Employee Volunteering Incentives

Main Takeaways

• Recognition boosts engagement: Employees who are recognized and rewarded for their efforts are 4x more likely to stay engaged.
• Diverse incentives increase participation: Companies using motivators (volunteer time off, grants, and matching funds) report up to 50% more volunteer hours per employee
• Nomination grant programs build ownership: Giving employees a voice in corporate philanthropy validates contributions and aligns personal purpose with company values.
• Structured, flexible programs outperform ad‑hoc efforts: Companies who offer a variety of meaningful initiatives see significantly higher participation and satisfaction rates.

As companies navigate economic uncertainty and potential declines in charitable donations, employee volunteering has become a powerful way to maintain a culture of giving back. But today, it is not enough to simply offer volunteering opportunities.
To ensure employees continue to be inspired by and engage with social impact programs, many top businesses opt to leverage additional incentives to encourage continued employee engagement and boost team morale.

Why Offer Volunteering Incentives?

The short answer? Volunteer programs succeed when employees feel recognized and rewarded for their contributions.

Studies show that employees who are well-recognized are up to 4x more likely to be engaged compared to those who are not recognized. This same principle applies to volunteering in that when employees see their efforts acknowledged, they feel that their time matters. That sense of value then motivates them to keep participating in acts of service and stay engaged with your company’s broader social impact initiatives. The result? Companies leveraging incentives for volunteering report up to 50% higher volunteer hours per employee.

Of course, the real question is: how do you, as a CSR leader, offer additional incentives with limited time, budget, and/or resources?

The thing to remember is, incentives don’t have to be expensive. They just need to align with your company’s culture and values. So, let’s take a look at some proven strategies you can use to motivate your employees to give their time and talents

Types of Employee Volunteer Incentives

Nomination Grant Programs

Nomination grant programs empower employees to direct corporate giving toward causes they care about. Employees submit an application explaining why their chosen nonprofit deserves support, often after volunteering with that organization.

Impact in Action

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits used the CSRconnect platform to manage its Voluncheer of the Year Grant Award, where monthly winners receive recognition, and an annual winner earns a $5,000 grant for their chosen charity.

Individual Volunteer Matching Grants (Dollars for Doers)

Known as “Dollars for Doers”, this incentive is when companies reward monetary donations or grants to nonprofits based on the volunteer hours of their employees. For example, a company might donate $15 per hour, up to $750 annually, after an employee volunteers 50 hours.

Impact in Action

Northern Trust, as part of their robust CSR engagement strategy that achieved 69.1% year-on-year growth in total volunteer hours, offers a Donations for Doers program where their employees are able to earn quarterly grants through their volunteerism.

Team Volunteer Grants

Team-based volunteering fosters collaboration and boosts participation. Companies typically offer a monetary donation when groups volunteer together.

Impact in Action

Cencora, as a response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, organized team volunteering events where employees create hygiene kits for affected communities. Alongside these efforts, the company donated $300,000 for relief efforts.

Special Matching Gift Programs

Special matching campaigns are a great way to create excitement and urgency with your programs. Companies can offer a total match amount for a campaign (e.g., $10,000 when participation goals are met) or reward milestones with digital donation gift cards employees can allocate to charities.

Impact in Action

Portland General Electric created creating $132,498 worth of impact with a very unique 10:1 matching opportunity to support wildfire protection and youth employment in Oregon.

Designated Day of Service

Designated service days allow employees to volunteer during work hours without sacrificing personal time. This model can be office-wide, company-wide, or rolling for flexibility.

Impact in Action

Nutrabolt’s Service Day initiative was very successful in encouraging employees to step away from their usual work to volunteer. With 80% of employees participating, Nutrabolt recorded a total of 1,500 volunteer hours in just one day.

Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Studies show that employees who volunteer report 79% higher job satisfaction compared to those who don’t. Yet, despite its benefits, one of the biggest barriers CSR leaders face to participation is lack of time. VTO helps to mitigate this challenge by providing paid time off for volunteering during work hours.

Impact in Action

Berkshire Bank offers 16 hours of paid volunteer time off to every employee, which is a key factor for their consistently high participation rate of 80-100% each year, which is nearly three times the national average.

The Bottom Line

While volunteering is a proven method for boosting employee engagement, incentives like grants, special gifts matching programs, and designated service days show employees their contributions matter – which encourages them to continue to participate long-term.