What’s Next for Corporate Volunteering and Service?

If corporate volunteering had a motto over the past limited years it might have been Pivot flex repeat The pandemic rewrote the playbook for how businesses engage with their communities and now as Atlanta companies look ahead the big question is what s next Spoiler alert it s not going back to the way we used to do things The future of corporate function is more flexible more skills-based more employee-driven and if done right more impactful than ever Supporting Ongoing Partnerships Remember when volunteering meant a single day of amenity complete with matching T-shirts and photo ops Those projects still have value and yes we ll keep the T-shirts but companies are increasingly shifting toward long-term partnerships with nonprofits Take Smurfit WestRock a CVC member and sustainable packaging company that has partnered with nonprofit Trees Atlanta since In modern years the company joined forces with Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta Hawks for their Rock the Rim challenge For every dunk made by a Hawks athlete during their season Smurfit WestRock would plant a tree More than trees were planted in the first year of the collaboration In addition to this innovative project Smurfit WestRock right now has an employee serving on the Trees Atlanta board of directors and the company regularly activates contributors and contributes financially to advocacy year-round services What s next More companies moving beyond single-day amenity and toward multi-year commitments that deepen impact align with company values and provide stability for nonprofits Skills-Based System Becomes the Standard Painting walls and serving meals to hungry neighbors are still crucial but the future is about leveraging professional expertise Nonprofits need accountants HR consultants lawyers marketers and IT professionals just as much as they need contributors at food drives Delta Air Lines for example has paired its people and project-management skills with Science ATL to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders What s next Expect more companies to align volunteer opportunities with employee skills whether that s finance staff teaching money management at local schools or IT professionals helping nonprofits build secure databases Employee-Led Volunteering Here s a fun fact younger employees hello Gen Z and millennials want more say in how they volunteer They re not waiting for HR to hand them a pre-packaged project Instead they want to choose causes pitch ideas and sometimes even lead the initiatives themselves What s next Companies will create more flexible frameworks where employees choose from a menu of options or propose their own Think of it as volunteer crowdsourcing Hybrid and Micro-Volunteering Remote work isn t going away and neither is virtual volunteering Hybrid opportunities where several employees serve in person while others contribute remotely make volunteering more inclusive for busy professionals parents or those working from outside Metro Atlanta What s next Companies will mix in-person organization projects with bite-sized remote options so everyone can participate no matter where they are Volunteering as a Driver of Belonging and Heritage In a world where employee engagement can make or break retention corporate system is becoming a key cultural touchstone Shared volunteer projects bring people together across departments and even across geographies They also create inclusive spaces where employees feel valued for more than their job titles At Warner Bros Discovery employees participate in Global Volunteer Day recording bedtime stories assembling hygiene kits and sharing skills with nonprofits Employees assessment that they feel more connected from these events not just to the population but also to each other What s next Companies will intentionally link volunteering to Employee Asset Groups ERGs wellness programs and leadership advancement Organization won t just be something nice we do but will be woven into how companies build way of life and retain talent Measuring Impact Without Killing the Contentment Nonprofits have long been requested to prove outcomes and now companies are doing the same Leaders want to know What difference are we certainly making Tracking volunteer hours is easy but measuring true impact improved literacy rates reduced food insecurity expanded nonprofit threshold is harder Still more companies are embracing dashboards surveys and storytelling to show results What s next More thoughtful metrics less about counting hours more about telling stories of change and partnering with locality organizations to work toward tangible goals Arrangement as Part of Business Strategy The biggest shift Corporate operation is no longer just about philanthropy but more about business strategy Customers want to patronage companies that give back Employees want to work for companies that align with their values Investors are watching ESG environmental social and governance commitments Volunteering isn t an extra anymore it is core to how companies compete for talent customers and locality trust What s next Expect more businesses big and small to treat volunteering as a core part of their brand practices and strategy A Local Call to Action Here in Atlanta we re lucky to have the Corporate Volunteer Council CVC as a hub where companies of all sizes can learn collaborate and amplify their impact Whether you re a -person startup in Decatur or a Fortune giant there s a seat at the table The next chapter of corporate utility will be shaped by collaboration creativity and a shared belief that when businesses and communities work together everyone wins So what s next for your company Maybe it s launching a skills-based project empowering employees to pitch ideas or at last signing up to join the CVC One thing s for sure the future of corporate volunteering is bright bold and very Atlanta The post What s Next for Corporate Volunteering and Organization appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta