Corporate volunteering is a company-organized initiative or sponsored program where employers provide support or encouragement for their employees to volunteer for the community. The basis for building and increasing employee engagement is to create conditions and environments in which employees offer more of their capability and potential.
The more employees are encouraged to volunteer, the more engaged they are within their place of work and add value to their immediate community. Periodic volunteer experience allows employees to bond with other co-workers around a cause that is in sync with the company’s values and vision. At Lagos Food Bank we have a plethora of activities that contribute to employee engagement. Some determinants of employee engagement volunteering have to offer include-
Improved employee happiness- There is an unexplainable joy and social connections made while volunteering. Our TEFAP (Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program) and school feeding programs offer this. Volunteers are directly in contact with the community and can share the joy of beneficiaries while handing them over boxes filled with food items or school lunches as the case may be.
Motivation and Strengthened connection between employees– Volunteering enables employees to interact outside their usual working environment. Employees can learn new things about each other and work as a team during community inspections which involve selection and profiling of beneficiaries to ascertain their level of vulnerability. Some employees might have had past experiences similar to the beneficiaries and attending outreaches or inspection programs could be a source of motivation for them to work harder.
Recognition and Appreciation- Apart from the certificates of service to humanity issued after the contribution of certain volunteer hours, employees get to receive instant appreciation and recognition from beneficiaries of the food assistance and relief programs. This in turn increases satisfaction and makes them know there is an instant reward for their good actions.
How we Engage our Corporate Volunteers
Our corporate volunteers can take part in the following activities at the food bank:
A. Packaging of boxes in preparation for an outreach.
B. Community inspection which includes profiling and selection of beneficiaries.
C. Distribution of food boxes at the outreach venue and the operation warehouse.
D. Packaging and distribution of meals for the food bank’s school feeding program.
Volunteering with the Food Bank does not end with giving back to society, because as the community benefits so also does the individual and the organization. Corporate volunteering is a means to build a holistic relationship that benefits all parties involved.