Employee Volunteer Programs = Good Business and Happy Employees

Courtesy of the HandsOn Network

Many companies have employee volunteer programs, but for many companies in Europe, Canada and the US these programs are underfunded, underdeveloped and underutilized. This blog series is meant to offer a number of compelling reasons why your business needs to invest (a bit more) in employee volunteering.

Employee Engagement: The direct connection to business success

The evidence supporting the importance of employee engagement is incontrovertible. Beyond the reports and analysis, even common sense will tell you that an engaged workforce is important to a company’s well-being and profitability.

Volunteering in Schools

courtesy of the HandsOn Network Blog

A quality volunteer experience provides positive benefits for all parties: the students, the school, and the volunteer. Before you start planning your volunteer role, take a closer look at some benefits of volunteering.

HandsOn Connect has Arrived

With summer in full swing, many employee volunteer programs and service-minded colleagues begin to prepare for the annual United Way Days of Caring. Traditionally, Days of Caring was a weeklong event each fall that mobilized hundreds of volunteers from local workplaces. Employee teams would dedicate a day, or half-day, of service to complete a project for United Way partner organizations. Projects varied from painting, light construction and yardwork, to whatever needed doing by a team of helping hands.

Days of Caring teams are organized within companies who host an annual workplace campaign for the United Way; thus offering an opportunity for employees to visit and see firsthand the organizations that benefit from their contributions. In turn, the organizations benefit immensely from the completion of work that would otherwise prove costly to their already-strained budgets.

HandsOn Mid-Willamette, a volunteer action center and initiative of the United Way, works directly with companies and applies their expertise to ensure that each company has an unforgettable experience.

9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance and Veterans' Stand Down

September 11, 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. To pay tribute to those who lost their lives that day, September 11th is now a National Day of Service and Remembrance. We have teamed up with HandsOn Affiliates across the county and MyGoodDeed to inspire millions of Americans to re-engage in civic commitments, build 9/11 into an unprecedented annual catalyst for civic engagement, and to help non profits build capacity to effectively engage volunteers.

We need your help to do this! Join us to honor the victims and heros of September 11th. Our biggest need, in honor of this day, is on 9/16-17, 2011.


Serving Our Veteran’s At Home hosts the 2nd Annual Willamette Valley Veterans’ Stand-Down!

Friday, September 16th and Saturday, September 17th
First Free Methodist Church
4455 Silverton Rd NE
Salem, OR 97305

A Stand-Down is a free opportunity for veterans and their families to get a free meal, experience live music, find community resources, and get any other help they may need when making the transition back to civilian life. In order for the Stand-Down to be a success, we will need a number of volunteers the day of the event performing duties that include the list below.  Feel free to sign up for multiple shifts and positions. 

Click here to see the volunteer options available to help us fill this important need!  

Volunteer Opportunities Abound in Silverton.

Kicking off its tenth anniversary on July 3^rd, the Oregon Garden will celebrate a history of hard work, determination and dedication that began when the Oregon Association of Nurseries first started exploring the development of a botanical garden back in the 1940s. Today, the Oregon Garden is home to more than 20 specialty gardens, waterfalls, quiet ponds, fountains, a children’s garden and a 400 year-old signature oak tree that stands 100 feet high.

In addition to being a peaceful place to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature, the Oregon Garden is also a wonderful place to volunteer. Where else can you plant a flower or tend a walking trail and know that visitors will enjoy your effort for months to come. If you are blessed with a green thumb, you can become a horticulture volunteer and assist staff with more advanced garden projects and care.

You could opt for the annual planting party and invite your family and friend to learn about the plant world as a group. The Oregon Garden is also looking for greeters and gift shop attendants.

If you happen to prefer the company of four-legged friends, consider a short drive to the outskirts of Silverton where you can discover a sprawling farm on a hill called the Silver Creek Animal Sanctuary. At Silver Creek, the goal is to provide a loving home for ill, abused and neglected goats and llamas, while also offering a healing, learning environment for adults and children with special needs.

Silver Creek Animal Sanctuary is currently home to 87 goats and seven llamas—all waiting to offer you a rewarding experience interacting with animals in a healthy, healing environment. Sign up for “Sanctuary Saturday” and spend an afternoon engaged in good old-fashioned hard work with the animals. Every experience includes time giving out treats and attention, which the animals love.

Check out these and other family-friendly volunteer opportunities at: www.handsonmwv.org

Melissa Gibler is the program director for HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley—an initiative of the United Way. She can be reached at (877) 372-4141, or mgibler@unitedwaymwv.org

Rock, Paper...Floppy Disk?

Our team is super excited to say goodbye to 1800VOLUNTEER and HELLO HandsOn Connect! This new volunteer database is going to rock your world! Speaking of rocks, it seems we have a new volunteer orientation video! You should check it out...it has a pet rock and a floppy disk in it, so you'll probably like it... 

What do you think? Thumbs up?