Can we make volunteering part of performance or rewards?

Marpu Foundation
Jun 26
2 min read

A Smart CSR Move for Indian Companies This July

In July, many Indian companies start evaluating mid-year performance, setting new OKRs, and planning employee engagement activities. As HR and CSR heads look for fresh ways to keep teams motivated and purposeful, one idea is gaining ground - linking volunteering to rewards and performance.

But is this practical? Will employees respond positively? Can this support both business and community goals? Let’s break it down.

What Indian Companies Are Exploring This Month

Based on recent CSR and HR trends in India, companies are increasingly searching for:

How to start employee volunteering programs
Ways to build employee-led CSR initiatives
NGO partnerships that simplify execution
Corporate volunteering ideas with impact
Methods to measure CSR outcomes and engagement

Adding volunteering into your recognition and rewards systems can help achieve all the above, while deepening purpose at work.

The Case for Recognizing Volunteering as Performance

Boosts Employee Engagement: When employees are encouraged to contribute beyond their desk, they feel more valued.
🧠 79% of employees who volunteer say it improved their well-being (Deloitte India).
Enhances Team Collaboration: Volunteering helps break hierarchies. Whether you're a manager or intern, you dig the same pit, plant the same tree.
🤝 Companies with volunteering programs see a 20–30% increase in team collaboration.
Reflects Leadership & Initiative: Volunteering showcases skills like planning, empathy, problem-solving - all key to leadership.
Aligns with ESG & CSR Goals: Corporate volunteering directly supports SDG-aligned CSR mandates under Indian CSR law.

Practical Ways to Make It Work

A. Link Volunteering to Internal Recognition

Monthly “CSR Champion” awards
Points-based volunteering leaderboards
Peer-nominated CSR badges

B. Align CSR Hours with Performance Appraisal

Include volunteering hours in 360° reviews
Tie community leadership to career growth plans

C. Add Volunteering to Rewards Strategy

Paid CSR leave or comp-offs
Small incentives or gifts for participation
Features in internal newsletters or town halls

📝 Tip: Keep it authentic. The goal is not to force volunteering, but to make it visible and valuable.

Examples That Worked

Salesforce India allows employees 56 hours/year as VTO (Volunteer Time Off) and ties it with performance KPIs.
Infosys Foundation recognises community ambassadors in annual reviews.
Marpu Foundation’s partners have successfully embedded CSR hours into engagement dashboards for office teams.

Why the Right NGO Partner Matters

To make this seamless, your NGO partner should:

Handle end-to-end logistics
Offer flexible and scalable volunteering modules
Share impact metrics and volunteer feedback
Understand corporate timelines and reporting structures

This ensures volunteering is measurable, enjoyable, and aligned with business objectives.

Final Thought – Start Small, Scale Fast

July is the right month to pilot small, employee-led volunteering ideas and build a system where social contribution is not a side note but a key part of your culture. To make this happen, you can collaborate with an experienced NGO like Marpu Foundation, which specialises in crafting customised volunteering experiences for Indian companies across states.

👉 To learn more, visit www.marpu.org