Page 15 - 2024 Nonprofit Industry Trends

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CORPORATE GIVING TRENDS TO WATCH

EMERGING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TRENDS

MATTHEW THOMPSON Employee giving is on the rise. developing partnerships.
JENNIFER CARNAHAN FIRST VICE PRESIDENT &

CEO FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR
HELPGOOD CONCERTS IN MOTION MORGAN STANLEY Companies are developing Small and mid-sized companies
year-round CSR strategies. are developing CSR strategies
Because of the pandemic, most not for profits lost years of progress in the As someone who sits on multiple non-profit boards, I think the overall lack of reengagement of
donor relations side of their development. Not being able to do events for boards has been an issue. Boards struggled through COVID but in general most members attended
multiple years has impacted especially smaller not for profits. Growing board meetings and participated virtually because of the severe pressure all of the agencies were Companies are matching employee
donor relations takes years so I anticipate that many not for profits will need under. They knew they needed to be involved and help. As we emerged out of COVID, this new
some years to recover. hybrid model took shape. Board members could now attend meetings from their home / office relief and crisis response.
rather than in-person. With the increased demands at work / home for most board members this
Furthermore, not for profits are constantly at risk. It is the nature of the option was just easier; however the side effect was that board members could become less engaged
beast. Getting used to uncertainty and focusing on developing relationships with the agencies they govern. In general, being in person made people engaged and present with Corporate volunteerism is
and partnerships as non-transactional, but in the spirit of one’s mission is the agencies. Now several years removed, non-profits are really struggling with board engagement
key. It might take longer to grow doing things this way, but the growth is and participation. Board meeting attendance is down, board giving is down, and leadership teams growing in popularity.
real. We have to focus on our mission. What is the best for the mission? It is are struggling to figure out how to turn this around. Do they start requiring in-person attendance
a different type of business than for-profit risk taking. to board meetings or remove the hybrid option and risk losing board members and their financial

It would be nice to see a significant investment in the sector by corporations. support? Do they try and start a capital campaign or new strategic plan to bring the board back WORKPLACE GIVING MATCHING GIFT
It would be great to see corporations helping not for profits with their into the fold? What is the solution? I don’t think it is a one size fits all solution, but I do think non-
business plans and investing in their success. It is difficult I realize for this to profits need to know they are not alone, and they might need to rebuild their boards. Consider what STATISTICS STATISTICS
happen because for-profit and not for profit structures and what works well your board looks like now, what is could look like in the near future, and what it needs to look like
in one or the other can be different. Even so, it would be neat to see that sort down the road.
of investment in social good. I think that the overall regulatory environment and shrinking of public sector funding continue to be
the biggest hurdles for non-profits. While this isn’t a new risk, the risk continues to grow, and I don’t
see it changing. I think that most non-profits have come to the conclusion that they have to do more 39% 39% 22%
with less but had hoped that trend would change in the post COVID environment. It hasn’t and I
don’t think it will. I believe that agencies need to continue to deliver the services core to their mission
as they could be the only one doing it in their community. However, I think they need to reevaluate ROUGHLY
MORE THAN
their overall strategic plan or create one to move forward. This means that everything needs to $5 BILLION OF COMPANIES PLAN OF EMPLOYEES SAY IT $2-3 BILLION 26 MILLION OF EMPLOYEES KNOW
be on the table for discussion as being able to deliver their services to the community is of utmost TO EXPAND THEIR IS IMPORTANT THAT IS DONATED IF THEIR COMPANIES
importance. This could mean some hard choices, but the alternatives could be worse. I think that IS DONATED WORKPLACE GIVING THEIR EMPLOYER THROUGH MATCHING INDIVIDUALS WORK FOR OFFER MATCHING
THROUGH WORKPLACE
agencies need to talk with their peers, talk to non-profit service professionals, and talk to industry GIVING EVERY YEAR PROGRAMS IN THE SUPPORTS GIVING AND GIFT PROGRAMS COMPANIES THAT OFFER GIFTS
MATCHING GIFTS
VOLUNTEERING
NEXT TWO YEARS.
experts…sharing your problems and concerns are not bad things…it helps you gain perspective ANNUALLY
and ideas on how to move forward. My recommendation is to engage and collaborate….with your
board, your team, your peers, your community, and anyone that understand the non-profit sector.