Have you ever worked at a local soup kitchen or brought a sick neighbor a meal? Volunteer work helps us feel good about ourselves and more connected to our community. It’s also a proven way to boost mental and physical health, strengthen social ties, and even grow our careers.

When employers incorporate volunteering into their company culture, the whole organization benefits. From reduced stress to stronger team dynamics to improved retention, giving back creates a positive ripple effect.

As we celebrate Independence Day, it’s worth remembering that civic engagement, including volunteering, is linked to stronger democracies, greater happiness, and increased community satisfaction. This Fourth of July, consider going beyond the sparklers and find ways to get involved in your community, both inside and outside of work.

Give a Little, Gain a Lot

Volunteering is strongly linked to increased happiness, better health, stronger social connections, and even improved career prospects. Not convinced? Check out the numbers:

• 94% of volunteers say volunteering improves their mood and well-being.
• 94% report an enhanced sense of purpose.
• 82% feel less isolated due to volunteering and being with others.
• 79% say volunteering helps them reduce stress.

Volunteering also benefits your company’s bottom line, especially when volunteer opportunities are available in the workplace:

• 93% of employees feel better and less stressed after 12 months of volunteering through work, leading to less burnout, fewer absences, and greater productivity.
• 79% of employees who volunteer through work-sponsored programs are satisfied with their jobs, compared to 55% who don’t volunteer.
• 64% of employees say volunteering with coworkers strengthens work relationships.
• Companies offering volunteer time off saw a 50% reduction in turnover and a 13% increase in productivity.
• 76% of people say they developed core work skills through volunteering opportunities.

💡TIP: Four Ways to Encourage Employees To Volunteer

1. Offer Volunteer Time Off: Give employees paid time off to volunteer. This small investment boosts morale, builds goodwill, and reinforces a purpose-driven work culture.
2. Organize Volunteering Opportunities at Work: Make volunteering easy by coordinating group service projects or partnering with local nonprofits.
3. Match Employee Donations: Double the impact of your employees’ generosity by matching their charitable contributions.
4. Set Up a Fundraiser at Work: Host a workplace fundraiser — like a food can collection or donation drive — to rally employees around a cause.

How the HAA Team Is Making an Impact

Community engagement isn't just part of our job — it's part of who we are. Outside of work, many of our colleagues volunteer with organizations across the country.

In my first-year at Harvard, I fell in love with a mentorship initiative by the Association of Black Harvard Women called the Alberta V. Scott Leadership Academy. This free mentorship program is open to high schoolers in the greater Boston that identify with Black womanhood or the gender-marginalized experience. It has been amazing to see how this program has grown and watch the mentees develop into young adults.

Throughout the school year, we meet every other Saturday and find creative ways to meet the pre-professional, social, and academic needs of mentees and mentees! Check out the Association of Black Harvard Women and the Alberta V. Scott Leadership Academy on Instagram @abhwgram and @avsharvard respectively!‍

Keira Adams, Intern, U.S. Business Action to End HIV

I’ve worked at Harvard Square Homeless Shelter as a case manager and volunteer for three years. As one of the only dry overnight shelters in the Boston area, HSHS provides essential services to over a dozen guests that stay nightly, and countless clients at the door, who are provided meals, water, and clothing.

Navigating housing, especially when experiencing prolonged homelessness, can be incredibly challenging. Working as a case manager, I help clients understand their housing options, collaborate with social workers in the area working on specific guest’s housing arrangements, and construct exit plans for people’s eventual progression into long term housing.

Abigail Curtis, Intern, National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health

When I moved to Austin, I began volunteering weekly with Inside Books Project. This organization sends free reading materials to people incarcerated in Texas (over 120,000) and publishes resource guides and short instructional pamphlets.

In college, I volunteered with the news program at San Quentin State Prison, which sparked my interest in criminal justice, particularly around education and literacy. Volunteering with Inside Books has allowed me to continue learning about incarceration-related issues while supporting access to information and books. As a bonus, I’ve found a welcoming community and a meaningful space for in-person connection each week.

Makaila Heifner, Senior Associate

I’m on the board of Maine’s only HIV organization, the Frannie Peabody Center, and recently participated in their annual AIDS Walk. Supporting local, community-based work alongside my national efforts with U.S. Business Action to End HIV is incredibly grounding. Volunteering reminds me why this fight matters, not just in policy rooms, but in people’s everyday lives.

Caroline Jackson, Co-Director, U.S. Business Action to End HIV

Before joining the PTA and Student Advisory Council at my son’s elementary school, I hadn’t realized how much public schools rely on parent involvement. With federal funding cuts and growing resource competition from private school vouchers, schools depend heavily on volunteers and fundraisers. That support covers not just things that help schools stay competitive, like technology upgrades, teacher training, and extracurriculars, but also essentials like improved air conditioning, shaded playgrounds, and lunch vouchers for food-insecure kids.

I’m grateful to have paid volunteer time available to support my son’s school and help create the kind of environment every child deserves to learn and thrive in. As schools face mounting challenges to the programs children count on, I hope more employers recognize the role they can play from sponsorship to offering paid time off for volunteering. Supporting public education isn’t just a community good. It’s a direct contribution into the support system working parents depend on, and a strategic investment in the talent of our future workforce.

Sarah Rauzin, Director & Lead, Research + Advisory

As a born and raised Angeleno, community engagement is a way of life for our city and my family. My grandfather, a UAW member for three decades, stressed the importance of labor as a vehicle to expanding democracy. My mom, now retired, worked for Los Angeles County her entire career. I was raised seeing peeks behind the curtain of local governance. As a teenager, I honed my organizing skills with the Bus Riders Union, learning how to build campaigns and work in coalition with others. These experiences taught me to value my neighbors as much as myself and solidified the responsibility I feel to my community, no matter where I live. When I moved back to Los Angeles after living abroad, I jumped right into electoral politics at the city council level and volunteer work centering around housing and homelessness. My organizing practice grounds me in myself and my community, and I really encourage everyone to look into ways they can show up for their neighbors.

Rachel Reyes, Senior Program Associate

I have a long-standing relationship with Oak Grove Center — a treatment center for youth — where I donate professional services throughout the year, ran art lessons for residents, and have organized student murals on campus. In my immediate neighborhood, I’ve volunteered time and professional services to a local coffee shop that provides trauma-informed job training for individuals with barriers to employment, and most recently, I’ve volunteered time to lead the development of my neighborhood’s website. The neighborhood website acts as a central hub for community resources, volunteer opportunities for residents, a directory of local businesses to support, and upcoming events where neighbors can connect.

Ariel Wilson, Design Director

💡TIP: Finding Volunteer Opportunities

Not sure where to start? Use Volunteer Match to find local opportunities to start volunteering today. You can search by cause area, skills, and whether you prefer virtual or in-person opportunities.

Next Up: Navigating Climate Policy & Preparedness

As climate extremes intensify, it’s more important than ever for business leaders to understand not only how extreme heat impacts employees, productivity, and cost, but also how the heat policy and preparedness landscape is evolving.

The session will offer clear insights into how employers can engage on public health, anticipate policy changes, and take proactive steps to protect their workforce amid increasing climate-driven risks.

🎟️ Extreme Heat & Workforce Health: Navigating Policy & Preparedness

📆 July 30, 2025

⏰ 1-2 p.m. ET