Why Edelman Financial Engines Switched CSR Software Mid-Year

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It's the highest participation we’ve ever had and Percent Pledge keeps getting better. We have employees coming to us to tell us how easy Percent Pledge is to use._{‍
Pammi Bhullar – Senior Director, Corporate Citizenship}

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Edelman Financial Engines (EFE) is a leading financial planning and investment management firm focused on helping people build stronger financial futures. Its Corporate Citizenship program supports employee giving, volunteering, and charitable matching across a global workforce, including an employee base in India.

All quotes in this case study are from our interview with Pammi Bhullar – Senior Director, Corporate Citizenship (Head of DE&I and Philanthropy) at Edelman Financial Engines.

Challenges With Legacy CSR Software

The Cost vs. Value Factor

Bhullar inherited the giving and volunteering program in late 2024. By then, the vendor relationship had already faced challenges in maintaining internal confidence. Procurement also raised a concern: the legacy CSR platform proposed a sizeable year-over-year price increase, without any clearly defined increase in value.

They wanted to raise our pricing without any additional benefit.

What’s more, the price hike was one more thing on top of all these ongoing issues:

Support Fell Short

Meetings were held, but follow-up action items were dropped.

The customer service was lacking. We’d have regular meetings but there was no follow-up, and our requests often didn’t get done.

Challenges With Fulfillment of Donations

Bhullar found cases where nonprofits were not receiving matching funds as expected.

There were instances where organizations were not getting their matches and funds were delayed.

Limited Self-Serve Reporting

Even basic participation data was difficult to find without vendor help. Reporting tools were complex, making it difficult to access data without vendor assistance.

I’m good with data and I could not figure it out. Often, I had to go to our CSM to get reports.

In short: EFE needed a platform that met all their needs, not a system they had to work around. So, they made the decision to test the market in search of a platform and partner to align to their CSR goals of driving better engagement.

The Search for a Better CSR Platform

EFE evaluated several options, including staying with the legacy provider. Bhullar and the team looked for a platform that would make it easier for employees to participate—and easier for Corporate Citizenship to run the program with confidence.

We wanted to be able to look at all of our giving in one place, including corporate grants. It had all been in spreadsheets.

Their requirements were practical and employee-centered:

• A clean, intuitive employee experience for giving and volunteering.
• Clear, self-serve reporting without needing vendor “interpretation”
• One system for corporate grants, matching gifts, and volunteer management.
• A responsive partner who would keep improving alongside EFE

And there was one more reality: doing nothing would have been easier.

A mid-year switch can feel like extra risk—especially with matching already in motion. So EFE was intentionally incredibly detailed and particular throughout their evaluation process:

In every demo, we had each company cover everything: how to log a volunteer hour; how to make a donation; how to add a charity; how to add a corporate grant.

By the end of the evaluation, EFE’s shortlist included the most established, well-known legacy CSR platforms, alongside Percent Pledge and one other modern platform. The final decision came down to a clear choice: remain with larger legacy options that have been in the market longer or move to a more modern platform that solves the three biggest pains: support, reporting, and employee experience.

Percent Pledge did a great job communicating during the whole process. That was our only indicator for how we might be treated as customers, and it turned out to be totally true. Your support is amazing.

Solutions With Percent Pledge

Why Percent Pledge Won

Percent Pledge stood out because it directly solved EFE’s biggest pain points and offered the greatest value. The difference was clear enough for Percent Pledge to win EFE’s business over the status quo and other large legacy CSR platforms.

Percent Pledge wasn’t the cheapest option, but it was about value.

Bhullar remembers three things standing out most about Percent Pledge:

1) Better Support

Bhullar didn’t just want meetings. She wanted follow-through. With Percent Pledge, she found a partner who was responsive, clear, and reliable—especially the Social Impact Manager dedicated to EFE, Brianna Paul.

Bri’s been amazing. She’s incredibly responsive and Percent Pledge really makes changes in response to customer feedback.

2) Easier Reporting

With Percent Pledge, EFE can now finally complete their reporting requirements on their own. Participation and giving data are easy to pull directly, eliminating the old reporting runaround. They no longer have to rely on their vendor to get their data out of their system or view reporting they need.

It’s easy to find whatever data I’m looking for. I can get answers fast.

3) Higher Participation

The platform was simple enough for employees to navigate without training. That ease mattered—because when giving and matching feel hard, people stop trying. The ease of use and global support have expanded the tent of participants for EFE:

Our colleagues in India are adopting the platform, which never happened before.

Bonus: The Platform (And Value) Keep Getting Better

The final decision was about value and impact—delivering more functionality and efficiency for the investment. And, the value keeps improving. Bhullar ended by adding that she appreciates how Percent Pledge keeps improving in ways that are visible and meaningful for admins and employees.

Percent Pledge keeps getting better as we continue to work with you. We see the system evolving. My employees have noticed it too.

Switching CSR Software

A Mid-Year Migration That Actually Went Smoothly

“The transition to Percent Pledge was exactly as easy as you said it would be.”

Switching platforms mid-cycle usually adds risk. Bhullar’s main concerns were simple:

• Would SSO and HRIS integrations work for everyone?
• Would the user experience be as easy as the demo?
• Would global employees—especially in India—adopt our platform and participate?

Smooth Setup and HRIS Integrations

Bhullar’s biggest technical worry never became an issue.

Careful and Precise Data Migration in Two Waves

EFE couldn’t get a clean export from the previous system. Percent Pledge migrated the historical data first, then ran a second sweep so in-between donations and match balances stayed accurate.

I was really nervous about switching mid-year, but it went smoothly.

Every employee saw exactly how much matching funds they had left when they went into Percent Pledge for the first time.

A Full Relaunch With Three Live Launch Demos

Bhullar used the platform change to reset Corporate Citizenship with a more intentional strategy. Alongside that reset, Percent Pledge led three live launch demos.

We coupled the launch of the platform with our new Corporate Citizenship programming. Bri led three live demos for our employees, including our India team, which was huge.

Change Management That Built Momentum

EFE didn’t rely on “send one email and hope.” They built champions and reinforced the message:

• ERG leader preview (40–50 leaders): created early champions and surfaced FAQs
• Live global demos across time zones (including India): walked employees through giving, matching, and volunteer logging
• Ongoing reinforcement: embedded updates into quarterly ERG meetings and internal comms

Results With Percent Pledge

Maxed-Out Matching Gifts and Record-High Participation

Within the first months on Percent Pledge, EFE saw clear wins:

100% of Match Budget Used for the First Time

EFE fully exhausted its annual match budget, which had never happened before. The team sees this as a strong signal of higher engagement and stronger employee trust in the process.

It’s the first time we’ve exhausted our charitable match budget.

Participation Quickly Hit a New High—and Keeps Rising

For years, EFE’s high-water mark on the legacy platform was 13%. Within just a few months of moving to Percent Pledge, EFE climbed to 20% participation—and that new record continues to tick up month after month. More employees are engaging in giving and volunteering than ever before.

It’s the highest participation we’ve ever had. Plus, I can easily pull that stat from your dashboard—I don’t have to ask anybody anymore.

HR Support Tickets Went Away—and Unexpected Praise Came Forward

Since switching platforms, Bhullar has seen only two employee support tickets come into their internal “Ask HR” support desk. Even more surprising: employees proactively shared that the platform was easy to use.

We have employees coming to us to tell us how easy Percent Pledge is to use.

Now They Can Adapt To Current Events

The final thing Bhullar mentioned was more qualitative in nature, about the adaptability of Percent Pledge to current events. The example she used was Feed Your Impact, a new tool that lets companies donate real meals to food banks for every volunteer hour their employees log in the system.

[Feed Your Impact] was a really nice move. With the cuts to SNAP benefits, it was a feel-good move for our company, and for me, to tell employees we’re turning on this new feature. Employees absolutely loved it.

Looking Ahead: Scaling Corporate Citizenship Globally

Bhullar’s priorities for the next phase include:

• Driving participation to newer, higher records
• Streamlining corporate grants further
• Expanding global and APAC-friendly volunteer options
• Building a formal environmental strategy

Final Thoughts

EFE’s story shows what can happen when a CSR program moves to a partner aligned with their goals and offering a modern technology designed with both employees and admins in mind.

The result: EFE unlocked streamlined operations, record participation, a fully utilized match budget, and a Corporate Citizenship leader who can run the program with confidence.

Are you looking to improve, or launch, your employee workplace giving & volunteering programs? Pick a time to meet with our team and get a live demo of our modern CSR platform.