From my experience helping organizations build social impact programs that center around employee needs, it’s clear that corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives support company-wide goals, such as increased employee satisfaction and retention. In fact, 31% of companies are increasing investment in CSR initiatives to gain an edge in today’s competitive talent market. Additionally, 44% of companies are investing more in employee volunteerism, recognizing that purpose-driven work is a key driver of talent retention.

CSR investments offer the dual benefit of boosting employee engagement and the company bottom line—but how can HR develop and position their CSR programs to maximize these positive outcomes?

How Cisco proved the business case for CSR programs

Benevity works with Cisco on its giving and volunteering programs, specifically the technology the company is using to engage teams in community impact and to measure that impact on the business. As a purpose-driven business, Cisco has set ambitious goals over the years, namely to increase the number of employees who give back to their communities.

Based on a recent longitudinal study, Cisco found that employees who make at least one community impact action per year (e.g., donating, volunteering, etc.) are 22% more likely to receive peer recognition (e.g., awards). What’s more, these employees are 13% more likely to get promoted and 12% less likely to leave the company.

The results are even more compelling when we look at the impact on company leaders. Cisco leaders who gave back led teams that were also more likely to give back. These leaders saw 20% lower attrition rates among their team members, compared to non-engaged leaders.

What’s driving these positive outcomes?

Cisco has made giving back a core practice—not a one-off endeavor or afterthought—by expanding its CSR portfolio and standardizing employee engagement in social initiatives as part of its organizational transformation.

This approach drives positive social outcomes while tying them to measurable ROI. It works because the biggest outcome of giving back is the cultivation of empathy—a trait that not only strengthens leaders but also fosters stronger, more collaborative teams.

3 hallmarks of a well-crafted CSR program

Ranking No. 1 on People’s list of Companies that Care, as Cisco did in 2023, doesn’t happen overnight. CSR programming requires the right blend of strategy, dedication and budget—just like any other workplace transformation effort.

There are a few best practices that can accelerate the positive social and business impact of your CSR investments:

1. Build inclusivity from the start

Don’t underestimate the many ways in which employees want to give back—instead, empower them.

Expand your definition of “giving back” to honor how employees want CSR work to fit into their professional lives, making it easier for them to take action. A mix of diverse engagement opportunities that play to the unique strengths and interests of today’s workforce is needed so all employees feel seen and valued. This could include environmental actions such as biking or walking to work, using recyclable grocery bags in the office or growing a plant at home.

Consider offering opportunities that allow employees to invite friends and family to join in. Doing so can drive participation and build an even larger community of giving and, in turn, more widespread affinity toward your company. Cisco found that when teams at the company collectively engaged in social impact work, those teams saw higher rates of promotion and peer recognition.

2. Remind and reward

Once the right opportunities are in place, turning giving back into a habit takes reminders. Don’t underestimate the power of rewards either: According to Benevity data, when organizations offer rewards for getting involved, the average number of volunteer hours tracked per employee is 50% higher.

There are a number of effective strategies you can consider to remind and reward employees. For instance, offer new hires donation dollars they can direct to the nonprofit of their choice. This shows that your company is truly invested in empowering employees from day one and starts to build a habit of giving. Or, you can keep commitments to social impact front and center by encouraging employees to make a pledge, and then nudge them weekly or monthly on this communal commitment.

You may even consider offering employees formal PTO days to volunteer so that their involvement in their communities is rewarded by you, and reinforced as a valuable aspect of their professional lives.

3. Lean on tech and data

Layering digital solutions into CSR programs personalizes engagement and facilitates participation, which makes it easier to scale initiatives across a diverse employee base—one that spans different regions, preferences and cultural nuances in giving.

Digital platforms enable employees to track their contributions, connect with others and even gamify their participation. This approach empowers individuals to engage in ways that are meaningful to them while fostering a sense of community and recognition for their efforts. Plus, using the platform to highlight participation from organizational leaders and other key influencers inspires more employees to get involved while reinforcing a culture of giving.

At the same time, technology unlocks aggregate CSR data that allows leaders to evaluate and refine campaigns, scaling their effectiveness over time. For example, tracking engagement trends might reveal that frequent, casual reminders in team chats drive higher participation than quarterly updates or email announcements. Likewise, participation data makes it possible for companies to track both the social and business impact of their efforts to ensure CSR initiatives remain dynamic, adaptable and impactful across a wide range of employees and goals.

Support all employees on their CSR journeys

Every business can make a positive social impact—and it starts with a strategy that is embedded in your culture and ways of working. Choose CSR programs that are inclusive, digitally powered and employee-driven. Today’s workforce requires a broad approach to giving back so all employees feel shared ownership in doing good, inspiring a long-term commitment to the work at hand.

It all starts with how you position your CSR opportunities. With purpose as core to your culture, you can create a foundation for meaningful and sustained impact that lifts up your communities, your employees and your organization.

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