July 24, 2024

Hello Everyone,

It’s report season! Two weeks ago I shared insights from the 2024 Giving USA report (tl;dr giving is up, but so is inflation).

And this week the 5th Annual CSR Insights Report from ACCP/Blackbaud is out. The data is fresh—from April of this year—and covers survey responses from 125 companies representing more than $1B in community investment.

ACCP does a fantastic job of translating those responses into truly useful insights about the state of CSR, employee volunteering and giving, corporate grants, and operations.

Here’s a few highlights:

Interest in CSR tech and software is surging. 25% of respondents implemented a new tech solution in the past 12 months, and 19% are discussing new technology. And, 30% say they need new technology to meet demands/expectations compared to just 15% last year.
The ability to measure and report on impact is immensely important to corporations. 71% of respondents experienced an increase in demand to measure impact (up from 53%).
Respondents believe that AI will make a major impact in their work. 49% believe AI will help them with data analysis and aggregation, and 36% believe it will improve communications and storytelling.
CSR practitioners are seeing some relief from increased pressure and responsibilities. Burnout was 33% (down from 50%), longer hours was 24% (down from 61%), and fear of not meeting expectations was 29% (down from 46%).

Another data point that surprised me, given recent media coverage, is that corporate commitment to DEI is not waning. 83% report that leadership’s commitment is unchanged, and 13% report an increase in DEI commitment. Only 4% report a decrease in commitment.

That said, corporations are taking steps to manage risk associated with DEI. The report states that “33% of respondents have faced heightened oversight or legal scrutiny of their DEI-related initiatives. 31% have observed changes in their company's language regarding DEI, and 17% have reduced external communications on the topic.”

There’s a ton of other useful information in the report, and the authors do an incredible job of providing easy-to-follow tables and data visualizations. Do yourself a favor and give it a read.

Sam Caplan

Vice President of Social Impact

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From Submittable

The latest Insights report from ACCP confirms that a lot of CSR teams need new software. Our CSR software buyer’s guide gives you the framework to help you make the right decision. Plus it lays out all the features you should look for as you shop.

We recently hosted a great conversation with leaders from three local United Ways. They dig into how adopting new grantmaking technology puts them in a better position to help their communities. Watch the full webinar on demand.

For Your Review

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published an article titled The Rise of the A.I.-Powered Nonprofit — and Why Not Everyone Is Convinced. It describes how tech accelerator Fast Forward categorizes four ways that nonprofits are using artificial intelligence. The Stanford Social Innovation Review also covers Fast Forward’s analysis.

Are you planning to attend one of the four upcoming TAG local events? Join your Technology Association of Grantmakers peers for an engaging and inspiring day of knowledge-sharing and networking. Technology, operations, and program staff are encouraged to participate. I’ll be at the NYC event on September 26, hosted by the Carnegie Corporation.

Candid published an article based on data from the Center for Effective Philanthropy on where the sector is seeing sustained change in grantmaking practices intended to reduce grantee burden.

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Interest in CSR tech is surging