Creating and documenting your communication schedule will keep you on track for how you drive employee awareness of your campaigns and your workplace giving program. (You may recall from the first part of the series that employee awareness is one of the most significant barriers to participation and engagement.) Below is a sample employee communication schedule outline that you can adapt based on the various ideas you’re going to incorporate into your workplace giving program playbook:
Send a brief teaser email to employees, hinting at the upcoming workplace giving campaign launch. If you’re launching the campaign with a fresh workplace giving program name, theme, or look, this is a great time to reveal (or just hint) the new branding. Create intrigue and excitement.
Post a sneak peek on the company intranet, showcasing what employees can expect from the campaign. And if your company uses Slack, post a “sneak peek” in a channel dedicated to company and employee news and highlights.
Designate a person who employees can start contacting if they have any questions. It’s never too early to kick off employee engagement in a workplace giving campaign—even if you don’t have all the answers yet—it’s always a great time to open the lines for any potential communication about what’s to come.
Send a detailed email announcing the workplace giving campaign. Explain its purpose and provide initial information like what organization(s) they can support, how easy it will be to sign up, how much they can donate, etc.
Spotlight the launch on the company intranet with a dedicated section or banner. It’s a great idea to make the link to the intranet feature prominent and easily accessible for everyone.
Launch a series of posts on company social media platforms to generate awareness among employees and encourage participation.
Share quotes from employees who have participated in previous years, emphasizing the impact and personal fulfillment workplace giving programs provide. If this is a brand-new workplace giving program for your company, consider asking employees who participated in workplace giving campaigns for prior companies to share what they find so fulfilling about them and why they’re particularly excited about the launch with your company.
Host a live or virtual session to provide in-depth information about the program, its benefits, and how to get involved in the upcoming campaign.
In addition to a more straightforward virtual session, host a breakfast or lunch with the regional ambassador. If your company comprises fully remote employees or a hybrid/combination of in-person and remote employees, consider hosting the breakfast or lunch on Zoom or your video communication platform so everyone can attend. Also, consider emailing employees a gift card so that the company treats them to a special meal.
Send a follow-up email summarizing key points from the webinar and encouraging participation. If you can isolate one – three impactful quotes from the regional ambassador, this follow-up email is a great place to use them.
Better yet: See if the regional ambassador is willing to say a few encouraging things to employees in a short recording that you can include in the follow-up email.
Towards the end of the second week, host an in-person, hybrid, or virtual ice cream social for everyone who has participated. Include their ticket to the sweet event in their sign-up confirmation email—also, consider including a discount code for ice cream from an easily accessible brand like Ben & Jerry’s if you run a remote or hybrid working environment.
Send a follow-up email reminding people to allocate their match and sign up for payroll donations.
Announce fun and engaging challenges related to the giving program to motivate participation. (Take a look at our first blog post of this series for fun challenge ideas!)
Share updates on the progress of the workplace giving campaign. Include the number of participants, funds pledged, and volunteer hours logged. These can be a mix of current progress and last year's impact if this isn’t your first year running a workplace giving program.
Charity Spotlights are a great section in your weekly updates, especially if you partner with specific charities for giving days or volunteering programs or events throughout the year.
Spotlight individual employees or teams who have made significant contributions or achievements. Consider giving these employees a small but thoughtful Thank You for Making a Difference gift, like a half day off from work or a gift card.
Send a mid-week email to remind employees of ongoing challenges and encourage them to participate. This is a great time to release new videos or podcast episodes.
Remind employees that there's only one week left to participate in the campaign, but that is still plenty of time to make a real impact.
Send a high-impact email emphasizing the urgency to participate before the program closes. Mention their coworkers' impact and how every little bit counts to reach the goal of helping those who need it most.
Introduce a final challenge to encourage last-minute contributions.
Share a heartfelt thank you message to all participants, highlighting the collective impact they achieved. Let everyone know that there will be more chances to participate.
Share a detailed report highlighting the program's achievements, including the funds raised, volunteer hours, and the impact on chosen causes.
Remember to adapt this plan based on your specific timeline and the nature of your workplace giving program. An annual signup versus an evergreen campaign offers different opportunities to engage employees. Also, consider incorporating various communication channels (email, intranet, social media, etc.) for maximum reach and engagement.
Now that you know...
...it’s time to ensure you use the right digital platform for all your workplace giving, matching, and volunteering needs. We have solutions specially structured to fit every CSR program perfectly, no matter how small or robust your team and/or budget is. Take a tour of FrontStream Workplace >