Blackbaud Data Shows Resilient Employee Giving and Rising Volunteering in 2025
Event summary
- Blackbaud's 14th Annual YourCause CSR Industry Review reveals stable employee giving and increased volunteering participation in 2025 despite economic pressures.
- Volunteering participation rose year-over-year, but average hours per participant dipped, indicating demand for shorter, more flexible opportunities.
- Corporate grantmaking scaled significantly, with a 44% increase in average grant size and a 23% higher median sum of grants per client.
- Small-to-mid-sized companies led in engagement, highlighting the role of culture and program design in driving participation.
- Global participation accelerated, with notable growth in volunteering engagement outside North America.
The big picture
Blackbaud's data underscores the resilience of employee engagement in social impact programs despite economic challenges. The shift towards shorter, more flexible volunteering opportunities and the significant scaling of corporate grantmaking reflect broader trends in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employee expectations around purpose-driven work. The report highlights how program design and early activation can drive higher engagement, positioning Blackbaud as a key player in the evolving CSR landscape.
What we're watching
- Program Design Impact
- How integrated giving and volunteering programs will affect engagement and impact.
- Global Expansion
- Whether Blackbaud can sustain the accelerated global participation in volunteering.
- Early Program Activation
- The pace at which newly hired employees will increase engagement rates and donation values.
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