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Home Blog Remote Volunteering: How Employees Can Make a Difference From Anywhere
Although 62% of businesses offer volunteering days to their staff, an estimated 140 million hours went unused in the past year as many struggled to find suitable opportunities. (Royal Voluntary Service)
October 29, 2025
This is where remote volunteering can really have an impact. Employees can meaningfully support global causes, drive social change, and strengthen company culture without leaving their home.
From mentoring students and assisting nonprofits to supporting disabled communities or translating resources for refugees, virtual volunteering is a flexible, rewarding way to give back.
For forward-thinking businesses, it’s a practical path to align values with action and to build cultures that are rooted in empathy, inclusion, and impact.
In this blog, we explore what remote volunteering is, the benefits for both businesses and employees and how Be My Eyes can help.
Remote volunteering is the act of donating time, skills, or knowledge to a cause entirely online. This format removes barriers like geography, transportation, and scheduling. It’s growing fast, too.
31% of volunteers say they volunteer online or over the phone and 18% of recent volunteers do their volunteering exclusively remotely. (NCVO)
With remote volunteering, employees are able to contribute from home offices, coworking spaces, or even coffee shops around the world.
Common opportunities include:
According to Deloitte, 52% of HR leaders see volunteering as critical to company culture, and employees agree: 70% say companies that sponsor volunteer activities have a more pleasant atmosphere and 89% say they provide a better overall environment.
In distributed or hybrid teams, remote volunteering is one of the few company-wide experiences that can unite people across locations and time zones around a shared purpose. When it’s executed well, it strengthens your brand, deepens engagement, and creates measurable value while remaining cost-efficient and scalable.
Here are four key benefits that really stand out:
92% of executives believe that building a strong company culture is crucial for success.
Remote volunteering is an excellent way to enhance existing culture. It gives teams simple, repeatable ways to live the company’s values together, even when they work apart. Short, structured activities (think 15–60 minutes) create positive touchpoints where people help others, meet colleagues they don’t normally work with, and build trust in a low-pressure setting. Over time, these moments become the stories people tell about “how we do things here,” boosting belonging, pride, and collaboration.
Modern candidates look for employers that “walk the talk.”
Deloitte findings suggest that 86% of employees say strong volunteer programs increase loyalty and 82% say they influence decisions to stay.
Remote volunteering lowers the barrier to participation, letting people contribute in 10–60 minute blocks or through ongoing skills-based projects. The result is a values-aligned proposition that helps in recruiting and becomes a retention driver once people join.
A UK study discovered that employee volunteering leads to productivity gains worth at least £4.6 billion each year, or £4,551 per volunteer.
When employees engage in meaningful work beyond their job description, both energy and effort increases. And, teams that volunteer together often return to work more connected and resilient, which shows up in faster collaboration cycles, better communication, and stronger cross-functional problem solving.
Virtual programs eliminate venue, travel, and heavy logistics while scaling across regions with minimal marginal cost. That efficiency compounds when paired with clear goals and measurement. For senior leaders, this makes remote volunteering both an impact engine and a disciplined investment with a compelling business case.
Remote volunteering formats make employee participation flexible and inclusive, letting people choose causes that matter to them, match opportunities to their skills or growth goals, and engage without the friction of commute or coordination. The outcome is a more fulfilled workforce that brings renewed energy and empathy back to the day job.
Here are 3 of the main benefits of remote volunteering for employees:
Helping others is intrinsically motivating.
In SCORE’s survey, 70% of employees say volunteering boosts morale and 64% say it strengthens camaraderie.
In remote settings where isolation can sometimes creep in, volunteering offers a shared, uplifting experience that builds belonging across teams, seniority levels, and time zones. People leave with a sense of accomplishment and social bonds that make collaboration easier.
Volunteering is also an excellent way for employees to practice high-value skills, for example, leading a session, facilitating tough conversations, mentoring, communicating with clarity, or applying technical expertise in new contexts.
It’s a great way for helping develop new skills and build confidence in particular areas which can then be transferred to the workplace.
Employees commonly report improved mood and wellbeing after volunteering, which in turn supports healthier work-life rhythms and more sustainable performance over time. Scheduling even brief micro-volunteering windows introduces variety into the workweek, reduces stress, and provides a sense of meaning that refuels energy.
Be My Eyes is an award-winning app that connects over 900,000 blind and low vision individuals with accessible customer support and over 9 million sighted volunteers via live video.
Why teams love Be My Eyes for corporate volunteering initiatives
Running a corporate volunteering day with Be My Eyes, to take calls and deliver help when needed, is a great way to engage your employees in social responsibility activities that make a difference to people and businesses.
With Be My Eyes, employees simply answer live video calls from blind and low vision people to help with everyday tasks, such as reading labels, navigating websites, sorting clothes, right from their phone.
Telecom giant Zain became the first company in the Middle East to partner with Be My Eyes across all its markets from Saudi Arabia to Sudan. Employees were trained to offer visual support in local languages, creating real-time impact while promoting accessibility. The initiative advanced Zain’s ESG goals and reinforced its brand as a champion for inclusion. Find out more here.
Remote volunteering is redefining how we engage with our communities and each other. And, with platforms like Be My Eyes, launching an inclusive, purpose-driven program is simpler than ever. Learn more at: https://www.bemyeyes.com/business/corporate-volunteering/
