Life & Technology

Building a core team is a consistent process. It does not end with having 10-15 employees on board. It is only the beginning. 

Apart from sustaining the current team, you need to ensure they are willing to mentor future core members. 

The Employee Experience needs to be fulfilling for volunteers to make that transition. They should feel deeply about the program. Be willing to develop those internal relationships.

Know Your Flock To Inspire Employees

Get to know your volunteer leads. What drives them? Do you know their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What are the areas you can mentor them in? Which are the programs best suited for them to shine through?

Let us say you have employees who play music. Include them with other volunteers. They may be shy at first or simply unsure which program to pick. Get both employee volunteer groups to participate in the one-day NGO event. It is an encouraging platform for employee musicians to exhibit their talent. Evaluate areas they could get serious about volunteering. It could be as simple as teaching a group of children at an orphanage how to play the guitar, write songs, or teach them how to sing.

Inspire Employees By Encouraging Them To Speak Their Mind

There are all types of volunteers to deal with. It takes time and effort to get into their minds and hearts. Create an environment for them to speak their mind. Be upfront with those with expectations that do not fit the current scope. Provide them with an alternative if you are aware.

Find a volunteer match for different programs.

A volunteer may prefer to do a long-term project without the hassles of too much protocol. Such as having to enter into a process-oriented Pro Bono program. Get her directly introduced to a partner NGO. Do what is best in the larger scheme of things. Whichever enables a better employee experience.

Keep your core volunteers informed.

Before an all-employee announcement via email, digital displays, or town hall, your core volunteering team should already be aware. It makes them feel special and wanted.

Knowledge is Power.

Educate them with critical knowledge on revised messaging, policy changes, etc. It gives them a sense of belonging and the need to take action.

Equip to Evangelise...

Provide exclusive social content to share via social media. Everyone loves being Retweeted or Liked? Of course, social vanity does not drive committed volunteers. It enables them to be part of purpose-driven conversations with a larger (external) audience. 

Motivate Top-Down to Inspire Employees

Invite senior leaders who are icons and encourage volunteering to motivate top volunteers. Organize 30-minute interactive sessions to drive core messaging. Reiterate organizational culture or inspire them with personal stories. Check with them about what they want to hear from the leaders. It is always great to listen to leaders who resonate with your thinking. It boasts team confidence.

Talk to managers wherever possible. Not every manager supports their team members by taking time out and volunteering. For those who do, chat with them, and get insights into their team members’ volunteer skills and temperaments. Seek advice on how they think their members can be more effective volunteers if there is a particular skill set he wants the team to have. Find which of the CSR offerings makes the most sense for one of his reports to take up. 

Stir up conversations with senior management on the benefits of employee volunteering towards overall employee and company productivity.

Inspiration will come

These are some avenues one can tap into to inspire a core team. It gets lonely sometimes for core volunteers. That feeling of 'I have to do it alone' can wane their interest quickly and decrease their motivational levels. Be wary of volunteers in your team who are bored. Yet showcase a false sense of commitment only to gain attention. Or those who feel they have nothing else to do. Engage them creatively.

Engaging employees in volunteering is more about grace than fulfilling the law. It is more qualitative than it is about quantity. It is more about the intangibles over the tangible processes implemented. To sum up, provide meaningful experiences that light up a person's inner man. 

Getting employees to volunteer for your CSR events can be extremely challenging and stressful. 40-50 hours in the office a week should never be all about work. We are humans, remember? Sometimes we forget, thanks to technology that enables us to do more. Work never stops. We need to stop. To recharge.

Every human is built with a sense of purpose. We have a conscience that finds solace in good deeds. A job alone is not everything for most employees.

Many look to engage themselves beyond work.

Many want to make a difference in people’s lives.

Gear up to guide the change-makers, and maybe you’ll end up awakening some sleeping giants too.

Educate Yourself Before You Build A Team For Employee Volunteering

Employee Communications Is Your Friend

Catch Up with Leaders

With an email sent, along with the rest of the shebang, continue to dialogue with functional leaders informally. Catch them during breaks or request an off-the-record meeting. Request them to drop in a word during their team meetings.

You may not get a great response from employees initially. Don’t worry! If 25/5000 people respond, congratulations, make an email list. Call for a quick meeting to set the right expectations. Off the 25, maybe only 15 can attend your meeting. Despite your having called everyone personally. What is common among the 15 employee volunteers? A Shared Purpose to make a difference. These are your proactive, genuine volunteers, ready, willing, and able to champion relevant employee volunteering causes for your CSR program.

During the meeting (30-45mins)

Post-Meeting, Pre-Event

Pre-Event, brief the entire group of volunteers on the dos and don’ts. Stir them up, encourage them, and do the work of an evangelist. During the event, make a mental note of how some employees were being proactive. Post-event, appreciate those employees who were exceptional, personally. Take feedback, and respond positively to those employees if it’s possible to implement their suggestions. Appreciate the team of volunteers with an email, and mark managers where possible (not every manager endorses CSR activities).

As a CSR Manager or an Employee Volunteer Champion, you need to lead the entire experience. Lead in a way you feel best to ensure volunteers are motivated to come back for the next event. Leading initial events will build their confidence to take it up themselves in the future. Sometimes it gets difficult to let go to allow others to lead. As a CSR Manager or Employee Lead, you need to focus on your core job instead of giving away too much time to managing volunteering events.

Building a core team for employee volunteering is not a one-time effort. It requires commitment and drives to keep employee volunteers going. Make it a point to connect with them regularly. Informal get-togethers yield better results for non-core activities. 

We use words to comprehend the world we are living in. Words have the power to influence. In a world of Media and Technology, words appear in various forms, including print, audio, and video, apart from direct forms of communication.

Words inform, educate, empower, encourage, engage, tell a story, testify, comfort, heal, etc. Words carry messages that form narratives shaping minds and hearts. 

Media and technology adoption has taken that influence to a whole new level.

Humanity is breaking down. Human vulnerabilities are being exploited. Social Media Technology and the Workplace have become critical mediums of negative influence. We often ignore what we can't see, but what about our feelings? Our minds and hearts have been targeted more than ever in the last two decades. 

Why is humanity breaking down?

Humanity is the ability to think, feel, speak, and do in a way that separates us from the rest of creation. Being human refers to being humane or compassionate to others. Compassion pours out from thinking and feelings rooted in good culture. I understand Compassion as a moral quality originating from a higher influence (Creator God) in our lives. 

So, why is humanity breaking down? When we look at humanity from the lens of the influence of Media and Technology, there is a lot to gather.

Here are five ways for why Media and Technology disrupt lives.

Media:

Technology:

We are witnessing the rapidly changing media landscape and innovation using artificial intelligence in developing radical life-changing technologies. The negatives outweigh the positives, and sadly, regulating advancement detrimental to human minds and hearts isn't top of mind for most companies.

Media and Technology are tools in the hands of humans. By itself, they can do nothing. It brings us to a more important question.

What human vulnerabilities are getting exploited using Media and Technology?

Social media hacks our brains, and technologists at the Center for Humane Tech Foundation have shared how. 

What are human vulnerabilities? 

I'm sharing a list of 10 human vulnerabilities everyone is familiar with.

In conclusion

Cultivating meaningful connections is tough in an ecosystem that gets people distracted and addicted. The harms of Social Media and Technology are evident, and the need of the hour is to guard our hearts from exploitation. 

What we consume impacts our lives. The choice to protect our mental and emotional needs is ours to make. Understanding our limitations as humans requires a standard outside of us. Like every Technology or creation on earth has a designer, we need to turn to the Creator for wisdom. 

In an ever-evolving digital world, communication will remain critical. Communicating the truth with wisdom and compassion will be key to building meaningful connections. 

Despite the drop in revenue owing to the pandemic, the Radio Industry is set for some good news, according to industry experts (article on Exchange4Media).

Does that mean a career in the industry is still one to pursue? A vehement YES says Harshita, who has spent over 14 years in the media industry.

There are unique stories that reveal the power of the medium, like that of the fishermen's community down south. Radio Jockeys, in particular, have played a tremendous role in positively influencing lives using their creativity and talent.

I reached out to Harshita to share her views on her experience as a Radio Jockey for those aspiring to pursue creative jobs. The media industry thrives on creativity and passion. Harshita is creative at heart and loves interacting with people. She is passionate about Photography and Video Editing.

“I have over 14 years of experience in pre and post-production work in film, media, and entertainment industries. I have learned a lot and established myself as a producer, cinematographer, voice-over artist, and photographer. A curious learner, I constantly strive to improve my skills with every assignment. I have worked for a news channel, a film school, a production house, and an online media company. I’ve also worked as an RJ at a radio station and as a documentary filmmaker.” - Harshita Sharma.

As a Radio Jockey, what do you love about the role?

I love interacting with people, and writing fun, creative content that touches hearts and minds.

In no time, an RJ gets a lot of recognition and fame. But, it requires a lot of hard work because it is not as easy as it seems. An RJ is expected to be pleasant always, no matter what, which sometimes can be tricky because we are human and we get under the weather. The three things I love about the role are;

It is a blessing to be in a job where you can speak your heart out on topics you enjoy and build a relationship with listeners to grow along with them.

Share a personal experience on how radio is impacting young lives

When a person calls, she expects the call to be warm and friendly, even if they call to answer a quiz. We are expected to be encouraging every time. They don't talk to an RJ. But to a friend or maybe someone they have known for years. Even if they are speaking for the first time.

I remember a girl who called me one evening when she was on her way home from the office. It was before sunset. She called to answer a quiz I had asked. She was on public transport and alone with some guy in the tempo apart from the driver. She felt weird, and we spoke for almost 10 minutes. Until there was another lady passenger, and she felt safe.
That's how these conversations should be. I still remember the relief in her voice that evening.

Five tips for those desiring to pursue Radio Jockeying today

An RJ is in a position of great responsibility because of the power the role has in influencing people’s lives. Celebrities, Anchors, and RJs are seen as icons because they inspire people. An RJ needs to be a strong communicator focused on impact.

To sum up, an RJ is an element that can add joy to Radio shows. Radio Jockeying is a fantastic career if you love interacting with people; an opportunity to be creative and expressive and a platform to exercise your love to interact.  

Charities Aid Foundation, along with YouGov, released a report on the nonprofit industry in India. I want to highlight three points from the report that small nonprofits will find encouraging, to get active online.

Consistent posting schedule

The increasing belief that nonprofits have a positive impact in India is an encouraging fact. India is ranked #82 on the 10-year World Giving Index, half of the biggest risers over time are from Asia (CAF World Giving Index 2019). The pandemic has revealed the heart of volunteering and lengths to which individuals can go in order to help one another. To tap into the growing trust, it’s necessary to keep your social media accounts active. Being active requires posting content that is educating, empowering and inspiring.

Stay on donors top of mind

Overall, online giving has increased. With the pandemic, cash donations are on the decline. An active social media account helps donors to stay abreast of all the action and donate in a timely manner to organisations in need.

Get active online to feed the flock

India is the youngest country in the world. These youth are literally living online. They are passionate, also impatient, and need to be consistently fed with content that appeals to their tastes. Amping up social media posts is the right thing to do. A one stop shop for young donors and volunteers to learn and engage with your nonprofit.

Hope the points above will encourage you to invest time valuably online as you pursue efforts offline to grow your organisation.