Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has evolved for many teams since offices went remote in 2020 due to pandemic. And in this fluctuating time when workplace leaders are reassessing the traditional work model and are opting for remote or hybrid teams, team-building days and communal volunteer hours are going to change too.

Keeping your CSR strategy is important, not only does it have positive social impact for the non-profit or cause you partner with, but it boosts engagement and increases retention.

Virtual happy hours, game nights, and meet-ups can certainly help boost employee happiness. But there’s a huge difference between happy employees and engaged employees.

To engage your team in a meaningful way, it’s critical to build a workplace culture that aligns with your company core values. Virtual volunteering opportunities can help distributed teams connect while making a positive impact.

Check out ways to engage remote employees to motivate them and maintain a sense of belongingness in these uncertain times.

Top workplaces are embracing virtual volunteering and finding new ways to give back and support non-profits while working remotely or in a hybrid capacity. That's just what Georgia's Own Credit Union did in their recent employee volunteering  and fundraising campaign for Make-a-Wish.

What is virtual volunteering?

Virtual or digital volunteering is an opportunity to take volunteer work online. Rather than working directly with a volunteer community on the ground, you can still volunteer no matter where you are at any time.

Flexible resources is the biggest benefit of remote volunteering, so you can help a community across the world even.

Volunteer projects or simply getting dispersed team members involved in your social impact strategy is doable. Incentivizing efforts or rewarding participation is a great way  

Using Cooleaf’s employee engagement platform, Georgia’s Own created virtual volunteering opportunities to connect employees and allow them to donate points.

Digital volunteers were able to participate in online activities like sharing about the campaign on social media or supporting local small businesses.

How to embrace virtual volunteering with Cooleaf

Here's how the organization hosted an online volunteering program:

• Georgia's Own ran three remote volunteering online activities focused on “acts of kindness." (Sharing positive messages, helping out a local business, etc.)
• Employees earned reward points for each challenge.
• Employees had the choice to spend their Cooleaf reward points on gift cards or donate their points to Make-a-Wish.
• Throughout the campaign, Cooleaf posted reminders & reasons to support the cause.

The results? Georgia’s Own employees knocked it out of the park with around $500 in donations.

“Georgia’s Own has always embraced giving back to our communities as part of our mission, vision, and values," said Cindy Boyles, CHRO at Georgia's Own Credit Union. "We really feel that if we’re doing good in our community, our teams will connect with that, and they’ll connect more with us... It’s really the best way to tap unknown talent and form those relationships that are so valuable to our culture and to the things that Georgia’s Own stands for.”

In short, virtual volunteering is powerful. When leaders and employees work side-by-side to make an impact, it can inspire and connect your team. Watch the video below for the full story.

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Interested in learning more about how to engage and motivate your remote team? Cooleaf can help — let's chat!

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