Proposal for:
Corporate Volunteer Program

Proposal to Create a Corporate Volunteering Program at Kramer Electronics

3/12/2012

I would like to propose that the Kramer Electronics Company adopt a corporate volunteer program. I have done the research and believe integrating a volunteering program will benefit the company, employees and the community. By having a program like this for our company it will increase job satisfaction, build brand awareness and strengthen trust and loyalty among consumers.

Introduction

For the past three years I have worked at Kramer Electronics and enjoy it very much. When I was in college I was involved with a lot of volunteer work and wish I could continue my involvement into my career. While being here at the company I have noticed some employee disengagement and by having this program in our company it can bring our team together even more and stronger.

Corporate volunteering is business supporting and encouraging staff involvement in the community. This report will overview the potential of Corporate Volunteering.

Proposed Solution: Create a volunteer program
To better our company, I propose creating a paid day of work to volunteer employee’s time for special community projects. I have evaluated volunteering opportunities to become a part of and believe volunteering our time for a children’s charity organization or adopting a school would be the most beneficial. We need to volunteer in a way that matches our expertise with their needs. Since we are an electronics company we can assist uprising students with technology help, not only that but beautify the landscape to enrich the community. Becoming a part of an under privileged organization will create a relationship with the community and thus strengthening our business and brand.

To make this practical, the company can rotate employees on which day and month. Employees will go in groups of five-ten (depending on what’s needed), at least two –three times a month. Since we have many employees and don’t want to risk this opportunity as just taking a day off of work, this program will be monitored. I will volunteer my services to monitor the activities so employees will not abuse it.

Benefits of Creating a Volunteer Program

1. Increased Employee Satisfaction. Company-sponsored volunteer programs have many benefits to the sponsoring company. One of the most measurable impacts employee-volunteer programs have is on the attitudes, productivity and job satisfaction of company employees. According to the study Good Companies, Better Employees (Tuffrey, 2003), some of the outcomes of effective EVPs include: a. An improved rating among employees for their employer as a place to work compared to other companies (63 percent saying above average or one of the best, compared to 57 percent before the program was in place). b. Increased job satisfaction levels (64 percent fairly or very satisfied among all employees, compared to 62 percent before; satisfaction among volunteer program participants rose to 67 percent) 2. Attracting New Employees. In terms of attracting new employees, approximately 62 percent of workers 18- to 26-years old would prefer to work for a company that provides opportunities for them to apply their skills to benefit nonprofit organizations. Professional growth is part of the reason why these so- called “GenYers” want volunteer programs. About 76 percent of young workers said that volunteering helps them hone their leadership skills, and 75 percent said volunteering lets them develop skills they can use at work (Deloitte, 2007) 3. Community Attitudes toward Company. Employee-sponsored volunteer programs are a highly visible way for businesses to show their commitment to their communities. In return, these businesses benefit from positive perceptions in the community. Communities gain from the involvement of employee volunteers in a variety of ways, including: enriched community life; community organizations with more human resources and a wider variety of skills delivering enhanced health, education, and social services (Graff, 2004).

Next Steps Search and find the best program that will benefit our company the most and that are also in need of our assistance. Create a schedule that will be most compatible with employees and budget. Provide project staff to ensure that the work is well organized and executed. Then market our efforts on the company website, to our business partners, all employees and local media.

Reference:

Deloitte/Points of Light (2007), Volunteer IMPACT Study, Washington, D.C.: Deloitte Touche USA, LLP and The Points of Light Foundation.

Graff, Linda (2004), Making a Business Case for Employer-Supported Volunteerism, Ottawa: Volunteer Canada

JA Worldwide (2009). The benefits of employee volunteer programs. Retrieved from http://www.jany.org/docs/BenefitsofEmployeeVolunteerPrograms.pdf

Johnson, Tori (2008). Make your company pay for volunteering. Retrieved from http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/browse/volunteering-issues/corporate-volunteering/doc/make-your-company-pay.html

Tuffrey, Michael (2003), Good Companies, Better Employees – How community involvement and good corporate citizenship can enhance employee morale, motivation, commitment and performance, London: The Corporate Citizenship Company.