Corporate and Employee Giving Snapshot 2015
16 December 2015 at 10:19 am
US companies are demanding more evidence that their charitable resources help fuel their strategic social responsibility objectives, according to an annual snapshot of workplace giving trends and corporate employee engagement.
At the same time, employees are demanding more transparency, accountability and proof that their donations are resulting in measurable outcomes and social impact.
Workplace giving Not for Profit America’s Charities, has released the report titled Snapshot 2015: The New Corporate DNA – Where Employee Engagement and Social Impact Converge, which details the issues facing employee engagement and workplace giving program managers across corporate America.
“Snapshot 2015 takes the pulse of the nation’s workplace-centered philanthropy and gives leaders insight into trends that are shaping employee engagement programs from top to bottom,” President and CEO of America’s Charities, Steve Delfin, said.
“Companies are demanding more evidence that their charitable resources help fuel the strategic social responsibility objectives.”
Delfin said Snapshot 2015 examined the fast-moving evolution of employee engagement and workplace giving over the years, the critical role of technology platforms in engagement, workforce dynamics and changing expectations and the sharing economy in the social sharing age.
Snapshot 2015 found that more than 80 per cent of respondents used technology to allow employees to give money, 65 per cent used it to record volunteer hours and 69 per cent used technology to sign up for a volunteer event.
About one-third (37 per cent) use technology platforms to empower employees to promote their favorite causes. While there were significant differences between sizes of employers, the report said it was clear that the technology solutions were becoming critical to employers of all sizes.
83 per cent of respondents indicated the most important factors in building and sustaining successful integrated employee engagement programs were obtaining support from leadership and ensuring engagement that is embedded in an authentic culture.
The report said that the transformation in the Not for Profit sector to meet rising expectations to be accountable, transparent and have impact mirrored the changes taking place in the corporate world.
“Both are responding to the need to be relationship and engagement focused. Corporate-NFP partnerships are no longer solely based on a financial transactions; they now play a central role in the employee engagement equation of involvement, impact and value,” the report said.
Snapshot 2015 respondents also revealed what was important to building and sustaining Not for Profit partnerships, whether their company was small or large.
"The rapid changes highlighted in Snapshot 2015 point the way to greater empowerment of employees to support corporate as well as personal causes,” Snapshot 2015 co-authors Lynne Filderman and Steve Greenhalgh said.
“While large companies have led the way, there are tremendous opportunities for small and mid-size companies to make these practices work for them and their employees.”
America’s Charities is a US Not for Profit that connects public and private sector employers with charities to engage employees in greater giving.