FOCUS: How to join the region’s annual Day of Caring on Nov. 18

Day of Caring volunteers in 2015. Photos provided.

By Amanda Netsch, Trident United Way  |  Every fall, Trident United Way hosts its annual Day of Caring. It’s a community service day where thousands of volunteers from local businesses, civic groups and associations, in tandem with their colleagues and bosses, roll up their sleeves and get to work serving hundreds of nonprofit agencies and public schools.

Volunteers can be seen building, planting, cleaning, painting, reading and so much more. The impact volunteers make on the community through this one day is well over $400,000 in value of service hours alone (using the Corporation for National & Community Service 2014 volunteer rate) – but the impact does not stop there.

Day of Caring is much more than a single day of service. It is often the catalyst that creates new relationships or strengthens existing relationships between volunteer teams and nonprofit agencies that develop into year-round community engagement partnerships. We hear about corporate volunteer teams donating their time and energy to agencies and schools well after Trident United Way’s Day of Caring has passed. Some of these relationships have even grown into a decade-long partnership. Other corporate teams utilize Day of Caring as the opportunity to connect with new nonprofit agencies and schools to learn about other services being provided to our neighbors in the Tri-county community and “adopt” the agency for year.

While we intuitively know agencies and schools benefit from volunteer work, as there is always work to be done and shrinking budgets to accomplish it, businesses and employees also benefit from having thriving employee volunteer programs. Research conducted by Cone Communications shows 74 percent of employees surveyed feel their job is more fulfilling when they are provided with opportunities to make a positive impact on social issues (2016 Employee Engagement Study). This number increases to 88 percent for millennials. Cone Communications also states that, “companies that respond with dynamic, flexible and innovative employee engagement programs will be rewarded with a loyal and energetic workforce.”

Trident United Way is currently building a volunteer matching system, available in 2017 in which volunteers will be able to find skill-based and hands-on direct service opportunities, search for flexible and diverse options in education, financial stability and health, and contribute to tracking real results that lead to community change.

Join us for Day of Caring on Friday, Nov. 18. There is still time to unite a team of volunteers – a team needs a minimum of two people – and register for one of many projects taking place around the Tri-county area. Perhaps this will be your company’s spark to build new community connections and create an employee volunteer program that will benefit the community and your business.

We anticipate there may be additional needs for this year’s event to assist local nonprofits and schools recover as a result of the storm’s impact. Trident United Way will be working with Day of Caring participants to understand their needs and recruit volunteers accordingly.

• For more information on Trident United Way’s Day of Caring visit tuw.org/day-caring.  Volunteer team registration is open through Nov. 1, 2016.

Amanda Netsch is strategic volunteer engagement manager for the Trident United Way.  You can reach her at:  anetsch@tuw.org.  Have a comment?  Send to:  editor@charlestoncurrents.com