collaborate with others.

Invest in professional development and community building. Volunteering helps employees build their skills, portfolios, and network.

Expand your social impact. Elevate your company’s brand and reputation as a CSR leader, all while building your community impact. Providing team volunteering opportunities and upgrading your CSR program gives you a competitive advantage when prospecting and hiring new employees.

Receive instant impact reports. Immediately see the outcomes of your team’s work with nonprofits. We’ll provide you with all the data and impact stories you need for your next CSR report.

Team volunteering success stories

Inspired by the work The Philadelphia Foundation is doing to help nonprofits boost their brand and communications presence, the Eagles creative team has helped 11 nonprofits with logo design, merchandising, and fundraising appeals.

Catchafire also hosted an in-person team volunteering event with a pharmaceutical company focused on health equity. Volunteers worked in teams of eight to solve organizational challenges for eight nonprofits. The volunteers saved these nonprofits over $87,000 in value and 198 hours of staff time.

 

"Our partnership with Catchafire is an incredible opportunity to break down the silos that exist between the private and nonprofit sector. In particular, during brainstorming events, both nonprofit leaders and employees gain further knowledge and insight into how each of us is advancing health equity in our daily work. We are stronger together."


Erin Jensen
Director, Corporate Giving

 

When businesses, nonprofits, and volunteers come together, we can collectively strengthen our communities.

 

Request a demo

Contact partnerships@catchafire.org to learn more.