When it comes to corporate philanthropy, corporate and employee donors expect more from charities these days. And in a digital era defined by greater transparency, charities face new challenges and opportunities with their corporate partners - all of this according to a new study on employee giving.
The Snapshot 2014 report from America’s Charities focuses on issues and trends at the intersection of corporate giving, employee engagement and nonprofit impact, based on a survey of over 240 charities across the country. The report reveals some eye-opening findings about the alignments and dissonance between employer and charity expectations.
For example, here is common ground on corporate giving, where charities and companies agree:
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There is a growing expectation held by companies and employees that they must demonstrate greater accountability, transparency, and impact with measurable results.
61% of survey respondents believe that their corporate partners and individual donors expect greater accountability around impact and measurable results.
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68% say that operating in a digital culture requires them to be more transparent with donors and stakeholders.
68% said operating in a digital culture requires them to be more transparent with donors and stakeholders.
The digital culture and networked world are transforming the way both companies and charitable organizations operate. Both are using digital means, including social media, to engage and communicate with key constituencies.
More than 90% of the nonprofit respondents said their use of technology has changed in the last three years, allowing them to deliver information quicker and feature more data and better communicate with donors.
90% are responding to these demands by expanding their communication strategies and placing more emphasis on storytelling focused on outcomes and results.
Engagement is the new standard, and workplace giving is changing to embrace the broader aspects of engagement and provide greater opportunities for employees to learn about, interact and engage with charities.
Companies indicate employees are asking for more opportunities to engage with charities through volunteer service, and charities report they are seeing a significant increase in volunteer requests, especially from younger professionals.
Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents believe that payroll contributions from corporate workplace giving campaigns add value to their organization. Payroll giving is an anchor to many employers’ employee engagement initiatives and results in higher contributions.
Charities highly value receiving a corporate match of employee contributions, a growing trend among corporations today.
On the other hand, here are some areas where charities and companies seem to be disconnected:
Half of all nonprofit respondents say they have a strong relationship with their corporate and institutional partners, yet nearly 90% of respondents face significant challenges in sustaining these relationships.
Nearly 50% of respondents have seen an increase in requests to engage with corporate employees. Many meet these requests but find it challenging to do so.
With greater information about charities from a wide range of sources, nonprofits are faced with significant donor and stakeholder expectations about the impact, sustainability and scalability of their programs and services. But the report concludes that charities now have new opportunities to differentiate themselves by leveraging these same information outlets, and the democratization of information about charities has also deepened the discussion about their effectiveness.
For me, the biggest takeaway from this report is the increasing significance of storytelling to engage corporate partners, employees and nonprofits around a shared mission. Charities are faced with greater challenges around sustaining corporate partners, and corporate partners face equally great challenges in engaging and sustaining employee interest around workplace giving. Working together to smartly capture and transmit compelling stories around the issues, opportunities, and successes of a charitable endeavor creates more inviting on-ramps for employee involvement and strengthens the relationships that charities have with companies.
I’m also struck by how this reports shines an even brighter spotlight on the need for strong volunteer and corporate giving management software platforms. Extras like automatic paycheck deductions and embedded social media functionality should not be considered extras anymore. This report points to the critical need for a highly social and automated giving experience that creates greater engagement around workplace giving, and with it, ongoing engagement with charity partners.
This is an exciting report that points the way toward the future of workplace giving. Are you ready for it?
