Workplace Giving Participation Increases Seven-fold

Businesses have reported dramatic participation increases in workplace giving as a result of engagement programs run as part of Workplace Giving Month.

The Australian Charities Fund (ACF) said that job site SEEK’s Workplace Giving Month campaign “Small Change” raised employee participation from 7 per cent of staff to 54 per cent, a 771 per cent increase.

The Not for Profit ACF, who organised Workplace Giving Month, said previous years had also shown that a 30 per cent increase in staff participation was very achievable.

The June program involved businesses running promotions to increase employee participation in their own workplaces or showcase the collective impact of smarter giving among the broader public.

Under the tagline of “Your Small Change of $1 a week will make a big difference to our charity partners”, SEEK’s campaign raised awareness through promotion in internal publications, teasers around the office, impromptu buskers, chocolate coins and an email campaign.

During the month, ACF used survey app AskU to canvas the views of 200 working Australians about workplace giving. The “lightning” survey showed:

• 85 per cent of employees felt it was important to give back to the community through WPG (pre-tax donations, time, skills and in-kind support);
• 82 per cent of employees would be more inclined to give to a charity through the workplace if their employer matched the donations;
• 74 per cent of employees would prefer to give $5 per week over a year than a bulk amount;
• 63 per cent of employees would be happy to be automatically included in their company’s giving program.

“We have worked with over 120 Australian organisations to establish giving programs. The success of these programs is ensured when there is the passionate commitment of the leader who fosters giving back to the community as integral to a progressive organisational culture, where employees are engaged and working together to make a positive social impact,” ACF CEO Jenny Geddes said.

“The AskU survey confirms this, with respondents stating that workplace giving should start at the top with CEOs and managers leading by example. Employees are more inclined to donate if the leaders of the company are giving and talking about it.”

According to Geddes, three key focus areas could help businesses to harness the momentum of workplace giving campaigns:

Leadership

One of the key reasons for employee involvement was leadership from CEOs and senior executives.  Workplace giving is seen as a service to employees and society, built into the culture of the organisation. When the leadership team are committed and involved it provides the initial step to lead by example and is imperative to the success of the program.

Engagement

The best way to maintain momentum is to align the charities of choice with the business strategy, values and employee interest. This allows for a deeper engagement and connection to the wider community and business.

To engage employee’s communication is the key. If everyone in the business receives regular feedback from the charity partners about the success of the program and the impact of donations, this conveys a sense of accomplishment.

Visibility

Promotions and campaigns provide a great way to generate hype. Creating a visual presence for employees will produce a recognisable brand assisting to build further awareness. Remember, people love goals, so promote your target to employees and utilise visual images, such as a thermometer.

If the program information is easily accessible this will allow for a higher reach. Businesses advise the most common success rate for sign-up is through integration of the recruitment and induction processes.