Making the Case for Workplace Giving Programs

So you want to start an employee giving or volunteerism program at your company. That is great! Unless you are the owner, CEO, or president of the firm, you will probably need to do some legwork to get leadership on board with your idea.

Depending on your team structure, you will need the executive leadership, human resources director, and (if you have one) your corporate social responsibility director to support your idea. This can be more complicated than it seems. Even if leadership likes the idea in general, they will need to allocate time and resources toward it. That is when many leaders may have questions or concerns.

It can sound daunting to make the case for a workplace giving program to leadership, but it does not have to be. The key is understanding how your bosses think, and developing a message that resonates with their style. This article has a few examples of how you can make the case.

For the Competitive Leader

If your managers care about maintaining the company’s edge over the competition, they may be interested in hearing some of the compelling statistics Bright Funds has compiled on how workplace giving affects performance. For example:

• Companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147%.
• The number of employees who were considered highly engaged increased from 40% to 60% when their organization acted on today’s social issues.

In the midst of the Great Resignation, a well-designed workplace giving program could help the company retain talent, lure disengaged employees from other firms, and beat competitors in the marketplace.

For the Cost Conscious Leader

Some leaders are all about the finances. They may be concerned that your new program will be expensive or that it will not have any financial benefits to the company. If this is the case, crunch the numbers ahead of time:

• Calculate the costs of not giving. Disengaged employees are more likely to be absent or quit. Calculate how much employee absenteeism and turnover is currently costing your company, and how much they could save if they reduced it by varying degrees. Your HR team may be able to help you in calculating this information.

• Show how affordable giving can be. At the same time, provide your boss with information on how affordable workplace giving programs can be. You can use the Bright Funds calculator if you need help getting started.

Keep in mind that workplace giving could affect your company’s bottom line in a number of different ways, including increased productivity, improved brand reputation, or tax benefits. You may not be able to put a number on all of these benefits, but if you and your team are able to estimate some of them, they can help your number-focused executives put workplace giving costs in a larger context.

For the Cause-Focused Leader

Some leaders are primarily focused on making the world a better place. Perhaps they even have a cause or organization that they actively support. This kind of leader may be interested to know that 84% of employees say they would be more likely to donate to a nonprofit organization if their employer offered a match, and one in three said they would be more likely to give a larger gift if their employer matched it.

This could mean more funding (and motivated supporters) are connected to an organization that your employer cares about. The inaugural volunteering event could even be connected with your leadership’s pet cause, so that they are immediately able to see results that are personally relevant to them.

If you’re not sure where to start, you can get involved in wholesome celebrations and movements like Giving Tuesday. We’ve created an in-depth yet simple-to-follow, Giving Tuesday toolkit with everything you’ll need to launch a successful campaign.

For the Relationship-Oriented Leader

Some leaders are people-focused. They are motivated by ensuring strong bonds between team members. If your boss is a relational manager, tell them about how team volunteering is an opportunity for staff to strengthen their relationships in a fun, informal environment. In addition, it could give some employees the opportunity to build leadership skills in a less stressful setting.

Bringing It All Together

Whether your manager is by the numbers or people-centered, there is a case for workplace giving that will resonate with them. The reality is, many good leaders care about competition, costs, causes, and relationships at the same time. It can be useful to have a variety of points prepared so that you can address all of their concerns. Bright Funds can help make that case. Schedule a demo today.