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ASCAP Launches Company-Wide Volunteer Day to Boost Employee Engagement
On July 23, ASCAP’s teams in New York City, London, Nashville and Los Angeles rolled up their sleeves to paint murals, tend gardens and lead senior‑citizen activities—an effort that marks the latest chapter in the organization’s volunteer program, “ASCAP Notes the Cause.” The initiative, launched in 2016, lets every employee take a paid day off to contribute to community projects organized by New York Cares, the city’s largest volunteer network.
The program’s design is simple: staff members receive a full day of paid leave and are matched with local projects that align with ASCAP’s mission of supporting music creators. Recent activities included painting a mural for P.S. 161 in Harlem, gardening at a public school on the Upper West Side, and leading exercises at senior‑citizen centers. By embedding volunteers in the communities ASCAP serves, the organization hopes to strengthen the connection between its internal culture and its external advocacy.
"We wanted to give our people a way to connect with the communities we serve and to feel that their work at ASCAP is part of a larger purpose," said CEO Elizabeth Matthews. "The volunteer day is a voluntary benefit that aligns with our core mission of advocating for songwriters, composers and publishers."
Matthews explained that the idea originated from an organizational health index survey conducted after she took the helm in 2015. The survey highlighted low engagement and morale among staff, prompting a low‑cost experiment that could deliver measurable results. "We saw the volunteer day as a low‑cost experiment that could drive engagement," she noted. "The proof of concept is the participation rate: we went from about 30‑35 % of employees signing up in the early years to roughly 75 % now."
Financially, the benefit is modest. ASCAP reports annual revenue of roughly $2 billion and an overhead rate of 10 %. The volunteer program’s operating costs—primarily T‑shirt production, refreshments and contracting with New York Cares—are described by Matthews as “quite low, reasonable.” The organization measures success mainly through participation: early years saw 30‑35 % of interested employees complete the day, while the latest iteration reached three out of every four participants.
"Higher endorphins and higher levels of happiness breed higher levels of job satisfaction," Matthews said. "We’re pleased with the results, but we aim for 100 % participation."
Beyond morale, the initiative supports ASCAP’s broader corporate social responsibility goals. By partnering with New York Cares, the organization contributes to projects that benefit schools, senior centers and public spaces. New York Cares has organized over 1,600 volunteer projects each month and has logged more than 8 million hours of service since its founding in 1987.
ASCAP, a not‑for‑profit performance‑rights organization, collects licensing fees from venues, broadcasters and streaming services and distributes about $1.7 billion in royalties to its roughly 1 million members. The organization’s mission is to ensure that songwriters, composers, lyricists and publishers receive fair compensation for their work.
Elizabeth Matthews, who has served as ASCAP’s CEO since 2015, brings a background in media law and prior executive roles at Viacom Media Networks. In 2026 she was named Executive of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music awards.
The volunteer program remains voluntary; employees may choose to work their normal hours instead. Its success is measured by the high participation rate and the positive impact on employee morale. ASCAP’s “Notes the Cause” initiative demonstrates how a music‑industry organization can leverage a low‑cost benefit to improve engagement, reinforce its mission and contribute to community development.
The program will continue to be offered annually, with the next volunteer day scheduled for July 2027. ASCAP plans to expand the initiative to additional offices and partner with other volunteer organizations in the future.
The program’s design is simple: staff members receive a full day of paid leave and are matched with local projects that align with ASCAP’s mission of supporting music creators. Recent activities included painting a mural for P.S. 161 in Harlem, gardening at a public school on the Upper West Side, and leading exercises at senior‑citizen centers. By embedding volunteers in the communities ASCAP serves, the organization hopes to strengthen the connection between its internal culture and its external advocacy.
"We wanted to give our people a way to connect with the communities we serve and to feel that their work at ASCAP is part of a larger purpose," said CEO Elizabeth Matthews. "The volunteer day is a voluntary benefit that aligns with our core mission of advocating for songwriters, composers and publishers."
Matthews explained that the idea originated from an organizational health index survey conducted after she took the helm in 2015. The survey highlighted low engagement and morale among staff, prompting a low‑cost experiment that could deliver measurable results. "We saw the volunteer day as a low‑cost experiment that could drive engagement," she noted. "The proof of concept is the participation rate: we went from about 30‑35 % of employees signing up in the early years to roughly 75 % now."
Financially, the benefit is modest. ASCAP reports annual revenue of roughly $2 billion and an overhead rate of 10 %. The volunteer program’s operating costs—primarily T‑shirt production, refreshments and contracting with New York Cares—are described by Matthews as “quite low, reasonable.” The organization measures success mainly through participation: early years saw 30‑35 % of interested employees complete the day, while the latest iteration reached three out of every four participants.
"Higher endorphins and higher levels of happiness breed higher levels of job satisfaction," Matthews said. "We’re pleased with the results, but we aim for 100 % participation."
Beyond morale, the initiative supports ASCAP’s broader corporate social responsibility goals. By partnering with New York Cares, the organization contributes to projects that benefit schools, senior centers and public spaces. New York Cares has organized over 1,600 volunteer projects each month and has logged more than 8 million hours of service since its founding in 1987.
ASCAP, a not‑for‑profit performance‑rights organization, collects licensing fees from venues, broadcasters and streaming services and distributes about $1.7 billion in royalties to its roughly 1 million members. The organization’s mission is to ensure that songwriters, composers, lyricists and publishers receive fair compensation for their work.
Elizabeth Matthews, who has served as ASCAP’s CEO since 2015, brings a background in media law and prior executive roles at Viacom Media Networks. In 2026 she was named Executive of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music awards.
The volunteer program remains voluntary; employees may choose to work their normal hours instead. Its success is measured by the high participation rate and the positive impact on employee morale. ASCAP’s “Notes the Cause” initiative demonstrates how a music‑industry organization can leverage a low‑cost benefit to improve engagement, reinforce its mission and contribute to community development.
The program will continue to be offered annually, with the next volunteer day scheduled for July 2027. ASCAP plans to expand the initiative to additional offices and partner with other volunteer organizations in the future.