By following the eight steps listed below, starting an employee volunteer program can be more straightforward and simple. The steps outlined below will assist your company in putting processes and systems in place to ensure the employee volunteer program is successful and effective.

For more information or assistance in workplace volunteering, contact the West Virginia Business Volunteer Council at bvc@volunteerwv.org or call (800) WV-HELPS.

8 Steps to Create an Employee Volunteer Program

1. Assess employees' interests and community needs. Survey employees to find out more about the employees' volunteer experience and specific volunteer interests. Contact the West Virginia Business Volunteer Council at (800) WV-HELPS to connect to valuable community volunteering resources. Other resources include your local United Way, Chamber of Commerce or local government. These organizations often offer access to a community needs assessment.

2. Identify business priorities and goals that the employee volunteer program can meet. A successful program reflects the culture and values of a company while adding value to business objectives. Use the business objectives as the beginning pieces of information for a business plan for your employee volunteer program. Aligning the employee volunteer program with business objectives will make a program a more integrated and value-added facet of the company's operations, thereby helping to ensure its long-term sustainability.

3. Secure top management support. All levels of management should encourage employee participation. Identify senior managers to champion the program and to participate in volunteer activities regularly.

4. Develop a program structure and program policies. Encourage participation from all levels of employees and think about setting up an employee steering committee to determine the focus of the program. Develop written company policies around volunteering. Learn from effective practices in the field of workplace volunteering. For further assistance, contact the West Virginia Business Volunteer Council at (800) WV-HELPS to get connected with a mentor or join the Business Volunteer Council to network and share valuable resources.

5. Align volunteering with financial contributions and in-kind support. Consider organizing volunteer activities that support the same nonprofits that receive company monetary donations. Philanthropy dollars and in-kind product donations are stronger when there are volunteers to back it up.

6. Measure the program and evaluate results. Develop mechanisms to track employee participation and satisfaction with the program and overall outcomes of the program. Is your program meeting its strategic goals outlined in your business plan? Is it working well? Are there areas for improvement?

7. Establish an employee volunteer recognition or awards program. Develop systems to reward and recognize employee volunteers whether it's a certificate of appreciation, mugs, t-shirts or extra vacation time.

8. Publicize your efforts, both internally and externally. Communicate before and after the event through newsletters, Intranet, email, media releases, etc. Results of a volunteer activity are especially important in motivating employees to start or continue volunteering.

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