How Our Teams Continue To Volunteer Virtually

As the majority of our team members are now working from home, finding ways to engage and connect as a team is more important than ever. All in-person volunteer opportunities have been suspended due to COVID-19, but our Volunteer Engagement and Giving Team has created a variety of virtual volunteer opportunities for our team members to participate in. Learn how we’re giving team members resources and time to support their communities below.

Our Volunteer Engagement and Giving team has created a variety of engaging virtual volunteer opportunities – including many group volunteer experiences! These volunteer opportunities are the new way to engage, giving team members the chance to both bond with each other and make an impact on the communities we serve.

“We can’t be together in-person as a result of COVID-19, so group volunteering and team-building exercises aren’t possible,” said Briana Lewis, Associate Program Manager on the Volunteer Engagement and Giving team. “But we know how much team members miss being together. It feels good to laugh, cry and learn new things as group, and virtually volunteering together can provide that outlet.”

Our internal volunteer platform, Community Hub, now has a page where team members can browse and sign up for group volunteer opportunities. And the benefits of these group bonding sessions extend beyond just the participating teams.

“Virtual volunteering connects volunteers from wherever to nonprofit organizations that may not have the necessary ability and resources to make a big impact without volunteers,” Briana said. “Also, it helps volunteers tap into skills they didn’t know they possessed – for example, many team members are discovering that they are pretty good at facilitating conversations, providing resources for residents and audio-recording children’s books as they read aloud … Without virtual volunteering, they may have never have accessed those skills.”

The outcome of these virtual opportunities has had a domino effect of positive impact: We’re helping our communities and strengthening the bonds between team members. 

One of the coolest things about virtual volunteering is the fact that team members have the opportunity to bond and reconnect with each other.

“The virtual nature of these opportunities has enabled remote team members to form stronger relationships with other folks on their team that they may not have known as well. Plus, the fact that they’re making a positive impact together – it strengthens that bond,” said Bryan Beran, Team Leader for the Volunteer Engagement and Giving team.

Current group volunteer opportunities include operating the call center for Resident Connection Hub, letter writing to seniors and veterans, creating encouragement cards and filling in missing information on maps. Past activities have included calling homebound seniors and creating audiobooks for children.

Briana said the result of these experiences has been so positive that it has exceeded the expectations of those behind the scenes planning the opportunities. “It’s not just about making an impact on a neighborhood, community or city – team members are making an impact on each other. I’ve seen it happen.”

Briana recounted how summer interns had the opportunity to make encouragement cards for Valley of the Sun United Way. “The organizers explained that these cards went in the lunches of students who might not otherwise eat on the weekends. For those students, the free lunch program was providing the bulk of their meals, and by writing the encouragement cards, our interns felt like they were making a positive, uplifting impact in the lives of these students,” Briana continued, “some of the interns came away from this experience feeling humbled and more connected to each other – and to the students they were supporting. It was kind of a transformative experience, and it was incredible to see.”

Volunteering and supporting the communities we call home will always be a priority at work here, which is why we not only support our team members whenever they want to volunteer – we go above and beyond to create opportunities that everyone can get involved in to make an impact.