Empowering Employee-Led Philanthropy Through Giving Circles

In today’s evolving corporate landscape, traditional employee giving programs often struggle to foster meaningful employee engagement. With participation rates frequently in the single digits, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) leaders are seeking innovative ways to create deeper connections between employees, their companies, and the communities they support. One model gaining momentum is the Giving Circle—a community-driven approach that democratizes philanthropy while strengthening corporate culture. By shifting from passive giving to active collaboration, companies can transform their approach to CSR, increasing both employee engagement and social impact.

Giving Circles: A Growing Movement in CSR

Giving Circles provide an effective model for corporate social responsibility. They bring employees together to pool contributions or allocate company-designated funds, creating a more engaged and collective approach to supporting nonprofits and local causes. This peer-driven approach enhances philanthropic education and deepens engagement through the 6 T’s of philanthropy: Treasure, Time, Talent, Testimony, Trust and Ties. Employees gain more than just the ability to give financially—they also develop stronger relationships with one another, share personal values, and create meaningful impact together.

Recent research from the Johnson Center for Philanthropy (Johnson Center of Philanthropy) highlights the strong alignment between Giving Circles and corporate social responsibility goals:

• 85% of survey participants joined a Giving Circle to maximize the impact of their giving by pooling resources—mirroring how CSR programs aim to amplify employee-driven contributions.
• 80% were motivated by the opportunity to support causes and communities often overlooked by mainstream philanthropy—echoing CSR’s focus on inclusivity and access.
• 79% valued a more strategic approach to giving, seeking greater intentionality—an outcome many CSR programs seek through education and thoughtful employee experiences.

This shift from individual giving to collective impact mirrors the evolution of corporate philanthropy, where businesses are moving beyond transactional donations and matching programs to foster deeper, more participatory relationships with their employees and communities. By integrating Giving Circles into CSR strategies, companies can create a more engaging and sustainable approach to corporate giving, strengthening employee connections while amplifying social impact.

By transitioning from a transactional to a collaborative approach, Giving Circles encourage employees to actively participate in discussions about philanthropy, engage in collective decision-making, and contribute their skills and resources to causes they care about. This participatory model fosters authentic dialogue, strengthens team-building, and deepens employees' connections to both their colleagues and the broader community. The results speak for themselves—after participating in an employee-directed Giving Circle, 88% of employees reported a sense of community and shared purpose, compared to 70% in the baseline survey.

Additionally, 81% of participants said the program heightened their awareness of local organizations and initiatives, further strengthening the connection between employees and the causes they support. This demonstrates that when CSR initiatives incorporate Giving Circles, they not only amplify philanthropic efforts but also build a culture of local engagement and collaboration.

How Giving Circles Elevate Employee Engagement & Corporate Giving

Creating Meaningful Employee Engagement

Traditional CSR programs can feel transactional, offering limited opportunities for employees to connect with each other around the causes they support. This is especially true for companies with non-solicitation policies that restrict employees from sharing nonprofit campaigns they’re supporting with colleagues.

Giving Circles provide a more immersive experience, allowing employees to share the causes and organizations they care about and actively participate in collaborative philanthropic decision-making. This deeper involvement leads to stronger connections, with 91% of Giving Circle members reporting a greater sense of belonging through their participation (Johnson Center for Philanthropy). Given their engagement in collective giving, 87% of surveyed members identified as “donors and/or philanthropists” (Johnson Center for Philanthropy), demonstrating how this model fosters a deeper understanding and personal connection to philanthropy.

Employees who participated in CSR Giving Circles expressed the value of the experience, noting that it fosters a stronger sense of community within the workplace. One participant shared, “This is a great 'feel-good' activity—builds further community within your office, allows employees to feel good about the company and its mission, and enables employees to work together in a different way while learning things about each other that day-to-day work might not unfold.”

Building a Stronger Community Within the Workplace

Beyond traditional team-building activities, Giving Circles offer employees opportunities to engage in meaningful discussions that highlight shared values and common causes. This approach fosters collaboration across teams and departments, strengthening workplace relationships and cultivating a sense of community. The impact is clear: 92% of participants in a recent CSR Giving Circle program would either enthusiastically encourage (73%) or encourage (19%) colleagues to join future Giving Circle programs.

This shared experience helps break down silos within an organization, allowing employees to connect across different roles and levels, reinforcing a culture of shared purpose and mutual appreciation. One participant reflected on their experience, saying, “I highly enjoyed meeting others who are passionate about volunteer work and giving back. Having the opportunity to come together and review some amazing nonprofits and being able to award them funds that will surely help, felt amazing!”

Amplified Impact on Local Communities

Giving Circles often direct support toward small, local and underfunded nonprofits. In fact, research shows that 75% of Giving Circles prioritize local organizations, with many of these funds going to nonprofits operating on budgets under $1 million (Johnson Center for Philanthropy). A majority of participants from that same research—80%—shared a commitment to “change, not charity,” indicating their desire to address overlooked issues and underserved communities, while others supported more traditional service-oriented nonprofits (Johnson Center for Philanthropy). With a growing number of companies seeking to provide their employees with localized impact opportunities, Giving Circles are a great opportunity to better engage employees.

Participation in Giving Circles also helps employees build confidence in their ability to make a difference, which is essential for CSR initiatives. When employees feel empowered to contribute meaningfully, they are more likely to take ownership of corporate philanthropy efforts, advocate for important causes, and engage in long-term community impact. This increased confidence fosters a deeper connection to both their workplace and the communities they support, driving sustained engagement in CSR programs. An overwhelming 86% of members reported that their involvement increased their confidence in their ability to create meaningful change in their communities (Johnson Center for Philanthropy). Additionally, many groups emphasized a sense of belonging, with 74% of participants joining to form connections within their community, while others sought to network for a cause (Johnson Center for Philanthropy).

The ripple effect of engagement goes beyond financial contributions—60% of members reported an increase in time volunteered, while two-thirds provided additional non-monetary contributions to the grant recipients of their groups (Johnson Center for Philanthropy). This demonstrates how Giving Circles inspire a deeper level of engagement and impact from participants beyond the first of the “Six T’s of Philanthropy,” Treasure, to include all of the others as well: Time, Talent, Testimony, Trust, and Ties. The exposure to local nonprofits through CSR Giving Circles further encourages long-term commitment, with 81% of participants in a recent CSR Giving Circle program reporting a greater awareness of local organizations and initiatives, reinforcing the value of community-driven corporate philanthropy.

How Grapevine Makes Corporate Giving Circles Easy

Grapevine is the only platform dedicated to Giving Circles, providing companies with a seamless way to integrate employee-led philanthropy into their CSR initiatives.

• Launch & Manage Giving Circles with Ease: Grapevine simplifies Giving Circle creation, allowing companies to contribute a bulk sum for the program, to be granted to hundreds or thousands of grassroots organizations by Grapevine through its scalable grantmaking infrastructure around the world.

• Integrate with Existing Payroll Giving, Matching & Corporate Granting Tools: Whether you’re using Benevity, Bonterra CyberGrants, Blackbaud YourCause, or something else, Grapevine seamlessly complements your existing setup with easy-to-use integrations and SSO that enhance the giving experience for your employees while simplifying management for you. Our flexible technology ensures a smooth process, making it easier than ever to activate and engage your employees in meaningful philanthropy.
• Gain Insights & Track Impact: Companies can access data and gain insights into donations, grants, and employee engagement with activity reports, nonprofit impact updates, and easy data exports.
• Empower Connection & Engagement Across Teams: Built-in communication tools, including direct and group messaging, as well as automated peer-matching for 1:1 coffee chats, foster connection and discussion. Employees can also engage in company-approved collaboration features like nonprofit nominations, nonprofit voting, giving and granting events, and more to shape their collective giving.

• Create Meaningful Nonprofit Partnerships: Nonprofits are invited to share thank-you messages and impact update videos, ensuring employees see the tangible difference their contributions make and stay connected to the causes they support.
• Scale Giving Programs with Confidence: Whether launching a single Giving Circle or expanding across teams and locations, Grapevine supports organizations of all sizes with compliance-ready granting to over 1.1M U.S. nonprofits in good standing and vetted international organizations.
• Expert Guidance for Lasting Impact: Grapevine offers strategic guidance, resources and programmatic support to help companies implement and grow their Giving Circle initiatives to achieve their goals.

By leveraging Grapevine, companies can create a structured yet flexible approach to corporate giving that empowers employee-led philanthropy—increasing engagement, deepening impact, and fostering a culture of shared generosity.

Spotlight: How Giving Circles Helped Newman’s Own Engage Stakeholders & Expand Impact

One company leading the way in employee-led philanthropy is Newman’s Own Foundation, which has long been committed to nourishing and transforming the lives of children facing adversity. To deepen engagement with both employees and the broader community, Newman's Own partnered with Grapevine to foster a more inclusive and participatory approach to philanthropy with Giving Circles.

Through Grapevine, Newman's Own launched two groups:

• Community Fund Giving Circle
  This circle invited customers, partners, and other stakeholders to participate in virtual nonprofit site visits, engage in discussions, and vote on how funds should be distributed. Over $100,000 was contributed by Newman’s Own, and 601 members joined the Community Fund. In total, $135,684 was granted to mission-aligned nonprofits through this circle.
  
• Employee Giving Circle
  At the same time, the Employee Giving Circle gave team members the opportunity to nominate nonprofits and vote on funding decisions. 41 employees took part in the process, collectively directing $100,000 in funding from Newman’s Own to organizations they believe in—deepening the connection between their day-to-day work and the company’s philanthropic mission.

Together, these Giving Circles have introduced Newman’s Own to new nonprofit partners, strengthened connections among customers, employees, and stakeholders, and amplified the company’s impact through community-driven philanthropy.

The Future of Corporate Philanthropy is Collaborative

Giving Circles offer a simple framework for a more inclusive, engaging and collaborative approach to corporate social responsibility, enabling companies to engage employees in philanthropy in a more meaningful way. By integrating this model into CSR strategies, organizations empower employees to take an active role in giving, foster stronger workplace connections through identification of shared values and meaningful shared experiences, and direct resources toward underfunded, high-impact nonprofits. This approach not only strengthens company culture but also deepens employee engagement and reinforces a shared sense of purpose.

As the Giving Circle movement continues to grow, companies have an opportunity to lead the way in reimagining corporate giving. More organizations are recognizing the benefits of employee-led philanthropy, from boosting participation in CSR initiatives to amplifying community impact. Organizations looking to launch new community-driven initiatives or expand existing efforts should embrace a more participatory and collaborative approach to corporate philanthropy. Now is the time to engage employees more meaningfully and maximize social impact.

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