Better Employees, Finances and Image: Why and How to Create A Corporate Volunteer Program–With Chris Jarvis

Republished with permission from  Cause Capitalism

With a poke in the chest, Chris Jarvis was asked a question on a street corner that stripped away what he knew and put him on a path to give people the opportunity to realize their full worth. Chris is responsible for helping companies attract and retain the best people. But he’s not a recruiter. He creates and implements employee volunteer programs (EVPs) for companies and nonprofits.

When I asked Chris what a company gains the most from having a corporate volunteer program he said, “Better people. Hands down. Better people.”   In addition to top employees, an EVP will improve your business’ community relations; increase morale and productivity; help your employees develop new skills and abilities; save you an average of $500 in employee training per employee every year as well as recruitment and turnover costs; and change the attitude of your company by giving your employees the opportunity to give more of what they have to offer.

In this interview, Chris lays out the four steps to building a corporate volunteering program that will give your company these benefits. We talk about aligning the nonprofit partner and program with your brand, the controversial subject of paid-time off to volunteer, white-collar vs. blue-collar volunteering and tools you can use to track and measure the impact of your program.

You’ll also hear what Chris was asked on the street corner and why he’s trying to recreate that same experience for you.

Click here for the full article and MP3 interview.

–AngelPoints Software to track volunteer programs and evaluate their impact
–Mission Measurement Measurement and evaluation services
–True Impact Online tools and support services
–LBG Canada: Companies working together to measure corporate community involvement