Turning your In-person CSR event into a Virtual event may be challenging, but we have some ideas to share that will help with the transition. As a Corporate Communications Event planner who believes in the power of corporate social responsibility to engage audiences and support those in-need in host communities, you may be asking – now what? How can you continue to support the common good with engaging CSR activities only online vs. Face to Face?
Give-back events and CSR activities during or as a standalone event are more important than ever. Younger generations are very connected to sustainability programs, especially ones that impact local communities. We will discuss below a few concepts that can be added to your next Virtual Event Production.
When creating a CSR Virtual Event, please see below 6 ideas to consider:
- Partner with Charities aligned with your mission
Research and create partnerships with Non profits and Charities that your company can associate with and create a win-win situation for both. - Kick off with your Annual Corporate Meeting or Incentive Program
Kicking off your CSR initiative at a company event in order to jumpstart your annual corporate or incentive program. Spark excitement and engagement - Create a Holiday Themed give back event
Tie your CSR event with a Holiday and narrow your area of focus. Also consider your organization goals, interest in issues, and available time commitment at company. You won’t be able to help anyone if you can’t persist with your assignment.
- Develop Virtual Volunteering program
Instead of being physically present to support a charity, virtual volunteering allows employees to donate their time and services remotely to help with essential tasks such as fundraising calls and outreach, social media promotion and management, graphic design, data entry and marketing assistance. - Matching Gift and Disaster Relief Campaigns
Encouraging staff to donate collectively to an important cause that is also backed by matching employee donations demonstrates that your organization takes CSR seriously, which can help boost employee moral and loyalty. - Promote Virtual Fitness Challenges
Promoting wellness and engagement, hosting walking, running or push-up challenges can also foster a competitive spirit as teams track their daily progress for a set period of time and compete for prizes.
CSR Virtual events using Virtual Volunteering
Many people find that it is much more convenient to become virtual volunteers, also called “cyber-volunteers,” “digital volunteers,” or even “e-volunteers.” Virtual volunteers serve causes both near and far. That service takes many forms, including:
- Website design or support
- Data entry
- Email marketing or management
- Fundraising phone calls and outreach
- Social media promotion and management
- App development
- Volunteer tracking
- Copywriting, blogging, or editing
- Graphic design, photography
- Marketing or branding assistance
- Video creation
This of course is just a small sample of all the possible virtual volunteering tasks a person could provide. Each organization has a different approach, so there will be unique ways for volunteers to support each charity remotely.
Moreover, while physical volunteers will always be in demand, the shift towards the Internet has made virtual volunteer positions plentiful. In fact, in times of great disruption, working and volunteering remotely became essential to keeping the economy, including nonprofits, moving. At one point in the spring of 2020, Volunteer Match had thousands of openings for virtual volunteers on its site.2
Helping the shift to virtual volunteering is the move to remote work of all kinds. It’s not unusual for paid employees to work from home or remote locations. This has been true of nonprofits as well. Many charities have a mixture of remote and on-site work for their employees. New technologies have arisen to make it easier to conference online, manage teams online, and share materials easily. These tools can also be used for virtual volunteering. Just consider the popularity of Zoom, GoToMeeting.
Then, you will need to figure out what type of virtual service you would like to provide. For instance, it could be social media management, copywriting, or even phone outreach.
To find opportunities, see below well-known charities including:
For more information on how we can help create highly engaging CSR events, please contact us to learn more about our event packages, availability and pricing.