“My company is holding a volunteer event . . . do I have to go?”

Volunteering isn’t just a win-win for your company. Taking part in your company’s corporate social responsibility program can help you develop as an employee—and as a person. But, it’s up to you to make it work to your benefit.

By adapting a company’s sense of responsibility toward its community and environment into your career, you can build your brand, network with like-minded individuals and even improve your health.

5 Ways Volunteering With Your Coworkers Helps Your Career

1. Enhances Your Brand

Volunteering makes a company’s brand shine. In the same way, volunteering yourself can help you build your own brand. You will build your own self-esteem by volunteering. This will lift your spirit and it will energize you to give more at work and in your personal life. It’s like sprinkling your personality with good vibes. Have you ever known a grumpy volunteer?

2. Improve Your Work Happiness 

Volunteering keeps employees loyal, proud, and happy. It improves employee attraction and retention. By volunteering, you can keep yourself happy at work. Being happy at work helps you commit long-term to a challenging work environment. You’ll increase your longevity on the job, lower your burn-out factor, and increase the possibilities for a promotion and pay raises.

An added bonus: Meet a new colleague and get out of your business unit’s comfort zone. Don’t limit your networking opportunities only at job-related activities. Make sure to network while you’re volunteering too!

3. Build Work Relationships

Clients want to work with good citizens. They’ll be quick to walk away if you or your company are lazy about pursuing corporate social initiatives. It’s important to build genuine relationships. There is no better way to solidify a relationship than by serving. Yes, you can close the deal. But, serving side-by-side with your client will not only help bring in revenue; it will make you feel personally involved. Sharing an activity is the number one way to build any relationship.

4. Build Trust

Before your company can really serve your local and global community, it must be in touch with the needs of the community. Volunteering establishes local buy-in, and it builds relationships with people near or far. Volunteering will help you establish relationships locally and build trust. People will appreciate a sincere heart, your efforts, and your time. You will be known for your service attitude, and your local relationships and experiences will thrive.

5. Improve Your Health

A study by the Corporation for National and Community Service found that charitable work literally makes the heart grow stronger. People who suffered from previous heart attacks were able to improve their health and longevity through volunteering and people without heart disease reduced their likelihood of developing it.

Get motivated by giving back at work, and strengthen your health in the process. The Center for Talent Innovation has found that high-potential employees who volunteer are happy and are of a healthy mind.

Don’t just look at corporate social responsibility as your company’s best practice and simply another task to complete while working. It’s up to you to make a difference. Change your life on the job by volunteering.

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