Innovative. Transparent. Socially responsible. These are just a few common words used to describe successful businesses in today’s society. What do the companies that embody these traits tend to have in common? For starters, they’re drawn to generating social change, not only profits. By launching a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, your business can join the ranks of these organizations and engage its employees in making a mark on the world.
The secret to managing these programs lies in CSR software. To turn your impact from a hope into a reality, you need the right tools to facilitate your philanthropic activities, boost employee participation, and accurately report your results.
In this guide, we’ll help you find the right CSR platform for your needs. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What Is CSR Software?
- Comparing 11+ Best CSR Software
- Essential Features to Look For in a CSR Platform
- How to Choose and Implement the Right CSR Tools
Investing in CSR for your business doesn’t have to be expensive, time-consuming, or challenging. The top CSR solutions are built to simplify giving so you can focus on your long-term success and impact.
What Is CSR Software?
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) software is a digital tool that helps companies streamline their CSR activities, from managing corporate giving programs to tracking environmental impact.
CSR software makes it easy for your business to:
- Create workplace giving opportunities, such as matching gifts and volunteer grants.
- Find reputable nonprofits that will benefit from donations, volunteer support, and sponsorships.
- Measure employee participation in your CSR program, so you can identify ways to boost engagement.
- Track the results of your CSR initiatives, so you can report your impact to internal and external stakeholders.
At the same time, your employees can use the platform to discover nonprofits they want to support, make donations, log their volunteer activity, and more. While there are dedicated volunteering platforms, grant management solutions, and other related tools out there, choosing comprehensive CSR software ensures that you have all the capabilities you need in one place.
What Are the Benefits of Using a CSR Platform?
While it takes time and research to decide on the best fit for your company, these benefits of CSR software make it well worth the investment:
- Improved talent acquisition: 74% of employees across generations report that, when considering a job, they want the chance to shape the future in a meaningful way. This percentage increases to 78% among Gen Zers and millennials. By using CSR software to provide well-designed employee giving and volunteering opportunities, you can attract more talented job seekers who want to make a difference in their community.
- Higher employee engagement: Employees who participate in their company’s giving programs have 75% longer tenures. They’re able to find a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and belonging in their roles, which in turn, leads them to become more productive and motivated at work. With a CSR platform, you have the tools to promote your charitable opportunities to employees and boost their participation.
- Better brand reputation: Consumers are 4x more likely to purchase from a company with a strong purpose and 4.5x more likely to champion it by recommending the brand to others. Think of CSR software as a generator that powers your social impact, allowing your business to connect with charitable causes and infuse generosity into your workplace culture.
- Increased transparency and trust: Only 40% of corporate citizenship executives are satisfied with their CSR reporting, and 81% expect it to become more challenging in the future. There’s a lot to disclose to maintain transparency, from the impact of employee volunteerism to the results of sustainability initiatives. CSR platforms with configurable, real-time dashboards simplify reporting so you can build more trust with internal and external stakeholders.
These benefits, however, do not come with every CSR platform on the market. To build a thriving CSR program, you need to equip the right tools for your specific budget, needs, and employee preferences.
Comparing 11+ Best CSR Software
The sooner you find a suitable CSR solution for your business, the sooner you can start engaging employees in your social good initiatives. We’ve put in the work and compiled the top options on the market based on their core functionality, user experience, pricing, and customer reviews.
Use this list to jump-start your CSR software research:
1. Uncommon Giving – Best for All Types of Workplace Giving
Uncommon Giving is a modern, all-in-one CSR platform that eliminates the administrative burden of running social impact programs. Engage your employees with purpose, amplify generosity, and become a CSR leader with these key tools:
- Giving: Automate your corporate giving processes and provide a personalized giving experience for each employee. Set up matching gifts, enable payroll deductions, and allow employees to follow social media posts from nonprofits they care about through a Generosity Feed.
- Volunteering: Make it easy for employees to search and sign up for volunteer opportunities in their community. They can log their hours and submit volunteer grant requests, and you can automate approvals based on your program’s criteria.
- Event Management: Bring your employees closer together by planning your own company- or team-wide volunteering events. Create an annual day of service or partner with local nonprofits to provide pro bono services.
- Charitable Wallet: Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are charitable giving accounts where donors can add funds they plan on contributing to nonprofits at a later time. Uncommon Giving allows you to set each employee up with an easy-to-use DAF and processes donations on your behalf twice a month.
- Mobile App: Thanks to smartphones, people can communicate and consume information anytime, anywhere. Uncommon Giving’s full-function mobile app facilitates employee participation in your charitable activities by enabling them to make donations, sign up for volunteer projects, and share event photos with their peers even when they’re on the go.
- Reporting: Monitor your company’s CSR performance using real-time dashboards and generate reports that you can share with employees, customers, investors, and other stakeholders.
Even though the Uncommon Giving platform is built to be intuitive and simplify CSR, it also offers a dedicated Help Center in case you have any questions or troubleshooting needs.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Certified Leader in Matching Automation (CLMA) – Less than 24 hours to launch – Vetted database of 1.5+ million nonprofits – Payroll integration | The majority of users report no major downsides to Uncommon Giving. They’re excited about the continual rollout of new features and updates. |
For a more in-depth look at this CSR software’s functionality and user experience, check out this quick platform overview:
As the video illustrates, Uncommon Giving gives employees complete freedom and flexibility regarding how they want to engage in their company’s philanthropic initiatives.
Pricing
The CSR software’s pricing begins at $1,999/year and has no setup fees. Companies of all sizes, including Bloomerang and Regent Bank, use Uncommon Giving to power generosity in their workplace. Request a demo to see the platform in action!
2. Benevity – Best for Gamifying Employee Participation
Benevity is a CSR software solution that aims to facilitate employee engagement through donating and volunteering.
With the platform’s standout features, you can:
- Provide donation matching and Dollars for Doers volunteer rewards.
- Create Challenges, such as bicycling to the office, that encourage employees to take small actions that support your CSR initiatives.
- Allow peer matching, which involves employees matching their colleagues’ donations to charitable causes.
- Set up employee-led affinity groups that connect employees with similar interests and passions.
- Automate grant application processing, disbursements, and reporting.
Plus, Benevity can integrate with tools like Workday and VolunteerMatch to make program management more seamless for your business.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Simple and easy user interface – Gamification tools – Available in 22+ languages | – Customer support can be difficult to reach at times |
Pricing
Benevity’s pricing is available upon request. There are three product plans to choose from: Grow, Scale, and Boost.
3. Selflessly – Best for Employee Volunteering
Selflessly is a corporate giving and volunteering platform that consolidates all of a company’s social impact initiatives in one place.
This CSR software shines through tools that allow you to:
- Share 60,000+ employee volunteering opportunities across the U.S.
- Track individual volunteering history and time off.
- Create employee surveys to learn more about engagement preferences.
- Set up matching gifts, payroll deductions, and recurring donations.
- Generate actionable reports, which can be downloaded in CSV or PDF formats.
Selflessly’s integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams enables you to easily create a giving channel that keeps your CSR initiatives at the top of employees’ minds.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy setup and navigation – Detailed participation and impact tracking – Responsive customer support | – Can be challenging to search for nonprofits within the platform |
Pricing
Selflessly provides pricing upon request.
4. Chezuba – Best for Virtual Volunteering
Chezuba is a CSR solution that connects employees with skill-based volunteering opportunities around the world, in addition to facilitating other aspects of corporate philanthropy.
Notably, Chezuba’s top features allow you to:
- Create a custom-branded CSR portal.
- Curate personalized volunteering opportunities for each employee.
- Share gamified micro-volunteering tasks that take 10 minutes to complete.
- Make direct donations, Dollars for Doers contributions, and grants.
- Monitor employee participation and impact in real time.
Ultimately, the platform’s emphasis on promoting volunteerism worldwide makes it ideal for companies with global teams.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Tailored volunteer opportunities for employees – Partnership with nonprofits in 100+ countries – Comprehensive, prompt customer support | – No mobile app for volunteer engagement |
Pricing
Contact the Chezuba team to learn more about their pricing.
5. GoodUp – Best for Inclusivity and Employee Well-being
GoodUp is a CSR platform that allows employees to lead the way in your company’s social impact initiatives.
Using GoodUp’s tools, you can:
- Manage and support employee resource groups (ERGs) that build a sense of community within the workplace.
- Create challenges that promote well-being, such as walking 10,000 steps a day or eating healthy for a month.
- Allow employees to share pictures and videos of their participation to inspire others.
- Add rewards to fundraising campaigns to incentivize employee donations.
- Track employee participation by region, offices, departments, and functions.
This CSR solution incorporates frameworks such as the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making it easy for companies to align their reporting with global standards.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy onboarding process – Collaboration facilitated by tools like file sharing and group chats – Built to gamify engagement | – Complex user interface and sharper learning curve for users |
Pricing
GoodUp’s pricing is available upon request. Depending on your company’s size and goals, you can choose from three plans: Basic, Professional, and Enterprise.
6. POINT – Best for Mobile-First Engagement
POINT is a CSR platform that is mobile-first for employees and web-based for administrators.
Through POINT, your company can:
- Help employees find volunteering opportunities based on cause or location.
- Use POINT’s Venmo-like donation tool to facilitate employee giving.
- Explore POINT’s in-kind registry to support nonprofits in need of item donations.
- Host employee-only volunteer events or partner with nonprofits to co-host public events.
- Automatically generate reports on company-wide impact.
Plus, when you invite nonprofits to POINT, they can use the platform to manage volunteers for free.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy-to-use mobile app – Unlimited administrators – On-demand support through calls, chat, or video chat | – Not all employees might appreciate the mobile-first platform |
Pricing
Contact POINT for their specific pricing information.
7. Submittable – Best for Grant Management
Submittable’s suite of CSR software covers everything from grant management to scholarships.
The CSR solution allows companies to:
- Create online grant applications, coordinate reviews, and distribute funds with ease.
- Set up scholarships, fellowships, and emergency relief programs to address community needs.
- Empower employees to set up volunteer events and search for existing opportunities in one library.
- Facilitate employee donations with multiple payment methods and payroll deductions.
- Track and match employee donations and volunteer hours.
Submittable provides a high level of control over your CSR program, allowing you to set user permissions and record employee behavior data to make strategic improvements.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Drag-and-drop form builder – Accessible and user-friendly design – Dedicated customer success team | – Limited functionality and customization options |
Pricing
Submittable’s pricing details are available upon request. Choose from three plans: Starter, Pro, and Enterprise. You can purchase employee volunteering or employee giving as additional or standalone products.
8. Goodworld – Best for Employee Recognition
Goodworld is a social impact solution that provides tools for companies that want to improve their culture and brand reputation through CSR initiatives.
Using Goodworld’s platform, businesses can:
- Search 1.5 million nonprofits by cause, location, and keywords.
- Accept matching gift requests and enable payroll giving.
- Provide skill-based, non-skill-based, and private volunteering opportunities to employees.
- Send GiveCards to employees, which are dollars they can donate to a nonprofit of choice.
- Design and send personalized impact eCards to recognize employee participation.
Additionally, Goodworld can seamlessly integrate with tools such as Stripe and Paypal to streamline your company’s data flow.
| Pros | Cons |
| – User-friendly platform – eCard design and sending tools – Top-notch customer support | – Limited customization when it comes to reporting |
Pricing
Contact the Goodworld team to learn about their pricing.
9. OnHand – Best for Sustainability Tracking
OnHand is a CSR software solution designed to make it easy for companies to engage employees in volunteering and track their sustainability impact.
OnHand’s suite of tools allows companies to:
- Gamify employee volunteering with points, leaderboards, and badges.
- Provide tax-free payroll giving options to employees.
- Distribute grants to local causes.
- Engage employees by uploading ERGs and CSR talks.
- Monitor sustainability and social impact metrics, such as CO2e reductions and volunteer impact.
Every month, OnHand helps plant a tree for every single team member who is using the platform. Over time, you can watch the number of trees in your “company’s forest” grow alongside your impact.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Simple-to-use app – Variety of volunteering opportunities – Educational CSR tools for employees | – No matching gift or Dollars for Doers functionality |
Pricing
Contact the OnHand team to discuss pricing details. There is a high-impact starter plan available for small businesses with 50 employees or fewer.
10. Goodera – Best for Year-Round Volunteer Engagement
Goodera partners with nonprofits to host engaging volunteering opportunities for companies and their employees.
With Goodera, companies can:
- Connect with impact consultants to develop customized volunteering strategies.
- Access a catalog of virtual, hybrid, and in-person volunteering opportunities across 50+ cause areas.
- Use Goodera’s event calendar to encourage year-round volunteering or work with an expert to curate their own.
- Receive detailed reports on volunteering impact and the beneficiaries engaged.
- Send post-event collateral and surveys to keep employees motivated to participate.
Whether you’re looking to find volunteering opportunities for employee onboarding or company-wide retreats, Goodera has curated ideas for your specific goals.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Curated volunteering calendar – Virtual experiences hosted by Goodera – 27/4 standby support | – No built-in giving tools |
Pricing
Reach out to the Goodera team to learn more about their pricing.
11. Percent Pledge – Best for Employee Engagement
Percent Pledge is a comprehensive CSR platform built to help companies create engaging employee experiences with their CSR programs.
Percent Pledge’s wide range of features allows businesses to:
- Use a Passion Assessment to learn about employee interests and preferences.
- Simplify giving with Cause Portfolios that enable donating to multiple nonprofits at once.
- Access CSR resources for communicating their CSR commitment in marketing materials and job descriptions.
- Award impact badges to employees based on their participation.
- Provide employees with cause credits they can donate to a nonprofit of choice.
Plus, with the “Grow Your Impact” feature, Percent Pledge will plant a tree through Habitats Foundation for every volunteer hour that your employees log. You’ll automatically receive a tax-deductible invoice each month, amounting to $1 per tree.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Charity vetting – Ability to donate to multiple nonprofits at once – Gamification tools | – Can be challenging to search for specific nonprofits |
Pricing
Percent Pledge offers three plan options: Platform, Volunteer, and The Works. Contact their team for specific pricing.
12. EcoVadis – Best for Supply Chain Sustainability
The EcoVadis platform helps companies score and improve their sustainability by assessing each company and its supply chain.
EcoVadis supports companies in their sustainability goals by:
- Providing contactless supply chain risk screening and analysis.
- Creating actionable scorecards with recommendations for improvement.
- Making it easy to track metrics aligned with international sustainability frameworks.
- Sharing educational resources within an e-learning portal.
- Awarding EcoVadis Medals and Badges to showcase sustainability performance.
With EcoVadis, you can better understand these four aspects of your sustainability performance: environmental, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The platform even comes with a separate scorecard on carbon emissions.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Platform and support available in 14+ languages – Virtual training sessions on sustainability – Standardized sustainability assessments | – No tools for directly engaging employees in CSR initiatives |
Pricing
Reach out to the EcoVadis team to learn more about pricing.
Essential Features to Look For in a CSR Platform
While there are many promising CSR software options to consider, make sure the ones on your shortlist check these essential boxes:
- Corporate and Employee Giving: Your business should be able to distribute grants to nonprofits, set up a matching gift program, and provide volunteer grants. Additionally, look for tools that make it easy for employees to support nonprofits in the ways they prefer, whether that’s individual, recurring, or payroll donations.
- Corporate Volunteering: The top CSR platforms connect employees with a wide range of volunteer opportunities, including virtual, in-person, hybrid, or skill-based ones. Logging volunteer hours should be quick and easy—this is where a mobile app can come in handy.
- Nonprofit Database: With so many worthy causes to support, your employees might not know where to start. Look for a solution that comes with a regularly updated, extensive database of vetted nonprofits that employees can search to find organizations that resonate with their interests and values.
- Event Management: Company- or team-wide events can nurture a sense of community and belonging in your workplace. Beyond promoting existing volunteer opportunities to employees, your business should be able to plan, promote, and host its own events.
- Reporting and Analytics: A CSR platform should both streamline and improve your program’s performance. Make sure you can monitor employee participation, track impact, and generate easy-to-understand reports that you can use to adapt your program over time.
- Support: When looking for a platform that will give you the most value for your money, prioritize the user experience. At the same time, your CSR tools should have an in-depth Help Center that you can rely on for any questions or troubleshooting issues.
Beyond these key features, consider any additional must-haves or nice-to-haves that your team is interested in. For example, some of the most innovative CSR solutions, like Uncommon Giving, integrate with matching gift software to provide auto-submission to employees. This option means that, after making a donation, employees can submit a match request to your company with just one click.
How to Choose and Implement the Right CSR Tools
Adopting any new technology for your company takes research and patience. Choosing the right fit for your needs, budget, and goals ensures that you have everything you need to become a leading CSR business in your sector.
Follow these steps to streamline your process:
- Research your options. Explore the product pages of CSR providers and read online reviews on reliable websites such as Capterra. Reach out to connections at other similar companies to ask if they have any recommendations based on their personal experience.
- Request demos. Once you’ve narrowed down your options based on your budget and the features you’re looking for, request demos for a closer look at each platform. Take this opportunity to ask questions about the software’s user interface, available integrations, and security features.
- Provide training to users. After you’ve made your decision, conduct training sessions that walk users through the basics of the platform. Consider designating one or more individuals to act as experts that team members can go to for more individualized help. Additionally, equip users with detailed documentation created either by your company or the CSR provider that they can browse in their own time.
- Promote your CSR initiatives. Maximize participation in your CSR initiatives by broadcasting them through internal communication channels, discussing them in company-wide meetings, and sharing them on your website. Incorporate CSR into your workplace culture by highlighting top employee contributors and key accomplishments on social media.
- Collect data and make improvements. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) for your CSR performance and review them on a quarterly basis with your leadership team. For example, if you notice a decline in employee matching gift engagement, you might decide to broaden the participation criteria so it’s easier for people to get involved.
Before, during, and after you implement your software, consider sending out surveys to employees to collect their feedback. Use their input to adjust your program and create more engaging experiences that employees want to participate in.
Transforming Your Company Culture with CSR Software
Investing in CSR software signals to your employees, customers, and other stakeholders that your company is ready to make a meaningful mark on the world. Remember that your CSR program is a team effort. Beyond using your CSR tools to make it easy to participate, be consistent with reporting the impact of employees’ contributions and recognizing them for the role they play in your company’s social impact.
If you’d like to learn about more tips and tools for turning your business into a CSR leader, check out these additional resources:
- 12 Top Corporate Volunteering Platforms for Making an Impact. Want to encourage more employees to give back to their community? Discover the top corporate volunteering tools to help you boost engagement.
- Employee Giving 101: A Blueprint for Modern Companies. Become an expert on employee giving with the FAQs, steps, strategies, and examples in this complete guide.
- What Is Workplace Giving? 5 Steps to Boost Engagement. Explore the benefits of workplace giving and get inspired by some top companies with workplace giving programs.
