Workplace Givers are Proud Employees

Employees who donate though a company sponsored program are loyal to their business and proud of where they work, but employers could do more to leverage their goodwill, according to a landmark report.

Not for Profit Good2Give released Australia’s most comprehensive study into workplace givers on Tuesday, providing new insight into the significant potential to harness employee generosity and boost company morale.

The report, Workplace Givers Revealed, found that, of 1,000 participants, 86 per cent were “proud” to work at their company because of its workplace giving program, 82 per cent said their company was “more supportive of charities than other companies” and 78 per cent said their company was “generous” for offering matched donations.

Workplace givers are also loyal, with 79 per cent having been with their company for more than three years and 56 per cent for more than seven years.

Speaking at the report launch, Good2Give CEO Lisa Grinham said the results should encourage employers to focus more on workplace giving.

“It’s time we tailored corporate giving programs to tap into this goodwill – as businesses but also as a society seeking to grow charitable support,” Grinham said.

“Companies are apprehensive about pressuring staff into charitable giving. And to a degree, so are charities who are often criticised for bombarding supporters. These concerns are understandable, however they shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Australians really are community minded.

“What we found is that employees are after meaningful ways to connect with social causes, and they’re looking for employer and charity guidance on how to do so.”

The report said that companies should be confident that promoting their workplace giving program internally will be positively received, when 92 per cent of workplace givers said they were “very pleased” to donate.

Notably, the report found that 23 per cent of respondents had to seek out how to join their workplace giving program.

“This indicates a strong need for more easily accessible information about workplace giving programs so that employees can make an informed choice to join at any time,” the report said.

“It also indicates an opportunity for higher employee participation through stronger internal promotion and awareness.”

The research also showed that the act of giving needed to be normalised in the workplace, with 83 per cent of givers unaware of colleagues who made donations.

However, employees also demonstrated their willingness to share their contribution, and had an expectation of wider company recognition.

“With senior leadership and peer involvement making employees feel supported, there is still great untapped opportunity for companies to make their sponsored giving programs more rewarding and vibrant contributors to workplace culture,” Grinham said.

“Workplace givers who were recognised by their employer and who received thanks from their charity invariably made higher donations.”

The report profiled the contributing factors of an employee’s charity choice. It said that providing wide charity choice is critical for program success, with only a small number of respondents donating solely on company recommendation.

It also recommended that companies encourage new employers to participate in workplace giving programs during induction training, as well as using internal promotion campaigns as 37 per cent of respondents reported joining a workplace giving program at this time.

“When it comes to workplace giving, we need to boost employer and charity confidence to promote giving in the workplace, and we need to get better at responding to their giving needs,” Grinham said.

“Let’s learn from these research findings. Let’s raise awareness of avenues to give, and let’s tap into the millions of Australians who want to give at work.

“Critical funds are needed in our communities, and business needs to help bridge that gap.”