Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Volunteer Team Leader?
Volunteer Team Leaders are the champions of volunteer projects and Month of Giving for their offices. The Volunteer Team Leader registers their volunteer team on the IICF Volunteer website at volunteer.iicf.org and selects a volunteer project with a community nonprofit for their team to complete. The Volunteer Team Leader also liaises with the community nonprofit organization leading up to the day of the selected volunteer project.
How do I build a volunteer team?
Begin by inviting colleagues in your office to join you in creating a company team to support the local communities where you live and work. Want to engage in some friendly competition too? Challenge other departments in your company to form their own volunteer teams, and compete for the title of highest number of hours volunteered. You can also invite clients and prospective clients to join your team, then enjoy a day of fun while helping others!
How big is a volunteer team?
As small or as large as you like! You can be a team of one, or bring your entire office with a team of 100 or more depending on the project. Community nonprofit organizations post volunteer service projects on volunteer.iicf.org that accommodate anywhere from 1-5 volunteers and up to 300 volunteers at a time.
How many teams can participate in each volunteer project?
This depends on the size of the volunteer project and the size of your volunteer team. For example, if the volunteer project can accommodate 30 people, three volunteer teams of 10 people can sign up and work together. Alternatively, one volunteer team of 30 people can fill the entire project. Most volunteer projects are filled by two or more teams, often from different companies. This is a unique part of the fun of IICF's volunteer programs, uniting the insurance industry in camaraderie to give back to their communities, together!
What should we wear when volunteering?
We encourage volunteers to proudly wear your company t-shirts as you're helping in your communities. And if you want to showcase your support of IICF, add our volunteer logo to your shirt!
Be sure to take lots of photos of your team in their shirts and share with IICF by posting on social media and tagging IICF!
Please note that nonprofit organizations will advise of any required attire in their project description, such as closed-toe shoes or old clothing if painting or similar activities are part of the project.
Can I sign up for multiple projects?
Yes! As both an individual volunteer and as a part of your volunteer team, you are welcome to sign up for as many projects as your schedule will accommodate.
My team and I cannot leave our office, can we still volunteer?
Of course you can! Some of our community nonprofits post projects on volunteer.iicf.org that can be completed at your office, such as: a coat drive; letter writing campaigns for military servicemen and servicewomen; collection of party items for children in the hospital; or a nonperishable food item drive. To find projects like these, which can all be completed at your office, search for keywords "virtual" "at home" or "at office" or visit the Virtual Volunteering page for ideas
If IICF does not have a project posted in our region or on the day we would like to give back, are there other resources to help us plan our outing?
Yes! Each division maintains a list of nonprofits that IICF partners with throughout the year, available on www.volunteer.iicf.org. Feel free to organize your project by reaching out to the nonprofit directly.
What is the IICF Month of Giving?
The Month of Giving is an annual, eight-day international celebration of industry volunteerism during which IICF brings together insurance industry professionals to complete volunteer projects and service benefiting communities throughout the United States and United Kingdom. IICF invites nonprofit organizations and charities throughout it's Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Western and United Kingdom Divisions to submit volunteer projects online at www.volunteer.iicf.org, and invites volunteers - including individuals and teams - from the industry and beyond to participate in these volunteer projects. To date, Month of Giving volunteers have contributed more than 320,000 hours of service to community nonprofits across the United States and United Kingdom.
Who can participate in the Month of Giving?
Everyone! IICF welcomes everyone to participate in the Month of Giving, although focuses primarily on recruiting volunteers from the insurance industry and related businesses and associations. You can volunteer as part of a company team or as an individual; all are welcome to participate in the Month of Giving, the insurance industry's largest ongoing annual volunteer initiative.
How should volunteers and nonprofit organizations share photos and updates on social media during their volunteer projects?
IICF would love to hear from all volunteers and nonprofits on social media! Please use the hashtags: #IICFVolunteers #insurancegivesback and #IICFMonthofGiving as appropriate and be sure to tag IICF in your posts!
You can follow IICF on social media at:
Facebook: doubleicf https://www.facebook.com/doubleicf/
Twitter: @doubleicf https://twitter.com/doubleicf
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insurance-industry-charitable-foundation
Instagram: doubleicf https://www.instagram.com/doubleicf/
Please feel free to also send your Month of Giving photos directly to the IICF Executive Director in your region or to Alisa Breese, IICF Communications VP, at abreese@iicf.org.
Can I volunteer if my company does not have an entire team?
Absolutely! Individual volunteers can join an existing team or project. We welcome all volunteers!
As a volunteer team, what if we need to cancel?
We ask that volunteer teams try to uphold their commitment to the community nonprofit organizations as often as possible but do understand that circumstances change and emergencies arise. If you need to cancel, please contact your regional IICF team to be removed from a volunteer project or call (424) 253-1107.
Once I have completed my volunteer project, how do I report my hours?
Once you or your team has completed a volunteer project, log into your volunteer account and report your hours by following these simple steps: 1) visit your Dashboard 2) select 'Report' and 'View Hours' and 3) complete the requested fields. Please refer to our Volunteer Team Leader Guide on volunteer.iicf.org for additional details.
* Please be sure to report your hours as soon as you're able after volunteering. This allows IICF to maintain an accurate record of how many people volunteered in projects throughout the year and during the Month of Giving, and how many service hours were contributed. Then we are able to report on the philanthropic generosity of the insurance industry with the community at large.
Can I volunteer with an organization that has not listed a volunteer project on the IICF Volunteer website?
Yes! IICF recognizes that many companies have established relationships with local community nonprofits who may not have listed their volunteer opportunities through the IICF Volunteer website. Volunteerism occurring in the month of October may be attributed to your organization's participation in the Month of Giving, though we track volunteer hours year-round as well.
To report this type of volunteer service, please create a volunteer account and log into the IICF Volunteer website. Then: 1) visit your Dashboard 2) select 'Report Other Service' and 3) complete the subsequent survey.
How do nonprofit organizations submit their projects to the IICF Volunteer website throughout the year or during Month of Giving?
IICF welcomes all nonprofit organizations to post their volunteer projects on the IICF Volunteer website. Simply create a nonprofit account on the IICF Volunteer website at volunteer.iicf.org, log in and then begin submitting volunteer projects.
After you submit a volunteer project, the project will be reviewed by the IICF team and responded to within 48 hours. Your project will either be approved and published on the IICF Volunteer website, where volunteers can begin signing up to participate, or a member of the IICF team will contact you with any questions or additional information needed to complete your volunteer project submission.
As a nonprofit organization, can we request donations?
IICF asks that any donations requested by a nonprofit organization be used to cover the cost of supplies for the volunteer project. For example, if volunteers are being asked to paint walls at a school, please only request donations to cover the cost of paint and painting supplies and specify this in your project proposal.
As a nonprofit organization, what if I need to remove a volunteer project that has already been published?
To remove a published project, please log into your nonprofit account and follow the steps to manage your volunteer projects. You can also contact your regional IICF team to discuss or remove a project.
Are there additional resources available for volunteers and nonprofit organizations?
Yes, many resources and helpful tips can be found on the IICF Volunteer website at volunteer.iicf.org, including: Nonprofit Website Guide, Volunteer Team Leader Website Guide, Month of Giving flyer, Volunteer Project Template flyer, Communications and Outreach materials and more.
