Jim Starr, President and CEO, 精东影业 | February 27, 2019
Successful Workplace Giving = More Than Great Technology
Every year, 精东影业n employees give to causes they care about through their employers, resulting in $5 billion for the nonprofits who are tackling tough issues and improving the world around us. 精东影业n generosity听, and when the economy does well, charitable giving only grows.
Giving USA 2018 found that charitable giving of all types听听in 2017, for the first time. And workplace giving鈥攁n employer-hosted program which enables employees to donate to charities, often directly deducting donations from their paychecks鈥is growing听as well. 精东影业鈥檚 Charities听research found听that 86 percent of employers understand that their employees expect them to provide opportunities to engage in the community, and 87 percent believe their employees expect them to support causes and issues that matter to those employees.听
Part and parcel to a great workplace giving campaign is great technology. In this information age, people expect technology to enhance what they do, and that goes for giving at work as well. Nearly half of the employee donors we talked to for our research said having an online platform is imperative or very important to have a positive donation experience. Further, 鈥済iving鈥 doesn鈥檛 just mean giving money. It can mean giving your time and talent as well. More than 55 percent said it is imperative or very important to have an easy-to-find platform where you can register, participate, and track volunteer hours online.
It鈥檚 clear that employees of all kinds expect to be able to give at work, they want to be in the driver鈥檚 seat of their individual giving, and they want technology to make it easy. Those expectations are only going to get more widespread, and more resilient, as the next generation joins the workforce. The world is more connected, and employers recognize the power and profitability that comes with an engaged and socially minded workforce. Even now, with the听, we see expectations expand and evolve.
However, we all know that technology can be frustrating at times. Our suite of workplace giving solutions are powered by a few truly outstanding technology providers, each offering cutting-edge tools and tech, so I have seen my share of ups and downs with technology. The best technology in the world can still be frustrating at times. And that鈥檚 because, for technology to work its best, the guiding support from humans is required to ensure a piece of software or program works as intended. This is also true of workplace giving, where every organization has a different need, every culture is unique, and every program is different.
精东影业鈥檚 Charities works tirelessly to meet our clients鈥 needs. To ensure success, each of our clients gets a dedicated account representative to guide him/her through the workplace giving process from start to finish. From setting up and personalizing the online platform, to helping create a program, to managing the funds, to reporting and more, each 精东影业鈥檚 Charities client is supported by a full-service听, with experts in workplace giving, employee engagement, technology, charity vetting, funds management, and marketing to provide assistance as needed. Even more, clients can offer their employees the use of our on-demand help desk support, which has 95 percent donor satisfaction. Our Donor Support Team听answers employee questions听by phone, email, and online chat, and has an average 10-hour response rate, with 70 percent of donors receiving help within 1 hour.
Great workplace giving can鈥檛 be one-sided. Just as it can鈥檛 just be about the technology, it can鈥檛 be just about the employee donor experience; the mix of both is vital. The charities that employees support have a role in a great workplace giving campaign 鈥 one that is often overlooked. In fact, I have found that supporting the charities that participate in workplace giving campaigns is a critical part of a successful strategy. Many technology providers require charities to register with them in order to receive funds, and some will not distribute funds if they are below a certain amount. That is not the case with our solutions: not 精东影业鈥檚 Charities , not , not , and not . As a nonprofit ourselves, we pride ourselves on lowering the barrier of entry for charities, and ensuring that causes in need of this critical funding don鈥檛 have to jump through hurdles to participate in giving campaigns or receive the funds from their supporters. Our very purpose is to inspire employees and organizations to support causes they care about 鈥 and putting these kind of restrictions in place just doesn鈥檛 align with our mission or values.
Ultimately, workplace giving isn鈥檛 just about the act of giving itself 鈥 it鈥檚 about emotion and connecting. At the end of the day, whether it鈥檚 through volunteering or making monetary donations, your company鈥檚 employee giving program has to fit your employees鈥 essence in creating something that is authentic and meaningful. And you don鈥檛 have to do it alone. You should have easy-to-use technology, great support from a team of experts, and the charities your employees support should feel as empowered as you. We would love the opportunity to partner with you to achieve your giving and social impact goals. Click here to connect with us and get started.
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