Five Signs You Need a New Employee Giving and Volunteering Platform

Introduction

In today’s corporate landscape, social impact initiatives are no longer a mere afterthought but a crucial aspect of a company’s identity and success. And as expectations for corporate social responsibility continue to evolve, organizations must adapt by leveraging innovative platforms to engage their employees in giving back to the community.

Companies of all sizes can take steps to foster workplace cultures that are genuinely oriented toward community service. That said, companies with a global reach need powerful, flexible technology  to effectively manage their employee giving and volunteering programs.

Here are five signs that indicate your company may need to consider investing in a new employee giving and volunteering platform.

One of the most obvious signs that your company needs a new employee giving and volunteering platform is a lack of engagement and participation from your employees. If your current platform fails to inspire and motivate employees to get involved in social impact initiatives, it may be time to explore alternative solutions.

For example, integrated technology that pulls in opportunities from the world's leading providers like Goodera and Idealist are seeing record engagement. Newer platforms see employee engagement as the key to social impact. With tech approaches like gamification, personalized recommendations, and seamless integrations with popular HRIS providers like Workday, some companies are engaging as much as 78 percent of their workforce.

Effective management of employee giving and volunteering programs requires robust tracking and reporting capabilities to measure impact and demonstrate ROI. If your current platform lacks the necessary tools to track employee contributions, volunteer hours, and charitable donations, you may be missing out on valuable insights that can inform strategic decision-making.

Your social impact technology should include comprehensive dashboards that provide real-time visibility into employee engagement metrics, donation trends, and community impact data. With actionable analytics at your fingertips, you can optimize your social impact initiatives and showcase your company’s commitment to corporate citizenship.

Many companies rely on a patchwork of disparate systems and tools to manage their employee giving and volunteering programs, resulting in a fragmented experience for both employees and administrators. If your current approach involves juggling multiple platforms for grantmaking, donation matching, volunteer management, and employee resource groups (ERGs), you may be experiencing inefficiencies and communication barriers that hinder program success.

It may help you manage a complex national or international social impact program if your social impact platform consolidates all of these activities into one seamlessly integrated solution, providing a centralized hub for all of your purpose-driven initiatives. With streamlined workflows and unified communication channels, you can simplify administration and create a cohesive experience for your employees.

Every company has unique needs and priorities when it comes to employee giving and volunteering programs. If your current platform lacks flexibility and customization options, you may find yourself constrained by one-size-fits-all features that do not align with your organization’s values and goals.

Legacy software providers were built for narrow, specific functions. The new wave of social impact technology is on par with that core functionality but is also highly configurable, allowing you to tailor the user experience, branding, and functionality to meet your specific requirements. That means you can accommodate different languages, currencies, and corporate policies as your needs continue to evolve. 

Employees waiting to know the status of their donations? Trusted nonprofits not getting a response on getting onboarded to your chosen platform? Implementing a new employee giving and volunteering platform can be a daunting task, especially if you lack the necessary support and expertise to ensure a smooth transition. If your current platform provider offers limited support options and struggles to integrate with your existing systems, you may encounter roadblocks that impede adoption and hinder program success.

Some software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers have eschewed human customer service in favor of AI chatbots. This can be helpful for easy, frequently asked questions, but you should make sure your social impact software vendor also staffs real experts who can help solve problems. The combination of tech-backed speed and human touch is effective for solving large enterprises' problems. 

When Is the Right Time to Make the Switch?

Investing in a new employee giving and volunteering platform can be a strategic decision that pays dividends in terms of employee engagement, brand reputation, and community impact. If your company exhibits any of the signs mentioned above, it may be time to consider upgrading to a platform that offers the features, flexibility, and support you need to elevate your social impact initiatives to the next level.By providing employees with a user-friendly interface and meaningful opportunities to make a difference, companies can boost participation rates and foster a culture of philanthropy. With the right tools and resources, you can empower your employees to make a meaningful difference in the world while driving positive change within your organization.

Deed is an enterprise social impact platform that makes it fun and easy for millions of employees to share their time, money, and talent with causes they care about. We started as a viral volunteering app, and today our platform gives the world’s most inspiring brands—from Airbnb to lululemon—one exceptionally-designed home for all of their purpose-driven activities. Corporate grantmaking, employee donations/matching, diversity & inclusion, and employee resource groups (ERGs) are only the beginning. Because over the past three to five years, everyone’s expectations for Fortune 500 corporate social responsibility have radically changed. But with our trusted integration partners like Workday and PayPal, hand-in-hand customer service, and a collaborative product team, Deed’s platform moves at the speed of work. 

Ready to switch to a true tech partner in social impact?