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Beyond Tax Deductions: Unleashing the Full Value of CSR Corporate Giving

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is entering a new era. Recent changes in U.S. tax law – notably the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) of 2025 – have altered the rules for corporate charitable deductions. But focusing only on tax benefits means overlooking a far larger opportunity. Mounting evidence shows that strategic corporate philanthropy delivers returns that far exceed any tax break. In fact, companies with well-designed giving programs have achieved ROI between 224% and 400% when combining business benefits and social impact In other words, for every dollar invested in strategic philanthropy, the total value created for business and society can be worth 3–4 dollars – far more than the 21–35% you might get back in tax savings.

What does this mean for CSR leaders? It means that now, more than ever, corporate giving should be viewed as a high-impact investment, not just an expense. Below, we explore how strategic philanthropy drives tangible business results, what the new “1% floor” tax rule changes (and doesn’t change), and how companies can adapt to continue maximizing the ROI of doing good.

The Hidden ROI of Strategic Corporate Giving

Think of corporate philanthropy as an investment that pays dividends in multiple “currencies.” When done strategically, charitable initiatives can boost employee engagement, customer loyalty, innovation, and more – benefits that compound into financial returns. Consider these data-backed insights:

  • Engaged Employees, Stronger Teams: When employees participate in corporate giving or volunteering programs, 87% report improved perception of their employer. This matters because higher engagement translates into lower turnover, higher productivity, and even greater innovation. Employees who feel proud of their company’s social impact are more committed and tend to stay longer, saving recruitment costs and building a more loyal, capable workforceccc.bc.edu. Purpose-driven companies have seen turnover drop 25–50% after investing in CSR and volunteering programs, yielding major cost savings in hiring and training.
  • Customer Loyalty & Brand Premium: Consumers reward companies that give back. A comprehensive 2025 meta-analysis of 158 studies across 45 countries found that strategic philanthropy significantly enhances financial performance, largely by boosting customer loyalty. Customers aware of a brand’s CSR efforts demonstrate higher loyalty and purchase intent. In practical terms, corporate giving can differentiate your brand and increase customer lifetime value – a market advantage that directly impacts revenue.
  • Innovation Catalyst: Corporate giving often opens doors to new partnerships and ideas. Research shows companies engaged in strategic philanthropy gain access to expanded networks and knowledge flows that benefit their innovation pipeline. For example, when a tech firm funds a university STEM program or a manufacturer supports an R&D challenge, they’re not just being charitable – they’re building relationships that can lead to breakthroughs, talent recruitment, and early insight into emerging technologies. Strategic philanthropy becomes a bridge to innovation ecosystems that might otherwise remain out of reach.
  • Financial Performance & Risk Mitigation: Numerous studies link robust corporate responsibility to stronger financial metrics. In emerging markets or fragile states, firms see especially high returns from corporate philanthropy, as these investments help fill critical social needs and stabilize the business environment. Even in developed markets, companies with higher ESG scores (which factor in philanthropy) enjoy a lower cost of capital – investors demand a lower risk premium – because strong social performance signals good management. In short, Wall Street is taking note that companies “doing good” often also do well, financially.

These outcomes make a compelling business case: strategic philanthropy isn’t just charity – it’s competitive strategy. Leaders who move beyond sporadic checkbook donations to integrate giving with core business objectives unlock multiple value streams over time. From engaged employees and loyal customers to innovation opportunities and investor confidence, the dividends of doing good can far outweigh the initial costs.

What Changed in 2025: The New 1% Floor on Deductions

If strategic giving is so beneficial, why are some companies rethinking their donations? The catalyst is a tax change under OBBB 2025 that introduced a “1% floor” for corporate charitable deductions. Here’s a quick summary of what that means:

  • Old Rule: Previously, corporations could deduct charitable contributions up to 10% of their taxable income (with excess carried forward 5 years). Every dollar donated (within that cap) reduced taxable income, yielding a tax benefit right away.
  • New Rule (1% Floor): Now, a company must donate over 1% of its taxable income in a year before any charitable deductions apply. Donations up to that 1% threshold get no immediate tax deduction (unless carried forward in limited cases). The 10% ceiling still exists, with carryforwards for excess contributions over 10%.

Why it matters: For a corporation with $100 million in taxable income, the first $1 million in donations now yields no tax break – only giving beyond that $1M floor can be deducted. This effectively raises the after-tax cost of typical donation levels. Many companies historically give less than 1% of earnings to charity, so under the new law, those contributions wouldn’t lower their tax bill at all.

Projected impact: Policymakers estimate the 1% floor will net an additional $16.6 billion in tax revenue over 10 years. However, that comes with an expected $45 billion reduction in corporate charitable giving over the same period. In other words, companies may respond by curbing donations, resulting in $4.5B less given to nonprofits per year – a significant drop in social investment.

Early research on tax sensitivity supports this concern. Economists find that corporate giving is moderately elastic to tax costs: a 10% increase in the cost of giving tends to reduce giving by about 6–20%. One study predicts that even a modest 1% increase in the tax cost of giving could lead to roughly a 4% decline in total charitable donations received. In short, when deductions are harder to claim, some firms will scale back philanthropy.

How Companies Might Adapt Their Giving Strategy

Facing a higher cost of giving (at least for that first 1% of income), what are companies likely to do? Experts, as reported by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, anticipate a few strategic responses, based on economic modeling and international experience:

  1. Bunching Donations in Specific Years: Rather than give 0.5% of income each year (and never hit the deductible floor), a company might donate 0% for a couple years then give 2–3% in one shot to cross the 1% threshold. This “bunching” behavior ensures some tax deductibility, but it creates feast-or-famine cycles for nonprofits and irregular budget impacts for the business.
  2. Reclassifying Philanthropy as Business Expense: Some contributions could be reframed as direct business expenditures (under marketing, R&D, or PR budgets) if they clearly serve a business purpose. For example, sponsoring a cause-related event or funding a program that is tied to market development might be booked as a marketing or operational cost (deductible under ordinary business expenses) rather than a charitable gift. This essentially seeks a deduction through another route (IRC §162) by demonstrating a tangible business return for the spending.
  3. Shift to Cause Marketing or CSR Initiatives with ROI: We may see a tilt from pure donations toward initiatives like cause marketing, strategic sponsorships, or skills-based volunteering programs that deliver more direct business benefits. By doing so, companies can justify the expense internally (and sometimes tax-wise) as an investment in brand, talent development, or innovation – aligning philanthropy more closely with core business strategy.
  4. International Giving Realignment: Multinational corporations might redirect some giving to countries with more favorable tax incentives for charity. If other jurisdictions offer deductions or credits without a floor, global companies could allocate philanthropic budgets to those regions (of course, considering the strategic importance of the causes and markets involved).
  5. Use of Corporate Foundations or Donor-Advised Funds: Companies could contribute large sums to a corporate foundation or DAF in one year (exceeding 1% to get the deduction), then grant funds out to nonprofits over subsequent years. This doesn’t change the total given, but smooths out the support that nonprofits receive. Essentially, it’s another way to bunch for tax purposes while trying to maintain steady community investments over time.

None of these responses are simple, and each has pros and cons. Notably, the bunching strategy – while logical for tax reasons – can wreak havoc on nonprofits that rely on steady support, forcing them to manage unpredictable income cycles. CSR leaders will need to weigh the tax benefits of these adaptations against the potential impact on community partners and their own long-term goals.

Keep Purpose at the Core (Tax Change or Not)

Amid these adjustments, one thing is clear: companies should avoid anchoring the value of their giving solely to tax breaks. As the earlier data showed, the intrinsic business value of strategic philanthropy is huge – far greater than a tax deduction. In fact, the OBBB change can serve as a catalyst for deeper conversations within companies about why and how they give.

Research indicates that corporate giving decisions are driven not just by profit maximization, but also by managers’ values and aspirations for their organization. Now is an ideal time for leadership teams to revisit their core values and long-term vision. What kind of company do we want to be? What impact do we want to have on our employees, customers, and communities? These questions transcend any single fiscal year or tax provision.

Forward-thinking companies are using this moment to double down on strategic philanthropy – ensuring their social investments align with business strategy and stakeholder expectations. Rather than pulling back, they are integrating CSR more tightly with their operations: for example, expanding employee volunteering and skills-based volunteering (SBV) programs that develop talent and deliver community impact, or launching multi-year initiatives that address social issues relevant to their industry. (Notably, skills-based volunteering has proven ROI in its own right – companies with strong SBV programs see significantly higher employee retention and performance, illustrating how “doing good” internally also pays off.)

Crucially, most other developed countries do not impose a floor on charitable deductions. The U.S. approach is relatively unique, and global companies know that philanthropic engagement remains the norm (and often expected) in many markets. Some studies even suggest that the optimal corporate tax rate for maximizing charitable giving is around 27% – higher than the current 21% U.S. rate – implying that making giving less attractive through tax policy could actually suppress donations more than policymakers intended. All this reinforces that businesses shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture: maintaining their social license to operate and investing in the health of the communities and environments they depend on.

Strengthening Partnerships with Nonprofits and Social Enterprises

If you’re a CSR leader, it’s also important to consider how these shifts affect your nonprofit partners. Many nonprofits may face greater uncertainty in corporate funding, so proactive communication and planning will be key. Companies can help by:

  • Providing Multi-Year Commitments: Even if your actual donations might be “bunched” in certain years, work with key nonprofit partners to assure them of support over a multi-year horizon. This could involve formal pledge agreements or use of a corporate foundation to distribute funds annually. The goal is to avoid leaving partners in the lurch during off years.
  • Building Nonprofit Resilience: Encourage and assist nonprofits in building financial resilience — using your own employees through skills-based volunteering programs. This might include capacity-building grants for developing reserve funds or helping them diversify their funding sources so they’re less vulnerable to any one donor’s timing. Strong, resilient partners ultimately make your social impact programs more effective.
  • Emphasizing Shared Value: When evaluating grants or donations, look for opportunities that create mutual value – social impact and business benefits. For instance, a nonprofit project that also offers employee engagement opportunities or aligns with your market objectives can be a win-win. Clearly articulating the business rationale (e.g., improving community education strengthens your talent pipeline) can even allow the expense to be viewed through a strategic lens rather than pure charity. This mindset helps protect budgets and sustain programs in a tight fiscal environment.
  • Integrate Social Enterprises in Your Supply Chain: The best money is earned, consistent, and sustainable revenue. Doing business with social enterprises and integrating them into your core business is more effective than any donation.

In short, use this period as a chance to innovate in how you partner with nonprofits and social enterprises. The companies that navigate these changes best will treat their nonprofit relationships as true partnerships – with open dialogue, flexibility, and a focus on long-term impact.

Conclusion: Purpose and Profit in Tandem

The new 1% floor on deductions presents a challenge, but it also underscores a powerful message: strategic philanthropy is about far more than tax relief – it’s about business value and societal value moving hand in hand. Companies that continue to invest in thoughtful, well-aligned social impact programs will reap rewards on multiple fronts, from engaged employees and loyal customers to innovation and risk reduction. The evidence is overwhelming that when businesses “move beyond checkbook charity” and embed purpose into their core strategy, the returns are substantial.

Yes, the tax rules have changed. But the fundamental equation remains: doing good is good for business. In an era where corporate reputation, talent retention, and stakeholder trust are invaluable, the question isn’t whether your company can afford to invest in strategic philanthropy – it’s whether you can afford not to. The competitive advantage now lies with those organizations that embrace the full potential of business as a force for good, rather than treating philanthropy as a line-item to trim when tax incentives dwindle.

As you plan your CSR strategy forward, keep sight of that bigger picture. By focusing on the true ROI of corporate giving – the innovation sparked, the communities strengthened, the talent attracted, and the goodwill earned – you can ensure your company continues to thrive financially while making a meaningful social impact. If you then integrate strategic skills-based volunteering efforts into this same strategy, then your financial and human capital assets do even more together. That is the ultimate win-win-win, and no tax policy can take it away.

Want to talk about updating your #CSR strategy to turn crisis into opportunity in 2026? Please do contact us.

Sources: Recent research and analysis compiled from Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.

The Sustainability Recession Is Ending — Smart CSR Leaders Are Already Building What Comes Next

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Over the past year, corporate social responsibility and sustainability leaders have been under siege. Programs paused. Budgets frozen. Public sentiment whiplashing between ESG backlash and climate urgency. Internally, many CSR leaders found themselves stuck in the “wait-and-see zone”—reluctant to push forward without clear direction from the C-suite. Others paralyzed by fear.

But if you’re still waiting for a sign, here’s your green light:

Sustainability is not dying. It’s scaling (quietly)

Despite the noise and politicians claiming ESG is daead, the latest data tells a very different story: companies are increasing investments in sustainability and social impact—because it’s good for business.

Let’s look at the numbers:

  • 87% of U.S. companies are maintaining or increasing sustainability budgets in 2025. (EcoVadis – July 2025)
  • 88% of companies see sustainability as a long-term value driver, with over 80% actively tracking ROI. (Morgan Stanley – June 2025)
  • Only 2% of organizations cut sustainability budgets—while over 40% increased them. (ISEP – July 2025)
  • 89% of executives plan to grow their sustainability budgets, and nearly a third say it’s their #1 priority. (Forbes – April 2025)
  • 85% of companies increased sustainability investments, up from 75% the previous year. (Deloitte – September 2024)
  • Products with sustainability attributes drive 6–25% more revenue and 37% of companies are ramping up climate ambition. (PwC – March 2025)

Even JP Morgan is weighing in: 88% of executives say sustainability directly supports their long-term strategy. (JP Morgan)

What’s more? Companies aren’t just spending—they’re seeing returns:

  • In EcoVadis’ July 2025 report, 65% of executives say supply chain sustainability provides a competitive advantage.
  • 52% of finance leaders agree sustainability directly supports growth.
  • And 96% of investors say sustainability reporting strengthens financial performance.

Social impact spending is growing too—and it’s creating business value

It’s not just environmental sustainability getting the green light. Corporate investment in social impact programs—especially those centered around purpose, equity, and employee engagement—is also rising. And the business case has never been stronger.

  • Companies with the highest participation in employee volunteering and giving programs had 57% lower turnover, according to Benevity’s State of Corporate Purpose.
  • Gallup’s 2024 Workplace Report found that employees who believe their company’s purpose resonates with their own are 4.5x more likely to be engaged, and highly engaged employees correlate with 21% higher profitability.
  • In LinkedIn’s 2025 Purposeful Workforce Study, 68% of employees said they would leave a company that doesn’t prioritize purpose, and 76% of Gen Z candidates consider a company’s social impact commitment a deciding factor in job offers.
  • According to CECP’s Giving in Numbers, median total giving by companies increased 14% year-over-year, and median non-cash giving (like skills-based volunteering) rose by 18%. More importantly, these aren’t just budget line items—they’re performance drivers:

And it’s not just employees paying attention.

A 2025 NielsenIQ global survey revealed that:

  • 73% of consumers prefer to buy from companies that support social justice and equity
  • 64% say they’ve boycotted a brand over misaligned values
  • And among B2B buyers, 83% said supplier diversity and ethical sourcing are factors in their procurement decisions

This isn’t “woke capitalism”—it’s smart business strategy.

Whether you’re building an employee development initiative through skills-based volunteering or engaging underrepresented suppliers to drive equitable growth, these programs are contributing to brand strength, talent retention, and market differentiation.

If you’re trying to get executive buy-in, start with this bottom line: social impact isn’t a cost center—it’s a competitive advantage.

(And, as we showed in an earlier post, it has a positive ROI)

So why does it feel like the world’s gone quiet (at least on ESG)?

Welcome to the era of greenhushing. Over 30% of companies are pulling back on promoting their sustainability work—not because they’ve lost interest, but because of growing scrutiny and political fear mongering. Say the wrong thing, and you can get ESG-cancelled.

This isn’t a retreat. It’s a recalibration.

As Tim Mohin wrote recently, we’re nearing the end of the “sustainability recession.” The best leaders are emerging from this with sharper focus, clearer metrics, and stronger alignment with business goals. They are also using more precise language, like climate adaption, risk mitigation, resiliency, and more. But call it what you want, it is the recognition that investing in people and planet is good for profits in the long run.

“Even as the debate over business sustainability heats up, executives are focused on the reality—sustainability is what keeps supply chains running and customers on board.” – Pierre-François Thaler, Co-CEO, EcoVadis

What does this mean for CSR and Corporate Social Impact leaders?

It means your moment is now.

CEOs and CFOs are actively looking for sustainability and equity initiatives that drive real results. They’re asking: Where do we see risk? Where can we save money? Where can we grow differently? Where can we build inclusive and sustainable business models of the future?

The leaders who win in this moment won’t be the ones who waited. They’ll be the ones who:

  • Built programs that integrate social impact into business operations
  • Showed ROI by aligning volunteering and skills-based initiatives with learning, retention, and innovation
  • Linked sustainability and procurement with inclusive business models
  • Designed for resilience, not just compliance

If you’re tired of waiting for permission to lead, here’s your cue: show the business case, and the business will follow.

And if you need a partner to help you build for long-term, scalable impact—MovingWorlds is here to help.

Let’s build what comes next. Let’s build better.

The Untapped Power of Purpose: Why CSR Leaders Should Back Entrepreneurs Driving the Sustainable Development Goals

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is undergoing a transformation. Once defined by philanthropy and compliance, it now plays a central role in shaping core business strategy. As ESG has become politicized, CSR leaders are being asked to deliver tangible, measurable impact that aligns with both business objectives and societal needs.

But despite growing investment, many CSR portfolios remain incomplete, and worse, may have stalled entirely. As we wrote with Triple Pundit, the fear zone is real.

A new report from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), The GEM Sustainability and Entrepreneurship Report, shares insights on how CSR leaders can build more impactful and business aligned programs. Especially in emerging markets, a growing number of “social entrepreneurs” are making positive impact to people and planet, yet are being left out of corporate CSR and ESG strategies.

This is a missed opportunity. CSR leaders have a unique chance to create high-impact, mutually beneficial partnerships by activating their employees to support the social entrepreneurs already driving systemic change, as well as finding ways to integrate these social entrepreneurs into their supply chains.

A Global Movement Is Already Underway

The GEM report provides a rare, data-driven look into the motivations and actions of entrepreneurs across 60+ economies. One striking finding: a large and increasingly growing share of new entrepreneurs are driven by the desire to “make a difference in the world.”

This isn’t just true in wealthy countries. In fact, entrepreneurs in lower-income economies are often more purpose-driven. For example:

  • Over 60% of early-stage entrepreneurs in India, Guatemala, and South Africa report being primarily motivated by social and environmental impact.
  • Even in the face of economic and political instability, entrepreneurs in countries like Sudan and Brazil are significantly more likely to meet key sustainability benchmarks than their counterparts in high-income nations.
  • Growing initiatives, like the People + Planet First Certification, recognize and certify these innovators.

These individuals aren’t waiting for multinational corporations or governments to solve global problems. They’re building businesses that address poverty, health, clean energy, climate adaptation, food security, and inclusive education, and prioritizing the achievement of these markers ahead of profits.

“Purpose-driven entrepreneurship is not the preserve of wealthy nations. In many ways, it’s stronger in places where the stakes are highest.”
— GEM 2023/2024 Sustainability and Entrepreneurship Report

Purpose Alone Isn’t Enough: The Support Gap

While motivation is high for these entrepreneurs, and their impact is literally world-changing, the data shows that relatively few entrepreneurs have the support they need to reach their potential.

Why the gap? It’s not due to lack of vision or dedication. It’s structural.

Key barriers include:

  • Lack of access to capital: Impact-oriented ventures often don’t fit traditional investment criteria.
  • Limited access to high-skilled expertise: Areas like go-to-market strategy, financial modeling, digital transformation, and operations are frequently cited as unmet needs.
  • Policy and infrastructure gaps: Inconsistent regulatory support and weak local ecosystems make scaling difficult.
  • Network asymmetry: These entrepreneurs are often excluded from global innovation networks.

This is where CSR leaders can play a transformative role.

Why This Matters to CSR Leaders

If you’re responsible for CSR or ESG strategy, you likely face four interconnected challenges:

  1. Impact: Demonstrating measurable progress toward environmental and/or social targets
  2. Employees: Engaging and retaining employees through purpose-driven initiatives
  3. Profits: Contributing to your company’s bottom-line
  4. System Change: Improving the industry and system that you operate in

Supporting entrepreneurs directly addresses all four.

  • Impact integration: From clean energy to inclusive healthcare to sustainable agriculture, these entrepreneurs are creating real solutions to real SDG challenges.
  • Talent development: Engaging employees in skills-based support of social ventures fosters leadership, empathy, and cross-cultural collaboration.
  • Business contribution: From improving supply chains, retaining employees, and improving partnerships, the business benefits are vast.
  • Systems-change alignment: Social entrepreneurs operate at the intersection of business and social innovation. Their work targets root causes, not symptoms.

Companies like SAP, EY, and Reckitt (here’s a CSR case study) have begun incorporating social enterprise support into their employee engagement and leadership development programs. But the majority of CSR strategies still overlook this high-leverage opportunity.

Skills-Based Volunteering as a Win-Win-Win

Imagine a product manager at a multinational consumer goods company advising a startup in Colombia that helps smallholder farmers reduce post-harvest waste through solar-powered storage. Or a finance team member coaching a Kenyan social enterprise on sustainable pricing models.

These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re real-world examples of how skills-based volunteering can:

  • Help entrepreneurs overcome critical barriers to scale
  • Enable employees to practice purpose-driven innovation
  • Strengthen a company’s ESG credibility with authentic, community-embedded impact
  • Identify future supply and value chain partners that improve corporate operations

The GEM report underscores that entrepreneurs who receive support are far more likely to take concrete environmental and social action. CSR leaders can build scalable pipelines of support that match employee expertise with the needs of vetted, impact-driven ventures.

What This Looks Like in Action

Boomera (Brazil): Founded by Henrique Brammer, Boomera transforms hard-to-recycle waste — like cigarette butts and plastic packaging — into durable products using circular economy principles. With support from engineers, designers, and marketers, Boomera has scaled its operations across Brazil and built partnerships with major global brands.

Roseo Eólica Urbana (Spain): This urban clean energy startup, led by Ariana Martín, builds compact wind turbines for rooftops. The company emerged from a university entrepreneurship program and has grown through collaboration with technical and business mentors. Its impact is not only environmental but also educational, showing what localized, sustainable innovation looks like.

Reckitt’s Catalyst Program (global): This corporate program activates assets, money, and employees to support social innovators at scale.

The Call to Action: Back the Entrepreneurs Already Building a Better Future

The future is already being built by entrepreneurs around the world. They are:

  • Designing climate solutions in communities most affected by environmental degradation
  • Advancing gender equity in regions where women face systemic exclusion
  • Reimagining inclusive growth in economies still shaped by extraction and inequality

But they can’t do it alone.

CSR leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to update their strategy:

  • Shift from transactional CSR to transformational partnerships
  • Activate employees in ways that develop skills and strengthen culture
  • Support systemic progress on the SDGs through aligned action

If your company is serious about creating shared value, supporting the entrepreneurs already making it happen is one of the highest-leverage moves you can make.

If you want help activating your employees in support of the SDGs, we’d love to talk.

From Do-Gooders to Ladder-Climbers: 5 Personas That Make or Break Corporate Volunteering Programs

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Corporate volunteering isn’t broken—but the way we design for it often is.

If you’ve ever launched a skills-based volunteering program and wondered why engagement plateaued after the first email blast, here’s a not-so-shocking truth: your employees aren’t all the same.

Your employees have different motivations, career goals, and time constraints, and if we want our corporations to become forces for good, we need to appeal to differences differently.

In this post, we highlight 5 types of employee volunteer “personas” you’re likely to find in any large company. More importantly, we’ll explore how to tailor your corporate volunteering programs to actually reach them.

📊 Persistently annoying fact: Only about 1 in 5 employees engage in workplace volunteering programs. That number hasn’t changed much in the past decade, and in many cases, has been going down. Knowing your personas can help reverse this.


1. The Self-Sacrificing Altruist

This is the person who’s always organizing fundraisers, signing up for volunteer days, mentoring, and leading the new employee resource group. They care—a lot. So much so, they’re sometimes overlooked for promotions because they’re branded as “the do-gooder.” We LOVE this persona so much (and feel bad how their peers limit their growth because of their good intentions).

How to Engage Them: Chances are, you won’t have to do much to engage this gruop, and in fact, you will probably spend more effort trying to redirect their efforts to create strategic alignment. Don’t try to sell them on the why—they’re already in. Focus on celebrating them more meaningfully and showcase how their work contributes to company goals. Help them align their energy with strategic impact.

🎯 Insight: Research shows employees who feel their values align with the company’s are 4.6x more likely to feel empowered to do their best work (LinkedIn Purpose at Work Report).


2. The CSR Dreamer

They’re volunteering not just out of passion, but because they’re eyeing a job on the CSR team. They’re strategic about how they show up, and they want to be seen.

How to Engage Them: Offer mentorship from current CSR team members and host brown-bag sessions about impact careers. Create ambassador roles where they can contribute to scaling-up initiatives in their discretionary time. Actively promote skills-based volunteering to this group, and leverage them to help engage their peers.

💡 Insight: Employees who engaged in skills-based volunteer projects reported 59% higher morale than non-volunteers, and even 13% higher morale than those doing not skills-based volunteering.


3. The Purposeful Professional

These promotion focussed professionals care about impact—but only when it supports their career growth. They take pride in working at your company because of your efforts, even when they do not engage. They talk about the CSR initiatives at the dinner table, in client dinners, and they even promote them on social media even though they themselves do not participate. They’re ambitious, upward-bound, and focused on promotion. They won’t volunteer just to feel good, but if a project offers senior exposure, new skills, or cross-functional visibility? They’re in.

How to Engage Them: Frame skills-based volunteering as a career accelerator. Partner with L&D. Highlight leadership competencies developed through service. Provide certificates, share project results with senior leaders, and create a system where doing good also helps them do well.

An extra note: If you can only focus on one group, focus on this group. They are most likely to be future leaders, they are ready to engage, and they have the skills the world needs.

🚀 Stat: A global study by ESADE found 92% of employees who volunteer through work improve their job performance, as rated by themselves or managers​.


4. The Profiteer

This person is here for one reason: compensation. They’re not moved by purpose or community impact. If volunteering doesn’t come with a bonus or a title bump, they won’t bite.

How to Engage Them: Don’t. Seriously. Focus your energy elsewhere.

🛠️ Real Talk: Not everyone will engage—and that’s okay. Your goal is strategic engagement, not universal participation.


5. The “Yes” Person

They’ll join… if their manager tells them to. Or if a colleague ropes them in. They’re not self-motivated, but they’re good team players.

How to Engage Them: Use peer influence. Train managers to invite them. Create team-based volunteering challenges. Send nudges from respected colleagues, not just the CSR inbox.

📈 Tip: Studies show peer influence can increase participation in prosocial activities by 30% (Harvard Business Review).

Final Word: Know Your People

Designing a high-impact volunteering program doesn’t mean trying to be everything to everyone. It means being strategic about who you engage and how.

Instead of aiming for 100% participation, aim for the right participation.

This year, challenge yourself to engage the “Purposeful Professional”. If you can tap into this network, not only will you unlock real value this year, but as these professionals grow as leaders within the company, their earlier experiences with CSR will turn them into your future champions.

And if you need help mapping these personas in your company—or building a program that actually works for them—MovingWorlds is here to help.

9 Corporate Social Impact Initiatives Thriving in 2025 (And What They Reveal About the Future of CSR)

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In a time when many corporate social responsibility programs are stalled, underfunded, or performative, a select few are thriving—and reshaping what’s possible.

Earlier this year, we published a post about the 8 most common traps corporate social impact leaders fall into. At the top of that list? Short-term thinking. We cited the stat that 60% of CSR initiatives fail to meet their objectives, often because they prioritize visibility over long-term value.

But here’s the good news: a growing number of companies are proving there’s a better way.

The CSR programs below all share four things in common:

  1. A long-term vision that aligns business strategy with societal needs
  2. Leverage of corporate assets to meet real-world needs in underserved communities
  3. Employee engagement at scale in ways that create meaningful social impact and professional growth
  4. A commitment to system change, not just charity

These are the programs that corporate social impact leaders can learn from—and proudly share with business leaders as examples of what works.

(And if you think we missed a good one, please let me know: mark@movingworlds.org)

1. SAP: Building an Impact Ecosystem Through Social Procurement and Skilled Support

SAP’s CSR strategy isn’t a department—it’s an ecosystem. The company invests in impact at multiple levels: through its Acceleration Collective which sponsors employees with time off to help social enterprises scale, and through its rapidly growing impact supply chain initiatives (check out this case study).

In 2024, SAP supported over 160 social enterprises and nonprofits through skills-based consulting engagements, totaling 47,000+ hours of pro bono service. At the same time, it expanded its Buy Social B2B marketplace, now connecting 4,400+ social enterprises with SAP’s massive corporate procurement network.

SAP’s strategic integration of social enterprises into its supply chain is helping reshape how business gets done—and building the infrastructure for a thriving impact economy.

Check out more highlights here.


2. Microsoft: Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact

Microsoft’s “Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact” program is a global effort to empower social enterprises with the tools, training, and networks they need to grow.

Through strategic partnerships, mentoring, access to Microsoft technology, and local accelerator support, this initiative helps early- and growth-stage social enterprises leverage digital transformation to scale their impact. In doing so, Microsoft isn’t just funding innovation—it’s enabling system-level change by backing entrepreneurs solving for equity, education, climate, and more.

This program exemplifies long-term thinking: Microsoft invests in the future enablers of progress, not just immediate outputs.


3. EY Ripples: Impact at Scale Through Employee Engagement

EY set an ambitious goal: impact 1 billion lives by 2030 through its Ripples program. It’s well on its way.

In FY2024 alone, over 40,000 EY employees contributed more than 280,000 hours to pro bono consulting, mentoring, and environmental projects around the world. Crucially, these aren’t off-the-shelf volunteer opportunities—they’re strategic engagements aligned with EY’s core capabilities in finance, consulting, and systems building.

EY Ripples is a masterclass in employee-led impact. It enriches employee experience, contributes to measurable societal outcomes, and reinforces the firm’s purpose: Building a better working world.

Check out more highlights here.


4. Barclays & Unreasonable Group: Fueling the Impact Startup Ecosystem

Through its partnership with the Unreasonable Group, Barclays is doing more than donating to causes—it’s accelerating impact-focused companies that are solving global challenges at scale.

Since launch, the Unreasonable Impact program has supported 340+ ventures, which have collectively:

  • Raised $14B+ in funding
  • Created 31,000+ jobs
  • Prevented over 100M tons of CO2 emissions

These companies receive mentorship, exposure, and long-term support from Barclays, whose executives also serve as advisors. The partnership gives Barclays a front-row seat to emerging innovation—and positions the bank as a catalyst for inclusive economic growth.


5. F5: Volunteer Sprints for Scalable, Skills-Based Impact

F5’s Volunteer Sprint program reimagines how tech companies engage employees in community service. Rather than relying on traditional volunteer days, F5 created structured, time-bound “sprints” where employees across the company use their skills to help nonprofits solve real operational challenges.

Whether it’s improving data systems, designing new workflows, or building websites, these sprints match employee expertise with high-impact needs.

The result? A scalable, replicable model for tech-enabled social good that delivers real outcomes for nonprofits and meaningful experiences for employees.

Check out more highlights here.


6. Accenture: Redefining Procurement as a Driver of Equity

Accenture is turning its supply chain into a force for good.

In FY2024, the company spent over $1 billion with small and diverse businesses across 10 countries—including women-, minority-, and LGBTQ+-owned enterprises. Its Diverse Supplier Development Program (DSDP) pairs Accenture leaders with small business owners to help them grow, scale, and thrive.

By linking procurement to equity, Accenture is building more resilient supply chains, unlocking innovation, and advancing economic inclusion. It’s a powerful example of how companies can use everyday business functions to catalyze long-term, systemic change.


7. Buy Social Corporate Challenge (UK): A Coalition of Corporate Buyers Driving Change

Led by Social Enterprise UK, the Buy Social Corporate Challenge brings together 30+ companies (including Johnson & Johnson, PwC, and Santander) to shift procurement dollars to verified social enterprises.

By the end of 2023, the program had:

  • Directed £477M+ in spend to social enterprises
  • Created 4,500+ jobs in underserved communities
  • Grown a supplier base of 1,000+ mission-driven businesses

The model is simple but powerful: redirect what you already spend toward businesses that build a better world.


8. IKEA: Partnering with Accelerators to Grow Social Enterprises

IKEA’s Social Entrepreneurship program exemplifies how a global brand can drive long-term change by supporting the growth of social enterprises.

Through partnerships with accelerators and intermediaries around the world, IKEA provides funding, mentorship, and market access to early-stage impact ventures—many of whom are led by marginalized entrepreneurs and working in underserved communities. But IKEA doesn’t stop at grants. Its program is focused on building inclusive value chains by bringing social enterprises into its sourcing ecosystem where possible.

By collaborating with expert partners, IKEA ensures that its support meets real market needs and enables entrepreneurs to access the knowledge, tools, and networks that help them scale. In doing so, IKEA is helping to build a future where the products on our shelves reflect a more just and inclusive global economy.


9. Reckitt Global Impact Programme: Supporting Social Business for Health Equity

Reckitt is leveraging its brand and global reach to back social enterprises working on hygiene, health, and sanitation through the Reckitt Global Impact Programme.

Through partnerships with Yunus Social Business and MovingWorlds, Reckitt provides unrestricted funding, technical assistance, and skills-based volunteer support to social entrepreneurs. This model not only empowers the next generation of changemakers, but also brings Reckitt closer to communities and innovations that align with its mission of a cleaner, healthier world.

Reckitt’s program is a rare blend of philanthropic flexibility, corporate strategy, and ecosystem support. It’s not just CSR—it’s co-creation for long-term change.

Check out more highlights here.


Final Thought: CSR Isn’t Dead. But Check-the-Box CSR Is.

The most successful corporate social impact leaders aren’t chasing trends or copying competitors.

As we wrote last week, the innovative leaders behind these programs are avoiding the 8 common pitfalls that CSR Leaders tend to make.

They’re building authentic strategies that:

  • Align with their company’s mission
  • Tap into the unique assets only they can offer
  • Invest in the future, not just the quarter

If you’re ready to build a program that inspires employees, earns executive buy-in, and creates real-world change—MovingWorlds is here to help.

Let’s build the next generation of CSR. Together.

The 8 Most Common Mistakes Corporate Social Impact Leaders Make (and how to avoid them)

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Over 60% of corporate social impact projects fail. In this post, we explore how to stop checking boxes and focus on building the programs your company—and the world—really needs.

You Didn’t Take This Job to Play Small

You took this job because you care. Because you believe business has a role to play in solving real-world problems. But somewhere between employee giving campaigns, executive requests, and year-end reporting, it’s easy to find yourself buried in busywork instead of building impact.

And you’re not alone. Corporate social impact leaders are stretched thin, navigating internal politics, external expectations, and shifting global events—often without clear roadmaps or sufficient resources.

But here’s the thing: this moment in time demands more than business as usual. It demands strategy, courage, and a long-term vision.

To meet the moment, make sure to avoid the 8 most common pitfalls we see CSR leaders make:

Mistake #1: Short-Term Thinking That Ignores Long-Term Sustainability

In many organizations, success is measured quarter by quarter, and that pressure often bleeds into CSR work. It can be tempting to prioritize short-term wins—a high-visibility campaign, a fast spike in employee participation, or a press release-worthy event. But when programs are built for momentary impact rather than enduring value, they often fade quickly. Without a strategic roadmap that looks beyond the next fiscal cycle, initiatives become fragmented, team energy gets spread thin, and stakeholders start questioning the program’s value.

Sustainability in CSR isn’t just about the planet—it’s about ensuring your social impact work has the time, buy-in, and structure to grow. Consider setting 3- to 5-year goals with measurable milestones. Frame initiatives as long-term commitments, not one-off experiments. Remember, real change takes time. In fact, a recent analysis found that nearly 60% of CSR initiatives ultimately fail to meet their objectives, largely due to short-term thinking and poor stakeholder engagement.

Mistake #2: Saying Yes to Executive Pet Projects That Lack Strategy

It’s natural to want to support a senior leader’s enthusiasm for a cause, especially when that support might unlock budget or visibility. But when initiatives are built solely on the interests of one executive—without aligning with company-wide strategy or employee values—they risk becoming distractions rather than drivers of impact.

Programs without strategic grounding often lack clarity, sustainability, or measurable outcomes. And when the executive sponsor shifts roles or priorities, these efforts often disappear. Instead, aim to channel executive interest into strategically aligned initiatives. Bring data and insights to the table to show how their passion can connect with existing CSR goals, employee energy, or business outcomes. That way, you harness influence without losing direction. Research from Harvard Business School found that 77% of CSR programs are not aligned with business strategy—highlighting how easy it is to veer off course.

Mistake #3: Failing to Proactively Plan for Inevitable Crises

Crises aren’t rare events anymore—they are part of the operating environment. Whether it’s a natural disaster, a geopolitical shock, or a moment of social unrest, CSR leaders are often looked to as first responders. Unfortunately, many find themselves reacting under pressure because their organizations haven’t invested in proactive planning.

The best time to prepare for crisis response is before the crisis. That means developing playbooks, aligning with legal and communications teams, defining guardrails for political engagement, and outlining decision-making processes in advance. By preparing for the inevitable, you ensure your team can act quickly, responsibly, and with credibility when it matters most. According to a Benevity executive report, nearly half of CSR leaders report being underprepared to respond to emergent crises, citing lack of structure and internal alignment. That means that 1 in 2 corporate social impact leaders will have their plans derailed in the coming year.

Mistake #4: Overemphasizing Days of Service and Giving Campaigns

There’s a rhythm to every company’s CSR program: Earth Day volunteering, Giving Tuesday giving campaign, a year-end match, maybe a volunteer week. These programs are familiar, relatively easy to manage, and often expected by leadership and employees alike. But familiarity can breed complacency. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s moving the needle. In fact, these programs end of taking the majority of your limited time while producing no real impact or business benefit.

When too much time and energy is spent on low-differentiation, low-impact activities, CSR teams often miss opportunities to build deeper engagement and more strategic value. CECP’s 2023 Giving in Numbers report revealed that average employee volunteering participation was just 19.8%—down from 29% in 2019. The implication is clear: these activities, while well-intentioned, often fail to resonate broadly or drive sustained engagement.

That doesn’t mean you should cancel them all. But it does mean you should evaluate them critically: What’s working? What’s not? Are they aligned with your company’s values and long-term goals? Focus on doing fewer things better—and building from there.

Mistake #5: Copying What Worked for Someone Else

It’s tempting to replicate high-profile CSR models. Patagonia’s activism is often referenced as gold standard, but few company’s have such resolute founder support. At one time, every Bay Area company seemed to be copying Salesforce’s 1/1/1 model, only to see it shuttered because of a lack of impact, leaving many CSR leaders to then scramble and build something meaningful.

In one global CSR study, only 13% of professionals said their organization’s CSR strategy was “purpose-driven,” suggesting that many companies adopt initiatives without fully tailoring them to their own mission or identity.

When you try to copy-paste another company’s CSR approach without adapting it to your own context, you often end up with superficial programs that struggle to gain traction. Instead, take time to understand your own company’s unique strengths, challenges, and culture. What issues do your employees care about? What capabilities can your business uniquely contribute? A strong strategy starts from the inside out.

Mistake #6: Designing Programs Without Understanding Employee Behavior

CSR programs are often designed by small teams working in isolation, with the best intentions but limited input. It’s easy to assume what employees will care about or participate in, but assumptions don’t drive engagement—insights do.

Behavioral misalignment leads to underused platforms, flat participation, and wasted resources. To avoid this, treat your employees like stakeholders in product design. Conduct surveys, host listening sessions, and collaborate with ERGs. Pilot new ideas before rolling them out broadly. By co-creating programs with employees AND external partners, you build ownership, increase relevance, and improve results. A Psicosmart study found that up to 60% of CSR programs fail due to a lack of employee engagement and tailored strategy—proof that the “design in a cave” approach is no longer viable.

Mistake #7: Underestimating the Power of Skills-Based Volunteering

When most people think of corporate volunteering, they imagine planting trees or serving food. While these activities can build camaraderie, they often don’t make full use of the talent your employees bring to the table.

Skills-based volunteering allows employees to contribute their professional expertise to causes they care about—whether it’s helping a nonprofit with strategic planning, building a website, or offering pro bono legal advice. It creates more meaningful experiences, deeper community impact, and stronger alignment with business goals like employee development and retention.

Despite its higher ROI, many CSR programs hesitate to invest in skills-based initiatives due to perceived complexity. But with the right partners and planning, these programs are not only achievable—they’re transformative. According to Deloitte, employees who participate in skills-based volunteering are up to 50% more likely to report high levels of job satisfaction and retention—clear business benefits tied to deeper impact.

Mistake #8: Waiting for Executives to Give You a Strategy and Budget

It’s easy to fall into a holding pattern: waiting for clearer guidance from the C-suite, more budget, or alignment from legal. But the reality is that clarity often follows action, not the other way around.

When CSR leaders wait too long for perfect conditions, promising ideas stall. Instead, use what you have to start small. Build pilot programs. Collect data. Share employee stories. Demonstrate value and momentum. These early wins become the foundation for advocating for bigger investments and broader support. According to ACCP’s 2023 survey, over half of CSR professionals say they lack sufficient resources to meet growing expectations—yet the most successful teams are those that use small wins to unlock more support over time.

You don’t need permission to lead. Start by building the case, and the clarity will come.

You’re Not Alone—But You Are the Spark

Corporate social impact work is complex, often thankless, and increasingly urgent. But it’s also one of the most meaningful roles inside any company.

So give yourself time to think. Audit your programs. Identify what matters most.

And then: take bold action.

If you need a thought partner to help you play big, book time with MovingWorlds. We’re here to help you turn potential into impact.

11 Mental Models and Frameworks That Corporate Social Impact Leaders Use to Create Lasting Impact

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Despite their best intentions, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs start with good intentions — but far too many disappear within a few years.

According to Harvard Business School:

📉 77% of CSR programs are not aligned with business goals

❌ Over 60% fail to achieve their stated impact objectives

⚠️ ~81% of employees are NOT engaging in traditional volunteering programs

🛑 The majority get shut down

These failures erode trust, waste resources, and make it harder to advocate for future investments. But there’s a better way.

After speaking with hundreds of corporate social responsibility leaders, and helping scale global programs with our work at MovingWorlds, we’ve found that the most successful CSR leaders rely on a common set of mental models and frameworks to design and scale programs that create impact, engage employees, and deliver lasting business value.

Here are the 11 frameworks and mental models every CSR leader should know

1. Theory of Change

The risk of skipping it: Programs launch based on intuition, not outcomes — and often fail to deliver value to beneficiaries or the business.

Urgency: 60%+ of CSR programs fail to meet goals because they weren’t strategically designed.

Summary of framework: A Theory of Change is a planning tool that maps how your inputs and activities lead to measurable outputs and long-term impact.

What will happen when you use it: You’ll create CSR initiatives that are clearly aligned to business strategy, easier to measure, and more likely to gain support from leadership.

Learn more about Theory of Change.

2. Systems Thinking + Shared Value + Asset-Based Community Development

The risk of skipping it: Corporations act like they’re the hero — ignoring local assets and community knowledge.

Urgency: Programs built in isolation often fail when rolled out globally or across partnerships.

Summary of framework: These combined models help leaders see their company as part of an interdependent ecosystem, and design initiatives that elevate local assets and mutual value.

What will happen when you use it: You’ll unlock stronger relationships, more inclusive innovation, and programs that deliver shared success for all stakeholders.

Learn more about System Thinking and Shared Value

3. Design Thinking

The risk of skipping it: Post-pandemic, 80% of employees don’t engage with CSR programs (CECP).

Urgency: Poor design leads to poor engagement. Low participation = low value.

Summary of framework: Design Thinking is an innovation approach that starts with empathy, defines user needs, and rapidly prototypes solutions for feedback.

What will happen when you use it: Employees will feel heard, participate more, and help you co-create better programs through continuous improvement.

Learn more about Design Thinking

4. Human-Centered Design

The risk of skipping it: Solutions may be innovative but irrelevant to the people they’re meant to serve.

Urgency: Lack of relevance means wasted time, budget, and goodwill.

Summary of framework: Human-Centered Design (HCD) focuses on creating solutions that meet the real needs, values, and contexts of the people most affected.

What will happen when you use it: Your programs will resonate more deeply with the communities you aim to serve and create more lasting, meaningful change.

Learn more about Human-Centered Design

5. ESG Fundamentals and Reporting

The risk of skipping it: You’ll miss alignment with executive, investor, and global priorities.

Urgency: Despite political noise, ESG-aligned investment in climate and inclusion is accelerating. In fact, a new report from Reuters shows the 99% of the largest U.S. companies issued sustainability disclosures, even as mentions of it have dropped by 26%. Greenhushing is for legal and communication teams, but real ESG work is still critical to the CSR role.

Summary of framework: ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) is a performance-based approach to responsible business that aligns impact work with financial outcomes and stakeholder demands.

What will happen when you use it: Your CSR efforts will better align with business priorities and position your work as a driver of long-term corporate success.

Learn more about ESG.

6. ROI Thinking

The risk of skipping it: Leaders won’t fund or prioritize your program.

Urgency:

  • 47% of executives say CSR has “unclear value”
  • 90% of impact leaders say more outcome data would help secure investment (Benevity)

Summary of framework: ROI Thinking applies business-case logic to CSR by connecting social impact outcomes to financial and strategic business benefits.

What will happen when you use it: You’ll gain internal support, sustain your program over time, and confidently advocate for growth.

Learn more about building a CSR ROI calculator

7. Long-Term Thinking

The risk of skipping it: Initiatives turn into short-lived pet projects or PR stunts.

Urgency: Programs based on executive passion fizzle out when that leader leaves.

Summary of framework: Long-term thinking prioritizes sustained value over short-term wins, aligning impact programs with long-range business strategy and culture.

What will happen when you use it: Your programs will survive leadership changes, adapt to evolving priorities, and gain staying power within your organization.

8. Strategic Communication

The risk of skipping it: Programs don’t gain traction internally or externally.

Urgency: If you don’t win hearts and minds across departments, your program stalls.

Summary of framework: Strategic communication is the practice of crafting the right message for the right audience to build alignment, engagement, and action.

What will happen when you use it: Your initiative will gain more champions, avoid misunderstandings, and become easier to scale and celebrate.

Learn more about Communicating CSR.

9. Navigating Naysayers

The risk of skipping it: Your initiative gets blocked by internal resistance.

Urgency: Legal, HR, Finance, and other departments will raise flags — and without a plan, you’ll stall out.

Summary of framework: Navigating naysayers is the strategic practice of anticipating objections and building internal coalitions to remove roadblocks.

What will happen when you use it: You’ll be seen as a pragmatic, cross-functional leader who can move initiatives forward in complex environments.

Learn more about navigating naysayers.

10. Build Partnerships

The risk of skipping it: Your company reinvents the wheel and misses out on deeper impact.

Urgency: CSR done in isolation wastes resources and lacks legitimacy.

Summary of framework: Partnership-building focuses on shared ownership, co-creation, and mutual benefit across sectors and organizations.

What will happen when you use it: You’ll tap into local knowledge, accelerate impact, and amplify your program’s reach through trusted allies.

Learn more about building corporate social impact partnerships.

11. Transformative Volunteering

The risk of skipping it: Your volunteering programs get low involvement and low participation. Your role becomes obsolete.

Urgency: Over 81% of employees don’t like traditional CSR programs. Employees are looking for skills-based volunteering opportunities in growing demand. If you don’t deliver on this, you run the risk of not proving the value of CSR at your company, and worse, you keep valuable resources from contributing to the challenges of our time.

Summary of framework: By designing skills-based volunteering programs that are built on real needs and appeal to the purpose-driven professionals at your organization, you can drastically increase engagement. Transformative means (1) built on real needs; (2) accessible to employees; (3) provides supplemental education; (4) the employee has career and life-aligned goals in the process; (5) employees understand how the work makes a lasting impact; (6) employees have time to reflect and integrate insights back into their life and work; (7) employees are celebrated for efforts of integration.

What will happen when you use it: Social impact partners, employees, managers, and executives alike will become much more engaged in our programs.

Learn more about building transformation corporate volunteering programs.

Conclusion

Most CSR programs fail because they weren’t built with the right foundation. But by adopting these mental models and frameworks, you can design initiatives that:

  • Engage employees and partners
  • Deliver real societal and environmental value
  • Build long-term trust and business advantage

Need help implementing, or simply want to nerd our? Contact us.

Podcasts, Influencers, and News You Should Follow if Your Are Working to Create Purposeful and Impact-Driven Organizations

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Curated resources to help you stay inspired, informed, and connected

📝 Bonus: Don’t forget to bookmark the public Google Sheet—a living resource for continual updates and crowd-sourced inspiration.

🎧 Podcasts Worth Your Time

🧠 Follow These Influencers

📰 Newsletters & Media Channels

🤝 Events, Communities & Media Networks to Plug Into

💎 Hidden Gems You Might’ve Missed

🔗 Bookmark the Current List

📊 Google Sheet – Living Resource

🙌 Final Thought: We Need Each Other

Solving climate, equity, and systemic challenges requires new narratives, better collaborations, and trusted information. This guide is just one way to help us all stay better connected—across roles, sectors, and borders.

And if you’re looking to go even deeper, subscribe to the MovingWorlds Blog—where we write about the intersection of corporate impact, social enterprise, and skills-based volunteering.

Corporate Skills-Based Volunteering: Purpose Without the Politics

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Even in uncertain times, one powerful CSR strategy gaining traction is skills-based volunteering (SBV) – programs that enable employees to volunteer their professional skills to nonprofits and community initiatives.

Unlike public political stances or polarizing ad campaigns, SBV programs are widely accepted and apolitical. They allow companies to do good in a neutral, business-aligned way, leveraging what your business does best (the skills of your people) to help communities – all while sidestepping partisan minefields.

Crucially, skills-based volunteering aligns with core business objectives: it doubles as employee training and engagement, fosters leadership development, and enhances the company’s reputation in a genuine manner. It’s no wonder that in the UK roughly 73% of companies now offer skills-based employee volunteering programs. Senior leadership often embraces these initiatives because the benefits are tangible and directly tied to the company’s success, not just “feel-good” add-ons.

Examples of Successful Skills-Based Volunteering Programs:

  • SAP – Acceleration Collective: Enterprise software leader SAP sponsors employees to volunteer virtually or in-person with social innovators. SAP has recognized that beyond creating an impact and uncovering market opportunities, this program has become a leadership development engine. Participants develop “skills like emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, cohesive collaboration, and adaptive thinking – all of which are needed by leaders of today and tomorrow”. By solving real challenges for nonprofits and social enterprises, SAP employees grow as purpose-driven leaders while the company strengthens its talent for the future.
  • EY – Ripples Program: Big Four firm Ernst & Young (EY) runs EY Ripples, a global SBV platform mobilizing its professionals to support impact entrepreneurs, educational initiatives, and environmental projects. EY has set a bold vision of positively impacting 1 billion lives by 2030 through this collaborative effort. In practice, EY Ripples facilitates projects where employees coach and/or educate nonprofits and impact startups around the world. The company reports that these efforts not only benefit society but also drive employee loyalty – in one survey, 86% of employees said companies with effective volunteer programs are more likely to earn their loyalty, and 82% said such programs influence their decision to stay.
  • F5 – Volunteer Sprint: Security and cloud services company F5 networks has proven that even mid-sized firms can achieve outsized impact with skills-based volunteering. In 2023, F5 launched a “Volunteer Sprint” program that offers employees up to two weeks of paid time to virtually volunteer their skills with nonprofit partners. Notably, this initiative has backing from the very top – F5’s CEO, François Locoh-Donou, personally sponsored and championed the program’s design. The Global Good team at F5 structured Volunteer Sprints as a direct response to nonprofit needs (e.g. data analysis, marketing strategy) and to employees’ “deep desire to serve” the communities where they live. The result has been a “win-win”: nonprofits get critical expertise, while employees gain cross-sector experience and pride in their company. F5’s example shows how framing volunteering as an extension of employees’ professional identities can ignite engagement at all levels – “standing shoulder to shoulder with executives at a volunteer site makes the program feel more authentic,” as one HR specialist observed.

Business Benefits: ROI on Skills-Based Volunteering

Skills-based volunteering doesn’t just “feel good” – it delivers measurable returns for companies. Consider the following benefits, supported by data:

  • Higher Employee Engagement and Retention: Employees who participate in workplace volunteer programs are far more likely to be engaged and to stay. One global study found 79% of employees who volunteer through work are satisfied with their job, versus only 55% among those who don’t volunteer. Volunteer participants also tend to stay with the company longer; studies have shown they are 52% less likely to leave, significantly reducing turnover costs. In fact, offering volunteer time off has been linked to a 50% reduction in turnover and boosts in productivity by 13%. It’s clear that investing in employees’ altruistic passions can pay off in a more committed, motivated workforce.
  • Skill Development and Leadership Growth: Volunteering is a proven driver of professional development. 76% of people say they have developed core work skills through volunteering opportunities. These assignments often stretch employees in new ways – honing skills like project management, communication across cultures, and creative problem-solving – which they bring back to their day jobs. 92% of HR executives believe that contributing time to nonprofits helps employees develop leadership skills. Companies like SAP explicitly use skills-based volunteering to groom future leaders, finding that 74% of participants gained new perspectives and confidence that advanced their careers. In short, SBV doubles as a hands-on training program, building competencies that formal training can struggle to impart.
  • Boosted Morale and Well-Being: Enabling employees to give back improves workplace morale and personal well-being. 70% of corporate volunteers believe that volunteerism boosts workplace morale more than company social events. After 12 months of regular volunteering, 93% of employees report feeling better and less stressed – meaning lower burnout and absenteeism for the employer. Especially in high-pressure corporate environments, volunteering can provide employees a sense of balance and fulfillment, leading to a happier, healthier team.
  • Enhanced Brand Reputation and Recruitment: A strong community engagement program burnishes your brand’s image to both outsiders and potential hires. 89% of Americans believe companies that sponsor volunteer activities offer a better overall workplace environment, and many proactively seek out employers known for good corporate citizenship. From a consumer standpoint, companies that genuinely invest in communities earn greater trust and goodwill. Internally, volunteering is a magnet for talent – top candidates, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are drawn to companies with a reputation for purpose. Offering skills-based volunteering gives you a recruiting edge by signaling that your company walks the talk on values. As an executive at Points of Light put it, “It’s not just nice-to-have – our volunteer program has become a strategic asset for culture and brand.”

Gaining Executive Buy-In Through Alignment

In today’s environment, CSR leaders must speak the language of the business. The hesitancy we see (“Is this going to be viewed as too woke?”) often stems from a fear that social impact initiatives will detract from the bottom line or incite controversy. The solution is to design CSR strategies that are both impactful and clearly tied to business priorities, then communicate that alignment to leadership. The rise of skills-based volunteering exemplifies this approach. Rather than pitching a standalone charity effort, CSR teams can highlight how an SBV program will help attract talent, develop employees, drive innovation, and strengthen the company’s network in emerging markets – all goals any CEO or CFO can get behind. It’s telling that among senior leaders who plan to increase CSR investment, 43% are doing so because they see direct business ROI, and 31% specifically to gain an edge in talent acquisition. Framing volunteering and CSR in terms of ROI, talent retention, consumer preference, and risk management converts it from a “nice-to-have” to a strategic necessity.

Equally important is addressing the fear factor head-on with evidence. Executives wary of external backlash can take comfort in the fact that employee volunteerism is positively received across the political spectrum – it’s hard to argue with feeding the hungry, mentoring students, or lending expertise to nonprofits. These programs generate goodwill without inviting Twitter storms. And by focusing on causes that dovetail with the company’s mission (for example, a tech firm’s employees volunteering in STEM education), CSR leaders can reinforce the brand’s core narrative while doing social good. This business-aligned approach to CSR creates a virtuous cycle: it earns internal support from the C-suite and board because it advances company goals, and it earns external support because it addresses real community needs in a credible way.

Moving Beyond Fear: Purpose as a Performance Driver

Now is the time for CSR leaders to move past the paralysis of “woke backlash” fears. Yes, the scrutiny is real – but so is the cost of inaction. Employees are imploring their companies to give them purposeful ways to contribute, and they won’t wait around forever. The data is unequivocal that thoughtfully executed CSR yields dividends in employee engagement, innovation, and brand loyalty. Companies like Unilever may have learned that not every brand needs a grand social mission, but even Unilever’s new direction emphasizes selective purpose, not abandoning it – focusing on initiatives (like Dove’s “Real Beauty” or Ben & Jerry’s advocacy) that authentically fit the brand and resonate with customers. In the same vein, CSR leaders should double down on programs that make sense for their business’s unique context.

Purpose-driven work and profit are not mutually exclusive; on the contrary, when done right, they fuel each other. The current corporate climate rewards those who lead with courage and clarity: choosing social investments that align with company values and stakeholder interests, measuring the outcomes, and communicating the wins. As the Executive CSR Report 2025 shows, a significant majority of companies are not retreating but recalibrating – 76% are maintaining or boosting their CSR budgets despite the noise. They are prioritizing areas like employee volunteering and ethical business practices where impact and business strategy intersect. This is a roadmap for moving forward.

In your next strategy meeting, armed with this research, make the case that CSR is a risk mitigator and value creator. Share how skills-based volunteering can energize your workforce, build goodwill, and drive real ROI – all while steering clear of unnecessary controversy. Encourage executives to see that supporting purpose-driven engagement isn’t about appeasing a trend; it’s about unleashing the full potential of your people and securing the company’s long-term relevance. By embracing purpose with pragmatism, CSR leaders can help their organizations not only survive tumultuous times, but emerge stronger – with employees, customers, and communities all pulling together. It’s time to lead beyond fear and harness the power of purpose as a performance driver for the business.

Whether you are looking for data, brainstorming, or an implementing partner, we hope you’ll reach out to us!



AI disclaimer: Following our AI Ethics policy, we disclose when we use AI. This post was written with the help of an AI chatbot that we trained with our research, brand voice, and other rules. The content strategy was first written by MovingWorlds, inputted into AI with instructions to match our brand voice and readability, and then the post was proofread and finalized by a real human.

How to Help Employees Find Purpose—When Everything Feels Broken

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If you’re a CSR leader at a global company right now, you’re probably feeling two things at once:

  • The personal weight of a world in crisis—from climate disasters to humanitarian emergencies to systemic inequities.
  • The professional pressure to mobilize your workforce to do something about it.

The tension is real.

You want to launch meaningful programs, but you’re navigating budget scrutiny, legal caution, and employee burnout. You want to inspire your colleagues to act, but they, too, are overwhelmed. And it begs the question: How do you lead people toward purpose when they’re not sure where to begin?

Employees Are Ready—They Just Need a Clear First Step

Here’s what we know from the latest data:

  • 95% of employees care about their employer’s community impact.
  • 87% say volunteer opportunities influence their decision to stay.
  • 91% report that participating in skills-based projects boosts morale, cross-team collaboration, and overall fulfillment.

The desire to help is not the problem. The challenge is choice overload and lack of clarity.

When people feel helpless, they don’t need a long list of opportunities—they need a simple onramp. Something close to home. Something they can say yes to.

And that’s where you come in.

Create a Framework for Action: Start Where They Are

We often say that to make a difference, you have to “start where you are.“

As a CSR leader, your opportunity is to help others do exactly that:

  1. Start with existing passions. Encourage employees to volunteer for the causes they care most deeply about.
  2. Encourage them to use their skills. There are so many causes, projects, and asks for time. Help your employees filter through the noise by presenting them guidance on how to use their skills.
  3. Build “surround sound” support. Work through managers, executives, and company leaders to continue to promote the idea that volunteering is something your company absolutely encourages employees do do (here’s tips on how).
  4. Champion action. Recognize your employees that take any step. Celebrate people that contribute, regardless of the size of their effort.
  5. Connect them to community. Encourage employees to consider volunteering with the groups they’re already part of—their team at work, an ERG, a cohort from their last leadership experience, etc.

The right skills-based volunteering software can help, but you can also start small simply by hosting office hours, sharing guides with employees, or manually matching people when they reach out.

Why Skills-Based Volunteering Works Right Now

In a world full of uncertainty, skills-based volunteering (SBV) offers clarity. It’s:

  • Relevant: Employees get to use the skills they’re proud of to support causes they care about.
  • Strategic: Companies see benefits in retention, engagement, and leadership development.
  • Impactful: Social enterprises and nonprofits gain access to expertise they can’t afford.
  • Safe: It’s apolitical, scalable, and legally sound.

Just look at the numbers:

  • 77% of companies reported an increase in employee volunteerism compared to the previous year—up from 61% seeing growth the year prior.
  • Companies with SBV programs see 52% lower turnover among engaged employees.
  • 90% of firms say SBV builds leadership and soft skills.
  • 87% of nonprofits report better service delivery after SBV engagements.
  • 80% of social innovators say they need more skilled support to scale.

When done well, skills-based volunteering becomes more than a feel-good initiative—it’s a flywheel that powers employee purpose, business strategy, and community impact.

Help Your Employees “Be the Change”

In our work with CSR leaders across sectors, we’ve seen one truth emerge over and over: Employees don’t need to be told what to care about. They need access and tools to act on what they already care about.

This means your role isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to design the system that makes it simple for employees to engage:

  • Make it easier to get manager support to take time to volunteer.
  • Spotlight people that mobilize their peers to engage in skills-based work.
  • Offer toolkits for skills-based volunteering.
  • Encourage people to overcome “imposter syndrome”.
  • Create channels to help employees more easily find and match with skills-based volunteering projects.

The more you can shift your programs from “top-down participation” to “bottom-up empowerment,” the more sustainable they become.

Purpose Is a Practice, Not a Policy

We don’t have to solve everything right now. But we do have to move.

CSR leaders have a rare opportunity in this moment—to harness the energy, skills, and compassion that already exist inside their organizations and guide them toward action.

Start small. Start with community. Start where people already are.

And if you need help designing a skills-based volunteering program that meets this moment—MovingWorlds can help.

Because even in a complicated world, purpose is still possible. And it scales best when we build it together.



AI disclaimer: Following our AI Ethics policy, we disclose when we use AI. This post was written with the help of an AI chatbot that we trained with our research, brand voice, and other rules. The content strategy was first written by MovingWorlds, inputted into AI with instructions to match our brand voice and readability, and then the post was proofread and finalized by a real human.