I thought it was because I’ve worked in the nonprofit world for pretty much my daughter’s entire life. I further thought it was because of my influence and requiring her to volunteer that now as a young adult she is filling her already busy college schedule with volunteering for several different nonprofits in LaCrosse.  Truth is it’s not just my influence on her, it’s a societal movement within the culture of our youth. Studies consistently show that volunteerism is the mindset of the millennial generation.

A recent Associated Press-GfK poll finds that today’s young Americans are much more serious about giving back than their parents were. In fact, those under age 30 now are more likely to say citizens have a “very important obligation” to volunteer. This gets better though…the same Associated Press poll found that of six civic activities, volunteering is the only one that young people rated as highly as older people did. 

So how do we channel the spirit of a young volunteer? How can our community not only continue to encourage, engage and embrace what our youth have to offer, but also make it easier for young professionals who are starting out their professional careers here to want to firmly plant their feet and stay here?

Locally, many of our top employers offer associates anywhere from four to 16 hours annually to volunteer during the work day.  This one little benefit as part of a larger benefits package actually resonates with young professionals. More and more, they almost have an expectation that their employer will give them some paid time off to give back on behalf of their company. And this is a big reason why there is a rapidly growing number of employers developing Employee Volunteer Programs (EVP) across the country.

Think about this for just a minute.  You are the business owner and you continually need to on-board new, fresh talent to keep your company moving forward. But there’s no doubt, even as fantastic as Sheboygan County is to live in, that it is extremely difficult to keep those young new hires in your employ for more than a few years. It’s just a difficult community in which to be the new kid on the block.

One strategy to encourage these young talented professionals to stay is to offer an EVP.  Let them experience the community through the eyes of a volunteer. Let them volunteer with your company’s name on their back and maybe even become passionate about a particular local cause or issue. Help them plant some seeds in Sheboygan County, make new friends and truly see just how much our community has to offer.  Let them see for themselves that Sheboygan County is a great place to live. If people feel engaged and part of something, they are more likely to stay.

I only have limited words allowed for this article but if you take nothing else away from my musings take this, especially if you are a business owner: The best way to keep your new, young talent is to help them feel a part of our community. An Employee Volunteer Program can help you and your company accomplish that.

United Way of Sheboygan County has the tools in place to help willing businesses, of any size, to either learn more about an EVP program or to start one up that fits nicely into your company’s mission. 

Our young professionals are the future of Sheboygan County. They will one day be our city leaders, our CEOs, our educators, our healthcare providers, our skilled laborers, our nonprofit executives…etc. We want the best and the brightest to not only stay in Sheboygan County, we want them to thrive, contribute, gain success and keep their skills, talents and families right here.

Conversely, I would hope for this type of community engagement opportunity from my daughter’s future employer when she enters the workforce as a young professional either here or in some other community in a few years.

If your business is interested in learning more about an Employee Volunteer Program, please email me at sandy@uwofsc.org or give me a call at 920-458-3425.

If you’re ready to volunteer, check out all of the opportunities at www.uwofsc.org/volunteer.

If you’re hungry, Dine Out for United Way at participating restaurants through February 28. Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated back to the United Way. www.uwofsc.org.