Why Now Is the Time to Prioritize Workplace Giving

“Everyone can be great because anyone can serve,” said Martin Luther King Jr.  Healthcare workers working with COVID-19 patients are undoubtedly heroes in the pandemic era. However, other professionals may be stationed at home wondering how they can help out. As a leader with your organization, you can empower your employees to help causes in need and be impactful. Here are some reasons why you need to prioritize workplace giving right now.

1. Crises demand immediate action, and more employees will want to help.

2020 was indeed a tough year for nonprofits—88 percent experienced a decline in revenue, according to a COVID-19 Workforce Trends Report. However, other trends showed upsurges in donations. Grants to food banks and food banks increased by 667 percent nationally from March to June 2020. A study across 32 million community foundations reported an 80 percent increase in giving overall. 

“Despite the economic environment, all the uncertainty on a personal level, people looked outside of themselves and gave to charity,” said Pamela Norley, president of Fidelity Charitable, to Nytimes.com. It’s important to not only support major organizations, but also smaller community nonprofits.

2. Workplace giving has positive effects on your organization from the inside-out. 

Charitable giving and community service can bring disparate teams together and boost employee engagement. This is key when your employees are working remotely. Your employees have opportunities to collaborate and get to know each other outside of their day jobs. Helping causes in need also will make you and your employees feel good and be happier at your organization. Externally, workplace giving can elevate your brand equity. You’ll demonstrate to your customers, prospects, and partners that you’re a socially conscious organization.

3. All you need is a phone.

‍For the next couple of years, it may be challenging—and unwise— for organizations to host in-person charitable events or fundraisers.  The right apps remove all of the barriers to workplace giving. For example, with the Grateful app, you can choose a cause to help from a variety of nonprofits, from education to racial equity and justice.

Keep up workplace giving now and in the future

 Workplace giving shouldn’t be a one-off activity but rather baked into your company culture. Online giving makes it easy to start right now. With just a few swipes of your fingers, you’ve made a difference. 

If you want to make giving a sense of your company culture, check out this blog post: Fostering a Culture of Giving in 3 Simple Steps.