Kyndryl, Goodera, and Deed sat down for a wide-ranging conversation on the surge in employee volunteerism.

Introduction

Who says volunteering for your own good is wrong? 

Make no mistake: The number one reason employees all over the world are volunteering more often than ever before is because they want to make a real difference, and now, thanks to tech platforms that offer diverse yet relevant opportunities to do so, they finally can. 

That said, there is a growing body of research that shows volunteering in your community can positively impact your health (mental, physical, and social), engagement at work, and likelihood of sticking around longer. 

So if the idea of a dopamine hit is what helps employees press “sign up,” that’s alright, so long as they give that volunteer event their all. 

In “Rise of the Employee Volunteer: How doing good improves health, happiness, and productivity,” social impact leaders from Kyndryl, Goodera, and Deed discussed how to encourage employees to do more good deeds in their day-to-day lives. 

Key takeaways:

💪Get to know CSR leaders driving employee engagement in social impact through innovative volunteer opportunities and impact tech

💪Gain insight into how company volunteer programs get off the ground and reach social impact goals

💪Hear challenges and opportunities to volunteering in 2023

💪Learn why 93 percent of Deed volunteers opted for in-person events in 2022

As you make your way through these three key takeaways from “Maximizing Social Impact,” don’t forget to grab your recording of the webinar to hear insights from Monoswita Saha (Kyndryl), Tim Anson (Goodera), and Chad Haertling (Deed), as well as fascinating questions from the audience. 

3 Takeaways from “Rise of the Employee Volunteer” 

1. When employees feel their mental, physical, and social wellbeing is not a priority, workplace morale drops. 

From cleaning up the local park to learning good nutrition from packing healthy meals for those in need, once we start thinking about the connection between our bodies and doing good, the ideas for unique volunteering opportunities will begin to flow. For a primer on this, our panelists suggest reading “Volunteering: The Meaningful Path to Health and Wellness."

Volunteering can “counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety,” according to The National Alliance on Mental Illness. Those who struggle with anxiety or depression will find ways to engage on their own terms, and the sense of accomplishment they feel after an hour or two helping others will naturally give rise to greater autonomy and self-confidence. 

Additionally, the Mayo Clinic points to a longitudinal study of aging, which found that, “even when controlling for age, gender and physical health” volunteers live longer than non-volunteers because of their decreased risk of “heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety and general illness.”  

A dedicated time and place to practice social skills, find new friends, and nurture meaningful relationships in a low-pressure environment can offer the fresh start many people need to enrich their social lives.  “With communities facing new challenges every day with limited resources,” the National Recreation and Park Association says, “volunteering provides the manpower and local buy-in for real change to occur.”

2. Volunteering helps employees set stronger goals by connecting with a deeper sense of purpose and community.

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Taking a step back from the ebb and flow of normal life to do a simple good deed with friends and colleagues gives employees the chance to connect with a fundamental aspect of human existence. Namely, empathy. It’s much easier to do something good for someone in need when we can channel our genuine desire to do good into a specific activity on a specific day in a specific place. 

Purpose-minded leaders know there’s only one real conclusion to draw from this data point: At least 63 percent of employees are looking to their managers and leaders for guidance incorporating purpose into their day-to-day lives. And volunteering can help with a number of different kinds of goals, including: 

• Health
• Personal
• Financial
• Career
• Social life & community

The takeaway? It’s time to expand access to meaningful activities like volunteering by working with social impact organizations and fun, engaging tech platforms employees actually want to spend time using. Our panelists point to “Volunteering & Goal-Setting" for tips on getting started. 

3. Social impact creates a shared sense of purpose for your people, company, and brand. 

Let’s paint a picture of how volunteering builds community and brand loyalty by looking at the data: 

• 61 percent of employees who volunteered increased their teamwork skills 
• 58 percent of managers reported a visible improvement among their team’s attitude.
• 82 percent of employees that volunteer feel more committed to their employer.
• Employees who feel their employer cares about their wellbeing are 69 percent less likely to actively search for a job and 5X more likely to advocate for their company as a place to work.

The takeaway? When a global company like Kyndryl partners with a social impact platform like Deed and an event manager like Goodera, the data shows employees around the world love to come together to do good. 

Final thoughts 

“Rise of the Employee Volunteer: How doing good improves health, happiness, and productivity” is a webinar from Kyndryl, Goodera, and Deed. Our hosts are Chad Haertling, VP of Sales at Deed and Tim Anson, Associate Director of Engagement and Solutions at Goodera. Our special guest is Monoswita Saha, CSR, Citizenship, and Employee Engagement Leader at Kyndryl. 

This webinar is one of a series of expert talks Deed is leading in 2023, and we hope to see you at the next one very soon. If this conversation is already giving you ideas about how to better run your social impact program and contribute to the global rise of the employee volunteer, reach out now to hear how Deed’s vast content library and 24/7 support helps Airbnb, lululemon, and the world’s CSR leaders get it done. 

About Kyndryl

Kyndryl was spun-off of IBM IT infrastructure services in 2021. Their global base of customers includes 75 of the Fortune 100 companies. Operating from over 100 countries, Kyndryl’s skilled professionals are committed to the success of their customers, collaborating with them and helping them to realize their ambitions.

About Goodera

Goodera executes hosted volunteering experiences that are accessible, engaging, and impactful for the world’s leading organizations like IBM, Airbnb, Zoom, and Amazon—60 of our 400+ customers today are from the Fortune 500 club. With a presence across 100+ countries, our volunteering programs are bringing people and purpose closer in every workplace—in-person, remote, and hybrid.

About Deed

Deed is a workplace giving and volunteering platform that puts people first, because user experience shouldn’t stand between you and doing good. We help social impact and DEIB teams foster genuine human connection by empowering employees to support causes they care about together in-person and online, with the data and insights they need to drive engagement. Backed by PayPal and a solid infrastructure of trusted payment processors, our Fortune 500 partners support +2 million nonprofits with ease. And together, our community is doing more good deeds everyday at work, at home, in our neighborhoods, and all over the world.