The State ofCorporate Purpose
A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Table of Contents
3
4-5
6-7
8 - 1112 - 18

A Note From Our Chief Impact Officer
Introduction
Executive Summary
A Look Back: The Power Shift of Purpose
2020 Benevity Community Impact Report
Trends in Corporate Purpose

20 - 23
24 - 30
31 - 36
37 - 41
42 - 46
47 - 48

Corporate Purpose Shifts From Statements to Action
Grassroots Passions Fuel Collective Movements
Companies Expand Their Definition of Impact
Trust-Based Philanthropy Takes Hold
Purpose-Driven Customer Engagement Is on the Rise
2021 Outlook: The Year of “S”

49 - 55

A Peek Into Benevity’s Own Corporate Purpose Program

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

2

A Note From Our
Chief Impact Officer✔ Companies must be radically inclusive — This year,
we were faced with the starkness of how different our lived
experiences are; lest we forget that not everyone has accessto better and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that no one
is left behind.

✔ Lip service won’t cut it — For purpose to deliver on its full
For the past five years at Benevity, we’ve said it was a watershed
year for corporate purpose, and every year it’s been true.
However, 2020 held a special significance in the journey toward
stakeholder capitalism and grassroots-led action. It was the yearthat cemented the new role of business as a source of trust,
hope, connection and empathy. Actions that drive these factors
are now a business imperative if we are to advance on criticalsocietal issues while maintaining the relevance of our brands toan increasingly purpose-driven employee and consumer base.
No longer can companies claim leadership when it comes todriving movements — that powerful position is reserved for thepeople who are sparking movements through their individual
passions and purpose, backed by the brands supporting themthrough empowering platforms that reward positive behavior.
The events of 2020 and the first few months of 2021 haveshown us that for corporate purpose to live up to expectations(and its potential), we need a lot to change.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

value, it must be woven into the fabric of a company’s DNA andgo beyond the pursuit of traditional philanthropic outcomes,
business goals and merely good PR. It must enable people tofeel engaged, empowered and connected, and it has todeliver on a deep sense of meaning and impact for it to movethe needle the way we need it to.

✔ Embrace, don’t resist, the power shift — Companies willneed to be authentically values-driven and accountable throughdemonstratable action, and flexible enough to respond to andharness groundswells of grassroots action and movements
driven by individuals within a corporation's network of
employees, customers and communities. No longer docompanies direct the social agenda — the people do.

Brands that embody this commitment to a truly cultural
approach to purpose, that embrace changing times as thetime to change, and that broaden their notions of Goodness
to be as inclusive and far-reaching as possible, will sustain
themselves through the uncertainty of a post-COVID economy
and a divided society. They will reign with unified, empoweredand engaged workforces, resilient communities and improved
value in the eyes of all in a new era of stakeholder capitalism.
They will thrive.
Now is not the time to be fearful or risk-averse. Corporate
purpose took flight in 2020 and must remain at the top of theexecutive agenda if it is to have the impact that we requireand people expect of business. With ESG (Environment, Social,
Governance) increasingly on the minds of CEOs and top
executives — not to mention investors — at companies of all
sizes and industries, the moment for change is here.
Today’s corporate purpose professionals must be prepared totake control of their destiny, widen their aperture and be willingto get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

✔ Stop living in the now — We have to be ready to respondto crises while also investing in pre-empting the next crises,
including existential threats related to climate, health andequity. Otherwise, we will find ourselves in the same situation
we found ourselves in during 2020. Having the right mindset,
tools, programs and communications in place to activate truesocial change is just the beginning.

Chief Impact Officer, Benevity

3

The 1 Edition of
The State of Corporate
Purpose ReportstThank you for reading the first ever State of Corporate Purpose report, issued by Benevity
Impact Labs! In the wake of the crises of 2020 — and the global awakening to the power ofcorporate purpose — we felt there was a momentous opportunity to share the insights wehave observed and the trends that have emerged in this fast-changing landscape.
At Benevity, we partner with nearly 650 companies to power purpose through technology.
We have the privilege of working with many of the world’s most iconic and innovative brands
by providing the platform that runs their community investment, employee engagement
and customer engagement programs. This vantage point offers us a unique perspective androbust data on the trending practices, applications and results of corporate purpose on a
global scale.
The data presented here originate from Benevity’s master database where the activities ofall of our clients, users of the software and the community of causes are recorded. This
report is intended to highlight the observations and actionable takeaways that corporate
purpose professionals of all levels in all types of organizations can easily evangelize andactivate within their own environments. We hope that the report is both inspiring anduseful. Most of all, we hope it helps to demonstrate the potential for business, nonprofits
and individuals to realize our collective potential.
We welcome your feedback and the opportunity to learn from and with you.
Feel free to email impactlabs@benevity.com with your observations, thoughts and input.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

4

A Note on Language:
From Corporate Social
Responsibility to
Corporate Purpose

High Net WorthGiving

Corporate
Philanthropy

1950s

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is, of course, not new.
It has been around in various forms — corporate responsibility,
social impact, cause marketing — for the past seven decades.
Early on, it was defined by a commitment from corporations
to give back to the communities in which they did business(often in a “license to operate” sort of way), but in the past year
we have seen the emergence of a new kind of corporate social
responsibility. One that is defined by a focus on purpose versus
obligation. One that is less myopic in the outcomes it seeks to

Workplace Giving& Volunteering

Consumerizationof CSR

achieve, but acknowledges the breadth of benefits to individuals,
nonprofits, businesses and society. One that is driven by anempowered, grassroots approach from all stakeholders versus
the traditional top-down model of philanthropy.
Corporate purpose is not used as a synonym for corporatesocial responsibility in this report. It is intentionally used todescribe a different intent, motivation and approach to apractice that is evolving in the era of stakeholder capitalism.

Empowered& Authentic

Movement
Driven2020

5

Executive Summary
Crisis, Connection & Culture: The Rise of Corporate Purpose
Even before 2020 became a year to forget, something big
was bubbling beneath the surface. Trust in government andmedia was steadily declining while political and ideologicaldivisiveness was growing. Throw in a global pandemic, followedby the subsequent economic fallout, and racial injustice after
injustice. By mid-2020, we could no longer ignore the systemic
issues that were bubbling over.
In a time when nothing felt certain, people turned to the brands
they work for and buy from as a place of hope. They looked tobusiness to provide them with trusted information, to help themtake action and to create real change on a larger scale than everbefore. In the face of a global crisis, people wanted to feel likethey were making a difference personally and they craved asense of connection in the midst of isolation, helplessness andloneliness. And business delivered. With purpose.
In the last year, purpose became more than a buzzword.
And it was up to business to provide it through authentic,
demonstratable action, empowered approaches that gave
people the power to get involved in and lead movements, and awillingness to do things differently — more democratically, morecreatively and more inclusively — with a focus on culture first,
both corporate and societal. All the talk about ESG and purpose

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

that had been happening in boardrooms for years suddenly
turned into a business must-have almost overnight. Thus
became the year that corporate purpose rose to new heights.
So, while 2020 is undoubtedly a year to forget, when it comesto purpose it is unequivocally a year to remember. And it cameto life through five key trends that will shape thefuture of business for years to come:1. Corporate purpose shifted from statements to action,with companies listening and acting on the needs of all
stakeholders and following up public statements with tangible,
authentic, transparent and measurable action on critical issues.
It took many forms, from strategic community investments
to employee giving, volunteering and learning opportunities,
to customer initiatives and more.

2. Grassroots passions fueled collective movements when
the need to feel a sense of meaning and impact were at an
all-time high. People-powered movements are not new, but
the crises of 2020 accelerated grassroots action, leading
companies to take a supporting role in empowering movements.
They did this by running special matching campaigns, enablingPeer Matching and offering broad choice in the nonprofits
people could support. Donation volume in June, following the
tragic death of George Floyd, skyrocketed 15x and marked thefirst time we have seen so much support for a single cause area.
But sustained action remains a challenge. While the majorityof donations in June — 51% — went to social justice causes, by
December that number was sadly just 5% — back to where it
was prior to the tragic events of May 2020.

Share of donation volume for social and racial justice causes

80%

of corporate purpose program
budgets remained unchanged
or increased in 2020.

51%

June 2020

5% December 2020

6

Executive Summary: Crisis, Connection & Culture: The Rise of Corporate Purpose

3. Companies expanded their definition of impact beyond
traditional approaches to granting, giving and volunteering tomeet people where they were (literally), finally catching up to
how individuals have defined “doing good” for years now.
Whether it was volunteer acts of kindness that involved helping
neighbors, isolated seniors, co-workers and others, or providing
access to learning content to promote behavioral change andpositive action, this pivot toward a broader definition of impact
not only provided people with a sense of connection and efficacy,
but brought corporate philanthropy into the modern era.

4. Trust-based philanthropy took hold with companies
removing reporting requirements and restrictions on funding
to provide nonprofits with more autonomy in a challenging year.
Equally notable was that more companies engaged their people
to help decide where the funds should go. Corporate purpose
leaders and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
professionals leaned heavily on employee resource groups(ERGs) and local employee champions to identify community
organizations to support, making social impact and employee
engagement more integrated than ever.

Companies with customer-giving initiatives

+70%
2019

2020

These public campaigns raised39%of all volunteer opportunities
were not in support of anonprofit in 2020.

25%of companies have integrated
grants and employee
engagement programs.

$7.4m

2019

$17.7m2020

forCompanies that expanded
their programs to include
this type of volunteering
saw participation increase

2.2x

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

5. Purpose-driven customer engagement rose to newheights, with a record number of companies investing incustomer-giving initiatives for the first time. As crises grew, so
did consumer expectations for companies to take authentic andmeaningful action. This took the form of public relief campaigns
in response to COVID-19 and racial injustice and led to morecompanies enhancing their customer experiences to allow
people to support causes directly through their products,
shopping cart checkouts and loyalty programs.

4,691 unique nonprofits.

Last year, how we do business looked different, from the logistical“hows” of a sudden shift to remote working, to the cultural howsof trying to unify a distributed and diverse population, to the
myriad other hows that came with supporting people andcommunities through challenges that seemed to come at us
by the day. Arguably, the biggest shift was in how business
responded, acting as a catalyst to empower millions of people
around the world to come together (virtually) in a collective
movement for good fueled by individual passion and purpose.

7

A Look Back: The Power Shift of Purpose
Right off the start, 2020 proved it was going to be a year
unlike any other. In just the first two months of the new
decade, Australia was hit with devastating wildfires; the world
watched as Brexit became a reality; Donald Trump faced an
impeachment trial; the World Health Organization announced
a deadly coronavirus had emerged in Wuhan, China; Harvey
Weinstein was convicted in a watershed moment for the#metoo movement; and Ahmaud Arbery — an innocent Blackman out for a jog — was murdered.
At the same time, we were coming off the biggest year Benevity
and our corporate clients had ever had with record-breaking
Goodness. In 2019 alone, corporations, their employees,
customers and communities contributed $1,419,006,823 indonations, 127,047 unique grants were awarded by companies,
8,623,323 hours of volunteering were tracked and 70,919
positive actions were completed in support of 165,423 causes
in 111 countries through Benevity’s platform. The growth in ourcollective impact was staggering and we were rolling into 2020
with all the tailwinds of purpose at our backs. Business wasnamed the most trusted institution in Edelman’s annual Trust
Barometer, ESG was taking center stage and corporations werestarting to get real about climate action with Larry Fink
declaring “climate risk is investment risk.” Stakeholder
capitalism was crystallizing as a concept as we marked the

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

anniversary of the landmark Business Roundtable committing
to a broader definition of corporate purpose. Purpose was
becoming more than a buzzword.
The timing was just right for corporate purpose professionals
from many of the world’s most beloved brands to gather at
Benevity’s annual conference, Goodness Matters. In sunny Palm
Springs, we passionately exchanged all of the creative ways wewould activate purpose, engage employees and customers inmeaningful action, and ensure companies were equipped
to be responsive to crisis and proactive about embedding
purpose into their core business, recognizing it as the fuelfor long-term resiliency and sustainability — for businessand communities alike.

8A Look Back: The Power Shift of Purpose

Then came March, and the COVID-19 virus had spread acrossthe world, resulting in a global pandemic with mass lockdowns
and workforces everywhere — except for essential workers —being mandated to work from home. Ready or not, business had
to pivot to a completely new way of working in the face of severe
economic uncertainty. And it was only a matter of weeks before
the deep ramifications became clear, not only in the logistical“how” of work, but also in mental health and well-being, a senseof connection to one’s workplace and colleagues, and a needand desire for corporations to provide employees andcustomers with a sense of efficacy and impact during a global
crisis — in their professional lives and their personal lives, too.
In spite of (and because of) this, within eight weeks of these
events we saw more than 500 companies and 450,000 of theirpeople give $640 million in donations, 786,000 volunteer hours,
53,000 small acts of Goodness and 8,648 corporate grants to
support 79,000 global causes.

Corporations quickly mobilized to support a nonprofit sector
deeply impacted by the global lockdown and pivoted theirprograms to a digital-first strategy, unifying and engaging
employees through a purpose-driven culture in a new remotereality. They deployed special donation matching campaigns(reaching as high as 5:1!), virtual volunteering and unrestrictedgrants at record speed. The most purpose-driven companies
went further, by expanding their corporate purpose programs
to be more global, by including and rewarding volunteer acts ofkindness and acts of Goodness that capture a broader range of
positive actions and behaviors, and by releasing smaller community grants in addition to large strategic grants. Many companies
also launched customer engagement initiatives for the first timeto rally the support of their broader networks. By the middle ofMay, we witnessed significant increases in the share of total
donation volume with the most notable changes in the
categories of human services (+24%), food security (+268%),
public safety and disaster preparedness/relief (+57%),
community improvement (+57%) and employment (+141%).

Donations to causes supporting social justice and racial equity in 2020

Only a few months later, reactions to the murders of Ahmaud
Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd were building, sparking
a groundswell of support for racial equity and justice. As the Black
Lives Matter movement swept across the globe, consumers andemployees demanded tangible action from the brands they work
for and buy from. In June 2020, another record was set with over$300 million in donations going to 64,000 nonprofits throughthe Benevity platform in a single month. Donations supportingsocial justice and racial equity made up 51% of June’s donations
with $166 million contributed versus $10 million in May. This
represents a staggering 15x increase. For the first time in
Benevity’s history, nonprofits in these cause categories made up
nearly all of the top 10 recipient organizations. Countless more
people got involved through their companies’ corporate purpose
programs, tracking 434,000 volunteer hours (up 16% from May
2020) and 29,000 positive actions (up 250% from May 2020).

May

June

A staggering$10,000,000$166,000,000

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

15x

increase in donations

Source: Leading With Purpose Labs Report9A Look Back: The Power Shift of Purpose

Much like when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and CEOs
advocated for awareness and action, they again lent their voices
to advocate for racial equity and justice and helped to drive thesurge in support. Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai andElastic’s Shay Banon publicly announced employee donation
matching, bringing tangible action to their statements. Many
more companies engaged employees in a variety of ways, suchas signing petitions and promoting learning, awareness and behavioral change. They also increased support for Black-foundedcauses through Benevity’s exclusive partnership with Give Blck.
Once again, businesses engaged their customers and communities. Funds donated through their public giving portals to racialand social justice causes increased by over 22x and corporate
grants disbursed to those causes went up by a staggering 191x
from May to June 2020. Unfortunately, in a trend that we see
repeated all too often when a problem is no longer perceived
as acute by the news cycle, giving to this cause category
plummeted to 5% of donation volume six months later.
As October rolled around and the U.S. election season
kicked off, it became clear that misinformation and distrustin government was at an all-time high. And all of this —combined with the ongoing global pandemic — could havevery real stakes for the outcome of the November election.
Corporations showed support by joining the Time to Votecampaign and continuing to provide opportunities for theirpeople to volunteer in support of the elections. Some employers
also took on the mantle of “the most trusted source of
information” by providing their people with learning andawareness content through their corporate purpose programs,
to help educate them on the elections process, spotting
misinformation and understanding COVID-19’s impact on theelections. While many corporations have historically remained

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

politically abstinent, this year saw more companies venturing
into the political realm in a non-partisan way. When you consider
the toll people were under this year, helping them access trusted
information and vetted causes through company resources andprograms offered a sense of relief. This progressive investment
in access to information isn’t surprising given the appetite for
employees and consumers to see CEOs and business take moreof a stand on societal issues and to empower them to make better
values-driven decisions.
As the end of the year came upon us, many of the corporate
purpose professionals who we surveyed said they feared theonset of donor fatigue, crisis fatigue and fatigue in general.
Typically, most giving happens in the last three months of the year,
but the significant spikes in giving in March and April, and again
in June, disrupted the normal cycle. However, the momentum
never slowed. People continued taking action, not only in response
to major events but on a number of other personal issues andcauses that required attention in what was a challenging year for
nonprofits. And they weren’t just giving more often; incentivized by
the businesses that were running successful matching campaigns,
they were also giving more of their own money. In fact, 51% more
people donated through corporate purpose programs and theygave 41% more dollars per donation. Virtual volunteering also
started to gain traction during the last few months of the year as
more companies and nonprofits found a new digital approach toin-person activities.

These CEOs publicly
announced employee
donation matchingbacking up theirstatements with action.

Tim Cook, Apple

Sundar Pichai, Google

Shay Banon, Elastic

51%

more people gave throughcorporate purpose programs

41%

more dollars per donation

10

A Look Back: The Power Shift of Purpose

In the final month, as 2020 came to a close, Benevity and its
clients achieved yet another record. On GivingTuesday alone,
Dec. 1, 2020, $55.5 million was raised in support of 44,600
nonprofits through the Benevity platform, an increase of
61% over the $34 million raised in 2019. In addition, more than
100,000 volunteer hours and 1,200 positive actions were logged
on that day. Overall, more than 62,000 people from more than
400 companies participated in this global day of giving throughthe Benevity platform alone. More than 44% of the $55.5 million
was given by individuals, while 56% was matching dollars fromcompanies. Corporate grants made up around 3% of the total.

And it didn’t stop there. In the final month of a tumultuous
year, Benevity and its clients tracked more than 3 million actsof Goodness and processed $375 million in donations throughits platform — 20% more than the previous monthly donation
record set in June 2020. In addition, 1.5 million volunteer hours
were tracked, even with in-person volunteering restrictions dueto the pandemic, and we saw a 346% growth in positive actions
completed for the month, compared to December 2019.
Interestingly, the companies that took part in Benevity’scollective action challenge, “Dear 2020,” and who promoted
the theme, saw median growth of 30% in engagement with a
two-point lift in participation in their programs.

GivingTuesday donations

Positive actions completed+61%$55.5m$34m+346%

13,451
Missions completed

The creativity and innovation we saw from progressive
corporate purpose leaders this past year, as we all navigateduncharted waters, is truly inspiring and demonstrative ofwhat is possible when we prize ingenuity and adaptability. And
it is very likely that these trailblazers have defined the beginningof a more disruptive approach to corporate social responsibility
that will shape corporate purpose in the years to come. If you
want to know what the state of corporate purpose will look likein a hybrid world, look no further than the trends we discoveredin the pages that follow.

3,022
Dec. 3, 2019

Dec. 1, 2020

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Dec. 2019

Dec. 2020

11

2020

Some of Our Collective Impact

The confluence of current market dynamics and unexpected
events led to a record-breaking year for corporate purpose,as exemplified by the impact generated by the Benevity client
community. With purpose being recognized as a key componentof long-term business resilience and sustainability by some of
the world’s leading investment and asset management firms,
impact and budgets in this area were expected to groworganically in 2020. However, that growth was significantly
accelerated and amplified by the global pandemic and thenthe racial equity movement in the first half of 2020. Together,
these dynamics and events drove a significant increase inalmost all aspects of corporate purpose.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

2020

Benevity Community
Impact Report

Total Donations

Volunteer Hours

Missions Completed

Causes Supported

Grants Awarded

$2.3B

6.9M

193K

202K

92K

+62% YOY-20% YOY+172% YOY

+22% YOY-28% YOY**Although we saw a 28% decrease in the number of grants issued year over year, we saw a 60% increase in dollars granted.

12

2020 Benevity Community Impact Report

Everyone Gave More
In 2020, we saw corporate giving through our platform grow indollars by 61%, while individual giving grew slightly more — by67%. In assessing the data, we identified a “match multipliereffect” in which the higher the matching rate, the more dollars
an individual gave, proving that matching incentives don’t
just drive greater participation and overall donation
volume, they also incentivize individuals to donate moreof their own dollars. Additionally, we saw an exponential
rise in the number of companies engaging customers andcommunity members in giving campaigns, with public giving
growing by 137% year over year. All of this was underpinned by
a 51% year-over-year growth in the number of unique donors.
From a geographical perspective, we saw donations grow inNorth America by a staggering 64% year over year, compared
to a 20% growth rate in the previous two years. Increased giving
was not just a North American phenomenon, as we saw giving in
the rest of the world grow by 58% year over year.

Corporate Giving

Individual Giving

+67%
+137%

Public Giving

Number of Unique Donors

Non–North American Giving

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

+61%

+51%
+58%

13

2020 Benevity Community Impact Report

A New Metric in
Corporate Purpose:
Acts of Goodness
Last year, Benevity started tracking a new data point called“acts of Goodness.” This new metric is intended to capture awider breadth of actions in corporate programs, going beyond
the typical ways people do good (giving and volunteering) toinclude those activities that propel more Goodness. For
example, publishing and promoting an opportunity to learn
about a cause or issue, or to donate or volunteer; publishing
an impact story or a news article that encourages people toget involved; creating or supporting a Peer Matching campaign;
visiting the program site and browsing the content; and more.
Acts of Goodness comprise actions from the many constituentsin the Goodness ecosystem, including nonprofits, corporate
program leaders and the individuals who are part of these
programs, whether they are employees, members of the public
or customers of our clients. The three categories show the shift
in the ways companies are activating purpose.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Interestingly, we saw an almost 10% increase in the “Encouraging
Goodness” category this past year. The growth was primarily
driven by an increase in corporate campaigns that provided
donation currency to people, enticing them to donate to thenonprofit of their choice. Donation currency incentives are often
given as part of new employees’ onboarding at a company, as
rewards and recognition for career or project milestones, or asa way of marking special occasions like GivingTuesday. They arealso offered within a brand’s products, during online or offline
checkout experiences, or as part of loyalty programs. Other
drivers of growth in this category stemmed from the uptake
in promoting learning and encouraging positive action throughMissions, as well as the massive increase in the number of Peer
Matching campaigns at the end of 2020.

1. Encouraging Goodness: This category captures many of theways companies, nonprofits and individuals promote Goodness,
including creating giving campaigns, volunteering events andopportunities, and new Missions; seeding user Giving Accounts
with donation currency; and more.
2. Approaching Goodness: This category includes behaviors
that act as leading indicators of engagement, like visiting acompany’s program site via a web browser or mobile device.
3. Engaging in Goodness: This category captures and measuresprogram “outputs,” like donating, volunteering, granting,matching and taking action.

Growth of Acts of Goodness in 2020

+9%

-2%

+15%

Encouraging

Approaching

Engaging inGoodness

Goodness

Goodness

Giving Opportunities Created
Causes Sessions
Causes Claimed
Donation Currency Incentives
Volunteer Rewards
Activities CreatedMissions CreatedNews Articles CreatedPeer Matches CreatedAccepted Terms of Use
Sessions
Mobile Sessions

Matching Transactions
Corporate Donations
Grants Disbursed by Benevity
User Donations
Mission Activity Completions
Mission Signups
Volunteer Submissions
Volunteer Signups

14

2020 Benevity Community Impact Report2020 Top 10 Causes
Supported by Companies
and Their People
As individuals flocked to help nonprofits and people in theircommunities, and respond in local ways to systemic issues brought
to light by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, neworganizations began to appear in the list of top causes.
From a donation perspective, the Top 10 Causes received$232 million and were among the 193,370 nonprofit organizations
that saw a record-breaking $2.3 billion donated through the Benevity
platform in 2020 — a 63% increase over the previous year.
Over 300,000 organizations across the globe have received funds
through the Benevity platform to date.

Racial justice, equity and education

2019
Rank

Returning Top 10 Causes

Food security

2020
Rank

561

+ 560

1

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

154

+ 152

2

Equal Justice Initiative

6

+3

3

American Civil Liberties Union

3

-1

4

Red Cross

4

-1

5

Doctors Without Borders+ 18,058

6

Fiscal Sponsor for Black Lives Matter Global Network

82

+ 75

7

Feeding America

31

+ 23

8

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

1

-8

9

St. Jude Children‘s Research Hospital+ 29,469

10

Armenia Fund, Inc.

18,06429,506

International conflict

All local chapters of national organizations (e.g., Red Cross) have been consolidated for ranking purposes.
Charity aggregators that distribute funds to multiple organizations, as well as private foundations for specific companies, have been excluded.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

15

2020 Benevity Community Impact Report

Key Findings

51%of all donations
went to racial justiceand equity causes

Among the Top 10 Causes, the four nonprofits supporting
racial justice and equity received more than half of the
donations (51%). NAACP, Equal Justice Initiative and ACLU
held the top three positions, and in sixth place was Thousand
Currents (official fiscal sponsor of the Black Lives Matter Global
Network Project from 2016 to mid-2020).

58%

more donations

The Top 10 Causes of 2019 collectively received 58% more
donations in 2020 and four nonprofits made the list two years
in a row: ACLU, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and St. JudeChildren’s Research Hospital.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

14x
7.5x

2,700%
increase YOY

Feeding America and Second Harvest of Silicon Valley saw adramatic year-over-year increase in donations, 14x and 7.5x
respectively, indicating a desire for people to provide foodsecurity for those experiencing a loss of income during the
COVID-19 pandemic.

2.2x

2.3x

The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders both received
well over double the amount of donations this year over last,despite each dropping one spot in the Top 10 Causes ranking.

Donations to the Armenia Fund skyrocketed from several
thousand dollars annually to millions as the Nagorno-Karabakh
war began in late September.

51.9%
American

17.9% Australian
17.6% Lebanese
4.1% Canadian
2.2% British
1.6% Italian

51% of Red Cross donations went to the American Red
Cross, followed by the Australian, Lebanese, Canadian, British
and Italian societies.

16

2020 Benevity Community Impact Report

Volunteering declined before rebounding in Q4*

Volunteering: The Notable Exception
Overall, volunteering hours dipped by 20% year over year,
or by 1,750,000 hours. This unsurprising decrease is primarily
due to the physical nature of volunteering and the popularity
of in-real-life volunteer events, days or months of service,
and annual companywide events bringing volunteers and thecommunity together. The timing of the global lockdown fromMarch through May had a severe impact, since this is typicallythe busy season for volunteering.
As with many location-based activities, we saw volunteering
shift to a hybrid model with a significant growth in both theproportion and number of hours logged as virtual volunteering
versus location-based volunteering. We noted a recovery in the
final quarter of the year as companies pivoted their programs
to include more virtual volunteering opportunities their people
could partake in from the safety of their own homes, and as
nonprofits found ways to safely engage volunteers withadherence to local COVID-19 protocols. This change indicatesthat many corporations and nonprofits successfully pivoted tovirtual by the end of the year.

Q1

Q2

Q4

-3%

-11%

More data and insight on the shift to hybrid and virtual
volunteering can be found in the Companies Expand Their
Definition of Impact section of the report.

-40%
The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Q3

-36%

*Based on YOY comparison to the same quarters in 2019.

17

2020 Benevity Community Impact Report

Nonprofit Growth and Efficacy
As lockdowns and physical distancing forced nonprofits to cancel
their largest fundraising events and get leaner with administrative
costs, companies and their people stepped up to help. Last year,
through the Benevity platform, nearly 40,000 more nonprofits
received donation support compared to the year before —an example of how the rise in the power of the individual(and corporate support for that empowerment) can expand
impact through action directed toward causes that resonate
with people's personal passions and purpose.

More nonprofits received support in 2020
193,370 nonprofits received support. That’s a 25% year-over-yearincrease or nearly 40,000 additional causes receiving funds last year.

Top 10 countries
receiving support

New countries
receiving support

United States
CanadaUnited Kingdom
Australia
Germany
Ireland
India
FranceIsraelItaly

BermudaCyprus
JordanPalestine
Cayman IslandsCôte d‘Ivoire
Dominican Republic
Mali
Albania
BhutanBurkina Faso
El Salvador
GuineaJamaica
KuwaitMauritius
Myanmar
Qatar
RwandaYemen

More countries were represented
Nonprofits in 20 more countries received donations in 2020.
That’s an 18% increase from 111 countries in 2019 to 131 in 2020.

90%

Payment efficiency and reliability of donations
is a critical success factor in corporate purpose

99.4%

of all funds were successfully
disbursed by Benevity in 2020

34%
Closest Vendor

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Many companies still distribute a significant amount of funds to nonprofits via check.
Not only are checks prone to becoming lost, misdirected or uncashed, but they also create
more administrative time and cost for both the nonprofits receiving them and the companies
sending them (not to mention the environmental impact of flying them around the world!).
Benevity sends 90% of funds electronically, versus 34% by the next closest vendor. This method
has eliminated roughly 860,000 checks per year, and most importantly, the corresponding
losses that would have statistically followed, resulting in $60 million in donations being
deposited into nonprofits’ bank accounts that might never have made it.

Benevity

18

Trends
in Corporate Purpose

Last year, we witnessed a number of expected andunexpected trends that shaped the corporate purpose
landscape. We believe that, to some degree, all of thesetrends will be solidified as future “best practices” forcorporate purpose programs, and we hope to see themcontinue as a positive legacy of what was an incrediblychallenging year.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

1

Corporate Purpose Shifts From
Statements to Action

2

Grassroots Passions
Fuel Collective Movements

3

Companies Expand Their
Definition of Impact

4

Trust-Based Philanthropy Takes Hold

5

Purpose-Driven Customer Engagement
Is on the Rise19

1
Corporate Purpose
Shifts From
Statements to Action

with brands that walk the talk: those who take authentic,
transparent, measurable action on the critical issues of ourtimes and don’t just make statements about them.
This shift toward a more action-oriented approach to corporate
purpose was already well underway before the seismic eventsof last year, and it will continue long after, but the crises of 2020
accelerated the shift. Last year, more companies executed on
corporate purpose in tangible and transparent ways, despite
economic uncertainty. With statements came announcementsof social investments, as well as employee and customer
campaigns, providing proof of purpose in the moment.
In 2020, Benevity saw a 16% year-over-year growth in thenumber of companies adopting its technology to power theircorporate purpose programs, helping them deliver tangible
action on the issues that matter to their constituents.

Growth in companies using corporate purpose software by industry
You will find dozens of reports about the failure of businessto live up to people’s expectations when it comes to corporate
purpose, but this isn’t one of those reports.
In terms of advances like minimum wage increases,
environmental sustainability and diversity in the workforce,
there is certainly a lot of work still to be done. Companies have
had years to make meaningful changes on these issues, and the2019 Business Roundtable saw 181 CEOs make commitmentson them to all stakeholders, ushering in a new era of
stakeholder capitalism.
But look closely and you’ll see that corporate purpose is verymuch taking shape, and taking hold, where all great movements
do — with a groundswell propelled by the people. Companies
are listening to their employees, customers, investors andcommunity organizations who are defining what stakeholder
capitalism looks like by selectively choosing who to work for, buy
from, invest in and partner with. On all counts, they are going

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Software
Manufacturing
FinanceBusiness Services
Energy, Utilities & Waste
RetailMedia & Internet
Other
Real Estate
Healthcare Services
Insurance
Hospitals & Physicians Clinics
Construction
Telecommunications
Law Firms & Legal Services
Hospitality

22%
17%
15%
10%
6%
6%
5%
5%
3%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%

+16%
621

534

2019

2020

20

Trend #1: Corporate Purpose Shifts From Statements to Action

Despite Uncertainty, Investment in
Corporate Purpose Grew

Purpose-driven companies performbetter in every way

In 2020, despite major economic uncertainty and turmoil insome industries, corporate purpose budgets mostly remained
unchanged or grew, according to a survey of 101 Benevity
clients. In the survey, we found that 30% of budgets grew,
50% remained the same and 18% were reduced. We also heardthat some companies activated disaster relief budgets in theface of both the pandemic and racial justice movements,
ensuring their year-round budget was not negatively impacted
by these unforeseen events.

In the boardroom and across business, it’s universally agreed(and empirically proven) that companies that successfully merge
business goals with responsible ESG practices are the mostprofitable, sustainable and resilient. Many businesses arequickly discovering that their corporate purpose programs
play an instrumental role in driving ESG outcomes and that anauthentic people- and culture-focused ESG strategy is the most
likely to succeed — by all standards.

Many companies are mature on the“E” and “G” in ESG. The “S” is starting to takeshape as companies and individuals coalesce
around societal and human issues andmake them a priority.

2020 corporate purpose budgets

Reduced57%

18%

Less employee
turnover**Increased

Unchanged

6%

Higher market value*

30%

50%

20%

More revenue*

88%

of ESG investors believe the importance of“S” will increase post-COVID-19.***Source: 2020 survey of 101 Benevity clients

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

ES G

*

Project ROI, 2015 | ** Benevity Goodness Engagement Study, 2018 | *** Procencus investor survey by Morningstar, April 202021

Trend #1: Corporate Purpose Shifts From Statements to Action

An Evolving “Why” forCorporate Purpose
With remote work becoming ubiquitous in 2020, and thephysical distancing requirements as a result of COVID-19,
companies started to consider a new raison d’être for theircorporate purpose programs, especially as it pertains toemployee engagement. In our 2020 client survey, we found that
more companies saw the mounting value of these programs inbuilding culture and engagement alongside purely driving
positive social outcomes like traditional employee giving
programs. While 59% of corporate purpose leaders felt these
programs were critical for helping nonprofits in times of need,almost as many — 58% — felt they were valuable for fostering
employee connection and 49% indicated their programs became
more critical than ever to building culture.
As we enter the post-COVID world (hopefully soon!), the changes
to the employee experience and the prevalence of remote work
will make the connective and unifying elements of corporate
purpose programs even more critical in attracting, retaining
and engaging workers.

58%

fostering
employee connection

59%

helping nonprofits
in times of need49%

building culture

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Source: Benevity client survey, Fall 202022

Trend #1: Corporate Purpose Shifts From Statements to Action

Global Goodness Continues to Grow
Last year, as grassroots movements and global crises swept
across the globe, we witnessed a growing need to support
employees with access to hyper-local causes and content,
and to provide nonprofits with community grants. This
accelerated the growth of global corporate purpose programs.
Correspondingly, in 2020, 67% of companies and their people
gave internationally (up 32% year over year) and 64% offeredglobal employee engagement programs (up 31% year over year).
This past year, 39% of Benevity clients added international
users in 126 countries. The expansion came in three waves: firstin response to COVID-19, as companies sought to engage all of
their employees and customers in global pandemic relief efforts
at the local level. The second wave came in the summer in
response to the groundswell around racial equity. The thirdcame in the fall as more companies launched their corporate
purpose programs in time for the giving season.

Global programs grew in 2020

Gave Internationally

2019

2020

67%
60%

Offered Global Employee
Engagement Programs

64%

An All-Encompassing Approachto Action
Traditionally, companies have been somewhat restrictive inwhat “counts” toward action in their corporate purpose programs,
especially when it comes to employee and customer actions,as they have been hamstrung by the need for verifiability andauditability. However, in an empowered, social media–driven
world, action is taking on a much broader definition. It can
include anything from consuming content to learning, dialoguing,
sharing, signing a petition, commenting or inviting others to join
in on the action.

61%

As the corporate purpose space matures, we’re seeing morecompanies launching with global programs right out of thegates. And with diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging beingat the top of the executive agenda, we expect to see inclusive
global programs becoming the standard, especially as wecollectively tackle global issues like equity, climate and health.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

23

2Grassroots Passions
Fuel Collective
Movements

Key Moments Lead to Movements

March through May. Then, an exponential spike in support forsocial justice and racial equity came in June following news of
the killing of George Floyd and other Black people. By the endof the year, the “giving season” was in full swing, dispelling any
concerns about donor fatigue slowing down giving in the latterpart of the year.

This year, we saw seasonal donation trends disrupted as aresult of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted a swift shift
toward support for human services and food security fromDonation volumes through Benevity platform (CAD millions)

Traditional, top-down corporate philanthropy has been largely
replaced with a more authentic and empowered approach inrecent years. And, we were already beginning to see a notablerise in people-powered movements prior to 2020. But the recent
crises and events sparked unprecedented grassroots action and2020 became the year fueled by the power of the individual —backed by their employers and the brands they buy from —to create impact from the bottom up.
In a year of isolation and uncertainty, when people craved
connection, meaning and efficacy, companies met people where
they were. They provided the means and impetus to be okaywith not being okay, to take action, to feel part of something
bigger than themselves and their own challenges, and to gaina personal sense of purpose and impact.

2020

2019

400
Response to
COVID-19350

Response to
George Floyd‘sdeath

Giving season showedno signs of donor fatigue

300
250
200
150
100
50
0

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

Jun.

Jul.

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

24

Trend #2: Grassroots Passions Fuel Collective Movements

The Pandemic Response

Notable changes in causes supported during peak of COVID response*

In just eight weeks following the announcement that COVID-19
had become a global pandemic, more than 500 companies
and 450,000 of their people drove $640 million in donations,
786,000 volunteer hours, 53,000 small acts of Goodness and8,648 corporate grants to support 79,000 global nonprofits.
The most notable changes in the share of donation dollars
among categories were in human services (+24%), food security(+268%), public safety and disaster preparedness/relief (+57%),
community improvement (+57%) and employment (+141%).

+268%

+141%

The pandemic response in just 8 weeks

500+ Companies
450,000 Employees$640,000,000 Donated786,000 Volunteer Hours
53,000 Acts of Goodness
8,648 Corporate Grants+24%
Human Services

Food Security

79,000 Global Causes
The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

*

+57%

+57%

Public Safety
and Disaster
Preparedness/Relief

Community
Improvement

Employment

Increases represent the share of donation dollars to cause categories eight weeks post-pandemic declaration, compared to the eight weeks prior.

25

Trend #2: Grassroots Passions Fuel Collective Movements

Top 10 social justice and equity causes

The Racial Injustice Response
In June, a record was set for the most donations in a single
month through the Benevity platform, with over $300 million
going to 64,000 nonprofits. For the first time ever, organizations
supporting social justice and racial equity made up nearly allof the Top 10 Causes for the month, and they accounted for
51% of June’s total donation volume, with $166 million
contributed versus $10 million in May — a staggering
15x increase.
Countless more people got involved in other ways, tracking
434,000 volunteer hours (up 16% from May) and 29,000
positive actions (up 250% from May). And businesses
engaged their customers, with funds donated through their
Benevity-powered public giving portals to racial justice causes
increasing by over 22x.
Unfortunately, funding for racial equity causes abated in thelast half of the year, falling to just 5% of donation share in
December, showing a gap between intention and action,and very likely driven by changes to the news cycle.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

May 2020
Rank

June 2020
Rank

Share of total donations going tosocial justice causes in 2020

May

12%

June

51%

July

22%

24

+ 23

1

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

23

+ 21

2

Equal Justice Initiative

96

+ 93

3

Thousand Currents (Black Lives Matter)

18

+ 14

4

American Civil Liberties Union

46

+ 41

5

NAACP Empowerment Programs+ 4,744

6

Code.org

124

+ 117

7

Bail Project

51

+ 43

8

Center for Policing Equity

August

8%

55

+ 46

9

Faith in Action Network

September

7%

428

+ 418

10

Race Forward

October6%

November

6%

December

5%

4,750

26

Trend #2: Grassroots Passions Fuel Collective Movements

Special Matching Got More Special in 2020
The vast majority of companies with corporate matching
programs offer a 1:1 match year-round, with occasional special
matches of 2:1 or even 3:1 or 4:1 during campaigns. In 2020,
84% of companies ran special matching campaigns beyond theirstandard year-round matching, with match rates reaching as
high as 5:1. We know that when a match is offered, it leads to
80% higher average donation participation, but as we drilled into
the data we discovered a “match multiplier effect” in which thehigher the matching rate, the more dollars an individual gave.

Our data shows that these special matches led to 51% more
people donating through their corporate purpose programsin 2020 versus 2019, and of those who did, they increased
their personal contributions by 41%. The increase in individual
donors corresponded with the crisis inflection points when mostcompanies were running campaigns. New donors made up three
to five times their normal share in the first seven months of 2020and seven times their share in June.

“Thank you, Abbott, for your generosityand kindness in helping those impacted
by the COVID-19 crisis. With my donation
and Abbott’s match, the Houston Food
Bank will be able to offer an additional
2,000 meals. Finally, thank you Abbott

3:1

4:1

5:1

7.6x

4x

3.4x

80%

2.8x

higher average donation
participation when match offeredJan.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

*

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

Response to
George Floyd's death

2:1

researchers and scientists for theamazing contributions you’ve madeResponse to
COVID-19

1:1

Growth of first-time donors in 2020*
Response toAustralian wildfires

Special matching campaigns

Jun.

during this pandemic!”— Abbott Laboratories Employee

2x

Jul.

First-time donor share was slightly lower in January and March but surged to make up several times the expected share in the first seven months of 2020 with a peak of more than 7.5x higher percentage share in June.

27

Trend #2: Grassroots Passions Fuel Collective Movements

Peer-Led Movements Took Off
Benevity’s Peer Matching feature took off when it was launched in
October 2020, providing individuals with the power to lead and amplify
their own movements around causes they cared about personally. The
feature was still in its early stages, but it proved to be the right solution
at the right time for companies that had used up their yearly budgets orthat didn’t want to ask their people to give yet again when donor fatigue
was a concern.
The introduction of Peer Matching resulted in 4,630 individual
peer matches being created, with $13 million in matching and$39 million in user donations, for a total of $52 million of collective
impact. It also inspired 37,000 first-time participants who may havebeen looking for a sense of community and connection in an otherwise
isolating time.

People are...

50%

more likely to give if
asked by a friend or colleague

80%

more likely to give whena match is offered

Qmunity Resource Center

What Is Peer Matching?
Peer Matching is the next innovation in matching. It enables individuals
to create their own giving opportunities, add a match from their own
funds and then open it up to their co-workers to either donate (andreceive the match) or join the match pool. In this way, Peer Matchingis a feature that empowers individuals to create a movement with theirown funds based on their own passions.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

28

Trend #2: Grassroots Passions Fuel Collective Movements

The Power of Payroll
In a year when finances may have been tight for some people, theability to donate in small amounts was critical. For the first time,
the number of companies offering payroll donations — whichmakes micro-donations easier for donors and more cost-effective
for nonprofits — tipped over into the majority.

51%

55%

In 2020, 51% of companies offered payroll giving and 55% of all
donations were made via payroll. Our data shows that when
payroll giving is offered, companies see 53% higher average
donation participation as it enables everyone to give in amounts
and frequencies that are easily managed regardless of theirpersonal banking situation or their desire or ability to donate
using a credit card.

of companies offered
payroll giving.

of all donations weremade via payroll.

When Crisis Hit, Content Was Queen
According to our client survey, corporate purpose professionals
cited time and resource constraints as one of their biggest
challenges in 2020. So, it’s unsurprising we saw a 50% year-overyear increase in the adoption of Benevity’s Content Streams, which
serves up trending and popular cause recommendations as an easy
way for people to join movements around newsworthy events.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

53%

higher average donation
participation when
payroll is offered.

+176% number of donors+50%

of companies using
Content Streams.**+348% number of donations+114% dollars per donation**+859% total donation amount**

Increases based on YoY comparison between 2019 and 2020.

29

Trend #2: Grassroots Passions Fuel Collective Movements

Choice Drove Participation
and Action

Future Movements Will Be Poweredby People, Propelled by Companies

In what was a particularly difficult year for nonprofits,people continued to support personal and local causes they’re
passionate about in categories not directly related to crisis
response, including education, animal welfare, the arts andothers. Notably, religious organizations appeared second only
to human services in the causes most supported through publicgiving campaigns run by companies. And according to the Giving
USA 2020 Report, giving to religious organizations grew 2.3% lastyear, while support for education, the arts, animals and theenvironment all saw double-digit growth.

In 2020, best practices became common practices: offering
the choice of which nonprofits to support, incentivizing giving
through special matching and donation currency rewards, andmaking donating easier and more accessible through payroll.
And many companies went further to make special matches
more special and in empowering their people to create theirown giving opportunities and even add their own matching.

This data highlights the fact that what people are passionate
about in their personal lives transfers into how and where theywant to give through a business relationship. More companies
are beginning to recognize that offering broad choice in thetypes of causes people can support is essential to driving thatengagement. That’s why 89% of companies include religiousorganizations in their programs, and when they do, they see
52% higher donation participation, 40% higher volunteer
participation and a 14% higher terms of use acceptance rate,
indicating that access to these causes inspires new participantsto get involved.

Tips for including
religious organizations

This past year showed us that individuals are capable of greatthings when they are empowered with the tools, technology
and support they need to move from inertia to action. Whenthey are able to rally their networks, they build momentum
around causes and that leads to movements. As we continue
to collectively tackle issues around equity, climate, health andwell-being, and more, we will see people-powered movements
becoming the standard, and the companies backing them willlead on every business metric.

Inclusion of religious organizations
leads to higher participation

+14%
44.9%

No religious orgs
With religious orgs

39.5%

+52%
20.7%

+40%
3.1%

13.6%

4.4%

Volunteer
participation

Donation
participation

Acceptanceof TOUOur data shows a significant demand and opportunity for more companies to consider making religious causes available to donors — either with orwithout a match — as a way to deepen engagement. In Benevity’s platform, matching can be limited to community projects sponsored by churches orother religious organizations (such as food pantry programs) where the funds are solely directed to the specific project rather than the organization
itself. This allows companies to include more of the nonprofits that people are clearly passionate about without supporting evangelical activities.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

30

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Unfortunately, the growth in virtual volunteering was not able
to make up for the shortfall created by the precipitous fall of
location-based opportunities.

Virtual
Total volunteering opportunities created

100

9,000

90

8,000

80

7,000

70

6,000

60

5,000

50

4,000

40

3,000

30

Dec.

Nov.

Oct.

Sep.

Aug.

Jul.

Jun.

May

Apr.

Mar.

Feb.

Dec.

Nov.

Oct.

Sep.

0
Aug.

0
Jul.

1,000

Jun.

10

Jan.

2,000

20

Jan.

Post-2020, a broader approach to impact is becoming
table stakes.

A total of 61,211 virtual volunteer opportunities were created in the
Benevity platform in 2020. Halfway through the year, the share ofvirtual versus location-based volunteering began leaning heavily infavor of the former, with virtual volunteering comprising 61% of allopportunities by December 2020 or accounting for 42% of the fullyear’s share of volunteer opportunities.

% of volunteering opportunities created

May

COVID-19 illuminated a need to change and adapt, andover the past year we’ve seen companies lean into a broader
definition of what it means to do good. In a time when people
craved connection to their co-workers, communities andsomething bigger than themselves, and engaging employees
became inexorably challenging, companies quickly pivoted theirstrategies to meet their people where they were.

Location-based

Apr.

The ways people do good in their everyday lives have beenchanging for years, but CSR hadn’t necessarily caught up —until 2020. Actions like recycling or signing a human rights
petition are the norm for individuals in their personal lives.
But for companies, offering opportunities beyond the traditional
confines of volunteering and giving had been reserved for the
few that were cutting edge.

As mentioned earlier in the report, the first pivot that companies
made was to virtual volunteering. The timing of the global
lockdown in March, right before the busy volunteer season andjust weeks before National Volunteer Week in North America,
left companies either abandoning their plans or rewriting thevolunteering playbook on the fly. While overall volunteering was
down 20% year over year, it began to recover by the final quarterof 2020 when many companies and nonprofits had found ways tosafely and effectively engage volunteers physically and virtually.

Mar.

Companies
Expand Their Definitionof Impact

Virtual Volunteering Becoming the Norm

Feb.

3

31

Trend #3: Companies Expand Their Definition of Impact

Dolby Laboratories wasted no time in pivoting to virtual
volunteering, beginning in March 2020. They began offering
simple opportunities such as virtual resume workshops andcareer panels that were accessible to every person at every levelof experience. By mid-April, they launched the VolunteerMatch
integration in the Benevity platform to provide more virtual
opportunities for their people, including skills-based options.
Additionally, they built out their virtual strategy not just as away to continue engaging volunteers through the COVID-19
lockdown, but for long-term engagement. These decisions led totheir ability to host a globally inclusive Virtual Dolby Cares Week
in April 2021.

In 2020, Atlassian pivoted quickly to virtual volunteering. They
offered weekly “Do Good Happy Hours” where volunteers met
with a new nonprofit and completed a small activity afterward,
such as card making, calling a senior or coaching students to
prepare for job interviews. These sessions resulted in higher
engagement than in-person volunteering due to lower timecommitment and geo-agnostic activities that enabled employees
to participate from different time zones. The team used thesefindings to transition into quarterly campaigns involving
fundraising, global volunteer activation and a virtual global
week of good.

“We’re building resources that are helpful now as well as for the future successes ofour program. We know that as we come out of this pandemic, whatever that looks like,there will potentially be a lot of people who will continue to work remotely who haven’t
in the past. Because of this, we’re building tools for their continued engagement.”

Simone Price
Community Relations Manager, Dolby Laboratories

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

32

Trend #3: Companies Expand Their Definition of Impact

Volunteer Acts of Kindness
Beyond virtual volunteering, our data shows a record numberof volunteer opportunities in 2020 with no specific nonprofit
attached, which we have defined as “volunteer acts of kindness.”
These actions did not necessarily support a discrete cause, butinstead they directly supported the end recipient, like doing
Zoom crafts with a co-worker’s child or dropping off groceries
for a neighbor in need.
In 2020, 39% of all volunteer opportunities were volunteer
acts of kindness, and companies that expanded their programs
to include this type of volunteering saw participation increase
2.2 times, compared to those that only offered volunteeringwith causes attached.

39%of all volunteer opportunities
were “volunteer acts of kindness”
and were not attached to a
specific nonprofit in 2020.

Companies that expanded
their programs to include“volunteer acts of kindness”
saw participation increase

Warner Bros.
When Warner Bros.’ in-person volunteer events had to becanceled last April, the company decided to expand thedefinition of volunteering with acts of service campaigns.
The studio ran three campaigns — Cleanliness, Kindness andVirtual Volunteering — enabling employees to enact everyday
actions to promote health and well-being in their communities.
Warner Bros.’ kindness campaign featured volunteer acts ofservice to encourage employees to help neighbors and people
in their community, which included making masks for theChildren’s Hospital Los Angeles; buying groceries for people
quarantined at home; joining the Special Olympics Dance
Challenge to share support for inclusion; hosting a digital dance
party, sing-along or book club; starting a neighborhood teddy
bear or rainbow hunt; and writing inspirational chalk messages
on their driveway.

“It is our hope that by
expanding our definitionof volunteerism during thesechallenging times, our employees
will feel supported andempowered to take action
through everyday
acts of goodness.”— Maggie McEldowney
Community Engagement Specialist,
Warner Bros. Entertainment

2.2x

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

33

Trend #3: Companies Expand Their Definition of Impact+244%

Companies: The Source of Trusted
Information (and Action!)

53%

of people believe that when thenews media is absent, corporations
have a responsibility to fill theinformation void.*

For the past few years, the Edelman Trust Barometer has
highlighted “My Employer” as the most trusted source of
information. And 2020 was no different.
With the confusing events flowing from COVID-19 and themurder of Black people, and with so much distrust in media andgovernment, people turned to their employers to help them siftthrough fake news and get a more fact-based perspective. As aresult, we saw companies leaning into their role as a trusted
source of information and incorporating learning and personal
growth as part of their corporate purpose programs. In fact, we
saw a staggering 244% year-over-year growth in the number ofcompanies adding learning and positive actions to their programs,with a 250% growth in the number of activities tracked.

Companies adding learning and positive actions to their programs

Top 3 themes
Health & wellness

Interestingly, the top three themes of activities tracked werearound health and wellness, diversity and inclusion, andenvironmental sustainability. This data highlights the unique rolebusiness has to play in helping people with their personal sense ofwell-being and impact, alongside their professional development.

Diversity & inclusion

2019

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

2020

Environmental sustainability

2021 Edelman Trust Barometer*

34

Trend #3: Companies Expand Their Definition of Impact

Companies: Catalysts for Awarenessand Learning

Participation is higher for companies that offer learning and positive actions*
No Learning/Positive Actions

With Learning/Positive Actions

Adding learning and positive actions to a company’s corporate purpose
initiatives has many benefits, including increased participation in
every aspect of their program. Companies that empower learning andaction see a 47% higher overall participation, 116% higher volunteering
participation, 36% higher giving participation and 24% higher terms ofuse acceptance — signaling that positive actions are an entry point for
Goodness and an engagement driver.

Did you know?

+24%

+47%

Positive actions provide the important awareness and learning
step that often leads to engagement in giving, volunteeringand eventually co-creating opportunities for others to takeaction. Our comparative analysis shows that clients that include
learning and positive actions (like Benevity’s Missions module)
have a 40% greater likelihood of improving their overall
annual participation rates compared to companies that did
not include them.

+116%

Overall Participation

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

+36%

Volunteer Participation

Donation Participation

Acceptance of TOU

Benevity reporting master data warehouse (all-client aggregation)*

35

Trend #3: Companies Expand Their Definition of Impact

Sustained Progress Will Be Critical in a Hybrid Future

As diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) top the
executive agenda, we are seeing more companies recognize
the opportunity to increase the connection between their
DEIB and CSR efforts.
Many companies are activating their DEIB strategies byoffering learning and awareness content through theircorporate purpose programs, thereby creating a single
destination for their people to access information, with theability for program leaders to track and measure engagement.
The learning content is complemented by positive actions an
individual can take to translate the information into inclusive
habits and behaviors that influence them and their networks
and can have a company- or community-wide effect.
DEIB leaders are also engaging their employee resourcegroups (ERGs) to help develop, promote and share this learning
content, alongside opportunities to donate to and volunteer
with organizations that are working in their cause area. This isempowering ERGs to digitally scale their initiatives and impact
across multiple audiences who may otherwise be hard to reach,
especially as travel and live events continue to be restricted.
In the Trust-Based Philanthropy Takes Hold section, we share
how ERGs are also supporting corporate grantmaking
and nonprofit partnerships.

While corporate purpose programs have been evolving foryears, 2020 accelerated the need for companies to reimagine
what impact looks like. The creative ways they solved challenges
in the past year will long outlast the pandemic. Over the next
few years, as more people choose to work from home full timeor part time, and companies hire more remote employees, theworkforce will become more dispersed than ever. Providing
ways to connect will be the key to a healthy workforce, a unified
culture and engaged employees.

EffortPositive Actions Bridge DEIB and CSR

Data from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) in the U.S. and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health(CAMH) in Canada show that loneliness, addiction and othermental health issues continue to climb, despite the illusion of
being connected and “in it together.” So providing a sense ofwell-being, meaning and impact to employees and community
members will be essential.
In short, purpose will matter more than ever and embracing an
expanded definition of impact — with the programmatic changes
that flow from that — will be a must-have, not a nice-to-have.

The Benevity
Goodness Curve

Creates content, organizes others
Volunteers regularly
Gives regularly or strategically
Volunteers with co-workers

Donates to a peer’s giving opportunity
Participates in learning and positive actions
Donates to disaster relief
Occasionally logs in

Time

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

36

4
Trust-Based
Philanthropy
Takes Hold

In 2020, the nonprofit sector was thrown into a crisis of its
own as the economic fallout of COVID-19 meant more people
relied on its services. At the same time, the fundraising andvolunteering events nonprofits relied on had to be canceled.
Many nonprofits worried that support might grind to a halt andthey’d have to close their doors, further exacerbating the effectof the pandemic on vulnerable communities. Meanwhile,organizations on the front lines of COVID-19 needed more
flexibility to move fast in a rapidly changing environment.
The pivot to work from home, the switch to virtual volunteeringand online fundraising, and the need to break through the noise
in a particularly event-driven time were just some of thechallenges nonprofits experienced last year.

Granting strategies took athree-pronged approach:

1

2

3

Larger,more strategic
grantsSmaller
community
grantsFewer
restrictions

Companies had to adapt in the ways they supported nonprofitsand many jumped into action immediately, shifting theircorporate granting strategies to become more multifaceted
and less restrictive.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

37

Trend #4: Trust-Based Philanthropy Takes Hold

Larger, More Strategic Grants
In 2020, companies issued fewer grants overall but gave
more money. Our data shows a 28% decrease in the total
number of grants issued year over year, with a 60% increase
in total dollars granted.
One of the top cause categories supported through granting
was human services, which includes organizations like family
violence shelters, seniors’ centers and emergency assistancefor food, clothing or cash. Nonprofits in the categories of food,agriculture and nutrition, which includes food banks andpantries, and civil rights, social action and advocacy moved up
the ranks by four spots and seven spots respectively. In addition,companies maintained support for their existing cause partners,
with funding for stalwart causes like education and the arts
remaining relatively unchanged.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

2019
RANK

2020
RANK

Top cause categories in granting*

1

—

1

Education2—

2

Human Services

3

—

3

Philanthropy, Volunteerism and Grantmaking Foundations

4

—

4

Health — General and Rehabilitative

5

—

5

Arts, Culture and Humanities

10

+4

6

Food, Agriculture and Nutrition

6

-1

7

International, Foreign Affairs and National Security

7

-1

8

Youth Development

11

+2

9

Community Improvement and Capacity Building

9

-1

10

Public and Societal Benefit

12

+1

11

Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness and Relief

19

+7

12

Civil Rights, Social Action and Advocacy

8

-5

13

Housing and Shelter

13

-1

14

Environmental Quality, Protection and Beautification*
In some cases, grants are not explicitly classified in the database by the category of the recipient.
The table above only includes the rank ordering of recipient causes that were classified in a specific category.

38

Trend #4: Trust-Based Philanthropy Takes Hold

Smaller Community Grants
Many companies mobilized quickly to provide emergency
funding or to unlock more grants by redeploying unusedbudgets marked for sponsorships or physical events. In addition,
25% of companies have integrated granting and employee
engagement programs. Aside from rewarding volunteers or
teams of volunteers with grants to their preferred organizations,
we saw continued interest in employee-nominated programs.
The most notable trend that emerged in 2020 was deeper
corporate engagement with affinity or employee resourcegroups (ERGs) and local employee champions to help informcompanies’ nonprofit engagement strategies and partnerships.
Corporate purpose professionals and DEIB leaders leaned onthese volunteer groups to help identify and support thecommunity organizations their people care about in abottom-up approach, empowering individuals to influence
the company’s granting strategy.

When COVID-19 hit and physical events and galas were canceled,
Empower Retirement made the decision to maintain support for
their partners and redirect some of their sponsorship budget topartners’ community investment initiatives.
As they dug into their employee giving data, they found theirpeople were passionate about LGBTQ causes. They had a vibrantPride ERG, yet they had no grants going to LGBTQ nonprofits.
As a result, they are now working with their Pride ERG to help
select a nonprofit partner and engage in more community events.
This is an example of an approach many companies will start toembrace as ERGs become the trusted voice of informed action
and advocacy for underrepresented groups within corporations.

76%
The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

of Americans say supporting
companies that are addressing
social and environmental
issues helps them feel they
are doing their part.**2019 Porter Novelli/Cone Purpose Biometrics Study

39

Trend #4: Trust-Based Philanthropy Takes Hold

Trust-Based Granting
When crisis hit, many companies reached out to theirnonprofit partners to see how they could best support them,and unsurprisingly the resounding answer was flexibility.
Companies responded by streamlining their grants request
forms and reporting, while moving to unrestricted fundingthat could be used for general operating costs — removing
unnecessary burden on nonprofits. And many say they haveno plans to change that strategy.
Thanks to 2020, trust-based philanthropy is firmly taking hold,much to the benefit of the nonprofit sector.

Kroger and the Kroger Foundation office, through theirpartnership with Feeding America, also directed $10,200,000 incharitable giving in 2020 to their network of food banks in theirmarkets. This includes funds directed through The Kroger Co.
Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation’s Emergency COVID-19
Response Fund to Feeding America, No Kid Hungry and otherpartners. In all, the company directed more than $16,500,000
in charitable COVID-19 relief to support local and regionalorganizations and help their communities recover.

COVID-19 shined a light on Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
mission and social impact plan — highlighting the need for amore connected and resilient food system where surplus isredistributed to feed people in need instead of it being sent
to landfills.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

and I hope it is a lasting change.
The changes to unrestricted dollars
have been meaningful and allowed
our organization to make critical“We took our entire granting and went todecisions that are best for the youth

unrestricted general operating support.

we serve, rather than navigating the

We suspended and ultimately canceled ourdemands of funding restrictions.

reporting requirements for the year …

It’s been transformational

all of this work, leaning into trust-based
Kroger’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on
keeping retail stores safe and stocked for their customers;
improving access to healthy, nutritious food; and supporting
national and local nonprofit partners who are helping millions
of people deal with the pandemic’s economic impacts.

“This shift has been so helpful

relationships, really set us up for what’s
going to happen for us in 2021.”

for our work.”— Ranna DaudExecutive Director,
After-School All-Stars Puget Sound— Noah Salata
Community Partnership Consultant, AFI

40

Trend #4: Trust-Based Philanthropy Takes Hold

Future-Proofing Community
Investments
The pivots made to corporate granting strategies undoubtedly
made a significant difference for large and small nonprofits alike.
But these organizations, which have become more essential totheir communities than ever, are not free and clear yet. A March
2021 report by research group Candid and the Center for Disaster
Philanthropy said the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic
has put more than one in three U.S. nonprofits at risk of closing
within the next two years, and it would take a year and a half toreturn to pre-pandemic levels of employment among nonprofits.
As companies continue to partner closely with nonprofits during
this tenuous time, and as all trends lean toward democratizationand empowerment, we expect trust-based philanthropy tomove from the fringes into the more established realms ofcorporate programs.
Enduring a prolonged pandemic together will require moretrust and collaboration than ever before.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

1

3

in

U.S. nonprofits is at risk ofclosing within the next

2 years**Philanthropy and COVID-19 Report, Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Candid, February 2021.

41

5
Purpose-Driven
Customer Engagement
Is on the Rise

In the last year, a record number of companies invested inpurpose from the inside out in innovative ways. They launchedpublic relief appeals in response to crises and traded in corporate
holiday parties and large gatherings for grants or charitable
donation currency for their employees, contractors, suppliers,
vendors or customers.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

88%

of consumers say theywould buy a product froma purpose-driven brand****Regardless of the approach, many more brands infused purpose
into their customer experiences in ways that led to a significant
increase in social impact to nonprofits, increasing their brandengagement and affinity while helping them stand out incompetitive markets. It also helped them deliver on tangible,
transparent action when statements were no longer enough.

Culture and brand are two sides of the same coin, andconsumers expect just as much as employees do when it comes
to exhibiting authentic corporate purpose.
The stats are in and every year the desire for greater
purpose and action from CEOs and their companies is higher.
For example, the latest data from Edelman shows that 86% of
people agree that CEOs must speak out on societal challenges.
And according to a Porter Novelli study, a whopping 88% of
consumers say they would buy a product from a purposedriven brand and 66% would switch from a product they
typically buy to a new product from a purpose-driven company.
When consumers think a brand has a strong purpose, they are
4.1 times more likely to trust the company, according to Zeno’s
2020 Strength of Purpose study. And when that trust is broken,
IBM research shows one-third of consumers say they will nolonger purchase that brand. So, in 2020, it wasn’t surprising tosee companies turning their attention to how they can invigorate their customer experiences to drive positive engagement
and sentiment outcomes with consumers.

86%of people agree that
CEOs must speak out
on societal challenges***

When consumers think a brandhas a strong purpose, they are

4.1x

1 3
in

more likely to trust the company*

say they will no longer purchasefrom a brand when trust is broken**66%

would switch from a productthey typically buy to a new
product from a purposedriven company****2020 Zeno Strength of Purpose Study | **IBM Study: Purpose and Provenance Drive Bigger Profits for Consumer Goods In 2020 | ***Edelman Trust Barometer 2021****
2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Purpose Study: How to Build Deeper Bonds, Amplify Your Message and Expand the Consumer Base*42

Trend #5: Purpose-Driven Customer Engagement Is on the Rise

An Answer to Activism
Today’s brands, influencers, celebrities and CEOs are at a greaterrisk of being “canceled” than ever before. While the duration ofa cancelation depends on a number of factors, a company can
actively pre-empt a cancelation or start to repair the brand after
such a crisis by leveraging their corporate purpose programs.
Providing an outlet for consumers to act on causes they are
passionate about in real time is arguably the most powerful way
a brand can demonstrate they care about what their consumer
cares about. For example, allowing consumers to take action
through their interactions with a brand and support a wide arrayof causes empowers them to be supporting what matters tothem at any given time. This could be in the form of donation
round-ups, loyalty reward redemptions for charitable donations,in-product experiences or dedicated giving sites.
In the unfortunate instance of a brand being canceled, along witha sincere acknowledgement or apology for wrongdoing, many
brands are making social commitments. They are promisingcultural or corporate actions that will repair the issue or prevent
it from occurring again and making grants to a related cause.
While these responses can be seen as reactive, they have beenshown to deliver on consumer expectations of tangible action
when a cancelation occurs.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Top ways companies are engaging their customers in doing good

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

Donationround-ups

Loyaltyprograms

Reliefcampaigns

In-productexperiences

Dedicatedgiving sites

72%of Americans say they feel it is more
important than ever that the companies
they buy from reflect their values.*

2019 Porter Novelli/Cone Purpose Biometrics Study*

43

Trend #5: Purpose-Driven Customer Engagement Is on the Rise

Growth in Customer Engagement
Employees weren’t the only ones faced with isolation anddisconnection in 2020 due to physical distancing. Everyone
was affected. Many companies recognized the opportunity andobligation to engage both their employees and customers throughGoodness, hence mobilizing their greatest resources for collective
impact: their people. In so doing, they achieved impact at a scale
greater than the organization could do alone, while providing their
network with a sense of purpose, efficacy and belonging.
In 2020, 70% more companies activated customer giving initiatives.
These campaigns raised $17.7 million for 4,691 unique nonprofits,compared to $7.4 million in 2019.

Choice Leads to Higher Impact
While historically it has been common practice for companies toinclude only a limited selection of curated nonprofits in theircustomer initiatives, our data shows that much like in the employee
context, more choice leads to higher donation amounts. So, wherechoice is limited, people may still give — but they give less.
Conversely, when 50 or more organizations are available to acustomer, the donation amount per transaction increases by
72% compared to when 10 or fewer organizations are available.
This is a powerful testament to the fact that when a company
shows they care about what an individual cares about, it drives
greater engagement resulting in more social impact.
As it turns out, bottom-up approaches don’t just attract, retainand engage employees, they also work for customers!

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

More nonprofit choice leads to higher donations*
$300

$243
$250

$208

$200

$141
$150

$100

$50

$0

1 - 10
Causes

11 - 50

51+

Causes

CausesBenevity reporting master data warehouse (all-client aggregation)*

44

Trend #5: Purpose-Driven Customer Engagement Is on the RiseCI Portal top 10 categories

Top Causes Supported ThroughCustomer Initiatives

24.5%

Looking at the top cause categories supported bycustomers of our corporate clients, we see several
similarities to the top categories for both employee
and corporate giving.
The cause categories are reflective of the challengesof last year — human services, food banks, education,
health and civil rights. Perhaps the most surprising
result was religious organizations coming in at number
two. As outlined in the Grassroots Passions Fuel
Collective Movements section of this report, thisindicates a significant demand and opportunity formore companies to consider making religious causes
available to donors — either with or without a match —as a way to deepen community engagement.
Mental health, which is a growing concern as theeffects of the crises in 2020 linger, landed just out of
the top 10 at number 11.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

16.2%

9.8%

CI Portal top 10 causes

Human Services
1

City Harvest, Inc.

2

Equal Justice Initiative

3

United Negro College Fund, Inc.

4

Australian Red Cross

5

The Salvation Army

6

Ellerslie Road Baptist Church Society

Religion-Related

Food, Agriculture, Nutrition

7.8%

Education

7

Terwillager Community Church

5.4%

Health — General and Rehabilitative

8

St. Vincent De Paul Society NSW

5.2%

Philanthropy, Volunteerism, Grantmaking Foundations

9

Feeding America

4.9%

Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy

10

The Trussell Trust

4.7%

International, Foreign Affairs, National Security

4.0%

Animal-Related

3.6%

Arts, Culture, Humanities

45

Trend #5: Purpose-Driven Customer Engagement Is on the Rise

Give with Bing
Give with Bing, powered by Benevity’s API, allows people toturn everyday searches into Goodness for the causes theycare about.
Users can go to bing.com/give and select a cause of their choice.
Each search thereafter earns Microsoft Rewards points. Every
one of those reward points gets converted into a donation thatthen gets aggregated and sent to one of 1.4 million eligible
nonprofits worldwide, as selected by individual Bing users.
In just 10 months since Microsoft and Benevity collaborated
to launch Give with Bing, the program and impact has grownenormously, raising over $5.7 million.

The Next Frontier for
Corporate Purpose“We couldn’t be more proud for

While cause marketing has been around for a long time,
purpose-driven customer engagement is just starting toburgeon. Companies with large customer bases — consumer
or business — are investing in these initiatives as they recognizethat the future of brand preference hinges on authentic andempowered purpose.

Microsoft Bing to be the searchengine that gives back. Benevity
made it easy to develop a user
experience for both customers andnonprofits that matches our vision.
The best part is that we are able toempower Bing customers to direct$5.7million
10 months
The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

donations to causes they care about,making their searches
all the more impactful.”— Jordi Ribas
CVP, Microsoft Bing Engineering
matching

46

2021 Outlook: The Year of “S”

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

47

2021 Outlook: The Year of “S”

According to McKinsey & Company, CEOs are spending 50% of
their time on ESG topics.* As a result, purpose professionals
are rapidly increasing their literacy and sophistication in thisarea. While the high ground for the “E” may already have been
claimed, top spot for the “S” is still up for grabs. So, it’ll be up
to the progressive and bold brands that are authenticallycommitting to Social to define the playbook in 2021. Over time,
this will lead to more companies adopting best practices.
One unique aspect of the “S” category is that it spans a wide
range of stakeholders all the way from frontline workers, tocommunity members, to board members. So, it requires a more
holistic and engagement-driven approach, especially as we findourselves firmly in the era of stakeholder capitalism. With all thismuch-needed emphasis on the “S” flowing from the pandemic
and a broader acknowledgement of systemic racism andinequity, ESG is evolving from being a risk-mitigation andsustainability tool to a value-creation framework that will
provide both the impetus and the practices for becoming atruly purpose-driven business and corporate culture. And a
company’s purpose programs are the key lever in helping
them to get there.
Now that business is firmly rooted as the most trusted
institution — and the only one of the four main institutions(government, media, NGOs and business) that is seen as bothethical and competent — it mounts a certain kind of pressure(and opportunity) for companies to fill the void left by others.
And it demands a new use of corporate purpose programs as a

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

source of information, awareness, education and action. In
addition to generating positive social impact, when approachedholistically corporate purpose has the potential to transform
culture — it can be the force that opens up people to new
viewpoints, ways of learning and understanding; helps people
get comfortable being uncomfortable; creates the space forpeople to engage in civil and respectful debate on controversial,polarizing issues in disagreement without migrating to the poles;
brings diverse people across the globe together on issues
that matter to humanity; and acts as a catalyst for Goodness
and empathy.
It’s 2021. We are in a post-Brexit and post-Trump world
which will see continued political polarization, creating social
undercurrents which can and will drive grassroots movements
and newsworthy events at any time. Tension between
individualism and collectivism continues to hang in the air
as we all look to our employers and the brands we interact withto protect us and the values we hold dear.

It will be up to theprogressive & bold brands
that are authenticallycommitting to Social
to define theplaybook in 2021.

At Benevity, we have the unique position to see what is possible
when corporations use their power for good at scale. We hopethat this report has offered a glimpse into the trends, tools anddata that are needed to ensure that corporate purpose (andother!) leaders are equipped to achieve the full potential of
business in shifting the world toward greater justice, equity
and sustainability.
It’s 2021, and it’s the year of “S.”Benevity Leadership Summit, 2021*

48

A Peek Into Benevity’s Own
Corporate Purpose Program

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

49

MyGoodness 2020 Impact Report

Highlights
MyGoodness 2020 Impact Report
Like every other company, in 2020 Benevity had to flex ouradaptability with our operations, culture, approaches toGoodness, and more fundamentally, our beliefs and behaviors.
We were excited about all the creative ways we could continue
to activate purpose in the year to come, and then COVID hit.
There was no better time than 2020 to put all of the bestpractices we promote into action through our employee
engagement program, called MyGoodness. Here’s a peek atwhat purpose looked like at Benevity last year.

MyGoodness by the numbers
For a company of 600+ people, across four office locations(and many more remote locations) and two continents, we arepretty proud of how we came together in 2020 to make someserious Goodness happen.

91%✔ Benevity’s public COVID-19 response campaign
overall participation rate

5,253 volunteer hours tracked
6,889 Missions activities completed$3,734,500 in donations
2,255 unique nonprofits supported
Top 5 causes supported by Benevity-ites in 2020

“We are We” raised $2.3 million for 812 causes in just
3.5 hours, with $600,000 in matching funds.

✔ Benevity empowered our people to run their own

Peer Matching campaigns which generated 376 peer
matches, with a total of $130,264 donated to thecauses that our people are most passionate about.

✔ Program leadership was primarily driven by a newterm of Goodness Catalysts, a cross-functional teamof 19 volunteer ambassadors, who powered the
responsive and relevant opportunities in 2020.

✔ Following the death of George Floyd, our Black

Employee Network created a series of table talks tohelp Benevity-ites reflect on racial injustice, tackle
unconscious bias, understand and acknowledge privilege, challenge systems and mobilize for change together. This series was attended by over half of Benevity-ites
and will now be published as a Race Conversations Guide
for other organizations to facilitate challenging yet critical
discussions on this topic.

✔ With new additions appointed to our team, 62% of

Benevity’s executive team are women and 38% arepeople of color. 28% of our technology team are
women compared to the national average of 11%.

✔ Benevity earned the highest score of Hg Capital’s

portfolio companies in its inaugural year with perfectscores on employee metrics.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

50

MyGoodness 2020 Impact Report

We Are We Campaign
In March 2020, as COVID-19 swept the globe, Benevity set up a
public matching campaign called We Are We, aimed at turning
helplessness and social isolation into hope and connectedness.
We offered 100% matching for up to $300,000 on donations to
any nonprofit through our Community Impact Portal. We believe
the combination of choice, matching and offering a way to takeaction in a time that mattered were all key to the staggering
8.4% conversion rate (compared to an average 1.2%). We blew
through our matching budget in just two hours. We decided
to double the match amount (actually, our CEO ponied up
personal funds!) and ultimately raised $2.3 million for
812 unique nonprofits in just 3.5 hours, with people
continuing to donate through our branded portal evenafter the match was exhausted.

We offered

1:1

up to

$300,000

matching$600,000
We hit ourmatch in just

2

hours
In just 3.5 hours we raised$2,300,000
for

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

812

unique nonprofits

51

MyGoodness 2020 Impact Report

The Power of Peer Matching:
Remembering the Victims of 9/11
Nineteen years ago, Benevity’s Christine Gillies was working fora small tech company in the World Trade Center when the 9/11
terrorist attack occurred. She was lucky to escape. This year on
the anniversary of 9/11, Christine created a Peer Matching
opportunity and shared the story of her survival, the long roadto emotional recovery and her passion for remembering the2,977 victims and their families who were less lucky that day.
She added a personal match and set a goal of raising $5,000.
In just a few hours, 25 peer matchers created a $2,600 match
pool and individual donations brought the total to $8,645.

739

Adele (she/her) 11:45 AM@Christine G. (she/her) That was incredibly poignant. Please know
we are all in awe of your ability to share that story and appreciate themany, many things you have given us cause to reflect on together andas individuals. Thank you.
36

10

MAM 12:05 PM@Christine G. (she/her) You brought me to tears. As a “tri-state” resident
for much of my life, I know others who survived the 9-11 attack. I herald
you for your courage and sensitivity in sharing your experience with
ALL of us. My love to you and I’ll be in your giveop shortly. Always holdmy heart open at 6:48am (Pacific time) every Septemeber 11th – Friday
will be no different. Thank you again for sharing.

$8,645 RAISED

27

Peer Matching$2,600MATCHED#Benevityteam$2,600
PEER MATCH POOL

2

Francine 12:55 AM@Christine G. (she/her) Thank you for your courageand thank you
Benevity for acknowledging this day. As someone who worked in the
WTC, (rescheduled meeting kept me away that morning), I am grateful,Thank you for making the space for acknowledgement.
17

25 Peer Matchers

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

52

MyGoodness 2020 Impact Report#Benevityteam

739

Facing Racism and Injustice With
Vulnerability and Bravery
Nicholas 11:36 AM

At Benevity, our internal racial justice response was centeredon learning, awareness and action. We did this through giving,
volunteering, positive actions, learning opportunities and a
lot of help from our Black Employee Network.

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Following the news of George Floyd, a Peer Matching
campaign was started by a Benevity-ite to the NAACP,
and multiple giving and volunteering opportunities insupport of causes that promote equity for Black people
were launched and promoted across the company.

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Dvg 11:37 AM
We’re so lucky to have you on our team and our friends @Taj and@Janelle (she/her)3

Our Racial Justice for Black People Missions challenge
provided opportunities for Benevity-ites to read, watch,
listen and learn more about systemic racism and white
supremacy and take positive actions against them.

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Jayc 11:41 AM
Thank you both for being so open to speak your truths and from yourhearts. It takes a lot emotionally and it is very much appreciated.

Our Black Employee Network provided a different
approach to empathy and learning in a time when adifferent approach was needed. The multi-week table
talk series they offered had a profound impact on
our people and our culture, as we all became more
self-aware and generally aware of the challenges that
our Black colleagues face.

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

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Ife 11:44 AM
I stand with you.
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Closest Vendor

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MyGoodness 2020 Impact Report

Commitment and Action on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
DEIB has been a focus of our company and leadership since
the beginning, and we will be the first to say that we are on ajourney and have work to do. When Kelly Schmitt took over
the CEO reins from Bryan de Lottinville, who now serves as
Executive Chairperson, Bryan wrote about how this didn’t
happen because we set a diversity target or quota. Instead,
we have been focused on creating a leadership culture thatremoves some of the barriers and biases that prevent the ascentof diverse talent into executive positions. It’s this focus that has
resulted in a world-class team at Benevity with 63% of the eightpeople on our executive team who are women and three ofthem (38%) who are people of color.
This commitment to diversity and belonging spans the entire
company and while we are proud to say 28% of our technology
teams are women (compared to the 11% average in Canada),
we still have further to go. We have also fostered a grassroots
approach to diversity and inclusion with the support of ourvolunteer Belonging Champions team which drives many of
our initiatives and learning activities. We are intentional whenit comes to inclusivity at Benevity because we believe it is“the right thing to do.” By modeling more of the decisions
and behaviors we want to see in the world, we hope that we canget closer to achieving the equitable outcomes purpose-driven
companies strive for.

Benevity‘s world-class executive teamWalking the Talk on ESG
This year, we had the privilege of welcoming new owners to
Benevity, with Hg Capital purchasing a majority stake in ourcompany. As part of their due diligence, they conducted an ESG
assessment on Benevity. The results further validated the theory
that for-purpose companies that have ESG baked right into their
DNA perform better on metrics that matter: employee retention
and engagement, governance, risk and compliance, ethics
and sustainability, which in turn translates into tangible andmeaningful business value.

63% female

Benevity achieved the highest score of any new portfolio
company with Hg in its inaugural year with a perfect scorein the “employee” category and is in the “leading” categoryof top ESG-rated Hg companies.

38% people of color

Women in Benevity‘s technology teams

11%

Canadian average
28%

The State of Corporate Purpose: A Benevity Impact Labs Report | April 2021

Benevity54

Benevity, a certified B Corporation, is a leader in global corporate purpose software, providing the only
integrated suite of community investment and employee, customer and nonprofit engagement solutions.
A finalist in Fast Company’s 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards, many iconic brands rely on Benevity’s cloud
solutions to power their purpose in ways that better attract, retain and engage today’s diverse
workforce, embed social action into their customer experiences and positively impact their communities.
With software that is available in 20 languages, Benevity has processed more than 7 billion dollars indonations and 38 million hours of volunteering time, facilitated 340,000 positive actions and awarded
over 1 million grants to 303,000 nonprofits worldwide.

For more information, visit www.benevity.com.

2019 Porter Novelli/Cone Purpose Biometrics Study*