Social impact refers to the tangible and intangible effects a company’s actions have on communities, employees, and the environment. For CSR teams, measuring and reporting this impact is becoming a strategic necessity. Stakeholders expect transparency, and companies need data to improve, scale, and justify their programs.

According to the 2025 CSR Insights Survey, 56% of companies reported increased demand to measure impact. Similarly, a majority of corporate social impact professionals (51%) were facing greater need to demonstrate a business case for CSR. These figures reflect a growing importance for accountability and meaningful social impact measurement.

Main Takeaways

• Social impact measurement is essential for building a business case for CSR, which can build trust with investors and communities, while also serving as a tool for recruiting and retaining employees.

• Metrics tied to giving, volunteering, and employee engagement offer powerful insights into program effectiveness and can shape strategic decisions.

• A successful measurement strategy requires consistent data practices as well as cross-functional collaboration with internal departments and community partners.

• Common challenges include data silos, attribution issues, and difficulty capturing qualitative outcomes.

Why Measuring CSR’s Social Impact Is Important

• Builds trust with employees, customers, investors, and communities. For example, a company sharing progress updates on its sustainability goals or community donations reassures stakeholders their intentions are sincere.
• Supports strategic alignment between CSR, ESG, HR, and business goals. Tracking employee participation or satisfaction from volunteering events can show how social efforts support human resources and employee retention.
• Enables continuous improvement by identifying what’s working and what’s not. Regular reviews, like adjusting a volunteer program after low turnout, help ensure initiatives are effective and relevant.
• Strengthens stakeholder engagement through transparent reporting. Sharing impact dashboards or reports, or even hosting feedback sessions, can encourage employees and community partners to be actively engaged and involved in the program’s success.
• Demonstrates ROI to leadership and secures long-term investment. Providing evidence, such as increased brand value or reduced costs from green initiatives, justifies future CSR funding.

Metrics for Measuring Organizational Social Impact

1. Employee Giving Participation and Match Rates

Track the percentage of employees who donate, the average donation amount, and how often they take advantage of company match programs. These metrics reflect both generosity and program accessibility.

2. Volunteer Engagement and Hours Logged

Measure total volunteer hours, participation rates, and frequency of engagement. Break down by department, region, or how much is virtual vs. in-person, to identify trends and opportunities for targeted outreach.

3. First-Time and Team-Based Volunteerism

Monitor how many employees are volunteering for the first time and how many participate in team-based activities. These insights help assess onboarding effectiveness and the social cohesion benefits of volunteering for your business.

4. Grantmaking Reach and Impact

Track the number of grants awarded, total funds distributed, and alignment with strategic focus areas. Include feedback from nonprofit partners to assess the depth and sustainability of impact.

5. Top Causes Supported

Analyze which charity causes, such as education, health, environment, or social justice, receive the highest levels of employee support through both giving and volunteering. Understanding these trends is a great way of uncovering what your workforce cares about most.

If you’re looking to benchmark your programs on these metrics, check out our CSR Industry Review, which offers average and median values for various social impact programs, including data across different company sizes, industries, and geographies.

Considering the Social Outcomes of Programs

It is also worth noting the next stage of measurement which is social outcomes. As organizations mature in their CSR journeys, they can move beyond output metrics towards the true influence of their initiatives and how these efforts generate lasting change. This requires developing more nuanced methods of assessment, such as combining quantitative data (like volunteer hours or funds donated) with qualitative insights gathered through interviews, case studies, or beneficiary feedback.

For example, social outcomes may include the number of lives improved through access to education, the increase in stable housing for vulnerable families, reductions in food insecurity, or measurable improvements in health and well-being within targeted communities.

Embracing this comprehensive approach not only validates the impact of CSR programs but also inspires deeper engagement from stakeholders who can see the tangible difference their support makes over time. Our partnership with True Impact aims to introduce this into CSR technology, through Predictive Impact Forecasting, enabling companies to project the social outcomes of their giving and volunteering programs based on sector-leading cost-per-outcome benchmarks.

Steps to Successfully Measure Corporate Social Impact

1. Map Your Impact Ecosystem

Identify all the stakeholders, programs, and systems involved in your CSR efforts. This includes employees, nonprofit partners, internal departments, and technology platforms. A clear map ensures your measurement strategy captures the full scope of your influence.

2. Prioritize What Matters Most

Focus on the programs and outcomes that align most closely with your company’s purpose and CSR goals. For example, if your strategy centers on employee engagement, prioritize metrics like volunteer ang giving participation rather than total amounts.

3. Build Feedback Loops with Stakeholders

Incorporate regular feedback from employees, nonprofit partners, and community beneficiaries. This qualitative input adds context to your quantitative data and helps you understand the “why” behind the numbers.

4. Integrate Tools Across Departments

Avoid siloed systems by integrating CSR platforms with HR or ESG tools. This allows for more seamless data collection and reporting, and ensures that CSR insights inform broader business decisions. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a great example of a way to collaborate on CSR, HR, and DEI strategy to increase engagement and impact.

5. Tell the Story Behind the Stats

Numbers alone don’t inspire action. Use your data to craft compelling narratives that highlight real-world impact, whether it’s a volunteer who developed leadership skills or a grant that helped a nonprofit scale its services.

Social Impact Measurement Frameworks

While a variety of global standards exist for measuring social impact, including frameworks focused on sustainability, financial value, and alignment with international development goals, the choice of which to adopt is not one-size-fits-all.

Each company faces unique challenges, priorities, and resources, making it essential to select measurement tools and approaches that best fit their specific context and objectives. Here are a few examples of common social impact frameworks:

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards: Comprehensive standards for sustainability reporting.
• Social Return on Investment (SROI): Measures the financial value of social and environmental outcomes relative to costs.
• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Framework for aligning CSR initiatives with global development priorities.
• Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS+): Widely used by social enterprises for measuring impact performance.

Common Difficulties With Measuring Social Impact

1. Misalignment Between Strategy and Metrics

Many CSR teams track what’s easy to measure rather than what’s meaningful. This leads to reports full of activity metrics (e.g. number of events) but lacking insight into outcomes (e.g. community benefit or employee growth).

2. Inconsistent Data Collection Practices

Without standardized processes, data can be incomplete, duplicated, or outdated. This is especially common in global organizations where regional teams use different tools or definitions.

3. Limited Access to Qualitative Insights

While dashboards can show participation rates, they often miss the human stories that bring impact to life. Without qualitative data, it’s harder to demonstrate the emotional and cultural value of CSR programs.

4. Difficulty Tracking Long-Term Outcomes

Some impacts, like improved community resilience or employee retention, take time to materialize. CSR teams often lack the longitudinal tracking needed to connect short-term activities to long-term change.

5. Overwhelmed by Too Much Data

With so many potential metrics, it’s easy to fall into analysis paralysis. Teams may struggle to identify which data points are most relevant, leading to bloated reports that obscure key insights.

Explore YourCause’s Social Impact Reporting Solution

Measuring social impact doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Our AI-powered social impact reporting software, Blackbaud Impact Edge™, streamlines the entire process, from data collection to analysis and reporting. With intuitive dashboards and real-time insights, Impact Edge empowers companies to make smarter, more impactful CSR decisions. Whether you’re just starting or scaling your CSR strategy, YourCause can help you turn good intentions into measurable outcomes.

Corporate volunteer programs are more than just feel-good initiatives—they’re strategic tools that enhance employee engagement, strengthen community ties, and reinforce a company’s values. According to a study, employees who volunteer are more likely to feel they have professional growth opportunities (70% vs. 39%) and develop new skills at work (72% vs. 42%) compared to non-volunteers. Numerous similar benefits prove that it is clearly worthwhile for companies to invest money in their employee volunteering programs.

However, to ensure these programs are impactful and sustainable, companies must develop a cohesive budget aligned with clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). A well-planned budget not only ensures efficient resource allocation but also helps when demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) to stakeholders. With retention savings, talent development, and productivity gains available for companies, creating a strategic budget for volunteerism is essential.

Main Takeaways

• A structured budget ensures corporate volunteer programs are sustainable and aligned with business goals.

• Setting clear goals and KPIs helps measure program success and justify investment.

• Key cost categories include personnel, training, logistics, and marketing.

• Analyzing total costs helps companies allocate resources wisely and avoid overspending.

• Measuring ROI is crucial for long-term program support and improvement.

Establishing Goals and KPIs for Your Employee Volunteer Program

Before allocating a single dollar, companies should define what success looks like for their volunteer programs. Are you aiming to increase employee engagement, support specific causes, or enhance brand reputation? Establishing clear goals and KPIs provides a framework for decision-making and budget planning. Common examples include volunteer participation rates, total or average volunteer hours by employees, or metrics for community impact such as number of beneficiaries served.

By setting expectations early, companies can better align their budget with strategic priorities. For example, if the goal is to increase participation by 20%, the budget might need to include additional marketing and communications resources (like newsletters, posters) or incentives (like volunteer grants or free t-shirts) to drive greater awareness and event registration for employees. It is important to define KPIs as this also helps to track progress and make data-driven adjustments over time.

Costs to Include in Your Corporate Volunteer Program Budget

1. Staffing Costs

This includes salaries or stipends for full-time or part-time program managers, coordinators, or administrative support. If the program is managed by an external partner or NGO, this may also include service fees or retainer costs. Consider any third-party consultants you may need to hire for advice or impact assessments as well.

Having dedicated personnel ensures the program is well-organized, aligned with company goals, and responsive to both employee and community needs. It also helps maintain continuity, track impact, and manage relationships with nonprofit partners.

Typical share of budget: 25–40%

Why it can vary: Smaller companies may rely on part-time staff or volunteers, keeping costs low. Larger organizations or those with global programs often need dedicated teams, increasing this line item significantly. If the program is embedded in a broader ESG or DEI strategy, cross-functional staffing may also be required.

 

2. Volunteer Training and Onboarding

Costs here cover the development and delivery of training materials, workshops, and onboarding sessions. This may include printed guides, e-learning modules, or in-person facilitation.

Training ensures that volunteers are prepared, understand the company’s social impact goals, and are equipped with the skills and cultural sensitivity needed to engage effectively with community partners.

Typical share of budget: 0–5%

Why it can vary: If your program involves high-skill volunteering (e.g. pro bono consulting), training costs will be higher. For one-off or low-touch events, this may be minimal. Companies with global teams may also need to localize training content, adding translation and adaptation costs.

 

3. Event Logistics and Transportation

Whether hosting a volunteer day or supporting ongoing initiatives, companies should budget venue rentals, equipment, and supplies. This includes items like safety gear, tools, or branded T-shirts for volunteers.

If volunteer activities are off-site, you also have to consider travel expenses, meals, and lodging. Providing transportation or reimbursing mileage can remove barriers to participation and boost engagement.

Typical share of budget: 10–20%

Why it can vary: In-person volunteering tends to be more resource intensive, while virtual volunteering may reduce costs but still requires coordination and tech support. Often, nonprofits are willing to accommodate some of these costs for volunteers, which may reduce the total expenditure for companies.

 

4. Marketing and Communication

This includes promotional materials, internal campaigns, newsletters, and digital assets to raise awareness and drive employee participation. On top of that, consider any costs for branding and storytelling in sharing and celebrating the impact of volunteering internally and externally.

A well-communicated program is critical for employee engagement and collecting feedback through mechanisms like post-event surveys should be thought of as well. Highlighting and publicizing both employee sentiment and the company’s commitment to social responsibility can also enhance your company’s brand for retention and recruitment purposes.

Typical share of budget: 10–15%

Why it can vary: Highly visible programs or those tied to employer branding may mean you choose to invest more here. If your company has an internal comms team, some of these costs may be absorbed elsewhere.

 

5. Matching Gift or Donation Programs

Many companies enhance the impact of employee volunteering by offering matching gift programs, where the company matches donations made by employees to eligible nonprofits. Some also offer dollars-for-doers schemes, where employees earn a donation credit for every hour volunteered. These philanthropic contributions should be factored into the overall budget.

Typical share of budget: 5–15%

Why it can vary: The cost depends heavily on employee participation and the generosity of the company match. Companies may allocate a larger share of the budget here if it is for a key charity partner, or to incentivize greater engagement. Additionally, global companies may need to account for currency conversion, donation compliance, and regional eligibility rules, which can increase administrative overhead.

 

6. Technology and Tools

Digital infrastructure such as volunteer management platforms or impact measurement software can be immensely valuable in managing volunteer programs.

Technology streamlines operations, improves the employee volunteer experience, and enables data collection for reporting and impact measurement. It’s especially important for scaling program across multiple locations or departments.

Typical share of budget: 10–30%

Why it can vary: While larger or more complex programs may require greater investment in robust, integrated systems, allocating resources for a centralized CSR software solution can actually help reduce the budget allocation in other areas. For example, platforms such as YourCause CSRconnect can help save staff time in managing various volunteer opportunities, reduce the costs for marketing and internal communication, while automating the tracking of KPIs like hours volunteered or overall participation rates.

Analyzing the Final Total

Once all costs are tallied, companies should assess whether the budget aligns with their goals and available resources. Businesses often allocate about 0.5% to 2% of pre-tax profits to CSR initiatives, including volunteer programs, though this varies by industry and company size. Companies looking to stand out with a stronger social impact profile may choose to invest well beyond that range.

Companies can also find opportunities to streamline costs, perhaps partnering with nonprofits that can share resources for event supplies. As mentioned above, introducing technology to streamline volunteer management and the impact measurement process is another great way to cut down on staffing and marketing costs. In the same way, finding volunteer events near the location of your employees, or leveraging virtual volunteering, can reduce the logistics and transportation costs involved.

Tips for Measuring the ROI of Your Employee Volunteer Program

• Track participation rates and volunteer hours. Keeping an eye on how many employees get involved and how much time they dedicate helps you see how engaged your workforce is and where your volunteer energy is focused.

• Measure employee satisfaction and retention. Assessing these factors can reveal if your volunteer initiatives are boosting team morale or strengthening loyalty, offering insights into the internal business value of CSR.

• Assess community impact through nonprofit feedback. Gathering perspectives from nonprofit partners shows whether your programs are making a tangible difference in the community, like completed projects or lives impacted.

• Compare program costs to business outcomes. Reviewing spending alongside results such as improved brand reputation or employee engagement gives a clearer sense of the program’s value to the company.

• Use CSR software to automate reporting. Leveraging technology makes it easier to track activities, measure progress, and share impact stories, all while reducing administrative effort.

By considering these areas together, you can get a more complete and vivid picture of your volunteer program’s influence both on your company and on the community.

Annual Employee Volunteer Program Budget Sample

Category	Estimated Cost
Personnel	$40,000
Volunteer Training & Onboarding	$1,500
Event Logistics & Transportation	$15,000
Marketing and Communication	$12,000
Matching Gifts & Donations	$10,000
Technology & Tools	$20,000
Total	$98,500

Learn More About How CSR Software Can Help You Easily Manage Employee Volunteer Programs

YourCause’s CSR management software makes it easy to meet your KPIs and prove your ROI by providing a platform to manage volunteer programs and track your data—all in one place. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling your efforts, our tools help you streamline operations and maximize impact.

If you’re leading a corporate grantmaking or CSR program, you know that how important it is to identify the best grant applications to allocate your limited resources towards. Once you have designed a successful grants program with your priorities, any giving restrictions, and user-friendly applications, devising a thoughtful review process is essential.

A structured, transparent, and criteria-driven review process helps ensure your funding decisions are made more efficiently, are more likely to create better outcomes, and are aligned closely with your company’s values, business goals, and community impact strategy.

Main Takeaways

• A structured grant review process improves fairness, transparency, and funding outcomes.

• Combining internal and external reviewers helps balance organizational priorities with expert objectivity.

• Scoring systems and comparative reviews ensure consistent, equitable evaluations.

• Common challenges like reviewer bias and high application volume can be mitigated with digital tools and training.

• Final decisions should consider both proposal scores and strategic alignment with organizational goals.

Grant Review Process Overview

Understanding the grant review process is essential for both applicants and funders. A well-structured review process ensures that funding decisions are fair, transparent, and aligned with the goals of the granting organization.

Why Is Grant Reviewing Necessary?

Your team likely receives many more applications than you can fund. A clear, consistent review process helps you allocate resources to the proposals that best reflect your company’s mission, CSR priorities, and community commitments. It also builds trust with applicants and internal stakeholders by showing that decisions are made fairly and strategically.

Types of Grant Reviews You Can Use

• Internal Review: Conducted by your CSR or foundation staff to check for eligibility and alignment with funding guidelines.
• External Review: Bringing subject-matter experts in to assess proposals for quality, relevance, and potential impact.
• Peer Review: Often used in employee-led grant programs, where colleagues evaluate proposals based on shared values.
• Committee-Based Review: A cross-functional team (e.g., CSR, DEI, legal) collaborates to score and discuss proposals.

Steps in the Grant Review Process

1. Application Intake and Initial Screening

   Set up a streamlined intake process—ideally through a digital platform. Your team should screen each application for eligibility, completeness, and alignment with your funding priorities. Filter out proposals that don’t meet the basic criteria early on.

   Discover how Mary Kay used YourCause GrantsConnect to drive efficiency in their review process and award 60 impactful grants of $20,000 to domestic violence shelters in celebration of Mary Kay’s 60th anniversary,

2. Application Alignment Review and Scoring

   Assign reviewers to evaluate each proposal’s alignment with your CSR mission, clarity of goals, feasibility of implementation, and potential for meaningful impact. Make sure they also assess budget accuracy and the applicant organization’s capacity to deliver.

   Using a standardized scoring system to evaluate proposals against your criteria is a great way to formalize and increase consistency in the review process. Consider factors such as geographic diversity or employee engagement potential as well. Once scored, proposals can then be ranked accordingly

3. Collect Opinions from Peer Insights

   Bring in internal panels or external experts to conduct deeper evaluations. Get them to use similar scoring rubrics and facilitate consensus discussions to ensure balanced, fair assessments, especially when proposals span diverse issue areas.

4. Final Decision-Making

   Convene your CSR leadership or advisory board to review top-ranked proposals. This is your opportunity to align funding decisions with broader business goals, available budget, and any emerging priorities. It is also worth thinking about whether any of your grants will be conditional, or unrestricted, and any progress expectations or impact metrics you want to identify.

5. Communicating Results to Grant Applicants

   Communicate decisions clearly and respectfully. Whether a proposal is accepted, declined, or conditionally approved, consider offering feedback to strengthen future submissions and build trust with applicants.

6. Fostering a Trust-based Relationship with Grantees

   After awarding a grant, it’s important to foster a trust-based relationship by maintaining open communication with grantees. Regular check-ins and collaborative discussion on further ways to advance the mission and drive impact can be very beneficial.

Top 5 Factors to Consider When Reviewing Grant Proposals

1. Strategic Mission Fit
   Assess whether proposals align with your mission, vision, and values. Consider how projects support long-term objectives and strategic interests. Proposals that clearly demonstrate alignment with your program’s goals are the ones that would typically advance in a grant review process.

   According to the Stanford Social Innovation Review, corporate foundations and impact funds that align their grantmaking processes with broader business strategy and stakeholder engagement models show significantly greater potential for long-term social impact as well.

2. Execution and Long-Term Viability
   Calculate feasibility, which involves scrutinizing the practicality and realism of a project’s plan, including its methods, timeline, and potential barriers. Reviewers should figure out if the application has achievable milestones, a robust risk mitigation strategy, and a logical work plan. Initiatives that can stand the test of time and generate lasting benefits are more likely to move forward.

3. Potential Impact and Novelty
   Evaluate proposals for their anticipated effects on the target population or field, as well as for unique or innovative approaches. Reviewers can look for clear evidence of the project’s potential to create substantial, measurable change. Impactful, forward-thinking proposals are worth prioritizing.

4. Organizational Strength and Experience
   Determine the capacity of the applicant organization as a critical factor in the likelihood of project success. Reviewers assess the team’s expertise, past accomplishments, and infrastructure to ensure they can deliver on their promises.

5. Financial Stewardship and Resource Allocation
   Examine whether requested resources are justified, well allocated, and aligned with project activities. When cost-effectiveness and transparency is there, and the budgets reflect thoughtful planning, it is a sign of the application’s credibility and is often seen as a key predictor of effective grant implementation.

Common Grant Review Challenges for Organizations

Tackling Application Overload

• When faced with a high volume of applications, organizations can utilize digital platforms and automated filters to quickly identify the most eligible proposals. This streamlines the process and helps reviewers focus their efforts on submissions with the greatest potential, reducing fatigue and bottlenecks.

Minimizing Reviewer Bias

• Unconscious bias can influence decisions and impact fairness. To counteract this, implement anonymized or blind reviews and provide bias or DEI training for reviewers. These steps foster a more impartial evaluation process and support equitable decision-making.

Balancing Rigidity and Flexibility

• Relying solely on rigid scoring rubrics may overlook unconventional but high-impact ideas. Encourage reviewers to use structured scoring as a foundation, but empower them to apply strategic judgment for proposals that show exceptional promise, even if they don’t fit perfectly within pre-determined criteria.

Ensuring Timely Communication

• Delays in communicating decisions or feedback can frustrate applicants and stall project timelines. To avoid this, establish clear timelines for every phase of the review process and utilize automated notifications or regular status updates to keep all stakeholders informed and engaged.

Explore YourCause’s Solutions for Grantmaking and Reviewing

YourCause offers powerful tools to streamline and enhance the grantmaking process. From application management to reviewer collaboration and reporting, our corporate grantmaking software helps organizations make informed, equitable funding decisions with ease.

As corporate social impact continues to evolve under the weight of political shifts, economic uncertainty, and rising stakeholder expectations, our 6th Annual CSR Insights Report, in partnership with ACCP, offers a timely snapshot of a field in flux. This survey data comes from CSR teams across 135 companies, representing approximately $1 billion in community investment.

Below, we’ll note some of the key insights highlighted in the report. But beyond the headlines, there’s a deeper narrative unfolding. This blog also unpacks the complex movements shaping the future of CSR. From the quiet transformation of grantmaking strategies to the subtle rebranding of DEI language, we explore developments in the corporate impact space and what it means for CSR professionals navigating 2025 and beyond.

High Level Insights from the Report

• Increased Need to Make the Business Case: CSR teams are under growing pressure to demonstrate how their work drives business value, not just social impact.

• Companies Are Shifting Priority Issue Areas: Firms are moving investments toward less politically sensitive areas like STEM and workforce development, while reducing focus on racial equity and gender equality.

• AI Is Reshaping Corporate Social Impact Work: 73% of CSR teams now use AI to boost productivity, storytelling, and data analysis, marking a major leap in tech adoption.

• Shifts in Budget Allocation Reflect Strategic Priorities: Budgets for employee engagement and foundations are increasing, signaling a focus on internal impact and formal grantmaking.

• Political Pressures Are Reshaping DEI Integration in CSR: Legal scrutiny and political climate are prompting companies to scale back public DEI efforts and change how they communicate about them.

• Expanding Responsibilities, Growing Recognition: Despite heavier workloads, CSR professionals are gaining visibility, influence, and career growth within their organizations.

Beyond the Headlines: The Forces Shaping CSR in 2025

 

1. CSR Is Driving Strategic Talent Development

While the shift away from racial equity and gender equality as top causes is notable, the powerful trend in the other direction is the increasing alignment of CSR with talent strategy. The rise in community investments in areas like K–12 education, and workforce development, which were the top two priority cause areas at 43% each, reinforces companies’ desire to support the talent pipeline. Similarly, STEM was a priority cause for 35% of companies, a 3% increase from last year. Businesses are clearly using CSR to future-proof their workforce.

 

2. The Language of Impact Is Changing Fast

The report shows a sharp decline in the use of terms like “DEI” (54% have decreased usage) and “ESG” (34% using the term less) in public communications. In the same vein, 71% of respondents said they are changing the language used to communicate about DEI efforts. This isn’t just semantics, but a deliberate pivot.

CSR teams are rebranding their efforts to navigate political scrutiny while preserving core values. The linguistic shift reflects broader programmatic trends for some businesses as well, with 14% of respondents having paused or ended DEI initiatives altogether and 18% having shifted the types of DEI-related programs they support. Companies are reframing and rethinking their social impact and DEI narratives to maintain stakeholder trust while adjusting to the environment.

 

3. Grantmaking Is Becoming More Thoughtful

While grant budgets have not increased this year, 25% of companies said they are moving away from small grants in favor of larger, more strategic ones. There’s also a clear move towards multi-year funding (14%), general operating support (14%), and capacity-building (13%), which are hallmarks of trust-based philanthropy. This signals a maturing approach to nonprofit partnerships, where depth and sustainability matter more than breadth and volume.

At the same time, companies are increasing their focus on supporting local communities, which would align with more of a place-based approach, as well as employee selected grants, which reinforces the value of the employee voice in community impact decisions.

4. AI Is No Longer Experimental, But Essential

Artificial intelligence has officially moved from the margins to the mainstream in CSR. According to the report, 73% of CSR teams now use AI tools, with the most common applications being storytelling (72%), productivity (64%), and data analysis (37%). These tools are helping teams communicate impact more effectively, streamline reporting, and scale their efforts.

CSR teams are expected to do more with less. AI is becoming a strategic enabler, allowing lean teams to meet rising expectations without proportional increases in headcount or budget. It’s also helping CSR professionals make the business case for their work by providing clearer data and more compelling narratives.

 

5. CSR Teams Are Gaining Responsibility

For the first time in three years, a majority of CSR professionals (53%) report having the resources, staff, budget, and expertise to meet the demands of their roles. This marks a meaningful shift from 2024, when only 38% felt adequately equipped. While gaps remain, especially in headcount and executive alignment, the data suggests that strategic investments and operational focus are beginning to close the resource gap.

At the same time, 72% of CSR teams say their scope of work has expanded, and 62% report increased visibility within their organizations. This dual trend of rising responsibility and growing recognition signals a turning point: CSR is no longer a support function but now a strategic pillar for business performance, employee engagement, and brand trust.

To get all the insights and data, download the full report here.

Mark your calendars! Blackbaud’s conference, bbcon 2025, is coming to Philadelphia from October 6th to the 8th. This year’s event promises to be the ultimate gathering for corporate impact professionals who are looking to fuel social good, exchange insights, and take their strategies to the next level. This is also the largest gathering that brings together the corporate and nonprofit sectors, making a dynamic stage for learning, networking, and collaborative impact.

By popular demand, the Corporate Impact track will be more product-focused than ever, offering practical, hands-on sessions that dive into YourCause solutions. From recent innovations to upcoming releases, you’ll gain actionable strategies to maximize your impact. But that’s not all! Thought leadership sessions will explore key trends and provide insights to help you navigate today’s CSR landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started with YourCause solutions, bbcon 2025 has something for you.

Reasons for Corporate Impact professionals to attend bbcon:

1. This year’s keynote speaker is none other than best-selling author and organizational psychologist Adam Grant. Known for his transformative ideas on work and organizational culture, Adam will deliver a keynote session you won’t want to miss. Get ready to leave inspired and equipped with fresh perspectives you can bring back to your workplace.

2. One of the best aspects of bbcon 2025 is the opportunity to expand your professional network. Connect with CSR and employee engagement experts from various industries and geographies. Whether it’s over coffee, in a breakout session, or during a networking event, bbcon fosters an environment where meaningful connections are made.

3. Want to get the most out of your YourCause solutions? Then bbcon is the place for you. With dedicated Exhibit Hall hours, you’ll have access to product experts who can answer your questions, share best practices, and guide you through the latest innovations.

4. And of course, we will have a dedicated track of breakout sessions curated for corporate impact professionals! Spanning product-focused and thought-leadership sessions, you’re sure to walk away with new ideas and inspiration to infuse into your CSR programs.

Product-Focused Sessions

In response to attendee feedback, this year’s track will focus 70% of its content on product innovation and hands-on learning. These sessions are packed with practical tips, real-world client examples, and interactive workshops to help you maximize the impact of YourCause solutions.

• CSRconnect: Empowering Employee Volunteering

  Explore how CSRconnect simplifies volunteering for administrators and employees alike. Learn from product experts and customers like Independence Blue Cross who’ve used the platform to drive meaningful engagement.

• CSRconnect: Innovations in Employee Giving

  Discover new features designed to streamline the giving process and hear how organizations like Arch and Ryan are achieving results with CSRconnect.

• CSRconnect: Features Guaranteed to Boost Your Engagement

  Take a deep dive into powerful tools like Engagement Elements, Splash Modals, and Surveys that enhance employee connection and program success, plus learn how nVent and Alight are getting the most out of their CSRconnect solutions.

• GrantsConnect: Investing in Community through Partnership

  Unlock the potential of GrantsConnect with features like workflow automation and AI-powered tools. See how clients are using the platform to streamline grantmaking and drive community impact.

• Reporting with YourCause: Empowering Your Corporate Impact Story with AI and Reporting

  Learn how to make your data actionable using Impact Edge, our new reporting tool powered by generative AI. Get a first-hand look at how organizations like Lubrizol and Danaher are reporting on their impact with YourCause.

• Local Touch, Global Reach: A Deep Dive into YourCause Global Capabilities

  Dive into YourCause’s Global by Design approach and hear how organizations like Wells Fargo and Northern Trust are making a worldwide impact through locally relevant programs.

Thought-Leadership Sessions

The remaining 30% of the track focuses on thought leadership, featuring panels and presentations from industry experts. These sessions will challenge you to think critically and creatively about the future of CSR.

• ENGAGE: Using Data to Navigate the Current Engagement & Corporate Social Impact Landscape

  Explore data and research from YourCause, ACCP, and CECP to understand key trends in CSR and employee engagement.

• PARTNER: Driving Impact through Innovative and Collaborative Partnerships

  Learn how innovative partnerships are expanding capabilities in volunteering, giving, and grantmaking programs.

• IMPACT: Responding with Empathy – Building Holistic Disaster Response Strategies

  Gain insights into creating disaster response strategies that go beyond immediate relief to include preparedness, mitigation, and recovery.

• INNOVATE: Changing the Game – Transforming CSR from Action to Impact

  Discover how CSR leaders are using cutting-edge tools and strategies to turn ideas into measurable, meaningful impact.

Ready to take your CSR programs to the next level? Register now for bbcon 2025 and join us in Philadelphia this October for an unforgettable experience. Don’t miss this chance to connect, learn, and lead the future of corporate impact!

We’re back with another installment of our Beyond the Basics blog series where we dive into features from the YourCause solutions that help level-up customer programs through unique and powerful functionality. Today’s spotlight – employee giving!

Curious about other features we offer that help you go Beyond the Basics? Check out previous posts from this series, spotlights on Volunteering, Customer Support, Disaster Relief, Engagement Elements, and Segmentation.

 

Many Ways to Give

Through YourCause’s CSRconnect solution, you can create an employee giving program that is reflective of your programmatic goals while still supporting employee choice. Our global vetted nonprofit database (with 1.65M+ charities available for giving) means you can engage employees around the world and enable them to donate to the causes they are most passionate about. Flexible functionality like Splash Modals, Engagement Elements, and Giving Campaigns also lets you highlight focused giving opportunities, like seasonal campaigns or key charity partners.

In our latest CSR Industry Report, we saw that combined giving and volunteering engagement jumped 4% last year! Download it now to dive into more engagement trends and benchmarking data.

YourCause puts our CSR admins in the driver’s seat. As a client, you’ll have access to a wide range of configurations and settings that equip you to make changes to programs quickly and independently. This includes the ability to spin up specialized matching gift programs, and even run concurrent match programs, a feature that our customers love to leverage for focused giving moments like disaster relief fundraising.

Read about Portland General Electric’s 10:1 Match for Wildfire Protection

In addition to traditional giving methods like credit card, payroll, and matching gift programs, we support a wide range of incentives that amplify participation. This includes the ability to give employees funds that they can gift to the nonprofit of their choice. One popular way to deploy these includes as a new hire welcome gift, which can get employees engaged in your CSR efforts right from the start, or even as a celebratory work anniversary gesture!

Explore More Employee Giving Capabilities

Transparency and Trust, for Everyone

Beyond robust giving modalities, we pride ourselves in an end-to-end giving process that is transparent for all stakeholders involved.

Employee Donors: Employees benefit from clear information on whether fees have been assessed on their donation or if your company has covered fees, the tracking of donation status, and the ability to easily access their giving history.

CSR Admins: Flexibility in fee coverage allows your organization to cover donation fees, and, coming soon, our new Processing Portal will give you unparalleled insights into your charitable disbursements, providing clarity and control where other vendors fall short.

Nonprofit Beneficiaries: Our free nonprofit portal gives your charity partners clear insights into donor details, information on upcoming disbursements, and will soon provide direct integrations into their donor management systems.

Product Management Insights with Terry Goldin

Terry has been with Blackbaud for a year and is based out of Saint Paul, MN. Volunteerism and corporate social responsibility are passions that she’s cultivated for years, notably through her active involvement as a parent mentor, and treasurer, for local travel soccer teams. Causes that are near to her heart are human rights and animal welfare.

 

YourCause is working hard to transform corporate giving. What are some of the big projects your team is working on?

Customer feedback and market research has sent strong signals that there is a need for faster donation processing timelines across the CSR and nonprofit industries, especially in times of disaster or around critical programmatic moments throughout the year.

We are excited to deliver several pieces of product innovation this year that will speed up donation delivery to nonprofits. By early 2026, our goal is to reduce processing timelines for the majority of non-payroll, U.S. domestic donations by 90-95%, getting donations to charities in just 2-5 days.

 

The nonprofit experience is so important. How are you accounting for that in these innovations?

We are working to ensure this new speed for our disbursements won’t disrupt nonprofits’ donation reconciliation processes and unintentionally create an administrative burden. This includes creating flexible disbursement options for them, such as disbursing directly to their Blackbaud Integrated Payments (BBIP) account without incurring BBIP fees, and seamless integrations into Blackbaud donor management solutions like Raiser’s Edge NXT and Blackbaud CRM.

We’ve consistently sought out nonprofit input into our product development for all of these exciting processing enhancements. We are working hard to ensure that the improvements we make for employees and CSR program admins are also translated into improvements for your nonprofit partners!

 

How will these innovations impact employee donors and program admins?

In addition to speeding up donations to nonprofits by 90-95%, we are building a customer-facing charitable Processing Portal. Think about this like the portal you access from your own personal bank. Our goal is to create a modern financial-technology experience for our customers that increases visibility into the charitable processing timeline. This will help them uncover opportunities to speed up action on their side, helping to reduce the time it takes to fund donations.

We are also building out several new payment modalities for employees, including recurring credit and debit card giving, which will unlock recurring participation. Additional payment modalities like Venmo, PayPal, and Google Pay will also modernize our giving experience and engage all generations of employee donors.

Reflecting on the 13^th edition of our YourCause CSR Industry Review, we can see that the landscape of corporate social impact is evolving, but the commitment to purpose-driven work remains strong. This annual report, drawing on data from 309 companies and more than 7 million employees worldwide, offers a rich snapshot of how organizations are engaging their people in giving, volunteering, and grantmaking. In this blog, we cover some key takeaways from the report that every CSR and employee engagement leader should be aware of.

This infographic offers a snapshot of our 13^th annual YourCause CSR Industry Review with key metrics and some notable trends across grantmaking, disaster relief, geographical data, and enterprise size data.

 

1. Engagement Is Holding Steady, But the Donor Gap May Be Widening

While overall participation in giving and volunteering programs remained stable in 2024, the report reveals a growing disparity between large and small donors. The median employee donation declined slightly, even as the average stayed flat. This suggests that while major donors are maintaining their contributions, smaller donors may be pulling back slightly. This trend underscores the importance of designing programs that support and re-engage everyday donors.

 

2. Combined Programs Drive Higher Engagement

Companies offering both giving and volunteering programs saw significantly higher engagement (16.8%) than those offering only one (5.1% for giving-only, 7.3% for volunteering-only). This reinforces the value of integrated CSR strategies that give employees multiple ways to participate and connect with causes they care about.

 

3. Small Companies, Big Impact

Organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees led the way in volunteer engagement, boasting a 63.8% participation rate. Companies of this size also had the highest average and median volunteer hours per participant. The data suggests that smaller firms may have more agile cultures that allow for deeper community involvement—and that larger enterprises can learn from their example.

 

4. Payroll Giving Is the Most Engaging Donation Method

Payroll giving had the highest participation rate (6.7%) among all donation methods, outpacing credit card, offline, and incentive-based giving. It also saw the highest average and median number of transactions per donor, highlighting the power of convenience and automation in driving sustained giving behavior.

 

5. Global Participation Is Growing—Especially in Volunteering

International employees saw a notable increase in combined engagement, rising more than three percentage points from the previous year. Volunteering engagement among non-U.S. employees also ticked up, with Asia leading in participation and Africa showing the highest average donation amounts (driven significantly by a few very large gifts).

 

6. Employee Resource Groups Boost Participation

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) continue to play a critical role in driving engagement. Companies that leveraged the Groups functionality through our CSRconnect platform saw significantly higher combined engagement rates at 18.6% compared to 15.7% for those without ERGs on the platform. Volunteering engagement was also notably higher at 13.4% versus 8.3%. These groups provide a structured way for employees to connect around shared interests and values, and they serve as powerful channels for promoting CSR initiatives, organizing events, and amplifying impact across the organization.

 

7. New Metrics: Median Data Adds Clarity for Benchmarking

For the first time, the report includes both average and median values for key metrics. This shift helps CSR leaders better understand typical employee behavior and avoid being misled by outliers. For example, while the average annual donation per donor was $744, the median was just $120, highlighting the importance of looking beyond averages when evaluating program performance.

 

8. Strategic Use of CSR Platform Features Increase Engagement

Companies that used Engagement Elements, which are interactive content tiles on the CSRconnect homepage, saw higher giving engagement (8.9%) than those that didn’t (7.3%). Similarly, incentive programs like Dollars for Doers and Cause Cards continue to be effective tools for recognizing employee contributions and encouraging participation.

 

9. Timely Disaster Relief Efforts Drive Impact

In response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, our clients’ employees donated nearly $20 million to relief efforts between September 24th and December 31^st, with $4.2 million coming through Engagement Elements. This highlights the importance of having a rapid-response strategy and the infrastructure to mobilize support when crises strike.

At YourCause, we have established a Disaster Response Taskforce that aims to support clients with responding to disasters in a timely manner. In 2024, approximately $1.7 million went to charities that were highlighted by our Disaster Response Taskforce’s resources for Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

 

10. Shifts in Industry Trends: Finance, Manufacturing, and Retail

The finance and insurance sector led in volunteer engagement (22.2%) in 2024, with a seven percentage points increase. Meanwhile, manufacturing and retail were the only industries to see increases in both employee donations and company matches. These industries are proving that CSR can be a powerful lever for culture and community impact with their continual investment and program growth.

 

11. Grantmaking Is on the Rise

The average grant amount increased by 13%, and the median sum of grants per client rose by 38%. Nearly all grant dollars (99.1%) were awarded as cash, with just under 1% of the value of grants coming from in-kind donations. This growth reflects a maturing approach to corporate philanthropy, with companies potentially aligning with longer-term and larger sum strategic grantmaking programs.

Whether you’re building a new program or refining an existing one, here are some words from our report’s introduction letter to inspire your continued journey in creating meaningful, measurable impact.

“We encourage you to take the time to explore this year’s report, reflect on its relevance to your programs, and consider how these trends align with your organization’s goals. By sharing knowledge and supporting one another, we can amplify the transformative power of our corporate social impact initiatives.

Finally, I want to thank you for your dedication to this important work. As we navigate new challenges and opportunities, let us approach our efforts with PEACE—Perseverance, Evolution, Adaptation, Captivation, and Empathy. Together, we can continue driving change that transforms communities and strengthens our organizations.”

— Andrew J. Troup, Head of Giving and Engagement, Blackbaud.

Download the YourCause 2025 Industry Review

In today’s purpose-driven world, generosity is more than a virtue. As companies navigate a competitive talent landscape and rising expectations from employees, customers, and investors, one truth is becoming increasingly clear: empowering employees to give and volunteer is good for community impact, but it’s also good for business.

 

Why Employee Engagement in CSR Matters

More than anything, for businesses to operate well, they need a workforce of talent that are engaged and collaborative. When companies engage employees in giving and volunteering, they deepen the connections between colleagues, and with communities. According to recent research, 7 in 10 employees now expect opportunities for social impact at work. And it’s not just about feeling good—84% of employees report higher job satisfaction when their leaders speak up about critical societal issues.

These expectations are shaping career decisions: 72% of employees are more likely to apply to companies they perceive as socially responsible, and 71% say that a company’s societal impact is a strong expectation, or a deal breaker, when considering a job. Similarly, over half of employees surveyed would consider leaving if their employer’s values didn’t align with their own.

 

The ROI of Doing Good

The numbers speak for themselves. Organizations that empower employee generosity see tangible returns. For instance, companies with strong employee engagement programs experience a 41% reduction in absenteeism and a 17% increase in productivity. Employees who participate in volunteer programs are also more likely to feel they have opportunities for professional growth (70% vs. 39%) and to develop new skills at work (72% vs. 42%).

At the same time, these programs also foster loyalty: 66% of employees report a greater sense of commitment to their employer as a result of participating in CSR initiatives. In fact, CSR has been shown to reduce staff turnover by 50%, and workplace volunteers are twice as likely to recommend their company to job seekers.

The benefits extend beyond the workforce. A company’s commitment to generosity sends a powerful signal to external stakeholders. When asked whether companies have a responsibility to address societal concerns, 9 out of 10 investors said “yes”, compared to 7 in 10 employees and 6 in 10 consumers. This alignment of internal culture and external perception can drive business growth. Companies that have implemented CSR programs have seen revenue increases of up to 20% and market value gains of 4–6%.

 

Building a Culture of Generosity

Creating a culture of generosity requires more than a few volunteer days or donation drives. It demands alignment between business strategy, values, and community engagement. Leaders must model civic involvement, and companies should embed giving and volunteering into the fabric of their operations.

This could include:

• Providing paid time off for volunteering

• Supporting skills-based volunteerism

• Offering matching gifts for employee donations

• Educating employees on community needs and nonprofit work

• Encouraging grassroots initiatives through employee resource groups

 

Continue to Empower Employee Generosity

With the increasing demand and reliance on donors and volunteers for nonprofits, employee generosity can be a lifeline, especially for smaller charities that are even more vulnerable. For more innovative strategies and practical tips to level up your giving and volunteering initiatives, download our whitepaper on Encouraging Employee Generosity.

Whether you’re a global enterprise or a small business, the path forward is clear: empower your people to give back in ways that reflect their passions and values. In doing so, we can not only strengthen your community but also build a more resilient, engaged, and purpose-driven workforce.

Corporate volunteering programs are an essential part of modern workplaces, offering employees opportunities to contribute their time, skills, and energy to support community causes. These initiatives can take many forms, such as paid volunteer time off company-sponsored service events, or collaborative efforts with nonprofit organizations. Businesses that embrace these programs not only foster a culture of generosity but also strengthen their commitment to social responsibility while enriching the employee experience.

 

Benefits of Employee Volunteering

Corporate volunteering programs go beyond benefiting the community—they also positively impact employees and organizations in meaningful ways. Here are some of the benefits of employee volunteering programs:

1. Boosts Employee Engagement and Morale

When employees participate in volunteering efforts, they often gain a sense of fulfillment and purpose that translates into greater job satisfaction. Knowing their work contributes to a larger societal goal motivates employees and cultivates a deeper connection to their organization. In fact, a recent large-scale systematic review of workplace wellbeing offerings showed that only volunteering had a measurable positive effect on employees.

2. Strengthens Team Bonding

Volunteering as a group provides opportunities for employees to collaborate in settings outside the workplace. These shared experiences foster trust and improve communication among team members, building stronger relationships that carry over to day-to-day professional interactions. In a survey of employees who participated in workplace volunteer programs, nearly half (49%) indicated that it helped them build connection with their colleagues.

3. Improves Company Reputation

Companies that prioritize volunteerism are frequently seen as more responsible and community-focused by the public. A visible commitment to social responsibility can elevate a company’s image, attract socially-minded customers, and strengthen partnerships with like-minded organizations.

4. Attracts and Retains Talent

Today’s workforce increasingly seeks employers that value making a difference in society. Millennials and Gen Z employees, in particular, gravitate toward organizations that align with their desire to have a positive impact. This is evident as 72% of employees are more likely to apply for a job at an organization that they believe to be socially responsible and 71% say societal impact factors were a strong expectation or deal breaker when considering a job.

5. Develops Leadership and Soft Skills

Volunteer activities provide employees with the chance to sharpen critical skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. They may also take on leadership roles within volunteer projects, gaining experience in managing teams and initiatives. These skills are not only rewarding personally but also highly valuable in the workplace. Employee volunteers in a study were more likely to feel that they have opportunities to grow professionally, at 70% compared to 39% for employees that don’t volunteer, as well as develop new skills at work at 72% compared to 42% for non-volunteers.

 

Tips for Measuring the Impact of Employee Volunteering

To ensure the effectiveness of corporate volunteering programs, organizations need strategies to assess their outcomes. Consider the following steps:

• Track Volunteer Hours and Participation Rates: Keeping detailed records of volunteer involvement helps establish benchmarks and identify trends over time.
• Collect Employee Feedback and Testimonials: Insights from employees provide valuable perspectives on the program’s impact and areas for improvement.
• Measure Community Impact Through Partner Organizations: Collaborating with nonprofit partners can help evaluate how volunteer efforts are making a difference for the causes they support.
• Align Volunteer Efforts with CSR Goals: Ensure that your program’s activities align with broader corporate social responsibility objectives to maximize results.
• Use CSR Reporting Tools: Leverage technology to visualize data and communicate outcomes effectively.

 

Make Employee Volunteering Easy with YourCause’s CSR Software Solutions

At YourCause, we understand the importance of streamlined processes for managing corporate volunteer programs. Our CSRconnect platform is designed to simplify program administration, helping you track participation, measure results, and engage employees with ease. Whether your organization is new to volunteering initiatives or expanding existing efforts, our software equips you with the tools needed to create meaningful and measurable change.

Virtual volunteering saw a significant rise in popularity during the pandemic, allowing individuals to contribute to various causes from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, research from Americorps found that around one in five formal volunteers are either virtual or hybrid, and that, on average, these volunteers are engaging in more hours of service per year (95 hours) compared to those who volunteered solely in person (64 hours). This shift not only represents the increased flexibility for volunteers but also demonstrates that organizations can now connect the talent and skills of their employees with a wider network of nonprofits and causes.

 

How Does Virtual Volunteering Work?

Virtual volunteering operates similarly to in-person volunteering but utilizes digital platforms to connect volunteers with organizations. Volunteers can sign up for projects that match their skills and interests, complete tasks online, and communicate with organization representatives via email, video calls, or project management tools. This approach makes it easy for individuals to contribute regardless of their location and enables organizations to manage and track volunteer contributions efficiently.

 

15 Virtual Volunteer Opportunities for Remote Engagement

1. Online Tutoring and Mentorship

Assist students of all ages with their academics or offer career guidance to high school and college students through platforms like Learn To Be or UPchieve. Volunteers can provide tutoring in various subjects, including STEM, language arts, and college preparation.

2. Administrative Support for Nonprofits

Offer virtual administrative assistance, such as data entry, project management, and document organization, to help nonprofits run smoothly and efficiently.

3. Virtual Crisis and Emotional Support

Provide emotional support and assistance to individuals in crisis through text-based platforms like Crisis Text Line. Volunteers receive training and gain experience in mental health advocacy and active listening.

4. Online Peer Support Groups

Facilitate support groups for individuals dealing with specific challenges, providing a safe space for sharing experiences and offering mutual support.

5. Supporting the Visually Impaired

Assist visually impaired individuals by helping them complete tasks via live video feeds or creating accessible digital content, such as audio books.

6. Translation and Language Services

Translate essential documents or content to expand the reach and impact of humanitarian organizations through Translators Without Borders.

7. Content Creation for Nonprofits

Write articles, create graphics, or produce videos to help nonprofits spread their message and reach a wider audience.

8. Digital Marketing and Social Media Support

Help manage social media accounts, create social content, and develop marketing strategies for nonprofits to increase their visibility and engagement online.

9. Transcribing Historical Documents

Help make historical documents accessible by transcribing them like the Smithsonian Digital Volunteers. This work supports cultural and research institutions and ensures that valuable information is preserved for future generations.

10. Virtual Museum Tours

Lead online tours for museums, offering educational insights and engaging virtual visitors with the institution’s exhibits and collections.

11. Advocacy and Civic Engagement

Raise awareness and organize campaigns for social or political issues you are passionate about, using digital tools to mobilize and engage supporters.

12. Coding and Technology Support

Volunteer your coding and technical skills to build websites, create software, or provide technology support for social initiatives and nonprofit projects through platforms like Democracy Lab.

13. Environmental Citizen Science Projects

Participate in online projects that focus on environmental research, such as tracking wildlife, monitoring pollution, or contributing to conservation efforts.

14. Virtual Fundraising Events

Plan and execute online fundraising events to support various causes. This can include virtual auctions, charity runs, and crowdfunding campaigns.

15. Virtual Board Membership

Serve as a board member for a nonprofit organization, providing strategic guidance and oversight from a distance, ensuring the organization’s mission and goals are met. Learn more about what it means to serve on a nonprofit board.

 

Benefits of Virtual Volunteering

• Volunteers have the flexibility to contribute from anywhere, which offers both convenience in scheduling and increased accessibility.

• Virtual volunteer opportunities allow individuals to use and develop a wide range of skills, enhancing their personal and professional growth.

• Online volunteering makes it possible to support global causes and make a meaningful impact on a wider scale rather than being limited to local communities.

• Teams can leverage virtual volunteering to improve their collaboration and strengthen relationships, especially in remote or hybrid work environments.

• Organizations can easily track volunteer hours when there is an online record of activities, making the management and reporting process more efficient.

• Virtual volunteering can be cost-effective for both volunteers and companies, reducing the need for physical resources and space.

• Engaging in social impact is open to everyone through online volunteering. Whether employees have expertise in graphic design, coding, writing, or simply have a passion for helping others, there’s likely a virtual volunteering role that can matches their interests.

 

Should Volunteer Time Off Policies Allow Virtual Volunteering?

Volunteer Time Off (VTO) policies vary by company, but many organizations recognize the value of virtual volunteering and include it in their VTO programs. For companies, there is a strong business case for valuing virtual volunteering hours within VTO or volunteer for vacation schemes, given that employees are contributing their time and skills to important causes while also saving the time and resources it would take to travel to and attend volunteering events in-person. By leveraging VTO, organizations can empower employees to make a positive impact while balancing their work and personal commitments.

 

Learn More About YourCause’s Solutions for Improving Employee Engagement

YourCause provides innovative solutions to enhance employee engagement through virtual volunteering. Our CSRconnect platform helps companies facilitate and manage online volunteer opportunities, making it easy for remote teams to find meaningful projects that align with their skills and interests. Through our partnerships with Goodera and VolunteerMatch, we also offer curated volunteering opportunities, including pre-built virtual events.

Explore how YourCause can help you boost employee engagement and drive greater impact.