{"id":246,"date":"2017-08-29T15:28:03","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T15:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/2020\/12\/23\/employee-engagement-what-it-takes\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T08:01:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T02:31:19","slug":"employee-engagement-what-it-takes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/employee-engagement-what-it-takes\/","title":{"rendered":"Employee engagement: What it takes to run a large scale programme"},"content":{"rendered":"

Employee engagement (EE) at EdelGive was conceived on the notion that nonprofits and corporates have complementary and mutually beneficial skill sets. In 2005, Vidya Shah—then CFO at the Edelweiss Group and in charge of the company’s philanthropic allocations—began visiting grassroots nonprofits to understand their challenges. These organisations faced issues around management, administration, technology, and financial systems, which were impeding their growth and scale.<\/p>

Vidya realised that there were skills and lessons from Edelweiss’ experience that could be of considerable benefit to the work of its philanthropic arm, EdelGive Foundation, and to its nonprofit partners. It was this realisation that led to the creation of the capacity building department and shaped the EE policy of the foundation.<\/p>

The principles underlying EdelGive’s EE initiative<\/h3>
Volunteering is a part of the DNA<\/div>

From its inception, the EE programme has seen both Rashesh Shah (founder, chairman and CEO of Edelweiss) and Vidya devoting time to EE strategy projects. This, coupled with the decision to exclude EE targets from employee KRAs, sent an organisation-wide message that volunteering would not be just a checkbox activity.<\/p>

\"What<\/a><\/div>

Creating forums where staff can talk about their volunteering experiences further embeds EE within the culture.<\/p><\/blockquote>

Institutional and senior management support makes it easier for staff to volunteer. For instance, if an employee has to attend a field visit on a working day, getting permission from the department head is easier, because senior management views volunteering as an integral part of their lives.<\/p>

Invest in resources to get it right<\/strong><\/div>

Employee engagement, like any other vertical, requires a dedicated team to be able to execute it well. It’s also important to nurture employee interest in longer-term volunteering(more than a few months) and capacity building projects. To plan and coordinate company-wide EE initiatives requires a team that can liaise with nonprofits to understand their challenges and match them with the right volunteers and resources.<\/p>

At EdelGive, there is a dedicated EE team that receives as much attention and importance as the grant making, monitoring and impact arms of the foundation.<\/p>

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\"Employee

Photo courtesy: EdelGive Foundation<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>

What we have learned<\/h3>
1. Opportunities should appeal to everyone, yet be customisable<\/strong><\/div>

As our primary focus is on matching the right skills with the right organisation needs, our EE projects are not limited to our portfolio organisations alone.<\/p><\/blockquote>

It is important to have the volunteering engine running constantly so employees can plug into opportunities that pique their interest. Many organisations offer just one opportunity a quarter, which is limiting for volunteers. What if an employee can’t go on that day?<\/p>

The key is offering a plethora of opportunities frequently and consistently, with room for customisation based on interests, appetite or skill level.<\/p>

\"donate<\/a><\/div>