If corporate volunteering had a motto over the past few years, it might have been: _“Pivot, flex, repeat.”_ The pandemic rewrote the playbook for how businesses engage with their communities, and now, as Atlanta companies look ahead, the big question is: _what’s next?_
Spoiler alert: it’s not going back to the way we used to do things. The future of corporate service is more flexible, more skills-based, more employee-driven, and if done right, more impactful than ever.
**1\. Supporting Ongoing Partnerships**
Remember when volunteering meant a single day of service, complete with matching T-shirts and photo ops? Those projects still have value (and yes, we’ll keep the T-shirts), but companies are increasingly shifting toward long-term partnerships with nonprofits.
Take **Smurfit WestRock**, a CVC member and sustainable packaging company that has partnered with nonprofit Trees Atlanta since 2017. In recent years, the company joined forces with Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta Hawks for their “Rock the Rim” challenge. For every dunk made by a Hawks player during their season, Smurfit WestRock would plant a tree. More than 445 trees were planted in the first year of the collaboration. In addition to this innovative project, Smurfit WestRock currently has an employee serving on the Trees Atlanta board of directors, and the company regularly activates volunteers and contributes financially to support year-round programming.
**What’s next:** More companies moving beyond “single-day service” and toward multi-year commitments that deepen impact, align with company values, and provide stability for nonprofits.
**2\. Skills-Based Service Becomes the Standard**
Painting walls and serving meals to hungry neighbors are still important, but the future is about leveraging professional expertise. Nonprofits need accountants, HR consultants, lawyers, marketers, and IT professionals just as much as they need volunteers at food drives.
**Delta Air Lines**, for example, has paired its people and project-management skills with Science ATL to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.
**What’s next:** Expect more companies to align volunteer opportunities with employee skills, whether that’s finance staff teaching money management at local schools or IT professionals helping nonprofits build secure databases.
**3\. Employee-Led Volunteering**
Here’s a fun fact: younger employees (hello, Gen Z and millennials) want more say in how they volunteer. They’re not waiting for HR to hand them a pre-packaged project. Instead, they want to choose causes, pitch ideas, and sometimes even lead the initiatives themselves.
**What’s next:** Companies will create more flexible frameworks where employees choose from a menu of options or propose their own. Think of it as “volunteer crowdsourcing.”
**4\. Hybrid and Micro-Volunteering**
Remote work isn’t going away, and neither is virtual volunteering. Hybrid opportunities, where some employees serve in person while others contribute remotely, make volunteering more inclusive for busy professionals, parents, or those working from outside Metro Atlanta.
**What’s next:** Companies will mix in-person team projects with bite-sized, remote options so everyone can participate no matter where they are.
**5\. Volunteering as a Driver of Belonging and Culture**
In a world where employee engagement can make or break retention, corporate service is becoming a key cultural touchstone. Shared volunteer projects bring people together across departments and even across geographies. They also create inclusive spaces where employees feel valued for more than their job titles.
At **Warner Bros. Discovery**, employees participate in Global Volunteer Day, recording bedtime stories, assembling hygiene kits, and sharing skills with nonprofits. Employees report that they feel more connected from these events, not just to the community but also to each other.
**What’s next:** Companies will intentionally link volunteering to Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), wellness programs, and leadership development. Service won’t just be “something nice we do” but will be woven into how companies build culture and retain talent.
**6\. Measuring Impact (Without Killing the Joy)**
Nonprofits have long been asked to prove outcomes, and now companies are doing the same. Leaders want to know: _What difference are we actually making?_
Tracking volunteer hours is easy, but measuring true impact—improved literacy rates, reduced food insecurity, expanded nonprofit capacity—is harder. Still, more companies are embracing dashboards, surveys, and storytelling to show results.
**What’s next:** More thoughtful metrics, less about counting hours, more about telling stories of change, and partnering with community organizations to work toward tangible goals.
**7\. Service as Part of Business Strategy**
The biggest shift? Corporate service is no longer just about philanthropy but more about business strategy. Customers want to support companies that give back. Employees want to work for companies that align with their values. Investors are watching ESG (environmental, social, and governance) commitments.
Volunteering isn’t an extra anymore; it is core to how companies compete for talent, customers, and community trust.
**What’s next:** Expect more businesses (big and small) to treat volunteering as a core part of their brand, culture, and strategy.
**8\. A Local Call to Action**
Here in Atlanta, we’re lucky to have the **Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC)** as a hub where companies of all sizes can learn, collaborate, and amplify their impact. Whether you’re a 10-person startup in Decatur or a Fortune 500 giant, there’s a seat at the table.
The next chapter of corporate service will be shaped by collaboration, creativity, and a shared belief that when businesses and communities work together, everyone wins.
So, what’s next for your company? Maybe it’s launching a skills-based project, empowering employees to pitch ideas, or finally signing up to join the CVC. One thing’s for sure: the future of corporate volunteering is bright, bold, and very Atlanta.