As the world celebrates Giving Tuesday today – the global day of charitable giving that brings together individuals, corporations and nonprofits – a new survey finds that participation in workplace volunteerism is on the rise.
According to the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals’ 2024 CSR Insights Survey, 77% of corporate respondents said they saw an increase in participation rates for employee volunteer activities this year, up 16 percentage points from a 61% rate in 2023.
This increase stands in sharp contrast to a recently released report by the Generosity Commission finding that millions of American households have dropped out of the ranks of nonprofit donors and volunteers. For example, while 65.4% of U.S. households reported donating to nonprofits in 2008, only 49.6% said they did so in 2018.
The increase in volunteerism in the corporate sector is, therefore, a bright star in the volunteerism landscape, ACCP said.
“Employee volunteerism continues to be an important way that companies align corporate and employee values,” said ACCP President and CEO Carolyn Berkowitz. “Employees are drawn to companies with robust giving and volunteerism programs and such opportunities result in greater employee engagement and satisfaction.”
Berkowitz pointed to a recent IBM study underscoring how employee volunteerism fosters societal good and delivers benefits for businesses. That study showed 70% of job seekers are more likely to apply for and accept positions with socially responsible companies.
The ACCP survey found that 88% of respondents said their company’s employee engagement budgets have either increased or stayed the same in 2024, compared to 71% in 2023. Additionally, 22% of respondents said employees have increased expectations to have a voice in corporate social responsibility (CSR) decisions, compared to 18% in 2023.
The ACCP’s survey data on workplace volunteerism was compiled from the association’s 5th Annual CSR Insights Survey, which included responses from 125 companies representing more than $1 billion in community investments.
