46 companies practicing CSR and how they’re doing it.

Companies have a responsibility to their customers, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate. 

Social responsibility is important for businesses because it helps to create a positive company image, build trust with customers, and create a positive impact in the community. It can also help to foster employee engagement and loyalty, as well as create a more sustainable business model. Companies that exhibit social responsibility can also benefit from a competitive advantage, as customers are more likely to purchase from businesses that are socially conscious.

Additionally, socially responsible companies are better positioned to attract and retain top talent, as employees are increasingly looking to work for organizations that are committed to making a positive impact.

Want to modernize your company’s philanthropy? Visit Groundswell.io and learn how.

Here is a list of 46 companies with what many consider the best CSR practices and how they’re doing it:

Patagonia – This outdoor clothing company is known for its commitment to environmental sustainability and ethical labor practices.

Seventh Generation – This company produces eco-friendly household products and is committed to transparency, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

TOMS Shoes – This company is known for its “one for one” model, in which it donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.

Warby Parker – This eyewear company is committed to social and environmental responsibility, and has a program in place to provide eyeglasses to people in need.

Eileen Fisher – This fashion company is committed to sustainability, ethical labor practices, and environmental responsibility.

The Body Shop – This cosmetics company is committed to ethical sourcing and environmental sustainability.

Ben & Jerry’s – This ice cream company is known for its commitment to social and environmental causes and has a history of supporting progressive social and political issues.

REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) – This outdoor retailer is committed to sustainability and has a program in place to support outdoor recreation and conservation efforts.

The Honest Company – This company produces household and personal care products and is committed to using safe, non-toxic ingredients and environmentally sustainable practices.

Method – This company produces eco-friendly cleaning and personal care products and is committed to sustainability and social responsibility.

Tesla – This electric vehicle company is known for its commitment to sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of transportation.

Unilever – This consumer goods company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact and promote social responsibility.

Google – This technology company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

Apple – This technology company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

General Motors – This automotive company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the development of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Nike – This athletic wear company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact and promote ethical labor practices.

The North Face – This outdoor clothing company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of recycled materials in its products.

Intel – This technology company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

HP – This technology company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of recycled materials in its products and a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

Johnson & Johnson – This healthcare company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of eco-friendly materials in its products.

Microsoft – This technology company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

The Coca-Cola Company – This beverage company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of recycled materials in its packaging.

IBM – This technology company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

Amazon – This e-commerce company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

The Home Depot – This home improvement retailer is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the sale of energy-efficient products.

Wal-Mart – This retail company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

Target – This retail company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

Best Buy – This electronics retailer is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the sale of energy-efficient products.

Goldman Sachs – This investment bank is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the financing of renewable energy projects.

JPMorgan Chase – This financial services company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the financing of renewable energy projects.

Wells Fargo – This financial services company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the financing of renewable energy projects.

Verizon – This telecommunications company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

AT&T – This telecommunications company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

The Hartford – This insurance company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

Procter & Gamble – This consumer goods company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of eco-friendly materials in its products.

The Hershey Company – This food and beverage company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

The Dannon Company – This food and beverage company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of eco-friendly materials in its packaging.

Nespresso – This coffee company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of eco-friendly materials in its packaging and the financing of renewable energy projects.

Campbell Soup Company – This food and beverage company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

Nestle – This food and beverage company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

L’Oreal – This cosmetics company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of eco-friendly materials in its packaging.

Johnson Controls – This technology and engineering company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

General Electric – This technology and engineering company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

PepsiCo – This food and beverage company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

Kraft Heinz – This food and beverage company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

Levi Strauss & Co. – This clothing company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of eco-friendly materials in its products.

eBay – This e-commerce company is committed to sustainability and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact, including the use of renewable energy in its operations.

8 Powerful Ways To Elevate Your Corporate Philanthropy Efforts

In today’s business world, corporate philanthropy is more than a buzzword. Engaged consumers want to do business with brands that give back — and they’re not the only ones. An effective, modern employee giving program is fast becoming a key benefit to attract and maintain top talent. Corporate giving isn’t a new concept, but it is one that’s evolved — and continues to evolve — over time. 

The Evolution of Corporate Philanthropy

In the early days, the owners of companies did good things out of a combination of noblesse oblige and enlightened self-interest. In most cases, they gave to charities that aligned with their interests and pet projects, which may or may not have had anything to do with the purpose of their business. Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, for example, famously championed public libraries because he believed that the key to betterment was education. Henry Ford founded the Edison Institute (now the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village) to share his enthusiasm for American inventions and industry. And Lane Bryant, who founded the first company to sell maternity clothing for women to wear in public, offered free clothing to any woman who lost her wardrobe in a disaster, and donated generously to Jewish charities. 

It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century, in the post-World War II era, that philanthropy became institutionalized. Large corporations, such as Ford, AT&T, Phillip Morris and Chase Manhattan Bank established foundations and corporate giving programs that were an integral part of their business. They were motivated by a sense of social responsibility, similar to the business magnates that came before them. The giving programs were often focused on the communities where they did business, and they often made grants with little consideration of publicity or benefit to the business.

In the 1980s, corporate philanthropy underwent a seismic shift with the rise of strategic philanthropy, which ties corporate giving to the strategic marketing and business goals of a company. It’s the genesis of the popular phrase “doing well by doing good,” which suggests that businesses can benefit their bottom line by giving back to the community in public ways. Corporate philanthropy, done “right” could boost brand recognition, generate goodwill and assure customer loyalty. Many companies aligned themselves with well-known public charities, such as the United Way, and created giving programs for employees within their companies. 

Strategic Philanthropy

Strategic philanthropy also took on another meaning with the rise of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Rather than thinking solely of how a corporate giving strategy could benefit the company, corporate boards began thinking strategically about how to tackle big societal problems, like climate change, poverty and social inequalities. While the goals are commendable, the approach had significant shortcomings. As Katherine Fulton notes in an article on the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s website, making strategy is not the same as making change. 

One of the major shortcomings of the typical top-down giving program lies in the question: Who decides what we fund and based on what knowledge? Fulton suggests that the people making those decisions are often those furthest removed from the problem, and thus, least aware of what’s actually needed to effect change in a community. It also often means that a company is funding charities that are not aligned with the charities and causes that are important to its employees.

A second shortcoming — often directly related to the first — is friction. While Fulton focuses on the meticulous record-keeping and inflexibility that grantmakers often require, the same need for documentation and paperwork can also hamper much simpler corporate giving programs, such as programs that match employee donations. Not surprisingly, the harder you make it for employees to access a donation matching program, the fewer employees will take advantage of it.

Modernizing Corporate Philanthropy

Technology has brought some significant changes to the workplace, to society and to philanthropy. Social media, for example, makes it much easier to publicize initiatives, crowdsource solutions and connect with consumers and other stakeholders.  

On the employee side, modern HR technology takes much of the record-keeping burden off the HR department while providing employees with more transparency in managing their own benefits. This extends to businesses who want a better way to provide an employee corporate giving benefit. A modern workplace giving portal makes it easier for employees to engage in charitable giving by removing friction while providing the company with the ability to track trends in corporate giving and evaluate the effectiveness of their corporate philanthropy. By empowering employees to make donations when they want and to whom they want while providing them with particular tax benefits, a corporation can increase employee engagement and retention, improve company morale and attract top talent.

8 Ways To Take Your Corporate Philanthropy to the Next Level

Deciding to engage in charitable giving as a business is always the right move. Whether you’re trying to upgrade an existing program or start fresh with a new community giving policy, these tips go beyond common “best practices” to help you create an effective, engaging program that’s truly next level.

1. Make It Personal

Include all of your employees in the decision-making process when choosing charities to support. Better yet, let each of them decide which charities and causes are most important to them. Employees will be more engaged in your philanthropic efforts when they’re giving to causes that mean a lot to them personally.

2. Support Volunteerism

Giving money is only one way to give back to the community. Volunteering with community organizations offers far-reaching benefits for your employees and your company. Companies that have volunteer days build deeper connections with the community and foster a team spirit among employees. You can support volunteerism in different ways:

  • Give paid time off for volunteering in the community.
  • Donate a specific dollar amount to a donation matching fund for each volunteer hour worked.
  • Have team-building volunteer opportunities, like building a playground or painting classrooms in a school. 

3. Make It Easier for Employees To Give

If you already use a donation matching program, upgrade it to make it easier for your employees to access it. If you don’t, consider starting one. According to Double the Donation, 84% of employees say they’re more likely to give to charity if their company offers a donation matching program.  

4. Give Them More Reason To Give

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) offer key tax benefits for donors but have traditionally been reserved for those who have tax accountants. The Groundswell platform allows you to extend those tax benefits to your employees, giving them even more incentive to participate.

5. Shine a Light on Giving

The best programs will fail if no one knows about them. Make updates on corporate giving goals and strategies part of your regular internal communications. Highlight volunteers who give back. Be transparent about corporate giving goals and report back to employees on your progress to them. Create a giving corner in your employee newsletter and highlight all the ways that employees can engage in giving back. 

6. Put Your Employees in Charge

In addition to making it easier for your employees to make individual donations to the causes they support, get them on the team for decisions about company-wide efforts. No one knows the community better than they do. Not only will you be giving them a bigger role in your company, you’ll also know that your business is doing work that’s truly needed in the community.

7. Celebrate Your Team Publicly

Use those social media accounts to highlight team members who are giving back to the community. Share photos of volunteer days or host fundraising appeals. The publicity will burnish your business reputation in the community and the public recognition will make your employees feel valued and appreciated.

8. Take Advantage of Analytics

A key benefit of the Groundswell app is the ability to set funding goals and track progress toward them. Track key metrics to analyze and adjust your corporate giving strategy, and communicate your progress to help employees recognize their role in the bigger corporate picture.

Elevate Your Corporate Philanthropy

Corporate philanthropy is an essential part of any business strategy today. By investing in modern technology and innovative giving strategies, you can increase employee engagement, improve community relations and improve your bottom line. For more information on how Groundswell can work with you to create a customized corporate philanthropy program, get in touch with us today.

What Is Corporate Philanthropy and Why Should You Care?

If the words “corporate philanthropy” call up images of pink ribbon campaigns, big donations to very visible causes, and big brands improving their image through charitable donations, hang tight. 

There’s a lot more to the picture than big-dollar donations to well-known charities and causes. In today’s business world, businesses of all sizes and in all sectors are committed to giving back to their communities through some form of charitable giving — and “charitable giving” takes on many forms. 

In fact, as of 2021, 85% of U.S. companies have a formal corporate giving program in place, and they donated a combined $20.77 billion to charitable causes. 

But what is corporate philanthropy, exactly, and what are the best ways for your company to give back to the community? The answers to those questions are evolving as a society — and employees — become more knowledgeable, engaged and interested in how the companies they deal with affect the world around them.

What Is Corporate Philanthropy? 

Corporate philanthropy refers to activities and investments voluntarily made by businesses to make a positive impact on the community around them. 

That’s a very broad umbrella. It covers everything from giving money to donating expertise and encouraging employees to volunteer for community organizations. If your company hosts a food drive for Thanksgiving, buys uniforms for a local soccer team, or offers a matching donations program for charitable giving, it is engaging in corporate philanthropy. 

Learn more about corporate giving and why it’s important in our resource section.

Who Benefits From Corporate Philanthropy?

The benefits of giving back are many, and not just for the organizations on the receiving end of donations. The business also reaps benefits, as do the employees and the general community. 

In a world where consumers increasingly expect companies to be socially responsible partners in our world, having a formal corporate giving program in place is a vital part of doing business. Charitable donations aren’t just a sunk cost of doing business, though. There are clear benefits for the company when they make the choice to give back. Those include:

7 Types of Corporate Philanthropy

The face of corporate philanthropy has been evolving rapidly, especially in light of the last few years of upheaval and technological advances. These are the seven most common forms of corporate giving. Many companies engage in more than one, and many more are rethinking their strategic corporate philanthropy plans as corporate social responsibility takes on more importance to customers and employees. More on that later. 

Employee and Board Stipends

Some corporations provide cash stipends to employees or board members, which they can donate to the charities or causes of their choice.  

Volunteer Support

Companies may organize, support or give paid time off to employees who volunteer for organizations in their community. The support may be technical — an accounting firm may provide training and expertise to a startup nonprofit, for example — or more general, such as gathering a team to help paint houses or build playgrounds in the neighborhood. 

Corporate Sponsorships

The Little League team, a fundraising event by the local food bank, a fashion show put on by a local charity — these are all examples of businesses using corporate sponsorships as part of their overall corporate philanthropy strategy. The corporation makes a donation to charity in return for being prominently mentioned during the event. 

Community Grants

A company may offer grants to community organizations that apply for them and meet specific criteria to qualify. Walmart, for example, offers grants ranging from $250 to $5,000 to local community organizations. Often, the grants are given through a foundation established by the company for the purpose of making corporate donations.

In-Kind Donations

In-kind donations are donations of goods or services instead of cash. This type of donation is more common among smaller businesses, such as restaurants donating pizza to a local homeless shelter, or providing coffee and donuts free of charge to a weekly parents’ group meeting. Similarly, many companies donate a “portion of x sold” gifts to charity. Stop and Shop, for example, donates a dollar to a local organization for each reusable shopping bag purchased by customers.

Donor-Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds — DAFs — are a variation on making grants to charities and causes through a foundation. In a nutshell, a DAF is like a personal charitable giving account, similar to a health savings account. The donor can make donations at any time and receive an immediate tax advantage. The funds sit in the DAF until the donor decides to disburse them to the charity or cause of their choice. DAFs offer several benefits that make them the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle in the U.S.

Matching Donations

We saved this one for last because matching donation programs are among the most common corporate giving programs — 9 out of 10 companies have employee matching programs

Traditionally, an employee makes a donation to a charity or cause, and then either they or the nonprofit submits a form to the company, which then makes a second donation to the charity, effectively doubling — or sometimes tripling — the original amount. 

Despite their popularity, matching gift programs account for only about 12% of cash donations received by nonprofits, and an estimated $4 to $7 billion in matching gift money is never distributed. That’s because the entire process can be cumbersome, both for your HR department and for the nonprofit receiving the donation. 

A New Kind of Corporate Philanthropy — Philanthropy as a Service

Groundswell believes that it’s time to rethink how matching donations programs work. Groundswell makes it easy for companies to launch a charitable giving program that takes advantage of all the benefits of a DAF for them and their employees. The Groundswell platform unlocks the potential of DAFs reimagining corporate philanthropy using the x-as-a-service model. 

Philanthropy as a service — PHaaS — lets you skip the complicated process of setting up a foundation, hiring accountants and handling all the day-to-day nuts and bolts of managing a charity. 

Instead, you get a simple, transparent platform that allows your company and your employees to support the causes they believe in without all the friction that accompanies traditional matching donation programs. 

Your company reaps the benefits of having a defined charitable giving program. Your employees are more engaged, with their privacy protected and their autonomy honored, and the causes they support get their donations without the hassle of chasing down the matching funds. 

It’s a win-win-win solution that empowers everyone in the equation.

Final Thoughts

Corporate philanthropy has evolved over the years, and it’s evolving faster than ever thanks to technological advances and changing social attitudes. If you’re ready to take the next step in corporate philanthropy, reach out to us to learn more about what PHaaS can bring to your company.

How To Choose a Charity That Aligns With Your Corporate Goals

There’s little question that your company should donate to charity — surveys show that two-thirds to three-quarters of customers and employees prefer to do business with companies that give back to the community. Once you’ve decided to start a corporate giving program and figured out how much your business can afford to give to charity, the biggest remaining question is what charity (or charities) you should donate to. 

What Charities Should I Donate to as a Corporation?

While there are many different ways to choose causes your business can support — and you’re welcome to contribute to any that resonate with you — there are some basic guidelines that can help you choose charities that will resonate with your employees and your customers. The tips below can help you find the right causes and charities to associate with your brand and values. 

1. Look for charities that align with your company’s values

Choose a charity that aligns with your company’s mission and values. The more closely the charity relates to the work your business does, the more likely the connection is to make an impact on your employees and customers. The connection can be very broad — a restaurant may donate a portion of its profits to a local food bank, for example — or much more specific, as in a seafood restaurant supporting a sustainable fisheries initiative. 

2. Choose a charity with a personal connection

Choose a charity that has a personal connection for you and make it part of your story. Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, for example, was adopted when he was six weeks old. While Wendy’s donates to many charitable causes, their best known is The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which supports foster care adoption because Thomas believes that “every child deserves a forever home.” 

3. Look to your community

Look into charities that are close to home. Donations can be especially impactful to small, local charities that don’t have the same fundraising base as better-known national charities. While national charities can do very big things with the millions of dollars they raise each year, your donation won’t make or break them. It could, however, make a very big difference in the operating budget of a local charity serving a similar purpose in your hometown.

4. Ask your employees

Your employees are experts on their community and its needs. When you give them a voice in choosing the charity or charities your business will support, you are honoring and valuing them as complete, authentic people. By recognizing the causes that are important to them, you are giving them one more reason to love their job.

5. Listen to your customers

You can ask your customers which charities they support directly, either in person or via social media, or you can draw on your knowledge of them to help you choose charities that will resonate with them. REI, the outdoor sports gear brand, for example, focuses on causes that protect and promote access to the outdoors.

6. Let your employees choose their own

Groundswell takes employee choice to the next level. By providing each employee with a personal giving account, you can fully support the causes that are most important to them.

Guidelines for Responsible Corporate Giving

Once you’ve narrowed down a list of charities to consider, you should do some research to ensure that your donations actually go to the cause you want to support. These tips can help you vet charities and organizations before you make a final commitment.

1. Check their website

An organization’s website can tell you a great deal about the organization and its work. Look for clear details about the charity’s programs and how they use their donations. The more transparency they offer, the easier your decision will be. At a minimum, it should include the organization’s address and phone number, as well as stating its nonprofit status.

2. Look the charity up online

There are a number of organizations dedicated to helping people choose charities to support. Their websites will include a rating, as well as specifics such as how much of your donation goes to programming and whether or not they are registered charities. They include:

Some things to look for when checking out a charity checklist include:

  • Administrative/overhead costs: As a general guideline, look for charities that spend less than 25% of donations on administrative, marketing and other overhead costs.
  • Financials: Check the organization’s form 990 or other financial reporting for information on their financial health.
  • Complaints or actions against them: Look for any regulatory irregularities or complaints that have been made against the charity and what actions, if any, they’ve taken to resolve them.
  • Impact: Givewell lists far fewer charities than the others, but it focuses on charities that have a high rate of impactful work. You can also check the organization’s own website and annual report to learn more about the results they’ve seen in their work.

3. Make a site visit

If you’re choosing to support a local charity, schedule an in-person visit to evaluate their work. It will give you an opportunity to meet the organization’s leadership team, and see the way it operates on the ground. This can be especially important if you also choose to support the organization with volunteer hours or in-kind donations.

4. Ask around about reputation

In addition to basic research, take some time to ask trusted friends and acquaintances about their experience and opinions of the charities you’re considering. Again, this can be especially helpful if your possibilities include local organizations. Your personal contacts may have information about the charity’s leadership, board of directors or history that you won’t find elsewhere. 

The Bottom Line

The charities you support with your business tell your customers and employees a great deal about how well you put your values into practice. If you do your due diligence, follow your instincts and choose carefully, you’ll have the pleasure of knowing that your donations are benefiting your business, empowering your employees and making an impact on the world. How much more can you ask for? Start your corporate giving program with Groundswell.

Taylor Amerman: Empowering Employee Giving

At Groundswell, we are privileged to connect with industry professionals that share our vision of rethinking and reigniting corporate giving. We love to sit down with smart folks, and learn about their perspectives on key CSR topics. Taylor Amerman is the Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at CDW, a Fortune 200 company that is a leading multi-brand provider of information technology solutions to business, government, education, and healthcare. Taylor believes that empowering employee giving can positively affect CSR practices. She is a proponent for CSR, sustainability, transparency and efficiency.

Hello Taylor, It’s great to have you here. To begin, could you please tell me a little bit about your background and your journey into the world of CSR in general?

My journey with CSR started when I was young.

I was very involved in the community, and had some transformational experiences through volunteerism.

In middle school and high school I had the ability to travel abroad, and that really inspired me for my career. However,I was in undergrad during the financial crisis and really needed a strong degree, so I ended up getting my undergrad and accounting with a minor in Community Leadership and Development. I went through tons of career paths, and during this time I started to learn about a field called CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility.

I studied abroad at Queen’s University in Belfast. During that time, I saw that there were master’s degree programs in CSR. I graduated and went straight into my first master’s at the University of Nottingham in England.After I graduated, I ended up moving back to the US. I had interned twice at Brown-Forman, a spirits and wine company, during undergrad and landed a job in CSR there after graduation. I led Alcohol Responsibility for many years but was ready for something new and went back to school while working. I received my Global Executive MBA from Duke University and graduated in December of 2020. I then took a new role as the Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility for CDWin May of 2021.I lead all of our global social impact work here at CDW.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has compelled everyone to adopt a new way of life. For better or worse, we’ve all changed the way we think about ourselves and our interactions with others. What kinds of things do you see as important for companies to support this new normal?

I think that mental health is at the top of the list. Not seeing people in person provides the opportunity to cover and hide a lot of behaviors that might be more obvious if you’re in an office setting and seeing someone all day. Companies need to truly discuss supporting mental health and put the well being of people first. There’s also a unique position that  looks different when you’re a leader or you have a team and leading numerous people.

Each person needs something unique and different. We should really be focused on what’s important and try not to cut any corners.

We need to start investing in our people. There is also the cost of living while working at home. Companies did a pretty good job early by providing Wi-Fi subsidies and office equipment. However, really ensuring that people have all the tech that they need is really important.

Another point to consider is the empowerment of every situation. Trusting your employees to complete their tasks when they are due and focusing on the job’s objectives rather than the hours worked.

Don’t think about the hours. Instead, concentrate on responsibility and accomplishment rather than the amount of time they spend at their desk.

During this time, everyone is struggling with culture and relationships. I believe that simply being proactive about listening to your people and listening to their needs is extremely important.

In reference to what you just discussed, how connected is what you do in your work, and are there specific programs that you have developed to help support employees?

Right now, we’re still building, building, building. I’m all about collective impact. I love hearing things from different departments. This way I can offer insights like, “I heard you’re about to launch this massive sponsorship. That’s great. How have you thought about social impact as part of that sponsorship?”By asking these questions I can potentially provide an add-on to make something bigger.

We are also looking to help individual employees make connections in their local community by engaging in one-on-one dialogues. I usually ask questions like, “What is your community? What are you passionate about? What are you wanting to get out of this? How are you wanting to learn and grow?”Knowing this information, I can work with HR on opportunities for coworkers, whether that’s to volunteer, or access to one of our museum partners, or the zoo. Leveraging our corporate community partnerships, we can  provide connections to our employees. 

We’ve got a long way to go. Alignment to digital equity is our new focus. We want to know how we can support employees, help them communicate,tell more stories, and be more transparent.

We want our employees to be proud members of our company. And our work with CSR can definitely help make employees feel good about being a part of the organization.

Is there a link between a company’s social impact or CSR strategy and what we’re seeing with The Great Resignation? And, if so, what are some of the broader business implications?

With the great resignation as a whole, I think a huge part of that comes down to management. Leaders and managers should care about the person before the job. I firmly believe that there’s usually a reason if an employee’s performance is poor, and you need to figure out what’s going on. Remember, people bring their whole self to work along with the stress and struggles of life. Simply finding a new job is not always the solution to happiness. Good people management is incredibly important. Managers need to care about their people.

Remember, people usually leave managers and bosses, not jobs.

When it comes to CSR, having 100% authenticity matters. People are tired of hearing one thing and seeing something else. For example if a company claims that they care, but you see contrary behaviors despite what the company says they stand for, it becomes less convincing.

People are done seeing the pretty words, the PDFs, and the presentations, they want to know what is actually happening.

Remember, people are focused on action. They’re over the words, commitment, strategy, and goals. They want to know what is actually happening on a day-to-day basis.

Is there a positive outcome or opportunity to be had from this?

CSR has too many boxes around it. I’m in many peer groups, and I can’t believe how many rules there are about how you can go use your volunteer hours. That’s crazy, because if you care about volunteering, you should be able togo volunteer wherever you want to volunteer. We need to remove those barriers, policies and guidelines and just enable the freedom to do it in order to make a difference in the world. We should go and connect, because the psychology of helping someone else is huge. 

As it relates to Groundswell, what I really like is the empowerment around giving. I ask myself, “Are we overly processed in philanthropy and getting the money out?” That’s what we need to think about  right now. Let’s just empower everyone to make philanthropy accessible. The process and system should not be complicated. We need to ask ourselves, “How can we simplify things for employees and our community partners?” 

Nobody wants the application to take two hours or even 30 minutes. We need to create more equitable access and processes to funding.

How important is it for a company’s CSR strategy, or social impact strategy, for CSR professionals to have that deep knowledge on employee sentiment around social causes? How does the entire process work for you?

There are pros and cons, but I think it’s helpful to have employee input. However there’s also times where CSR and Social Impact professionals are the expert, and that’s okay. 

A challenging thing at a company like ours, is that we have a ton of people who care, it is a very caring company. But we also recognize that our employees are individuals with varying desires and sometimes they don’t align with our brand. We need to have a strategy and focus.

This is why I like what Groundswell’s doing – giving employees at companies the opportunity to choose where they want to give. They make the process very easy and give donors empowerment. 

Sure, I’m losing control of the company match, and I’m also losing control of what employees give to – but I think that is better. Groundswell opens up more opportunities.

What, in your perspective, are some of the most critical issues that professionals in your industry should be working on in 2022? What are the specific trends, or what should be the primary focus for the coming year?

One thing I’m proud of is not only do we have company values, but we created values for philanthropy, and those have been a game changer. We’ve had to make the judgment call  a few times on whether or not a potential nonprofit partner is aligned with our values, and that is okay. The reason I’m saying that is because transparency, internally and externally, is important. I have nonprofit partners thanking me all the time just for being honest if we aren’t aligned.

As Brene Brown says, “Clear is kind”, remember don’t waste anyone’s time, just be clear and direct. 

A lot of CSR professionals are incredibly intelligent, talented, well educated people, and yet, we don’t know how to solve all the world’s issues, we just don’t. We tend to push nonprofits to “perform” and align to a brand’s KPI’s, but I don’t agree with that approach. We trust that our nonprofit partners are the experts in solving what they’ve set out to do. So we come up with shared goals and  then give them full autonomy in where they spend the dollars we provide and trust that it will go to support impactful work.

Addressing the Great Resignation through Smarter CSR

“I think the idea to simplify corporate giving to put it in employee’s hands – and potentially make it a benefits offering for a company – is extremely compelling.”

– Thomas Gaissmaier, Global Chief Human Resource Officer (Formerly Match Group, 21st Century Fox, Boston Consulting Group)

You’ve seen the news: The so-called Great Resignation is upon us. A whopping 4.3 million U.S. workers quit their jobs in August, with that number rising to 20 million if extended back to April.

Why? The reasons are complex. (It’s been a strange year or two.) But one big reason is that the modern employee will no longer settle for profit without purpose. They want their work life to integrate with their values, and they want their employer to help them express their values.

This is doubly true amongst Gen Z, for whom a professional life imbued with meaning and impact is more important than ever.

Unnerved by this nationwide mass resignation, how should leaders react? By reinventing corporate social responsibility programs to meet this new reality. By decentralizing CSR, and driving it through employees, companies can create a new type of benefit – a benefit with impact.

How Can Companies Adapt to the Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation is sending employers a message: The modern employee isn’t willing to settle. They aren’t willing to clock in and clock out like an automaton. After the pandemic – when all of us were reminded of things in life that really matter – this is truer than ever.

As a BBC report puts it,

“The intensity has increased in terms of expectation; people are expecting more from companies. The early days of the pandemic reminded us that people are not machines. If you’re worried about your kids, about your health, financial insecurity and covering your bills, and all the things that come with being human, you’re less likely to be productive. And we were all worried about those things.”

These worries have morphed into new expectations, and are a big reason why employees leave their jobs in 2021.

And the youngest generations of talent are the most discerning. 63% of millennials – essentially workers under 35 – said the primary purpose of businesses should be “improving society” instead of “generating profit”. This demonstrates that millennials place a higher importance on making a difference in the world than simply earning a wage.

And Gen Z are even more committed to their causes. On social media, they share content related to environmental, human rights, political or social issues even more than Millenials.

Steps to a Smarter Form of CSR

How can leaders adapt to the needs of the modern employee to ride out the Great Resignation? By getting smarter with their CSR.

Historically, philanthropy has been slow to innovate. Many companies, brands, and vendors have popped up with new ideas and tools – but these have often worked within the status quo. They don’t really offer the satisfaction that employees need to consider their workplace a socially responsible company.

Real CSR innovation means decentralizing the program, and empowering employees. Leaders need to recognize that everyone’s circumstances are unique and diverse – as are the challenges they attempt to resolve.

The key here is the individual. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all CSR solution. It’s time for employers to recognize the need to give employees a say in where corporate impact happens.

Here are some ideas on how to bring your talented and passionate employees into the CSR conversation.

Align Your Company Values with Benefits

Brand consistency is important, and it doesn’t need to stop at your employee benefits. Thomas Gaissmaier, former Chief People Officer at Match Group, tells us how to take a human-centric approach that aligns with your brand.

“What I’m passionate about is benefits that really help employees with their life situation. One of the things we did at Match Group was real fertility support. When the company is about dating, the company is about relationships, and ultimately about long-term relationships. From a benefits perspective, thinking through relationships and then family. It was these things where we believed they can have a real impact on life and have brand consistency. If the business is about relationships, we invest in relationships.”

Encourage Employee Volunteerism

One of the reasons we are living through the Great Resignation is because people lack the time to do things that matter. They are quitting their jobs so they can spend their time on activities that have purpose.

Leaders can give employees what they want – but retain talent – by giving them dedicated time off for volunteerism. Volunteering is a great way to take a meaningful break and has proven mental health benefits, including reducing feelings of stress and overwhelm and increasing the sensation of fulfillment.

Giving employees 16 hours of PTO to volunteer where they want, or work on a topic they care about, is generally more effective than trying to get 100 employees to all show up for a one-off event. A group exercise can feel like busy work and may not promote a cause that each individual is personally interested in. But allowing people to select where they want to make a difference, and targeting their efforts there, strengthens diversity.

Show Employees That You Value Things Beyond Profit

Amidst the turbulence of the Great Resignation, companies need to differentiate themselves from apathetic competitors, and signal their values.

Today, people want to work for (and buy from) businesses that have an active involvement in their community and in good causes. To retain talent, leaders should strive to integrate with their local community, and find causes to back.

This could be on social media, it could be through live events or webinars, it could be through partnerships or sponsorships. Whatever you choose, these genuine actions will demonstrate to employees that they are a part of something more than a money-making machine. This type of morale boost will leave employees feeling fulfilled and inspired – and far less likely to quit.

Let Employees Drive Your CSR

Here is the most powerful way to evolve your CSR and maximize your chances of retaining your best talent: Put your employees in the driver’s seat of corporate philanthropy.

Solutions like Groundswell revolutionize how companies approach employee compensation and corporate philanthropy by empowering employees with their own personal donor-advised funds (just like what the 401k did for retirees).

Groundswell’s CSR technology gives employees their own personal foundation, and a payroll integration will let them automatically divert their charitable giving into their account — with the option for the company to match those funds or gift money directly into it, eliminating the antiquated post-donation matching programs that companies operate today.

Fighting the Great Resignation by Making Giving to Charity an Employee Benefit

For leaders, the Great Resignation is an understandable worry. Losing good staff is a bruising experience for any company, and it can be tricky to know how to offset this risk.

What we need to do is work with the reality of why so many people are quitting: because they want more than a paycheque, because they want their workplace to be an empowering place that helps them make a difference.

With Millennials and Gen Z-ers accounting for an ever-larger majority of the workforce, leaders urgently need to innovate on their CSR. As we move into the coming years, providing purpose alongside profit will be crucial to the companies who want to hold on to their best talent. Today, for young employees, social responsibility is more important than a large salary or a corner office.

At Groundswell, we’ve built the tech to help companies unlock a smarter CSR. We help companies support employees in having the social impact they desire – driving satisfaction, retention, and growth.

Contact Groundswell today helps employees give more.