{"id":20762,"date":"2024-07-17T09:15:03","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T13:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/?post_type=news&p=20762"},"modified":"2024-07-30T12:40:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T16:40:02","slug":"new-survey-of-csr-and-esg-professionals","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/new-survey-of-csr-and-esg-professionals","title":{"rendered":"New Survey of CSR and ESG Professionals Reveals 96% of Corporations Continue to Remain Committed to Diversity Initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Survey of 125 Corporations Conducted by ACCP and YourCause\u00ae<\/span><\/i> from Blackbaud\u00ae<\/span><\/i> Finds Executives Becoming Increasingly More Interested in Measuring the Impact of their Companies\u2019 ESG, CSR and DEI Initiatives<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Fairfax, V.A. & Charleston, S.C. (July 17, 2024) <\/span><\/b>\u2013 A survey of corporate social impact professionals responsible for nearly $1 billion in community investments released today by the<\/span> Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals<\/span><\/a> (ACCP) and YourCause\u00ae<\/span> from Blackbaud\u00ae<\/span> reveals that despite considerable attention to corporate diversity initiatives, 96% of respondents reported <\/span>either no change (83%) or an increase (13%) in their companies\u2019 commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). <\/span><\/b>The far-reaching survey of 125 major corporations covers topics ranging from impact of new SEC climate reporting rules, C-suite commitment to CSR, ESG and DEI initiatives, a continued rise in employee volunteerism, evolution and impact of new technologies, and diversification of the social impact profession, among other topics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur survey sends a clear signal that despite an intense political environment, DEI, CSR and ESG programs progress as executives continue to strongly support the work given the business advantage they provide,\u201d said Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) president and CEO Carolyn Berkowitz<\/a>. \u201c96% of the companies that responded to our survey report their companies\u2019 commitment to DEI remains strong, although they are mitigating risk by adjusting how they communicate about the work and encouraging legal review of existing programs. It is good news for the profession as budgets, staffing and leadership\u2019s commitment remain flat or increase, despite a politically turbulent backdrop and intense scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

The survey was conducted in April of 2024 by ACCP and YourCause from Blackbaud. The survey provides unique insight from professionals on the frontlines who are responsible for carrying out corporate social impact programs at many of the world\u2019s major employers, providing a first-hand perspective on what, if any, effect intense political and legal debates are having on corporate citizenship.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis data is in alignment with what we are hearing when meeting directly with CSR leaders across the industry and we are happy to see that organizations and their employees are deeply committed to engaging with social impact activities through increased participation in volunteerism, sustained employee engagement budgets, heightened visibility in the C-suite, and an increased focus on impact measurement.\u201d said Andrew Troup, director, Giving and Engagement, YourCause from Blackbaud. \u201cThe need to measure impact goes hand in hand with the importance of leveraging new technology \u2013 especially when the data may live in disparate locations within an organization – and we agree with the respondents that artificial intelligence will play a key role in allowing their organizations to aggregate and analyze their data, enabling them to tell a holistic story of impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Full survey results and topline data illustrations can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A briefer on key toplines from the survey is included, below.<\/p>\n

Although there is continued commitment by corporate leaders to stand firmly in support of their company\u2019s CSR, ESG and DEI initiatives, they are demanding an enhanced focus on measuring the impact of their companies\u2019 social impact work to fully understand the positive contributions the initiatives have on the business. In fact, 71% of those surveyed in this year\u2019s survey report an increase in demand from corporate executives to measure the impact of their work, up from 54% in last year\u2019s survey<\/span><\/p>\n

Another positive development for corporate commitments to DEI remaining strong in the long-term, the survey reported an 11% decrease in the level of concern corporate social impact professionals have about the impact of last year\u2019s Supreme Court of the United States Affirmative Action ruling. Only 25% of those surveyed report significant concern about the future of corporate DEI initiatives, compared to 34% <\/span>in last fall\u2019s <\/span>ACCP Pulse Survey<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The survey also discovered that 50% of <\/span>respondents remain unclear on the implications of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission\u2019s (SEC) recent announcement on climate change reporting requirements. The fear, experts have inferred, is that increased reporting requirements detracts from resourcing impactful social impact programs. In fact, 35% of respondents have witnessed more resources going towards ESG reporting or reporting technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

2024 CSR Insights Survey: Top Six Takeaways<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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  1. The demand to measure impact continues to increase, but more budget, staff experience, and updated technology are needed. There is also increased exposure to the C-suite regarding CSR, ESG and DEI efforts, while commitment to those areas has remained the same or increased. Overall, the C-suite is committed to the work \u2013 but still wants to see the hard data.\n