With the current awareness around community involvement and volunteering, especially since this week is Volunteer Week, many businesses are interested in contributing to their local community through a group volunteer experience. They look to volunteerism as an alternative to the traditional team-building exercise or charitable gift donation, where a meaningful volunteer experience helps improve motivation and teamwork skills among employees. But an employee-supported volunteer program can also help increase corporate visibility and highlight a corporate commitment to social responsibility in the community.
Volunteer Toronto has established the Employee Supported Volunteer Program (ESVP) to help bridge these business interests with the needs of non-profit agencies.
Volunteer Toronto receives a wide range of requests, from companies new to corporate volunteering, to those with specific interests and activities in mind. As a first step, companies can ask their employees what types of activities and causes they are interested in and what time of the year they can participate. Our website, volunteertoronto.ca is a great resource to search volunteer opportunities in the Toronto area. For groups of 20 or more, Volunteer Toronto can assist with planning event activities and logistics with non-profit agencies. A three-month lead time is an ideal timeframe to help plan and execute a successful volunteer experience.
For ideas on how to get involved, visit the Volunteer Toronto blog to view pictures of previous corporate volunteer events.