Benevity Goodness Matters User Conference: Event Recap

How much Goodness can you fit into just three days? We found out at Benevity’s annual User Conference, Goodness Matters 2016, held at the Omni Hotel in San Diego from Feb. 24-26. The conference brought together clients, industry experts, nonprofit leaders and the Benevity team for an event jam-packed with information and inspiration. From plenaries to panels to breakouts, we heard success stories from corporate givers, trends in corporate responsibility and ideas to advance Goodness in the world at large. We came away more convinced than ever that we, as companies and individuals, can make Goodness matter even more. Summarizing everything we talked about would take much longer than we have, so here are 5 key takeaways that will take employee engagement to the next level.

1. Program convergence is a key to bigger overall impact

As Goodness kicks into high gear, it’s smart to find ways to get the most impact from your program without necessarily spending more or growing your team. One way to do that is through program convergence: that is to say, bringing programs and teams together for a more strategic and synergistic approach. 

For instance, giving, volunteering and grants programs don’t need to operate in silos. In fact, integrating Goodness with other areas of your business is a win-win because it allows for substantial gains across the board: broader communication, increased awareness both internally and externally, share of budget and deeper employee engagement, all resulting in bigger impact (and ultimately, more budget). Try integrating with these teams across your organization in your quest for bigger and better social and business impact:

• Sustainability: Do you have a team that organizes green campaigns? Work with them to get employees engaged in initiatives that matter to them through giving and volunteering. One idea – plan a team event to raise money for a green cause with volunteers acting as environmental ambassadors.
• Grants: If your philanthropic budget separates grants from other types of giving, you can get creative with your approach by re-directing a portion of your grants budget to matching (i.e. create a giving opportunity for the grantee organization and offer compelling matching to the amount of the grant budget). The upside is greater participation in your program, engagement/awareness among your people and overall philanthropic impact.
• Health and Wellness: By partnering with health and wellness teams, you can raise awareness for important causes by calling for action through giving, volunteering, and related actions. Think about starting a little friendly competition: create teams that compete against each other for fundraising goals for a non-profit like the Heart & Stroke Foundation or Mental Health America. The challenge will drive participation and help your people rise to the occasion.
• Communications: Connecting with the people who know how to reach your people makes a lot of sense. Can you communicate your giving and volunteering campaigns on your company’s intranet? Can you collaborate to develop a hashtag for your company’s Goodness efforts? Encouraging your people to use the hashtag across social networks will grow awareness for your program organically and in an authentic way.
• Professional Development: Volunteer opportunities can double as professional growth opportunities. Budding executives may find a home on a Board, engineers may use their technical skills to help charities evolve, etc.;  there’s a fit for all levels of employees in skills-based volunteer roles. Try running a pro-bono program with a partner charity – employees’ skills will be enhanced and engagement will soar!

2. Today’s diverse workforce requires a clever engagement strategy

The workforce is more diverse than it’s ever been. We’re seeing generational differences from boomers to millennials, a unique blend of skill sets and abilities, and people who are spread more widely across cultures and geography than ever. With all of these differences, it can be a challenge to engage everyone in Goodness opportunities, but the pros are starting to work toward a frictionless experience with a healthy dose of creativity and strategy...

Read all the takeaways on the Benevity blog.