Public Relations

Employee Volunteering and Corporate Community Investment

Corporate community investment and employee volunteering strengthen communities, engage employees and build reputation. This course covers community investment strategy, partner selection, volunteering programme design, skills-based volunteering, governance, measurement of social impact and communication.

5 days Classroom or live online English

Smart Horizon Certified - Global Leadership Consultants

Take the course details with you.

Download the full standard outline: why attend, methodology, objectives, audience, competencies, the daily outline and current plans.

Download course PDF

Why attend

From knowledge to real-world impact.

Well-designed programmes create real community benefit and engagement, while poorly designed ones look like public relations. This course helps you build meaningful programmes.

Workplace challenges

Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve

The programme explores practical approaches to the following challenges. Results depend on how the learning is applied in your organisation.

Difficulty translating subject knowledge into practical workplace decisions.
Inconsistent approaches to the activities covered in the course outline.
Lack of a structured plan for applying and reviewing new skills.

Course methodology

How you will learn.

The course uses case studies, programme design workshops, impact measurement exercises and partner evaluation.

Course objectives

What you'll take away.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Develop a community investment strategy
Select and manage community partners
Design employee volunteering programmes
Implement skills-based and pro bono volunteering
Measure social and business impact
Communicate community investment credibly

Target audience

Who should attend.

This course is suitable for:

CSR and community investment managers
HR and engagement professionals
Corporate communications professionals
Sustainability managers
Foundation and NGO partnership managers

Target competencies

Capabilities you will build.

Participants will develop competencies in:

Community investment strategy
Partner management
Volunteering programme design
Impact measurement
Stakeholder engagement
Responsible communication

Course outline

Your learning journey.

A focused, practical outline with time to explore, apply and reflect.

Day 1Community Investment

09:00–09:54Purpose and benefits
09:54–10:48Strategy alignment
10:48–11:00Focus areas
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–12:12Focus areas (continued)
12:12–13:06Stakeholder expectations
13:06–14:00Exercise: Programme review

Day 2Partners

09:00–09:54Partner selection
09:54–10:48Due diligence
10:48–11:00Partnership agreements
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–12:12Partnership agreements (continued)
12:12–13:06Relationship management
13:06–14:00Workshop: Partner evaluation

Day 3Volunteering Programmes

09:00–09:54Programme models
09:54–10:48Skills-based volunteering
10:48–11:00Employee engagement
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–12:12Employee engagement (continued)
12:12–13:06Logistics and safety
13:06–14:00Exercise: Programme design

Day 4Impact Measurement

09:00–09:54Inputs, outputs and outcomes
09:54–10:48Social impact frameworks
10:48–11:00Data collection
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–12:12Data collection (continued)
12:12–13:06Reporting
13:06–14:00Case study: Impact report

Day 5Communication and Governance

09:00–09:54Governance
09:54–10:48Budgeting
10:48–11:00Communication
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–12:12Communication (continued)
12:12–13:06Avoiding tokenism
13:06–14:00Capstone: Community investment plan

The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.

Dates & venues

Find a session that works for you.

Confirmed dates accept registration requests. Tentative dates are enquiry only.

Good to know

A few things to know.

How is the course delivered?

Our classroom programmes combine facilitated discussion, case studies, exercises and reflection. The precise format will be confirmed before enrolment.

Can you deliver this programme for our team?

Yes, you can enquire about a tailored programme. Share your goals, group size and preferred dates with our learning team.

Will I receive a certificate?

Participants who complete the programme receive a Smart Horizon UK certificate of attendance. Smart Horizon UK programmes are not externally accredited and do not award a professional qualification, licence or designation. Where a course title or outline refers to a professional certification (for example, AACE International's Certified Cost Professional), the programme supports learning and preparation only; the credential itself is awarded solely by the relevant professional body under its own application and examination requirements.

What should I confirm before booking travel?

Please confirm the session, exact venue, accessibility arrangements, fees and any visa requirements with the team before arranging travel. Tentative dates are not confirmed sessions.

Keep exploring

Your next horizon awaits.

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The full course agenda and dates are available above. Use the session links in Dates & venues to choose a session. Registration and quotation forms require JavaScript; you can also contact our learning team directly.