Nonprofits today are facing a number of challenges. They need more volunteers, visibility, donations and engagement. The more exposure they get the more volunteers and donations they attract. As a result, the more help they can provide. But without visibility and exposure it’s hard to gain that traction. “What we do is so far-reaching” shared Camille Daniels of Volunteers of America Oregon. “Getting our message out… that affects the sort of volunteers and donors we attract.” Organizations such as The Technology Association of Oregon exist to help nonprofits gain and maintain visibility and exposure.
Businesses on the other hand are faced with their own uphill challenge. Attracting top talent and adapting to changing customer expectations. Nearly three-fourths of employees expect their employer to provide volunteer efforts or make donations. In addition, 51% expect their employer to allocate work time to advocating for social change. On top of that 87% of consumers say they’d support a business that was involved in a cause they care about.
The Need to Help
Nonprofits by their very nature desire to help others, but the gap between what they want to do and what they can do still remains. Businesses and employees have entered an era where “giving back” isn’t just about donating a few bucks. In order to bridge this gap and address these challenges, NobleHour delivers a seamless solution that allows nonprofits businesses and volunteers to work together and make a difference.
To ensure that nonprofits get the support they need NobleHour has partnered with groups like the Technology Association of Oregon. With the intention of positively impacting the region.
Using NobleHour and TAO, affiliated businesses can see the impact they’re making in the community. NobleHour makes it easy for businesses to see the successes of their volunteer programs and policies like VTO (volunteer time off) and CSR (corporate social responsibility). “This [tool] lets us look at ROI from a financial perspective. It also gives us data to see what our employees are connecting to within our mission. And not just the base dollar value” said Katie Chaney of Gridworks IC.
As a result, of using NobleHour and TAO nonprofits and charities get reliable skilled and passionate volunteers. In addition they receive much needed visibility. “We really benefit from partnering with businesses because it’s an untapped resource” said Daniels. Employee volunteers can help with programs or needs and even explore their interests in other ways.
Volunteers are Golden
Corporate volunteering and nonprofit partnerships offer an unprecedented triple benefit. The nonprofit can access a large pool of skilled and professional volunteers. Employees are allowed time to give back which makes them happier. Companies reap the benefits of happier more engaged employees while earning brand equity and loyalty in the community. So the question is: What company wouldn’t want to reap the benefits of being more engaged in their community?
Paul Underwood Executive Director of Operation Nightwatch has something to say to businesses who get involved in their communities: “To the business leaders what I would say to them is, this will deepen the impact of what you do. It will strengthen teams who aren’t just chasing that buck and it makes for a richer experience in this life.”
The Community Development Specialist at Rivermark Credit Union ,Haley Andrews reports that using the NobleHour tool is making it easier for the credit union to track volunteer opportunities, communicate with partners and fellow credit unions. It’s also helping them make more of a difference in the Portland area. After just six months of using NobleHour the credit union had already logged 407.50 volunteer hours totaling $10363 in economic impact.
NobleHour TAO and all of our partners believe when businesses residents and nonprofits all work together they are an unstoppable force for good. “Imagine the impact we could all have if we just volunteered for one hour a year” said Mike Calvo Vice President of new development and customers of NobleHour.
