Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs help businesses attract and retain top talent while enhancing their brand image. Team building helps improve employee collaboration, communication, and productivity. Combining CSR with team building is incredibly powerful for increasing employee loyalty while benefiting the local community.
While most enterprises recognize the value of CSR and have some types of employee giving and volunteering programs in place, recent research studies provide greater detail about how valuable these activities are; how they benefit both companies and their workers; and what businesses must do to really be successful with their CSR efforts.
Here are 15 key statistics from a trio of research studies that show the value of embracing CSR, plus three more benefits for organizations and their people.
This post is part one of a three-part series. The next two posts will detail how companies can optimize the results from their CSR programs and what factors to consider when choosing a CSR team building provider.
The Value of CSR for Employees
- More than 70% of employees say it’s imperative or very important to work in a company culture that is supportive of giving and volunteering. Outside of pay and opportunity, employees say they highly value working in companies that are making a difference through their giving and volunteering programs. (1)
- 57% of those surveyed say having opportunities to engage with senior leaders is imperative or very important in motivating them to give or volunteer in the workplace. (1)
- 41% of employees say opportunities to work with colleagues are imperative or very important in motivating them to give or volunteer in the workplace. The opportunity to work with colleagues is one of the top motivations for workplace donors. (1)
- 82% of the survey respondents say employees want opportunities to volunteer with peers in corporate-supported events. (2)
- 53% of workers say that “a job where I can make an impact” is important to their happiness. (3)
The Value of CSR for Employers
- 86% of companies say their employees expect them to provide opportunities to engage in the community. (1)
- 88% of company leaders believe effective employee engagement programs help attract and retain employees. (2)
- 51% of business leaders believe peer-to-peer engagement is essential in their CSR programs. (2)
- 92% of respondents noted their customers expect them to be good corporate citizens. (2)
- 90% say that partnering with reputable nonprofit organizations enhances their brand. (Note: Best Corporate Events has established relationships with deserving nonprofits nationwide and helps companies make those connections.) (2)
- 89% believe partnering leverages their ability to improve the community. (2)
- Results of a Project ROI study showed that organizations that invest in a well-designed corporate responsibility program see employee engagement increase by up to 7.5%, employee productivity increase by 13%, and employee turnover decrease by 50%. (3)
The Value of CSR for Nonprofits
- When measuring the success of their employee engagement programs, 25% of corporate and nonprofit respondents measure success by their media presence – metrics related to visibility in traditional media and social media mentions (retweets, posts, followers, sharers). (BEST can help generate media exposure.) (2)
- 80% of nonprofits in a Snapshot Nonprofit Research study said they have difficulty building strong corporate partnerships and workplace giving strategies with limited staff and resources. (As noted above, BEST can help facilitate these connections.) (2)
- With contributions from individuals down due to concerns about inflation and the economic outlook, nonprofits are more dependent on help from corporate and large donors.
Three More Benefits of CSR for Companies and Employees
As the statistics cited above make clear, CSR activities improve employee satisfaction, enhance brand image, and positively impact the community. In addition to those benefits, CSR programs:
Help employees make the best use of their time: As research from America’s Charities notes, when employees look at all of their life responsibilities, it’s often hard to fit charitable activities into their “free time.” Yet giving back is a priority for most people. Providing opportunities to participate in CSR activities during work hours improves their personal/professional experience. (1)
Increase engagement in remote and hybrid work environments: With large numbers of employees now working from home at least part time, there is less opportunity for face-to-face connection in the workplace. That can make employees feel isolated. In-person CSR programs bring those workers together for shared experiences that are both personally and professionally rewarding, building relationships and a sense of belonging. (1)
Improve employee loyalty and retention: According to a Project ROI study from America’s Charities, CSR “generates favorable employee-related outcomes, such as job satisfaction and reduction in turnover, partially by fulfilling employees’ essential ideological and developmental job needs including the need to make a positive impact and the need to continually develop their own professional skills.” (3)
BEST CSR Programs to Realize These Benefits
Enterprises typically provide several different ways for employees to give back to their communities. One of the most effective and enjoyable ways is through charitable CSR team building activities. Best Corporate Events offers more than 20 different programs to benefit everyone from kids to seniors. Among our newest and most popular programs are:
- Bike Build Donation®
This BEST trademarked program combines fast-paced fun with giving back to the community, and is ideal for groups of 30 people up to thousands. Our proprietary app and iPads combine audio/video clues with fun challenges and activities. - Autism Awareness Sensory Donation
In this new addition to our CSR lineup, groups not only assemble sensory sup kits for autism spectrum therapy programs, but also learn about the effects, behaviors, and challenges of autism disorders through engaging sensory activities. - Build-a-Guitar®
Teams engage in challenges to earn the parts needed to assemble electric guitars for donation to a local school or music organization. - Build-a-Band™
Inspired by our popular Build-a-Guitar® program, Build-a-Band™ brings the power of music to young people with the high-qualityguitars, bass guitars, and drum sets needed to equip a full band! - Earth Wind and Solar
This newly-released program combines the engaging experience of building and racing solar-powered vehicles with a donation that will spark children’s curiosity and exposure to STEAM.
Conclusion
Multiple research studies show how CSR initiatives provide value to all stakeholders involved. Employees appreciate the opportunity to give back while collaborating with peers. For businesses, CSR programs help to attract and retain employees while enhancing their brand image. Nonprofits benefit through cost-efficient fundraising and media exposure.
CSR programs can take many forms, but one of the most effective is CSR team building events. These programs provide food, toys, school supplies, and other vital items to deserving organizations while helping employees develop meaningful workplace relationships and improve their collaboration and problem-solving skills.
Best Corporate Events offers more than 20 CSR team building programs for groups of 30 to 1,000+ people, which help employees develop interpersonal skills while giving back to the community and creating memorable shared experiences.
Again, this post is part one of a three-part series on CSR research. The next two posts will cover how companies can optimize the benefits from their CSR activities, and how to choose the ideal CSR team building partner.
Citations
1) Snapshot Employee Research: What Employees Think about Workplace Giving, Volunteering, and CSR | America’s Charities: https://www.charities.org/Snapshot-Employee-Research-What-Employees-Think-Workplace-Giving-Volunteering-CSR
2) Snapshot Employer Research: The New Corporate DNA – Where Employee Engagement and Social Impact Converge | America’s Charities: https://www.charities.org/Snapshot-Employer-Research-Corporate-DNA-Employee-Engagement-Social-Impact
3) Project ROI: Defining the Competitive and Financial Advantages of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability | Babson Social Innovation Lab: https://www.charities.org/sites/default/files/Project%20ROI%20Report.pdf
