e-book

Purpose Over Politics

Civic Engagement Guide

3 ways any company can empower their people in the 2020 election

In a year of change and disruption, one thing we know for sure is that people expect the companies they work for and buy from to be trusted sources of information and to help them take ac-tion on issues that matter to them.

We can expect this to heighten as the November U.S. presiden-tial election approaches, presenting companies with a huge opportunity — and one that may cause some hesitation. But it doesn’t have to be scary if the goals are engagement and inclu-sion, not taking sides. Companies can be pro-people and pro-de-mocracy without being partisan. And there’s nothing more democratic than engaging people in empowered ways that help them learn, stay informed, exercise their right to vote and take sustained action.

It’s what your people are looking for, and where this guide can help.

The expanding role of companies in civic engagementDuring the 2018 midterm elections, hundreds of companies encouraged their people to vote — and we saw record voter turnout. In 2020, there’s an even bigger opportunity for companies to engage their people in inclusive and empowered ways.

Benevity’s data shows that when politically charged issues are in the news, people respond by donating. They’re also taking tan-gible actions like changing their purchasing behavior, watching documentaries, engaging in uncomfortable conversations and volunteering their skills to the cause. You can empower many of these actions through your corporate purpose program, creating a more inclusive culture around civic engagement that fosters trust and connection during a time of political division and uncertainty. It will lead not only to higher voter turnout, but to sustained action and more engaged and loyal employees and customers.

One thing we know for sure

This June, we saw over $300 million in donations to 64,000 racial justice nonprofits in the Benevity platform — the highest support for a single cause in our 12-year history.

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There’s no one-size-fits-all approachThe types of action your company takes will depend on what’s authentic to your brand. Below is a basic framework for determining where your company falls on the spectrum of civic engagement.

BoldChangemaker

Taking a vocal stand on a political, social, or

environmental issue

PassiveSupporter

Enable people to donate or volunteer with causes of

their choosing

ActivePromoter

Providing awareness and learning opportunities for

people to take action

On one end, there are a few bold changemakers who are known for taking a public and vocal stand on issues that are authentic to their companies, and they often involve their employees and customers as well. On the other end are companies who take a more passive approach, providing things like open-choice giving, volunteering and broad matching that let their employees know the company supports what they support. And in the middle are companies who may not be in the headlines, but who are actively promoting ways for their people to take positive action, by publishing featured giving, volunteering or learning opportunities. Wherever you fit, you have an opportunity to help your people become more civically engaged citizens.

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1Be a trusted source of information and knowledge

When COVID-19 hit, we saw people turn to their employers as a source of truth in a sea of noise. It wasn’t surprising, given that Edelman data shows 75% of people trust their employers over any other institution. And that trust will be critical as the election nears, especially in a time when 67% of people believe COVID will disrupt their ability to vote, and they’re overwhelmed with infor-mation (and misinformation).

Companies can play an important role in giving their people ac-cess to the resources they need to get nonpartisan facts, under-stand media bias and ensure their votes are counted. Here are some examples of the kinds of learning resources you can offer your people.

Download sample activities from Benevity's civic engagement Missions

3 big ways to empower your people to take civic action

Benevity provides these (and more) to our clients as a part of our civic engagement Missions library.

Voting safely and confidently during COVID-19, including:• How to register to vote online• Getting (and staying) informed about mail-in ballots• Ensuring everyone’s right to voteBecoming media mindful, including: • Going beyond the headlines, and being able to spot deep fakes

and bots• Being conscious of social media• Examining your own media or political biases

• Tuning out mindfullyElection day preparedness, including:• Key dates and deadlines in your state• Casting your ballot safely• Helping others vote • Poll working 101

Benevity’s civic engagement Missions library provides companies with nonpartisan content, created in partnership with Countable. It’s an inclusive way for all of your people to get informed and take small actions leading up to the election — directly through your employee engagement program!

Mission drives engagement

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2 Focus on participation over partisanship

Even for the boldest of the bold changemakers, the focus of civic engagement programs is participation over partisanship and in-clusion over division. So it’s not about supporting a candidate or party, it’s about providing your people with all the tools, resourc-es and opportunities you can to get civically engaged. Here are a few things your company can do to engage and empower your people during this election:

Give your people paid time off to vote

More than 700 companies have committed to Time to Vote, a nonpartisan, business-led initiative created to ensure no one has to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. Some compa-nies even let their people track voting as volunteer time through their employee volunteering programs.

*Note: In some states, you cannot reward voting. Check with your legal department and, if this applies to you, be sure to disable volunteer rewards for voting-specific opportunities. Learn more in this NY Times article.

Encourage civic volunteering

Many states are facing a record shortage of poll workers due to COVID-19, risking long delays or even closures of polling stations this November. For low-risk employees who feel comfortable

working in-person, consider offering a volunteer opportunity with Power the Polls, an organization focused on recruiting poll workers. Several purpose-driven brands are already on board — including Uber, Patagonia and Levi Strauss & Co.

Download Benevity’s ready-made volunteer opportunity templates.

Host virtual volunteer events to activate employees around civic initiatives

If all or some of your employees are working remotely, consider hosting a virtual webinar, panel discussion or film viewing. Many nonpartisan nonprofits are happy to work with you or provide resources to deepen your people’s knowledge around voting and civic issues.

• Rock the Vote is working with companies like Levi’s to host a series of webinars to help train their voting captains on understanding how elections work, how to organize regis-tration drives, and how to activate their employees and local communities.

• The ACLU’s short film Take a Vote: The Battle for Our Democ-racy sheds light on systematic voter suppression in the U.S. Host a viewing and then facilitate a discussion with employ-ees about what they learned.

• Bonus: let them track this time as volunteer time through your program!

Help people give to organizations who support and protect voting rights for all Americans

Whenever we make it harder to vote, or change how we can vote, disenfranchised people are disproportionately affected: minorities, the poor, incarcerated individuals and the young. Ensure every American has the right to vote by encouraging your people to donate to these organizations that advocate for open elections that are inclusive of as many people as possible:

1. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 2. Demos3. William J Brennan Jr Center for Justice

4. FairVote

5. Rock the Vote

6. Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

7. Nonprofit VOTE

8. Voto Latino

Download Benevity’s ready-made giving opportunity templates.

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Making sure that our team members have the time and information necessary to exercise their most fundamental

rights as citizens is the right thing to do and consistent with our culture that promotes making an impact in our

communities.Antonio Neri

CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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3 Show your people that you care about what they care about

When the goal is participation, the key is providing the tools, resourc-es and opportunities for your people and then getting out of their way. When you take a supporting role and let your people take the lead, you’re making an authentic commitment to fostering a sense of personal pur-pose and impact. Here are a few ways to put it into action.

1. Offer an open-choice corporate purpose program that empowers your people to support both your company initiatives AND the issues they care about — political, social or otherwise. Benevity’s Spark plat-form provides access to nearly 2 million vetted nonprofits, worldwide, so it’s easy for people to find and support the issues they care about most!

2. Design initiatives around your participation data to get a view of the issues your people are donating to, volunteering with or taking positive actions on. Then create initiatives based on things that matter to both your people and company.

3. Support employee-led initiatives that encourage people to create their own giving or volunteer opportunities and rally their peers around civic and political issues they care about. You can also engage your employee resource groups to lead grassroots action in your company. Amplify their efforts with matching dollars and volunteer rewards to all causes.

4. Engage your customers and communities, too, through a public giving campaign that invites them to donate to any nonprofit of their choice, with or without a company match.

When TQL looked at their data, they discovered that their

people were passionate about supporting the military and veterans. So, they ran a fall

campaign focused on that cause area and achieved a record 75%

participation rate.

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Bonus: Activate your people around an issue that’s important to your companyWhether you’re an active promoter or a bold changemaker, if there is an issue that both your employees and your company are passionate about, consider all the ways you can mobilize your people to take action.

You don’t have to take a public and vocal stance (though you can do that too, as long as it’s authentic to your brand). You can create a lot of impact by taking a holistic approach to engaging and empowering your people. Here’s how:

1. Talk to your employee resource groups and consult your people on how they want to engage with the issue.

2. Promote giving or volunteer opportunities to your people and offer corporate matching or volunteer rewards.

3. Encourage your people to learn more about the issue and take positive action in different ways. Through Benevity’s Missions module, you can create your own content that helps your people take small positive actions that lead to meaningful impact.

While Levi’s doesn’t endorse a particular party or candidate, they are (and always have been) outspoken on several political issues. In 2018, following an

incident where a customer accidentally shot and injured himself while try-ing on a pair of jeans in a retail outlet, the company responded by directing more than $1 million in grants to nonprofits and youth activists working to

end gun violence. They also doubled their usual employee donation match to organizations aligned with gun control, and invited their customers to round up their purchases to support this cause and others. The company also holds voter registration drives, gives their people paid time off to vote, provides op-portunities for civic volunteering and encourages them to use paid volunteer

time each month to get politically active.

Mortenson’s recent racial equity initiatives enabled their people to track their volunteer time for cleaning up storefronts following Black Lives Matter protests (while wearing masks and physical distancing), as well as for signing petitions to achieve racial equity, contacting local legislature to make short-

term and long-term change, reading books like How to Be an Anti-Racist and following social media influencers around racial equity. This is in addition

to donation matching for racial equity causes and a comprehensive internal support system with Employee Resource Groups that lead ongoing diversity

and inclusion efforts. You can hear more from Mortenson on this social justice webinar from a few weeks ago.

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Building awareness and getting your people excited about your campaign will be critical to success. Here are a few tips to get the participation and engagement you’re hoping for:

Consider if you’re only going to promote your campaign internally or if you also want to spread the word about what your company is doing publicly? Making this distinction early will help guide the promotional tactics you engage in.

Coordinate with your communications, marketing, human resources and other internal teams to help promote your campaign across the company and, if applicable, your public channels.

If you are looking to run a public-facing campaign, check out this social media toolkit from the ACLU, which provides ready-made copy and images to help people get informed about voting by mail.

Have a senior executive sponsor the campaign by posting on their own social media platforms and sending a company-wide email encouraging everyone to get involved and share with their broader networks.

Get creative! Consider creating virtual meeting backgrounds or social media templates for employees to share your campaign in interesting ways. Or host a selfie-challenge for employees to post photos of their ‘Voted' sticker and upload it to the volunteer event or through your company channels.

Be sure to further amplify through your employee resource groups, company intranet and program champions to keep the momentum going!

Tips for promoting civic engagement to your people

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We the People The ways to support or promote civic action can vary widely from company to com-pany, but all of the actions in this guide share one thing in common: they put some or all of the power in the hands of people.

The power of the individual to shape society is a growing trend that is becoming the norm. We’ve seen it through mass movements like MeToo, climate change strikes, the Hong Kong protests, GivingTuesday and Black Lives Matter. And pur-pose-driven companies are leaning into this trend by supporting people’s passions and creating an inclusive space for people to take action on the issues that deeply matter to them.

While mixing business and politics may have once been a risky proposition, it’s now becoming the expectation. So supporting your people in the ways they expect in this election has the potential not only lead to higher voter turnout, but to an increased sense of purpose, meaning and impact. And with research showing that those things lead to greater engagement, trust, and loyalty, there are lots of rea-sons to do it — but the bigger business risk may lie in doing nothing at all.

Want to learn about how Benevity can help you engage your people in civic action?

Benevity, Inc., a certified B Corporation, is the global leader in corporate social responsibility and employee engagement software, including online giving, matching, volunteering, community investment and purpose-driven actions. Many of the world’s

most iconic brands rely on Benevity’s award-winning cloud solutions to power corporate “Goodness” programs that attract, retain and engage today’s diverse workforce by

connecting people to the causes that matter to them. With software that is available in 20 languages, to a client community of 18 million people around the world, Benevity has processed more than $5 billion in donations and 32 million hours of volunteering time

and awarded over one million grants to 251,000 nonprofits worldwide.

benevity.com | goodness@benevity.com | 1.855.237.7875

REACH OUT!

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