How corporate volunteer programs can unlock a new revenue stream for nonprofits

Nonprofits can create a high-touch experience for potential new donors, while meeting immediate organizational needs. 

By: Kristin Kenney, Director

Is your nonprofit missing out on corporate dollars? If you aren’t offering a corporate volunteer program—at a variety of donation levels—then you might be forfeiting a significant amount of incremental revenue. 

Corporate volunteer programs can be a wildly successful way to diversify your organization’s fundraising strategy and build relationships with local businesses that go far beyond a single volunteer engagement. Not only do these programs give your staff an added boost of manpower, but they cultivate a new potential base of donors or longer-term volunteers in the employees that participate. 

Surprisingly though, some nonprofits don’t ask for a dime in exchange for hosting corporate groups. This is a mistake. Not only does running and promoting a successful corporate volunteer program take an investment of staff time and resources, but most companies are used to making a financial donation in exchange for the opportunity to bring their employees together at your facility. The nonprofit I work with—which is a smaller organization based in a major metropolitan area—brings in around $200,000 a year in corporate volunteer donations alone. It’s a significant revenue stream for the organization, but the program also requires a part-time staff person, use of the organization’s event space, and lots of hands-on support from staff when volunteers are on site—a considerable draw on organizational resources that could be otherwise spent on direct mission-related programming. 

In my time supporting this organization’s corporate volunteer program (and carefully studying what peers are doing to engage companies), I’ve established a few best practices that most any nonprofit can practice in their corporate engagement programs. 

Structure the session: Say you offer a 3-hour hands-on volunteer session at your facility. There are likely a number of procedural and safety items to go over—you don’t just want new volunteers jumping right in, especially if you are dealing with vulnerable populations, animals, or heavy/potentially hazardous materials. Consider starting with a 15-minute orientation to talk about your organization’s mission and the impact that the volunteers will make that day. Then, when applicable, a tour can help orient participants and give you the opportunity to explain safety measures or standard operating procedures. Towards the end of the session, regroup, offer to answer questions, and explain ways that volunteers can give back in an ongoing way (this is a great opportunity for an ask!).

Offer a menu of unique options: While you could get by with just offering a general volunteering session, this won’t help your organization stand out when compared to savvier nonprofits. For example, you might offer a standard volunteer session, a volunteer session plus a 1-hour “happy hour,” educational or skills-focused sessions, or an offsite/in-field experience. This also enables your organization to offer experiences at a variety of donation levels to meet companies where they are at budget-wise.

Adequately staff your sessions: Volunteers cannot just be shown how to do a task and then let loose. Your staff or regular volunteers need to be aware that corporate volunteers are on site and ready to guide them and ensure safety protocols are being followed. Corporate volunteers tend to ask a LOT of questions, so be prepared! 

Balance hard work with fun: Remember what’s in it for the company who’s sponsoring this session: an opportunity to build camaraderie and bring employees together. The organization I support makes sure that participants get to rotate between tasks, so that no one is stuck cleaning or organizing the entire time. It can also be meaningful to incorporate some down time where participants are able to interact with staff and/or beneficiaries to learn more about your programming and mission. 

Emphasize customer service: It’s not uncommon for nonprofit staffers to be stretched thin, so ensure that you have someone (or a few employees) who can devote time and attention to this initiative. With that, they should be responsive and able to address questions, schedule sessions, and distribute relevant materials (like W9s and acknowledgement letters or volunteer liability releases) in a timely manner. If your team is slow to respond or comes across as disorganized, companies will go elsewhere. 

Close the loop and make the ask: Post-session, follow up with your corporate contact and ask how things went. This is a good opportunity to begin building a relationship that could turn into something more—such as corporate grants, in-kind donations, or pro bono support. The organization I work with was able to take a one-off volunteer session into a $125,000/year general operating support grant from a major national corporation. 

Not sure where to start? It can be useful to create a page on your website, as well as a brief deck or digital flyer, explaining your corporate volunteer programs. If you aren’t already receiving inbound leads for corporate groups, compile a list of local businesses and begin reaching out with your materials. And be patient—it can take a year or more to fully stand up a successful corporate volunteering program. Treat each session as a learning opportunity, and network with peers to learn what has or has not been successful for them. With intentionality and time, corporate volunteer programs can be a huge boost to fundraising.