Are you familiar with skills-based volunteering? It involves using your business knowledge and experience to help nonprofits. It is a great professional development tool but it is underutilized. A survey found that only 16% of employers offer this option to their employees, while 91% believe it would add value to their training and development programs.

These programs could help companies “meet strategic business goals, save money, and, at the same time, release new resources for the community,” Deloitte’s CEO said. Having employees volunteer their skills will undoubtedly stretch their leadership and client service skills and benefit everyone.

In recent years, employers reported that budgets for these types of programs have been cut or remained constant. It would be beneficial for companies to reconsider investing in such development programs because they are an efficient way to develop employees.

Does your company volunteer their skills for nonprofits? If so, what are the benefits you’ve experienced?