Volunteering with your team is about more than just giving back — it’s about creating a shared sense of purpose, building stronger relationships, and driving higher employee engagement. In fact, research from Gallup has shown that volunteering as a team significantly increases employee connection and satisfaction at work.
However, finding the right volunteering experience that can accommodate all your requirements can be overwhelming. To make it easier, start by clarifying your team’s purpose and goals. Here are key questions to guide you:
1. Start With Purpose: What Cause Matters Most?
Before choosing a volunteer opportunity, it’s crucial to determine the causes your team feels passionate about. Consider:
- Does your organization have core values or CSR initiatives you want to support?
- Are your employees passionate about particular issues like education, environmental sustainability, health, or social equity?
Identifying your team’s collective purpose helps ensure the volunteering experience resonates deeply, creating lasting engagement and meaningful impact.
2. On-site or Bring the Experience to You?
Next, consider the logistics and preferences of your team:
- On-site volunteering: Visiting a nonprofit or community center allows your team to see their impact firsthand and builds deeper empathy and connection to the cause.
- Bring the experts in: Hosting a volunteering experience at your office or virtually provides greater flexibility and can engage larger groups with ease.
3. Should it be Education or Activity-Focused?
Do you want your team to dive deep into learning about a cause, or would you prefer a more action-oriented approach?
- Cause-focused events: Educational sessions or guest speakers from a nonprofit deepen your team’s understanding and connection to the issue.
- Activity-focused events: Hands-on projects such as assembling care packages, building kits, or creating artwork immediately immerse your team in tangible impact.
4. Do You Want the Event to Support Team-Building?
Volunteer activities can dramatically strengthen team bonds. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce Report, teams that volunteer together experience higher engagement, satisfaction, and overall workplace happiness. Prioritizing a volunteering opportunity that encourages collaboration can help your team build lasting, meaningful connections.
5. How Many Employees Need to be Accommodated?
Make sure to clearly define your group size early in your search process. Some opportunities best suit small groups, while others can accommodate your entire department or organization.
TIP: Many nonprofit organizations don’t have the space to accommodate large groups, so it’s important to start your outreach early to ensure your whole team can participate.
6. Should the Volunteering Project also Support Professional Development?
If you want to maximize professional growth alongside your social impact, consider skills-based volunteering. Employees apply their specialized skills — such as marketing, design, project management, or finance — to directly support nonprofits, resulting in both meaningful outcomes for the cause and powerful development opportunities for employees.
Need Some Help?
Finding the perfect volunteer experience for your team doesn’t have to be complicated. Generus is here to help you streamline the process. Simply share your goals, preferences, and requirements, and we’ll find the ideal corporate volunteering match for you.
👉 Find Your Perfect Match with Generus
Volunteering is powerful — not just for the community, but for your employees. Let’s start making an impact together.
