Employee Volunteers Still Out in Force During Recession, New Study from LBG Finds

PR Log (Press Release) – Oct 28, 2009 – Employee volunteerism is alive and well in the United States, according to a new study from LBG Associates (http://www.lbg-associates.com/index.php) and LBG Research Institute (http://www.lbgresearch.org/).  And, properly motivated by their employers, this volunteer workforce can continue to grow to fill community needs.

“After the economic meltdown last fall, corporations turned to employee volunteerism to help fill in gaps in their giving,” says Dr. Linda Gornitsky, President and Founder of LBG Associates. “LBG wanted to know, are employees more motivated to volunteer in tough economic times, or are  there obstacles, either personal or business, preventing their engagement?”

The answer to this question, and many others, is in LBG’s new research report, Motivating Volunteering in Tough Times. The report delves into what motivates employee volunteerism right now, and what volunteer managers can do to increase participation rates and create more impact in their community. The survey, conducted during June and July 2009, includes the voices of more than 8,000 employees and 213 volunteer managers from 36 companies.

The study reveals that the majority (55.6%) of employees at the participating companies volunteer for company-sponsored volunteer events. Their primary motivators?  Personal belief in the cause that the company is supporting, and the desire to help organizations hurt by the recession. The top five motivators, as rated by the employees themselves, are:

1. The cause is important to the employee personally
2. Community organizations are experiencing economic hardship
3. Volunteering results in a donation for the organization from the company
4. The cause is important to the company
5. The charity came to the company to talk about what they do in the community

Corporations investing in employee volunteer programs don’t just benefit their communities; they also make a positive impact on their employees. Almost 71% of employee respondents say that their company’s volunteer program makes them feel “more positive” about their company.

The study reveals that volunteer managers can increase program participation by paying closer attention to what is important to employees. For instance, employees in the study say the best recognition for donating their time is a donation to the charity for which they volunteer (known as volunteer grants or Dollars for Doers programs)--yet volunteer managers report that these programs are underutilized. “Better and more frequent communication about grant programs and other top motivators will likely produce greater return on investment for the companies,” Dr. Gornitsky says, “not to mention greater impact in the communities served.”

A PDF copy of Motivating Volunteering in Tough Times is available for $77. The 66-page report includes dozens of charts and tables showing attitudes and beliefs of both employees and volunteer managers at the participating companies. LBG will also be holding a webinar on the findings on November 18th from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern. To read the Executive Summary or to purchase the full report or register for the webinar, visit LBG at http://www.lbg-associates.com/publications/.

Companies sponsoring this research include, Booz Allen Hamilton (Gold); CSX, Rockwell Collins, and Entrepreneurs Foundation (Silver); and Allstate, Capital One, FedEx and Moody’s (Bronze).