Online giving and workplace cause related practices are increasingly popular forms of employee engagement. In the US alone, charities raise about 5 billion USD from workplace giving initiatives. In India, everyday giving receives close to INR 350 crores or 5.1 billion USD. Causes that directly impacts and betters human life and quality are among the most valued by staff. While these platforms provide easy access to giving, they often fall short when it comes to offering the best experience for employees. Getting the best out of these platforms can benefit social enterprises, charities and staff alike. Here are a few ways to make workplace giving and platforms sticky.
– Evolve with the times: As different generations join the workplace, knowing their preferences is essential for the success of any workplace giving solution. Often, organizations resort to just paper based enrollment and ignore the needs of generations who are digital natives. Having a good mix of engagement and enlistment options can help improve sign-ups.
– Connect the dots: Giving is one part of the picture. What staff also want is transparency and connection. Do they know how their funds are creating social awareness or impact? Do they get a sense of whose lives they are transforming? By creating the overall experience for donors, you can raise the bar with giving.
– Design the giving journey: Investing in design thinking allows for better solutions that may have got missed. To me the online workplace-giving platform and experience must focus on the following principles – simplicity, transparency, relevance, engagement and personalization. Consider key moments that trigger giving and blend with the ongoing communication that employees receive. Be it a team event or a birthday celebration, giving staff reasons to think of the ‘other’, will channelize funding in more meaningful ways.
– Make storytelling core to the platform: It is not just about the beneficiaries that donors impact. How donors were inspired to make giving a priority also makes for great stories. Spend time with staff to know what makes giving tick for them. Provide simple to use templates, which they can use to share their stories widely.
While most workplace giving platforms provide flexibility, choices and ease of giving to make a lasting social impact, thinking more deeply about the experience can benefit beneficiaries, businesses and employees in the long run.
Have other ideas for improving workplace giving platforms and experiences? Do share them here.
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