Considerations for In-Person Corporate Volunteering During COVID-19: Guidance for Companies

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) offer recommendations for health behaviors and those should be your controlling engagement guidelines for person to person engagements. Companies and nonprofits should independently establish guidelines for engaging volunteers. This document is not medical, legal advice, or professional advice and is not inclusive of all possible considerations. We strongly recommend that companies and nonprofits consult with their independent legal counsel and insurance advisors for tailored advice on risk mitigation.  

The purpose of this document is to help companies operating in the United States make decisions regarding in-person corporate volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is meant as a supplemental resource to inform decision-making around activation of in-person volunteer opportunities for employees to meet community needs — some of which are more urgent than ever — during a time when there might be a public-health imperative to minimize in-person events. Should a company determine that it is feasible to proceed in offering in-person volunteer opportunities for their employees, this document helps inform project management during this unprecedented time.

The following document suggests steps to determine whether the corporate volunteer program might encourage employee involvement in a specific in-person volunteering opportunity at this time and, if so, how to incorporate safety considerations. The items listed in the downloadable form are in addition to the usual considerations your company uses to properly select and plan volunteer activities (such as conducting background checks, selecting nonprofits that are 501(c)(3)s, obtaining permission from appropriate company leadership, etc.) and should be used in conjunction with your usual relevant practices and policies. The steps below offer a framework to build upon incorporating tailored guidance from your advisors and leadership.

Special thanks to our partners Caesars Entertainment and VeraWorks for assisting in the development of this resource.