2021 has been quite a year! While 2020 was an unprecedented year of difficulties and ambiguity, 2021 marked as a year of resilience and hope! Be it on a macro-global scale, or in smaller pockets of our communities, not only did we bond to tackle the issues together, but also learnt to thrive amidst the pandemic.
While second and third waves hit massively at different points in different parts of the world, affecting the health and morale massively, it was heartening to see the agility and resilience with which we bounced back.
Interestingly, COVID wasn’t the only one making multiple waves globally. The corporate world was also hit by the infamous wave of the “Great Resignation” that witnessed millions of employees quitting their jobs searching for higher personal satisfaction aligned with their social values.
While most employers were focused on initiatives that could benefit companies in the long term by increasing employee productivity in the WFH space, the Big Quit was a testament that productivity doesn’t guarantee engagement.
In our comprehensive report titled “The State of Corporate Volunteering,” we highlighted the changing priorities of the future workforce – the millennials and the Gen-Z. The study concluded that companies had to relook at their employee engagement initiatives to retain and motivate them to stick around. We also highlighted that in the era of distributed/virtual workforces, virtual volunteering stuck out as an excellent way to help companies create a brand-new, effective channel of engagement among their employees.
2021- Virtual volunteering’s year of reckoning:
At Goodera, we observed a paradigm shift in the way companies were tackling the challenges of engaging a remote workforce. With pandemic restrictions preventing or curbing the availability of in-person volunteering events, virtual volunteering became a game-changer. Companies were now able to:
Facilitate and encourage employees and their families to contribute from home
Create an equally enriching volunteering experience for both employees and nonprofits
Access a supremely cost-effective form of volunteering that contributed to their CSR requirements
With the many benefits that came with virtual corporate volunteerism, it’s no surprise that all stakeholders were happy. It allowed companies to retain and reinvigorate a sense of purpose among their employees. These employees are motivated to play their part in improving our world, and they can count on their own companies to give them the platform to do so.
It is for these reasons and more that 2022 looks exciting and promising. We are finally beginning to understand the pulse of the employees. The ease and clarity with which the organizations have responded to virtual and hybrid modes of volunteering, it’s given us tremendous motivation that we’re onto the right path of transformation.
2022 for Goodera is all about innovating and enhancing the virtual volunteering experience to elevate employee engagement within their workplaces. The year has commenced with some exciting partnerships that will help organisations build successful social impact and volunteering strategies for their hybrid workforce.
To help corporations begin or expand their giving initiatives, we’ve created an exciting annual calendar to tap into.
Meaningful Corporate Giving initiatives for 2022:
Racial Equality – To help tackle Racial Equality, we at Goodera created the 10K for Racial Equality Campaign. We’re looking to empower and encourage 10,000 employees worldwide to fight against racial injustice, discrimination, and inequalities. The campaign’s microsite features a range of events that interested corporations can pick up throughout the year.
We’re also hosting virtual events centered around Black History Month and MLK Day, which can help employees do their bit to benefit challenged individuals in colored communities.
Women’s Rights – To create a world of equality, we need to fight for women’s rights the world over consciously. This year, on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’ve lined up events to encourage girls and women to take up jobs in predominantly male-dominated domains.
Environmental Issues – To create a sustainable, healthier planet for the future, we’re also highlighting Earth Hour in March. The various virtual volunteering events around Earth Hour will highlight awareness and actionable steps on tackling global warming and climate change.
We’re looking forward to your and your team’s participation this year. With 2022 looking to be the year virtual volunteering tackles new frontiers, we’re excited to start the new year off on the right note and help change the world for the better, right from home. We had highlighted the benefits of virtual volunteering earlier, and it’s safe to say that they are still relevant.
If your company would like to begin entering the world of virtual volunteering, we can organize a free event for 5 to 20 volunteers.
About Goodera:
Goodera is the world’s largest volunteering platform. Its hybrid and virtual volunteering platform allow companies to access a wide variety of curated volunteering opportunities and social causes. Goodera’s 200+ clientele list includes 50 of the Fortune 500 companies and works with 50,000+ non-profit organizations across 100+ countries. Since its inception, Goodera has onboarded and engaged up to 1 million corporate volunteers with various virtual and hybrid causes worldwide.
Goodera has also created Karma Hub – the world’s largest repository of virtual volunteering opportunities. Their partnerships include companies in more than 100+ countries, with an 80+ volunteer NPS rating, offering activities in up to 15 languages.
