America’s Charities Releases Snapshot 2015: New Research on Corporate Employee Engagement and Workplace Giving Trends

Washington, D.C. – December 10, 2015 – America’s Charities, the leader in workplace giving and philanthropy, today released a new report on top corporate employee engagement and workplace giving trends. The research, titled Snapshot 2015: The New Corporate DNA—Where Employee Engagement and Social Impact Converge, details the leading issues facing employee engagement and workplace giving program managers across corporate America today. Unveiled during a 3BL Media-hosted webinar this morning, Snapshot 2015 is the latest in America’s Charities’ series of research on current trends, attitudes and perceptions in employee engagement and workplace giving.

“Snapshot 2015 takes the pulse of the nation’s workplace-centered philanthropy and gives leaders insight into trends that are shaping employee engagement programs from top to bottom,” said Steve Delfin, president and CEO of America’s Charities. “Companies are demanding more evidence that their charitable resources help fuel the strategic social responsibility objectives. The Snapshot series is a vital tool for employers who seek to be on the cutting-edge of these expectations that are quickly becoming the DNA of corporate giving.”

Snapshot 2015 dives into the top trends of employee engagement and workplace giving regarding:

1. Volunteerism
2. Employee recruitment and retention strategies
3. Leadership involvement
4. Influence of young professionals
5. Increasing expectations among small and mid-size companies
6. Corporate-nonprofit alignment of goals

Snapshot 2015 also examines the fast-moving evolution of employee engagement and workplace giving over the years, the critical role of technology platforms in engagement, workforce dynamics and changing expectations, the sharing economy in the social sharing age, and more. The report concludes with five recommendations for leaders who want to ensure that their programs are keeping pace with the trends identified in Snapshot 2015 as well as meeting employee expectations around engagement inside and outside the walls of the workplace.

“America’s Charities’ Snapshot 2015 provides the Corporate Social Responsibility field with fresh insights into employee engagement,” stated Matthew Nelson, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, New York Life. “Every page is worth reading and can positively impact how corporations implement their employee engagement and workplace giving programs.”

Why Full-Scale Corporate Philanthropy Solutions Matter

One prevailing theme of Snapshot 2015 was the importance of technology to time-crunched administrators, who consistently face hurdles when developing new and relevant methods to engage employees. Snapshot 2015 found that more than 80 percent of respondents use technology to allow employees to give money, 65 percent use it to record volunteer hours and 69 percent use technology to sign up for a volunteer event. About one-third (37 percent) use technology platforms to empower employees to promote their favorite causes. While there were significant differences between sizes of employers, it is clear that the technology solutions are becoming critical to employers of all sizes.

America’s Charities provides a wide range of philanthropy solutions to employers, employees, and nonprofits including strategy development, implementation, funds management, impact reporting, corporate-nonprofit partnership development and alignment, and much more. Now exclusively powered by Causecast’s holistic and easy-to-use technology, it helps leaders maximize community impact and mobilize their workforce through the seamless integration of employee giving, social media sharing, crowdfunding, team volunteering, in-kind giving and storytelling. For 35 years America’s Charities has worked with employers to increase engagement, achieve their philanthropic goals, and support charities looking to expand their reach and exposure among employers. 

Methodology

Research was conducted during the summer of 2015, surveying 120 unique companies representing more than 600,000 employees and 17 unique industry groups. Responding companies were geographically dispersed and equally distributed between large companies with more than 5,000 employees and small-to-mid-size companies with fewer than 5,000 employees. Providing insight, guidance and support for Snapshot 2015 was an Advisory Committee of senior leaders, including:

• Dave Armon, Chief Marketing Officer, 3BL Media
• Chris Jarvis, Co-Founder and Partner, Realized Worth
• James Lum, Chief Financial Officer, GuideStar
• Matthew Nelson, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, New York Life Insurance Company
• Perla Ni, Founder and CEO, GreatNonprofits
• Matthew Perdoni, Director of Business Development, Independent Sector
• Adam Shapiro, President and CEO, Adam Shapiro Public Relations
• Anthony Shop, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Social Driver
• George Sifakis, Founder and CEO, Axella LLC and Ideagen
• Emily Simone, Director, Global Community Outreach, Lockheed Martin
• Adam Weinger, President, Double the Donation
• Heather Lofkin Wright, Director, Corporate Responsibility, PwC US