Guest post by Double the Donation

Now more than ever, businesses are clamoring to align their brands with corporate social responsibility (CSR). After all, publicized CSR practices result in new customers, engaged employees, and a positive reputation in the media. 

For nonprofits, new trends in CSR mean new opportunities to tap into corporate giving. While not all CSR programs involve donations to nonprofits, Double the Donation’s breakdown of trends in corporate philanthropy shows that many businesses looking to upgrade their CSR strategy are ready to partner with organizations like yours.

To help you understand and take advantage of these opportunities, this guide will explore three CSR trends we expect to see grow in the coming years. 

Trend 1) Increased Focus on Sustainability

Carbon neutrality, ethical supply chains, and reduced waste during production are all major talking points when it comes to social responsibility. As such, many businesses are looking to fund environmental-focused nonprofits. 

If this description fits your nonprofit, now is the time to emphasize your commitment to a more sustainable, equitable world. Part of securing corporate support involves framing your nonprofit’s mission in such a way that it aligns with your potential partners’ philanthropic values. Reflect on your mission and how it relates to sustainability causes to receive increased attention from corporations.  

Trend 2) More Action from Small and Medium Businesses 

Large corporations have the funds to make the biggest impacts on nonprofits, but they’re not the only organizations in the for-profit sector interested in CSR. Recent trends point to more small and medium-sized businesses experimenting with philanthropy programs that impact their local communities. 

For nonprofits in their area, these small businesses are much easier to access than massive enterprise corporations, allowing you to negotiate deals and form long-lasting partnerships. To capitalize on this trend, we’ve seen a few winning strategies, which include:

• Build relationships. Businesses want to support nonprofits they know will do good work year after year. This provides a reliable reputation boost and allows them to make a greater impact by investing in specific projects long-term. To court these partnerships, establish a solid relationship first. Start with smaller requests, such as a one-time donation to your annual fund, a corporate volunteer day, or an event sponsorship, before proposing ongoing support. 

• Offer accessible sponsorship packages. Not all businesses can support your nonprofit to the same extent. At the same time, managing unique deals for each business part can quickly become complex. To keep partnerships streamlined, many nonprofits offer sponsorship packages businesses can choose from to determine their level of support. When crafting these packages, consider what benefits adequately correspond to the donation amounts you’re asking and if the businesses you plan to approach have the budget to fulfill your requests.

• Emphasize benefits. Businesses participate in CSR because of how being socially responsible benefits them. When approaching potential sponsors, emphasize how a partnership could help boost employee engagement or connect them with new customers through your support base. 

When researching local businesses, consider their past philanthropic activities, their stated CSR goals, and their potential to give. Focus on organizations with values that align with your mission and available resources to give to increase your chances of forming a relationship.

Trend 3) Renewed Focus on Employee Giving

Increasing employee engagement is a top reason why many businesses launch CSR programs. Employees appreciate employers who give back to their communities, and initiatives like employee giving programs allow workers to have an active hand in making a difference and even choose which causes receive support. 

Nonprofits can leverage this trend by spreading awareness of these programs and encouraging supporters to check their eligibility. 360MatchPro’s employee giving guide provides an overview of the most common types of programs to be aware of:

• Matching gifts. In a matching gift program, when employees donate, they can submit a request to their employer to match their contribution. Encourage employees to check if they’re eligible to receive matching gifts, and consider investing in matching gift software to make the application process easier for donors. 

• Volunteer grants. Some companies will make donations to nonprofits where their employees volunteer. Usually, these donations are based on the number of volunteer hours an employee performs at the nonprofit. 

• Paycheck deductions. Paycheck deductions are automatically taken from employees’ earnings and donated to a nonprofit. Often, the organizations for this type of program are decided by the employer, meaning you’ll likely need to establish partnerships with businesses before accessing this employee giving method. 

• Employee grant stipends. Rather than asking employees to spend their paychecks, some employees provide what are essentially vouchers that employees can use to make donations.

Send emails to donors, create a page on your website about employee giving opportunities, and even add information about employee giving on your donation page to inspire them to take action. This increases the chances that employees will leverage their companies’ CSR programs to help your nonprofit. 

CSR trends are continually evolving, and these trends are just the start. Consider how your nonprofit can benefit from business partnerships, and look for organizations with values that align with yours, whether they’re related to equity, advocacy, sustainability, or any other cause your nonprofit fights for.