Volunteerism Benefits bottom line

Posted on Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

When asked why volunteering is important, many will tell you that it is just the right thing to do. However, along with the ideal associated with giving back to the community, corporate volunteering also benefits a company’s bottom line. From improving overall employee morale to retaining valuable employees, volunteering is good for business.

“Volunteering is a value-add for companies. It pumps up employee morale and retention and makes the workplace more appealing to future job candidates,” says Cheryl Kortemeier, CVC executive director. “Not surprisingly, volunteering also boosts brand recognition and creates positive consumer associations with a company.”

At Cox Enterprises Inc., which has numerous businesses spread across the Atlanta area, volunteering helps connect its employees over a common cause. By getting to know each other outside the office, employee teams build a stronger foundation on which to work from in the office.

“Allowing employees the opportunity to volunteer with colleagues helps create workplace connections and potentially drive internal collaboration,” says Jessica Laiti, Cox Enterprises senior specialist in corporate responsibility communications.

Volunteering also helps feed employees’ passions outside of work, says Dira Rochester, community outreach coordinator at AGL Resources Inc. Whether it is a passion for the volunteering task at hand or the community in which the volunteering is taking place, this fulfillment ultimately makes a happier and more productive employee.

“Just being able to retain your employees is big to your bottom line because turnover is expensive,” Rochester says.

Cheryl Naja, CVC president and pro bono and community service coordinator at law firm Alston & Bird LLP, says a huge part of the company’s culture is associated with giving back to the community. As part of their company benefits, Alston & Bird employees are given service days they can use to take part in volunteering efforts, something Naja says helps develop leadership.

“If you want to foster any type of professional development skills, there is no better place to do it then jumping in and getting your hands dirty, not with just painting a wall, but with nonprofit organizations that will allow you to take the lead on something,” Naja says.

Developing relationships with other companies through volunteering is another positive for businesses. When Alston & Bird was looking to partner on a big community garden project it couldn’t take on alone, it looked to fellow CVC members to join it.

“The CVC membership connections assist in building new community relationships and developing new project ideas that benefit both the community and your business,” Naja says.

Katy Elder, senior manager of community affairs at The Home Depot Inc., says volunteering helps drive customer loyalty and brand awareness and creates team-building opportunities for employees. It also offers training opportunities, especially when employees actually use the tools or materials they sell in the store.

“For us, it’s also a sales driver because the products we use for our volunteer efforts are the products we sell in our stores,” Elder says.

Tim Smith, community relations officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, credits volunteer programs with helping
improve employee engagement, attracting and retaining talented staff and providing
professional development.

“Employees, especially the Millennials and Gen Ys who are coming into the workforce, are interested in working for companies that do good for the community,” Smith says. “Even if they don’t personally volunteer they want to work for a company that they know has that as an outcome or a focus.”