Managing the details of an employee volunteering program is a lot of work. Program managers can spend endless hours organizing volunteer opportunities, recruiting employees to participate and creating campaign reports. By utilizing the right CSR software, this job can go from an administrative nightmare to a program manager’s dream. So how do you know what CSR software is the right software? Take a look at these key identifiers:

The right CSR software lessens administrative duty.

Between data entry and extensive formatting to make the information digestible, building a robust spreadsheet that tracks every program detail is time-consuming. Automating processes is a straight and narrow path to efficiency, therefore finding a system that alleviates the menial tasks is key. From creating events to gathering sign-ups and distributing communications regarding the volunteering campaigns or events, software can enable program managers to work faster and in a more simplistic way so they can focus on what truly matters; engaging employees and driving employee participation.

The right CSR software aligns program goals and results.

It is easy to make calculation mistakes while manually tracking goals. Spreadsheets can be extremely valuable in business, but data in tabular form can be hard to rapidly analyze. If a member of the management team asks for data on the most popular volunteer causes in your company or how many volunteer hours have been logged in the past three months, their eyes may glaze over if you send them a spreadsheet where the answers are spread across copious tabs. CSR software featuring smart dashboards allow you to quickly assess key program metrics leading to a more agile EVP.

The right CSR software makes engaging employees easy.

If you are utilizing a manual process for managing your employee volunteer program, chances are you rely on pushing information out to employees through emails, posters, or the company intranet. While these methods can be effective and should not be overlooked, CSR software provides an additional benefit of allowing employees to pull information at their convenience. They can easily search and sign up for events that interest them and that fit into their schedule. Software that is customizable ensures brand consistency and can lead to increased employee engagement by tailoring messages that resonate with them and reflect your company culture.

Look for a CSR Software that:

Makes Program Management Easy for Admins — Pre-configured templates that allow program managers to swap out imagery, text, goals and more is exactly what your teams needs to work fast and get campaigns up and running. A system with branded templates gives your managers a configurable and flexible way to target employees in a compelling and personalized way through your brand. You’ll also need a system with:

  • Role-based access to grant admins permissions for creating events, approving submissions and requests, running customized reports, and more.
  • Configurable portlets so program information can be dispersed throughout individual employee portals. This makes your messaging targeted and personal to drive participation in the most unified way.
  • Custom reporting tools and dashboards so admins can track budgets, approvals, participation at-a-glance or in-depth, whenever they need.

Makes Participation Easy for Employees — The logistics of your corporate social responsibility program can be a deterrent to employee participation. Technology has eased many challenges, but if the wrong system is implemented, it can slow down participation. The right CSR software should have a great user-experience so even your least tech-savvy employees can work within it. You’ll also need a system with:

  • Simple searching capabilities to find giving and volunteering opportunities
  • Goal tracking so employees can have confirmation of their contributions
  • Diverse payment options so employees can opt into payroll deductions or submit monetary donations straight through the system with their card, just like PayPal!
  • Easily accessible resources for employees to get the information they need — volunteer opportunities, FAQs, policies, waivers, etc.

The success of corporate philanthropy relies heavily on having the right system in your wheelhouse. Dive into what it takes to select the right system in our best practices guide for selecting a corporate philanthropy software partner. In it, we cover

  • How to leverage corporate philanthropy specialists
  • Learn what makes a good corporate philanthropy program
  • Selecting an outsourcing partner