When Blackbaud acquired YourCause in 2019, the legacy nonprofit giving software company expanded its reach into the corporate social responsibility space. With a platform and team that serves both nonprofits and companies and solutions that cover giving, grantmaking, and volunteering, YourCause appeals to mid-market and early-stage CSR programs.
There are so many CSR solutions on the market today that social impact leaders may have some trouble finding a platform that meets their unique needs today and anticipates what they will need tomorrow. YourCause is a popular choice, but there are great options for companies looking to engage their employees in workplace giving and workplace volunteering. Let’s review the most popular CSR software available now.
1) Deed
Deed is an enterprise social impact platform that makes it fun and easy for millions of employees to share their time, money, and talent with causes they care about.
The platform was started as a viral volunteering app, and today it gives some of the world’s most inspiring brands—from Airbnb to lululemon—one exceptionally designed home for all of their employee engagement and purpose-driven activities. These include workplace giving and donation matching (including payroll donations); grantmaking; employee volunteer programs; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and employee resource groups (ERGs); a network of over 2 million nonprofits; and more. With a global reach that includes 37+ local currencies and 12+ native languages, Fortune 500 companies are using Deed to make an impact all over the world.
While some CSR software providers outsource their customer service, causing delays in response and resolution times, Deed focuses on personalized service. Jonathan Perri, Senior Manager of Global Social Impact at Ripple, said this recently:
Deed responds so quickly to my support requests and ideas. I appreciate that I can be candid about what features can be improved or what updates should be prioritized. It’s definitely a collaborative partnership.
As author and CSR thought leader Afdhel Aziz writes in Forbes, Deed is a “full-service giving and volunteerism platform” which helps companies measure “employee contributions, both monetary and employee investment hours and supporting new program initiatives in innovative ways,” facilitates “global and local volunteering competitions,” and enables “employee resource groups to host various volunteering activities and run community engagement programs in areas including women empowerment, skilling, diversity, and inclusion.”
Benevity is a legacy CSR company. The company's flagship platform features robust grants management capabilities and an extensive employee giving program. Its disbursement system supports nearly every currency across almost 2 million nonprofits in 22 languages.
Read: "3 Alternatives to Benevity"
Cybergrants, now part of the Bonterra technology family alongside EveryAction, Network for Good, and Social Solutions, is a trusted player in the corporate philanthropy space, particularly among large enterprises with complex grantmaking needs.
Read: "3 Alternatives to Cybergrants"
Now that you know what options are out there, it’s time to start thinking about the key considerations when choosing a CSR platform to meet your company’s unique needs. Here’s what to keep in mind.
1) Program Complexity & Scale. Whether your organization has a complex, multifaceted social impact program or is still exploring growth opportunities, look for CSR software that offers both robust solutions and flexibility. Remember to think about how your program may grow or evolve in the future.
2) Global Requirements. For most enterprise companies, global reach is essential. Look for CSR software that offers a variety of languages and currencies, global payroll donation solutions, compliance with global regulations, and stable platform service during high-traffic periods like GivingTuesday.
3) Service Model & Support. No two companies have the same customer service model. Look for a CSR software provider that approaches service with a partnership mindset, aiming to not just resolve your concerns but to give you strategic recommendations for your workplace giving and workplace volunteering programs so that your organization can take your impact even further. Beware of platforms that require admins to submit support tickets with multiple business day delays in response, as well as platforms that don’t enable admins to self-service common and critical tasks, such as data pulls and campaign creation.
4) Technology Infrastructure. You’ll want to think carefully about striking a smart balance between customization and stability before choosing your CSR software. Remember to consider all system integration needs ahead of time, from HRIS to payroll.
5) Cost Structure & Pricing. More often than not, the sticker price of CSR software does not tell the full story of what your company will be paying over the long term. Look beyond base pricing to understand donation processing fees and who bears them, any additional costs for custom reports or features, and pricing scalability for when your program grows.
6) Nonprofit Experience & Support. While your first priority is likely your own company’s needs and your employees’ experience, it is also important to consider a CSR platform's nonprofit experience. This should include streamlined vetting and onboarding processes, quick and reliable donation disbursement, and clear avenues for nonprofits to offer feedback about their experience with the platform.
7) Critical Features for Your Program. Whether your social impact program focuses on employee engagement, workplace giving, workplace volunteering, grantmaking, or empowering employee resource groups (ERGs), make sure your CSR software provider is equipped to meet your needs.
8) Implementation & Maintenance. Make sure that the CSR software provider’s implementation timeline makes sense for your organization’s needs, that both you and the provider will have any required resources available, and that there are thoughtful maintenance processes in place to ensure long-term stability.
9) Long-term Partnership Potential. As your CSR program continues to grow, you need a technology partner that can grow with you. Your CSR software provider should be focused on making it easy for companies to take their impact further through workplace giving,workplace volunteering, and employee engagement.
10) Growth & Innovation. Corporate impact admins should consider each vendor's track record for platform improvements and innovations. Take the time to evaluate their product roadmap and investment in new features, and assess their ability to scale with your program's growth. You won’t regret it!
Companies should prioritize these factors based on their specific needs, program goals, and long-term CSR strategy. It's also advisable to speak with reference clients who have similar program requirements and scale to understand their experiences with each platform.
Switching CSR platforms can be daunting, which is why Deed has developed a comprehensive transition process that prioritizes data continuity and program momentum. The Deed platform is specifically designed to ingest historical data from previous CSR software providers, ensuring that valuable program metrics, giving history, and volunteer records seamlessly transfer to the new environment. This means companies can maintain their historical reporting capabilities while benefiting from Deed's modern, user-centric interface. The platform presents both historical and new engagement data in a unified view, allowing for consistent tracking of program growth and impact measurement across the transition period.
As Rachel Claudio, Senior Director of Social Impact and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) at Zuora, said recently:
As a one-person team, I needed to find a platform where employees could log-on and figure out how to make donations, request matches, and create volunteer opportunities or fundraisers. The transition for us has been super positive. The feedback I’m getting from employees is all about how much easier Deed is for them to use.
What sets Deed apart in the transition process is our dedicated implementation and partner success teams, who bring deep industry expertise and a track record of managing complex migrations for enterprise clients. Our implementation specialists work closely with clients to create detailed transition plans, identifying potential challenges before they arise and ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on timelines and expectations. The partner success team then provides hands-on support throughout the migration, offering strategic guidance on program optimization and ensuring employees are thoroughly trained on the new platform. This white-glove approach, combined with our technical capabilities for historical data integration, allows organizations to switch to Deed with minimal disruption to their CSR programs while immediately beginning to benefit from our modern, engaging solution.
The corporate social responsibility landscape is continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. Organizations will no doubt face new challenges in engaging their workforce in meaningful social impact initiatives—and overcoming those challenges will require more than just functional software, it will demand an impact partner who understands the complexities of modern workplace giving and can deliver solutions that drive real engagement and measurable impact.
Over the past three to five years, everyone’s expectations for Fortune 500 corporate social responsibility have radically changed. Deed is a nimble and flexible partner to some of the world’s largest and most inspiring purpose-driven organizations, from Airbnb and lululemon to Ripple and Zuora. Our tight-knit ecosystem of trusted technology providers including Workday and PayPal helps us to integrate with new clients quickly. With your dedicated partner success manager by your side from day one, Deed’s CSR platform moves at the speed of work.
Ready to explore how Deed can transform your corporate giving program? Our CSR software specialists are available to discuss your unique needs and demonstrate how our platform can help you achieve your social impact goals while delivering an exceptional experience for your employees. Request a demo today!