April is National Volunteer Month! In honor of this, we’re here to recognize the importance of volunteering, especially in the workplace, as well as encourage and challenge you to get out and volunteer in your community this month!

Corporate philanthropy, workplace giving, corporate social responsibility (CSR)… there are many names you are surely familiar with that encompass the same goal – giving back to the community. Not only are these initiatives beneficial for the charities and recipients of these philanthropic acts, but workplace giving also provides benefits for the companies participating. As you probably know, workplace giving can take many forms such as:

  • Volunteer programs
  • Matching gift programs
  • Disaster relief
  • Fundraising

Businesses, ourselves included, that implement a culture of workplace giving experience a variety of benefits. You’re not only helping support important causes in your area, but you’ll also start to see a positive change in your own life. Here are a few ways in which we’ve experienced benefits with our philanthropic efforts, along with positive changes we’ve seen in other companies:

  • Employee Engagement
  • Recruitment & Retention Aid
  • Improve Brand Awareness & Reputation
  • Increase Sales
  • Tax Deductions

Workplace giving has risen in popularity significantly in recent years. Recent studies show that 55% of employees (and 75% of Millennials) prioritize corporate philanthropy – they would choose to work for a socially responsible company that values philanthropic efforts over one that doesn’t. A growing number of employees want to be able to support causes they care about through their employer, thus, companies with a positive philanthropic culture recruit and retain more employees. In the age of the great resignation – this is especially important to keep in mind.

Not only does a company’s philanthropic efforts help to reach rising interests in the population, it also helps to keep and grow your employee’s engagement, all the while contributing good to a greater cause. Sounds like a definite win-win scenario! When employees are engaged with their company and work, they become more emotionally invested in what they’re doing, thus, leading to a happier and more fulfilled work force. You can probably see the math here by now, but, companies with engaged employees see higher productivity, thus, leading to more profit.

Whether you’re in the position to implement this culture in your workplace (if you haven’t already), or you feel like your work life is lacking in this area – take a moment to consider how engaging with philanthropy can benefit your personal life, as well as your corporate one. If you’re not sure where to start, the Communities Foundation of Texas is a great resource to help you get plugged into philanthropy in the North Texas area. From volunteer opportunities to education on gifting, they have greatly helped HumCap to instill a workplace giving culture, and we are better for it!

You get more when you give. It’s as simple as that. We challenge you to get out and volunteer this month! Whether that means organizing a co-worker group to bond over an Earth Day cleanup act, or simply making a donation to a local charity – take inventory of the passions in your life and/or company, and how you can integrate those into volunteering!