October 30, 2024

Hello Everyone,

CECP’s annual Giving in Numbers is the industry’s best report on corporate grants, employee volunteering and giving, and operations. It’s been published yearly since 2006, providing an insightful look at how trends have emerged and changed over time. The data is derived from survey results from 219 member companies, including 49 from the Fortune 100.

This year’s report is chock full of trends, insights, and intrigue. Without further ado, here are a few things I found most interesting.

Total Community Investments (direct cash, foundation cash, and in-kind donations) are increasing as a percentage of pre-tax profit (up 38% from 2021 to 2023, even though pre-tax profit decreased by 28%, adjusted for inflation).
Health and wellbeing was the top focus area for corporations in 2023. Second most common was environment and sustainability, followed by workforce development and employment. Climate change was an emerging focus area, and investments doubled from 2021 to 2023.
Watch for international grantmaking to continue this upward trend. Median international community investment increased by 46%, while median domestic community investments decreased by 11%. Blackbaud reported an increase in international grantmaking as well, from 4% in 2022 to 19.5% in 2023.
Matching gift programs plateaued with a 2% decrease from 2021 to 2023. 94% of companies offered a matching gift program, and on average 20% of employees participated. 79% of companies offered a year-round program, with 91% offering a 1:1 match ratio. Virtual volunteering was by far the most popular program at 85%.
Employee volunteering had a great year in 2023. Average employee participation was up 8% from 2021, and is closing in on pre-pandemic levels. The median number of volunteer hours grew a whopping 75% from 2021, and was 5% higher than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.

This week I was in Missoula, Montana, headquarters of Submittable and home to the 2024 Philanthropy Northwest conference. I had an incredible time. Everyone is focusing on how to redistribute resources and power in more equitable ways, from the Headwaters Foundation and their general operating grants to Seeding Justice’s innovative DAF called a “donor-in-movement fund” that distributes all contributions within 12 months.

The 2025 conference season is right around the corner, starting with NGMA AGT and PEAK Grantmaking, both in March. See you there!

Sam Caplan

Vice President of Social Impact

Submittable

From Submittable

Any workplace with an employee volunteer program could benefit from an employee volunteer network. In our latest episode of Impact Audio, Megan Strand talks through how to set one up, and what it looks like when it’s working well.

Big bet philanthropy has taken off in recent years, as high-dollar donors look to make real progress on big issues. Our latest article explores what funders of all sizes can learn from the way big bet philanthropy has reshaped the giving landscape.

For Your Review

The Technology Association of Grantmaker’s annual State of Philanthropy Tech Survey came out yesterday. This is one of the best sources of information on philanthropy tech and operations. Definitely a must read.

AI-driven fundraising and wealth screening tools are emerging, and I predict will become indispensable to nonprofit fundraisers. Check out this article from NP Tech for Good describing the current state of play.

Here’s an early 2025 prediction: AI agents will be the next big thing for 2025. Microsoft and Salesforce are leading the race to develop agents that perform tasks autonomously. If you’re not familiar with Agents, now is the time to get caught up.

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Giving in Numbers 2024