2018. Ok, we said it. We hate to break it to you, but with the new year less than two months away it is time to start thinking about your CSR business goals and opportunities for 2018.
Being in the social good line of work, DoTopia and our friends at For Momentum stay tuned in to trends and ideas relative to this space. We thought it would be helpful to not only share some of these themes, but also provide you with features to consider if you are looking into a workplace giving solution for 2018.
- Workplace Giving Increases Employee Engagement – Employee engagement is a phrase that has been tossed around and often inappropriately used in the human capital space. At the core, employee engagement is a holistic approach taking into account various elements of the employee’s relationship to the company including; achievement, well-being, connection, and appreciation. In order for the employee to feel positively connected to their employer, they must feel their employer is taking actions to engage them in each of these areas. By incorporating workplace giving, especially personalizing the giving experience for the employee, the link between connection and appreciation from the employee will likely increase.
- The Current Social and Political Climate is Leading to Louder Voices – In the wake of recent events and polarizing conversations, many corporations feel the pressure to take a stand on certain social issues. Corporations need to carefully choose the organizations that they support or oppose. Speaking out has the capacity to alienate those who do not relate or feel similarly. Rather than listening to the majority and alienating those who do not have as loud of a voice in an organization, personalized cause marketing and giving solutions allow corporations to support their employees who all wish to stand for something different. Even the quiet ones.
- Generation Z is Joining the Workforce – We have heard everything there is to know about millennials. In fact, given all the research collected about this group, it is hard to believe that there is even life after them. Well, there is. Generation Z, those born after the year 2000, is even larger than the millennial generation. In a National Study done by Gen Z Guru, “93% of Gen Z participants said that a company’s impact on society affects their decision to work there.” They also choose to purchase products and services that align with their beliefs. Social impact agencies such as For Momentum help brands create positive change in their communities. Even more so than their older millennial counterparts, Gen Z workers are making it a mandate that corporations put their money where their social good mouth is. We already love them.
- Give the People What They Ask For: Personalization – Whether it is a targeted Ad, a Marriott hotel room, or your daily Starbucks drink, every industry has moved toward greater personalization. We like to be treated as individuals who have our own wants and needs. Why would we feel any differently about our charitable giving preferences? In the past, many corporations did not provide choice in yearly giving campaigns. Employees were expected to give to one or two organizations only. Today, giving technologies like DoTopia (shameless plug) allow employees to support any cause or organization. The employer is the hero and personalization is brought to an entirely new level in the workplace. If the company’s goal is to increase giving, personalization is the way to go. The more a person feels connected to the charity, the more likely they are to give.
- Sustainable Development Goals are Leading the Way – As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, more than 150 world leaders came together to adopt a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Though these goals were communicated back in September 2015, corporations are just starting to incorporate these goals into their overall business plans. In fact, 38% of Fortune 50 Companies now publicly support the Sustainable Development Goals with over a third of companies looking at SDGs not as philanthropy, but as business strategy. These stats were recently shared at the 2017 Commit!Forum. We can expect more Fortune 1000 companies to follow their suit(s).
- Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders are Not Alone – For so long, CSR was a part of the organization that employees heard about, but didn’t really understand what it all meant. This is all changing. And fast. CSR is now becoming one of the most vital and well-known entities in the organization as purpose and profits continue to blur into one line-item. Marketing wants in too. Cause Marketing programs are extremely popular among marketers with the ability to not only create a positive buzz about your product, but bring awareness to a nonprofit organization or a social good initiative. For example, check out Zappos “Friends on Us Fridays”. Every Friday Zappos is sponsoring free pet adoptions around the U.S. Consumers love the ability to shop with a brand that is not just selling them something they want, but making the world a better place. We foresee more dotted org. chart lines among CSR, Marketing, and Human Resource functions in 2018 and beyond.
Understanding these trends and developing a solid CSR strategy up front will lead you to find the right partner and the right workplace giving technology for your employees. In our next blog post, we’ll talk about the issues to consider as you evaluate your corporate giving programs.
DoTopia is a digital giving platform that connects givers to over 1.6 million charities. We work with brands to create workplace giving solutions and marketing campaigns that inspire employees, foster customer loyalty, and advance workplace values. We believe in more givers, giving more.
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