Going Virtual – An Alternative Volunteer Event Guide

Even before our current health situation arose, technology has been the leading method of engaging employees in today’s society. In the span of one year, from 2016 to 2017, remote work grew 7.9%. Over the last five years, remote work grew 44% and over the previous 10 years, it grew 91%. (via) In light of that trend and all the recent travel upheaval due to COVID–19, with increasing restrictions being placed on companies and their global workforce, we wanted to address creative alternatives to traditional volunteer events.   

The challenge – how do companies create meaningful volunteer opportunities for their global employees that engage, connect, and create impact? Often virtual events don’t elicit the same emotional connection as when a team comes together for in-person service. If you are using an employee engagement platform, you already have the means to bring people together. We wanted to take it a step further and round up some of our recommendations for inspiring and engaging your employees, no matter where they are in the world:  

Time-sensitive requests for short-term projects in our active, virtual volunteer pool can assist with items such as email marketing setup to spread awareness about health and safety, consultation on remote best practices, and much more. Catchafire works with 8,000 nonprofits and 43 funders who anticipate the growing need for immediate and long-term assistance, especially relating directly to COVID-19 and is tapping its volunteer community for responsive health and human services.  

Skilled volunteering can be a powerful way to support communities in preparation for and in times of crisis, both as a way to continue to engage with your community when traveling isn’t an option, and overall in supporting the resiliency of communities.

Preparation and Resiliency: