Renewergybook
Renewergybook
Renewergybook
enewergy Gives Back encourages employees to volunteer at one or multiple of our three
R
partnering philanthropic organizations: Ithaca Childrens Garden, Cornell Cooperative Extension,
and Habitat for Humanity. That said, this initiative is employee-centric; in other words, if an
employee is passionate about getting involved with another organization or organizing their own
volunteer day, Renewergy will support their efforts and build on their interests in the Renewergy
Gives Back program. Employees who choose to take advantage of the fantastic opportunities
the program provides will be rewarded with paid time off and the chance at winning vacation
time and other perks.
Lets start giving back!
2 Team
BIANCA ESPOSITO SABINA LEYBOLD DANA PIEPER ANDI WOLLIN
Bianca is our Marketing Sabina is the chief writer Dana is a multi media Andi is a web designer
and Communications and editor for Renewer- content creator based in who has been with
Specialist with experience gys philanthropy team. Ithaca, NY. She specializes Renewergy since the
across the platforms of Her creative approach to in creative direction and beginning. She has made
web, print, and social me- management and atten- art production. She has this program a success
dia. She takes pride in her tion to detail has made worked for many non- by digitizing all related
ability to develop this program communally profits in the past and content. She has a great
business strategy by accessible. With her help has enjoyed the sense of depth of knowledge
creating clear messages Renewergy Gives Back community here at about the company and is
that reach vast audiences. has become an invaluable Renewergy. excited to see the
addition to our company. Renewergy Gives Back
program flourish.
3 Program
An Overview
Renewergy Gives Back is a three-tiered program designed to fulfill the mission
Giving Back to Move Forward. The first tier, Partnerships, includes the creation
of community partnerships in which Renewergy fosters strong connections with
outside volunteer organizations and their initiatives. The second tier, Renewership,
allows employees to volunteer in many capacities: semi-annual volunteer days, affinity
groups, and individual philanthropic efforts. These opportunities provide numerous
options and resources so that each employee can tailor the program to best fit their
schedules, abilities, desires, and needs. The third tier of Renewergy Gives Back is our
Leadership program which includes our Day for a Day offer and prize packages. With
a rewards system and recognition process in place we hope to get every employee
on board and build excitement around our philanthropic efforts. This multifaceted
plan includes a strategically developed communications procedure that entails a
website, weekly bulletin, and vlog.
More information at . . .
www.renewergygivesback.weebly.com
4 Goals
The primary goal of Renewergy Gives Back is to make philanthropy a top priority among
Renewergy employees in order to foster a more connected and giving organizational culture.
As a company, Renewergy works to create a greener, more sustainable world, and we want
our employees to have the opportunity to live out that mission firsthand. As such, Renewergy
employees are our principal audience for Renewergy Gives Back. By working together to
achieve a greater good outside of the office, employees grow more familiar with each other and
with the community, resulting in positive relationships and a sense of purpose in the office.
We know that making a positive impact starts in our own neighborhood, which is why we have
created partnerships with local and environmentally-focused organizations. A secondary goal
of Renewergy Gives Back is to establish a more visible company presence in the greater Ithaca
area. Employees will be required to wear their Renewergy Gives Back t-shirts (see Appendix D)
at all Renewergy Gives Back events. This makes the community and our partners a additional
audience for the program. By serving locally, we will enhance our public image as a community
leader for renewable energy, utilizing the concept of cause marketing.
We are confident in the concept and initiation of this program backed by our analysis of several
businesses who have successfully executed corporate philanthropy programs. The next section
will provide insight into our rationale behind the program.
5 Research &
Rationale
Primary Research
We sent out an initial company-wide survey in order to better understand the type
of service work our employees are currently involved in and/or the opportunities
that interest them. The results came back with positive and promising figures. Over
75% of our employees showed interest in volunteering in general; over half said they
would volunteer monthly, even during weekend time off. 87% indicated that they
would be more inclined to volunteer with a group rather than individually. When
provided a list of local philanthropic organizations, many employees were drawn to
working with the Ithaca Childrens Garden and Cornell Cooperative Extension. (See
Appendix B for the survey and its results).
With the knowledge that Renewergy employees are interested in local volunteering
opportunities, we were assured that the implementation of a philanthropic initiative
would be received positively. With the results of the survey in mind, we reached
out to Ithaca Childrens Garden, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Habitat for
Humanity and they agreed to partner with Renewergy Gives Back on a monthly
basis. The survey also showed that our employees philanthropic interests span
beyond green energy projects, so we chose to extend the plan to include more
autonomous options. More detail as to how these findings will be implemented in
Renewergy Gives Back will be detailed in the following pages.
Secondary Research
Renewergy Gives Back is inspired by our secondary research into the positive
effects of company-wide philanthropic efforts and analysis of several businesses who
have successfully executed corporate philanthropy programs. Research highlights
revealed that corporate social responsibility and volunteer initiatives would help to
achieve the goals we detailed earlier: increasing brand visibility, improving the publics
perception of the company, and strengthening internal corporate relationships.
Retention of both customers and employees is key for financial success of a business,
and philanthropy initiatives can help boost job satisfaction to keep employees in
the Renewergy family for longer durations. Cone Communications (2016) showed
highlights of employees opinions on engagement and involvement in their Employee
Engagement Study:
-58% consider a companys social and environmental commitments when
deciding where to work
-71% want their company to provide opportunities for them to help make a
positive impact on the companys social and environmental commitments
-77% say its important their employer provides them with hands-on activities
around environmental responsibility
Renewergy is based in a college town with a youthful demographic, which means
that we need to consider the opinions of younger employees in creating our
philanthropy program. Among Mature Millennials (ages 27-35), 88% feel their job is
more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact on
social or environmental issues, 76% would choose a socially responsible company
over one that offers a higher salary, and 83% are more likely to be loyal when they
feel they can make a positive impact on issues at work (Cone Communications,
2016). Referring back to our initial survey results (See Appendix B), employees
had neutral to negative viewpoints on Renewergys current company culture. With
Millennial employees more mobile than ever, engaging this group of employees
in philanthropy efforts is crucial for saving money on recruitment and training.
Additionally, this serves as a necessary change agent for our corporate culture.
Tailoring our priorities to the needs and interests of demographics who will age with
the company is a long-term investment in our retention strategy.
According to Mitch-Stuart Inc. (n.d.), a company that offers travel programs for
non-profits and for-profit businesses, Well-run incentive programs help increase
employee and customer retention by 20% to 40%, while boosting sales productivity
by 15% to 35% (Mitch-Stuart, Inc., n.d.). These statistics tell us that our Renewergy
Gives Back program has the power to reap the same rewards and positive
responses from our employees and the community. Along with analyzing successful
volunteer programs, such as the Mars Volunteer Program, our secondary research
on corporate philanthropy in general has allowed us to develop the most interactive
and effective program with similar goals and values.
Let's take a closer look at...
Renewergy Gives Back!
6 Partnerships
As mentioned earlier, partnerships are the first tier of the three-tiered Renewergy Gives Back program. We
want to serve locally and encourage employees to volunteer at organizations that focus on environmental
awareness, green building, and giving back to the community. Accordingly, we have established partnerships
with three local charities that will have volunteer opportunities available for Renewergy Employees at least
once every month. The charities are:
Ithaca Childrens Garden: Cornell Cooperative Extension: Employees will have the
Employees will have the Employees can get involved opportunity to build sustainable
opportunity to participate in the in CCEs programs Energy houses for low-income individuals
drop-in volunteer corps, which Navigators and 4H Environmental and families at different locations
takes place every Wednesday Appreciation Days. The former in the greater Ithaca area. Habitat
from the spring to the fall. Projects involves educating community for Humanity encourages group
include helping with gardening members on how to achieve their over 20 people to apply for a
work and building obstacles/ energy-related goals. The latter build at least two months in
facilitating the annual Tough involves teaching children about advance.
Turtle Race. sustainability at State Parks.
7 Renewership
The Renewership tier of Renewergy Gives Back offers three volunteering options for our employees. They
are as follows:
Affinity Groups
Regardless of department, groups of employees can self-organize into an affinity group and register with
our Philanthropy Team. Official affinity groups can file for a grant that would cover the logistical costs as-
sociated with volunteering together, such as transportation to a service site, lunch for an all-day service
event, or supplies to complete a service project. Affinity groups can be up to 50 people and grants can be
submitted up to $1,000 per group per year.
Our two-pronged incentive program is attractive to employees because it rewards them for putting in the
time and energy to community service and is scalable to match compensation to direct efforts. The two
incentives are as follows:
Gives Back by way of the following memo. After working for weeks on this initiative, we are very excited to announce our new philanthropy program
entitled Renewergy Gives Back. The mission of Renewergy Gives Back is Giving Back to Move Forward. It is
designed to integrate community service into the culture of our company, making it easy and rewarding to be a
good neighbor by getting involved in efforts that aid the Ithaca community. We hope that this program will also
strengthen the connection between employees and allow all Renewergy employees to deepen their personal
connection with our company mission of creating a more sustainable world.
Renewergy Gives Back has created a three-tiered program to encourage volunteerism. The first is partnerships.
We have arranged partnerships with Ithaca Childrens Garden, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Habitat for
Humanity that make it simple to give back to sustainably-oriented causes. They will have events available to you
on a monthly basis. Since green living is an important value at Renewergy, we encourage taking advantage of
these partnerships when considering ways to contribute to our larger community.
We do, however, value all forms of philanthropic service, and we support employees who want to give back to
other causes. The second tier of Renewergy Gives Back is titled Renewership. This tier offers three volunteering
options for our employees: Semi-Annual Service Days, Affinity Groups, and individual philanthropic efforts.
We are currently planning for our first semi-annual service day, a company-wide event where employees can
opt to spend a workday with their coworkers participating in larger-scale community projects. Employees
who choose to participate in these service days will be compensated equally to a typical workday. Regardless
of department, groups of employees can self-organize into an affinity group and register their event with our
Philanthropy Team. Official affinity groups can file for a grant that can cover the logistical costs associated with
volunteering together, such as transportation to a service site, lunch for an all-day service event, or supplies
to complete a service project. Employees can also choose to volunteer on their own and receive credit for the
hours. We have made it simple by organizing events with our partnering organizations, but employees can
choose to volunteer with an outside company.
The third tier of Renewergy Gives Back is Leadership, in other words the opportunity to receive paid time off
in exchange for involvement in community philanthropy. The second way to receive monetary compensation
for service is by participating in our Day for a Day program, which allows employees who log 24-hours of
volunteer work for any charitable organization to receive one paid day off of work (up to a maximum of 5 days
annually).
Logging volunteer hours will have other benefits too. The three employees who volunteer the highest number
of hours in a year will receive big-ticket prizes like a gift basket, Apple Watch, or an all-expenses paid trip. We
aim to reward our most involved and contributive employees for their efforts beyond providing compensation
for volunteer time. While we believe that a rewards program is important to honor your achievements, our
primary effort is to instill a giving and charitable culture within Renewergy. We want you to give back because
you want to give back.
We are excited to roll out the Renewergy Gives Back program to connect more deeply with our mission, em-
ployee teams, and greater Ithaca community. You can find more information on Renewergy Gives Back at www.
renewergygivesback.weebly.com or contact the Philanthropy Team with questions or program ideas.
Vlogs
With the implementation of vlog, it is our hope that we can
showcase Renewergys volunteering efforts in a cohesive and
genuine way. We encourage employees to send in videos
and images displaying their volunteer experiences as a way
to highlight individuals and our work in the community. The
Philanthropy team is also available to edit video clips together
if needed. This is a great way to get other employees on
board with Renewergy Gives Back and will act as a link
amongst our multiple and varied efforts.
Implementation Matrices
Matrix 1s Matrix 2s
11 Evaluation
According to CECP (2016), collecting data about volunteerism is important to
demonstrate outcomes to internal stakeholders and to report public what compa-
nies giving achieved. Renewergy Gives Back aims to address both internal and exter-
nal audiences, so evaluation of the program is crucial.
To evaluate the success of Renewergy Gives Back, the philanthropy team will
collect a variety of data from multiple sources:
Survey
This survey will go out to all employees in six-month intervals after the start of the
program. A copy of the survey questions is listed in Appendix () and includes top-
ics such as employees involvement with Renewergys mission, their perceptions of
company culture and coworker relationships, and their opinions about the programs
elements. CECP (2016) explains that surveys that measure job and volunteer satis-
faction, connection to employees well-being/retention/leadership, and benchmarking
between employees who volunteer and those who dont are all effective for measur-
ing the business value of philanthropy initiatives.
Attendance/Hours Logged
The philanthropy team will have access to attendance numbers at semi-annual ser-
vice days and the number of volunteer hours logged per employee and per depart-
ment. This is tracked via the form that all employees must fill out in order to receive
credit for their hours. This will gauge the level of engagement in community service
initiatives company-wide. CECP (2016) also asserts that measuring hours logged is an
effective way to measure the business value of volunteering.
Web Analytics
Our philanthropy-focused website can provide insight into the impact that Renewer-
gy Gives Back has on the company as a whole. Between search terms used to land
on the website, visitors paths and actions on each page, and location information of
users, the philanthropy team can evaluate the interests, priorities, and backgrounds of
the websites audience. Social media analytics, such as traffic on philanthropy-related
posts and geographic information of engaged users, can also indicate metrics of brand
recognition and external interest in Renewergy Gives Back programs.
Media Mentions
As Renewergy Gives Back begins to make a large-scale impact in the Ithaca commu-
nity, it is likely to garner some attention from local media outlets. The philanthropy
team will also note these media mentions and their reach to assess public opinion
about the program.
Monetary Evaluation
Renewergy Gives Back is an investment into the external image and internal culture
of the company, and the return on that investment may be difficult to see at first. The
most direct measurement will come from a slow decrease in spending on hiring and
training processes: as our secondary research shows, philanthropy programs can help
to improve employee retention and satisfaction, leading to greater loyalty, decreased
turnover, higher productivity, and increased output. It is important to point out that
while the total project cost is nearly $5 million, this is our estimation of Renewer-
gy Gives Backs critical path. Without accounting for compensation for the Day for a
Day program, the program cost is less than $574,000. Our realistic outlook number,
based on research on actual employee engagement in corporate responsibility ini-
tiatives, is just 35% of that amount and thus is a reasonable cost to invest in positive
corporate culture and its outcomes.
12 Budget
13 Appendices
Appendix A WEBSITE
www.renewergygivesback.weebly.com
On the website for Renewery Gives Back, you will find information on:
-An overview of the program -The grant application
-Information on our partnerships -Our team biographies
volunteer opportunities -A calendar of upcoming events
program benefits -Vlogs from other volunteers
affinity groups -Contact information
semi-annual volunteer days
Appendix B INITIAL SURVEY
RESULTS
Appendix C EVALUATION SURVEY
QUESTIONS
Brnn, P. S., & Vrioni, A. B. (2001). Corporate social responsibility and cause-related marketing: an overview.
International Journal of Advertising, 20(2), 207-222.
CECP (2016). Giving in Numbers: 2016 Edition. Retrieved from http://cecp.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/
GIN2016_Finalweb-1.pdf?redirect=no.
Cone Communications (2016). 2016 Cone Communications Employee Engagement Study. Retrieved from
http://www.conecomm.com/research-blog/2016-employee-engagement-study.
Ford, S. (2016, March 16). The business case for employee volunteer & skills giving programs. Americas
Charities. Retrieved from https://www.charities.org/news/business-case-employee-volunteer-skills-giving-
programs.
Gay, W. (2016, November 3). 4 reasons why a corporate volunteer program is a smart investment. Forbes.
Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/wesgay/2016/11/03/4-reasons-why-a-corporate-volunteer-
program-is-a-smart-investment/amp/.