How to Motivate Employees to Get Involved in Company Charity Events
By Space Coast Daily // December 23, 2019
Getting employees to participate in the company’s charity event is the goal. These individuals can help you make this event a success.
The trick is to figure out a way to motivate them, not only to attend or give but to volunteer. The following are a few tips to help you do just that.
Encourage Skill Development
Your employees are like other people, and they want to feel like the charitable event is valuable. This can be done by simply giving employees the opportunity to develop new skill sets.
For example, you can have a spokesperson explain and promote the new online donation software you are using to collect donations.
This will not only encourage better communication skills, but one or a few of your employees will learn how to use a new software.
You can also offer management positions so that your employees can help manage the event you are throwing. This can help an eager employee develop skills and even give you a chance to see if they are ready for the big leagues, so to speak.
Invite Loved Ones
As an employer, you know how effective charity work can be at helping you with employee engagement, but you have to make believers out of your employees.
They have to know you are serious about this, which is the reason for getting them involved in these types of events is crucial. Another thing you can do to make this happen is to allow family or friends to tag along.
You want to let your employees invite people they care about because this shows your employee’s loved ones that their father, mother, spouse, or friend is doing something good at work.
This simple act is an effective motivational tactic that should get your employees excited to volunteer and donate when the time is right. Doing this every year might even get your employees excited for the next event you organize.
Making an Emotional Appeal
Doing your best to appeal to your employees on an emotional level is an effective tactic as well. This tactic is one of the oldest tricks in history, but it can really get your employees to care and see that you care. The goal here is to be as transparent and genuine as possible.
Depending on the type of charitable event you are organizing, try to figure out a way to humanize what the charity is trying to do. For example, if the event deals with veterans, then it might be a good idea to see if you can get a real veteran to speak with your employees or at the event.
This humanizes the story, and it also motivates the heart. People want to give because it is in humanity’s nature to give, but they have to be pushed in the right direction.
Math the Volunteer Time
Some companies go as far as matching the hours that their employees choose to volunteer. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay your employees their normal rate, but it can definitely be along those lines.
Other employers choose to offer bonuses to employees who show their charitable sides at the event.
The decision is up to you, but the promise of a little extra cash when they are done volunteering could be a motivator, on top of all the other tactics you are considering.
It’s important that you are clear in your intention to offer a little extra for those who volunteer, and make sure what you will pay them is crystal clear.
Failing to make this clear could create confusion, anger, and some employees may even quit, so be sure you take this seriously.
These are just some of the techniques you can use to get some of your employees to feel excited about getting involved in your charity event.
Having employees at this event shows solidarity within your company, and this can look good for your brand afterwards.
This is the reason taking these steps is important, especially if you are doing this to improve your company’s image locally or nationally.
