Team projects help engage employees, boost morale, and increase overall collaboration. They also provide an opportunity for businesses to strengthen the community they work and live in.
Just as importantly, beyond the benefits to your team and the community, it’s important to not overlook the value such an endeavor has directly on the nonprofit. Not only is the nonprofit able to complete tasks they otherwise wouldn’t have the resources to accomplish, but impactful team projects increase efficiency, effectiveness, and reach for years to come.
Hyland is just one example a company that designs team volunteer projects that benefit everyone. According to Lisa Jackman, Community Engagement Manager from Hyland, “By encouraging our employees to use their time and talents to effect change, Hyland’s efforts are much more impactful for both the organizations we serve and our employees. Not only does this allow our projects to have a greater impact, it also allows employees to feel a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, inspiring them to give more – a win-win for both the nonprofit and the local community.”
How can you measure the impact of your project?
Start with the Outputs: In addition to reporting the number of volunteers and volunteer hours, you can also calculate what was addressed during this project. You can even equate the number of volunteer hours to a dollar value. Right now, the Independent Sector calculates the value of a volunteer at $23.56 per hour.
Share Your Insights: While you were helping the nonprofit, did you have suggestions for increasing efficiency? Is there a way for the nonprofit to use fewer resources – such as man hours or materials – in delivering its services?
Determine the Direct Impact: Did helping the nonprofit increase their effectiveness and success rate of the services it provides? Example: For a nonprofit fighting homelessness, what was the percentage of homeless people served that ended up sustainably housed.
Turning this information into an Impact Statement
Collecting this data is only half the battle. To keep the momentum going, you need to share with everyone involved. A great way to do this is through an impact statement. Here are a few examples of impact statement we like:
“If it weren’t for the volunteer team, nearly 100 families and children in crisis situations would ended their day hungry.”
“Because of the volunteer team… the nonprofit saved over $2,000 in staff time. This dollar amount is now being allocated to expand programming, increase client served, etc.”
“Volunteers did the project in 1 day, where it would have taken nonprofit staff 2 weeks to complete.”
And of course, you never have to do any of this alone. While the task of jump starting an Employee Volunteer Project can seem overwhelming. There are plenty of resources available to guide you along the way. For more information, contact Heather Englander at henglander@bvuvolunteers.org or 216-736-7711 to learn about a customized team volunteer opportunity for your business. Whether it’s 5 or 500 employees, BVU has you covered.