There is one initiative proven to boost your company image, improve your impact upon the world, and retain employees—and it has nothing to do with business software.

America’s Charities’ recent study revealed that 90% of surveyed companies believe that partnering with reputable nonprofits enhances their brand, 89% believe it also has a positive impact on the community. Furthermore, 82% acknowledge that employees want a company-supported volunteer program.

Despite these findings, many companies run into obstacles developing a sustainable employee volunteer process. Questions arise around which department will absorb the cost associated with coordinating events and who will manage the day-to-day tasks.

One company found a way to reap all the benefits of an employee volunteer program without the complexity and potential high-cost of managing it.

For the last twenty-eight years, UGI Utilities, Inc. has invested in their local community through the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program. UGI’s involvement is a defining element of their corporate culture so it was important that the program remain sustainable with low maintenance costs and efficient operations. When the company’s RIF program manager retired, UGI had to decide whether to replace the position or automate this important function. They decided to automate with Agiloft.

“We were already using Agiloft for other aspects of our operations,” UGI BI Analytics team member Julie Bealer said. “We did look at a few other systems—they were calendar applications because we couldn’t find anything specific for volunteers. Based on our experience with Agiloft and what the other vendors offered, it seemed an easy choice. It came down to the ease-of-use and the ability to let someone outside the company create events. In the other systems you could create the events but then it was cumbersome for people to try and sign up.”

The Agiloft volunteer management platform coordinates UGI’s support of over 175 Pennsylvania public schools. The system administers the tracking of event’s minimum and maximum number of volunteers, coordinates with the school staff, sends timely reminders, alerts users to last-minute cancellations, tracks volunteer hours, and runs analytics and reports. Internal employees and school coordinators (outside of the UGI organization) can log in independently and schedule and sign-up for their events.

To learn more about UGI’s innovative adaptation of the Agiloft solution, read the case study here.