Recent Trends in CSR

Here are the top trends we’re seeing for employee giving. As is increasingly prevalent across the HR space, well-designed technology is front and centre.

Happy, engaged employees make for a successful company, and one of the key measures of employment engagement is whether or not your team-members feel connected to something larger than themselves.

This is where giving programs come into their own. They help your people – your most important business asset – feel part of something larger than themselves.

But, as with all things business in the 21st century, it is not enough to simply “set and forget” your employee giving program.

Competition for talented, engaged staff means that employers have to constantly evolve their giving programs, keeping up with international trends and aligning with their employees’ changing aspirations.

Double down

According to Forbes.com, one of the growing trends in employee giving programs is employer “matching”, where employees feel as though their companies respect their philanthropic choices enough to put their money where their mouth is.

Whether you’re able to match dollar to dollar, or up to a capped amount per employee, you are sending a powerful message to your team that you are fully behind their decision to give.

Employee-centric software

Another emerging trend is the increasing ease and sophistication of the software interfaces offered by employers to connect their people with their employee giving experience.

More and more, employees expect their employers to provide convenient, user-friendly technology for their corporate giving programs.

Software, and the technology interfaces that your staff members interact with at work, are an important part of the employee experience, along with their physical workplace and culture.

When seeking to maximise employee engagement through technology, employers should consider the age, gender and social profile of their employees, and consider all options - including reaching out through email, e-newsletters, social media, and websites for both desktop and mobiles.

Customised pages, either on social media platforms like Facebook, or on the staff intranet, are another emerging trend harnessed to garner maximum employee engagement.

Design matters

Effective giving software will have a clear and simple design, which tells the employee immediately what the cause is, and will inform them of the different ways they can contribute to it.

Web designers call this “UX”, which is a shortening of “user experience”. UX is a catch-all term which describes everything that affects a user’s interaction with the product, and the process of making users happy through the usability of the product.

A giving platform with good UX will be pleasurable, well-crafted, and will immediately draw its user in, immersing him or her in a mutually-created experience. A good interface anticipates user movement and directs him or her quickly to the next link.

Most importantly it needs to be employee-centric. From an employer’s point of view, it should show the trends and patterns in employee engagement, and interest in employee giving.

Data visualisation and quick analytics will help you make quick and effective decisions about what is and what isn’t working in your employee giving program.

Catalyser is a business solution for employee giving. To book a demo or find out how we can help your company improve its employee giving, call 1800 233 138 or email hello@catalyser.com.