Increasing Employee Engagement through Volunteerism

Three perspectives on increasing employee engagement through volunteerism were presented at the September CVC-TC meeting held September 27, at GE Fleet Services in Eden Prairie.

About 35 members turned out to get insights on this topic from Kristi Nichols, representing Community Relations & Special Events for C.H. Robinson;  Stephanie Johnson, Manager, Community Relations of the Minnesota Twins; and Andrea Kopfmann, Walser Foundation Manager.

C.H.Robinson, a transportation logistics company with about 8,800 employees in 26 countries, looks for creative ways to encourage employees to give through volunteerism in the community.  Since they have branches throughout the world, the best approach is allow offices to find local partners. The Ronald McDonald House and Make a Wish foundation are two of their strongest partners, but they also support a ground up approach, if employees have ideas for community partnerships, as well.  

The Minnesota Twins sets the bar high for their 130 employees. Each department averages 12 hours of volunteer time per employee each year.  Typical programs include Twins/Toro urban playground Rebuild, Holiday Week of Giving and Hope Week.  The latter program is a week in June and involves front office, players and fans.

The Walser Foundation has about 1,000 total employees at dealerships around the Twin Cities. The foundation funding comes from 5% of pre-tax earnings from the Automotive group. They have grown some events over the years, such as the MS walk which started with just a few people, most recently had 168 people participate. On average, 200 employees annually provide support at over 65 events.

Each of the presenters provided insights on strategies for communication, engagement and also challenges they encounter as volunteer initiatives are implemented. As usual, a lively Q&A session followed. Click here to view this session’s powerpoint.

Click here to see photos.

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