The 2025 Social Impact and Employee Engagement Trends Report is based on insights from over 20,000 employees. It reveals what today’s workforce cares about most—and how HR, CSR, DEI, and People leaders can use those insights to improve participation in their giving and volunteering programs.
This is not another data dump. It’s your blueprint for action.
Volunteering officially overtakes donations in CSR programs
98% of employees want to volunteer or donate at work. But it’s volunteering that’s gaining momentum fast—especially virtual volunteering, which meets the needs of hybrid and remote teams.
As employee expectations evolve, traditional donations alone won’t drive engagement. People want hands-on, flexible ways to make a difference.
Employees are clear—volunteering helps professional development
88% of employees say volunteering helps their personal and professional growth. Employees gain leadership skills, feel more connected, and reduce stress.
Some leading companies now link volunteering to L&D goals and performance reviews. It’s a simple way to build culture and improve retention at the same time.
The #1 cause employees care about most is the environment
Environmental causes now top the list of what employees care about. Over half selected the environment as a priority. It’s followed closely by youth & education and hunger & homelessness.
New tools like Grow Your Impact allow companies to tie every volunteer hour to real environmental impact. Employees can watch their “forest” grow in real time—and your team can track carbon offsets.
Aligning with ESG goals is smart. Making ESG visible is smarter.
Example: Proctorio used their Passion Report to hit 78% engagement
Proctorio turned insights into action. They used their custom Passion Report to create events and campaigns their people actually cared about.
Their engagement jumped to 78%—far above industry norms.
"The Passion Assessment helped us identify what our teams care about, so now we can easily find events and create campaigns that people will happily support."
That’s the power of listening, personalizing, and simplifying your program.
Employees want to volunteer often—and your calendar matters
97% of employees want to volunteer at least once per year. Nearly half want to do it quarterly or more. That’s why consistent opportunities matter.
Use a quarterly cadence and tie your events to relevant themes or months—like Pride Month in June or Veterans Day in November—to increase participation.
Awareness is the biggest barrier to employee engagement
Despite strong interest, 51% of employees say they’re unaware of their company’s giving or volunteering options. Only 23% feel truly aware.
This isn’t about employee apathy—it’s a communications issue. Use three or more channels (like intranet, Slack, and team meetings) to keep awareness high. Companies that do this see 20% higher participation.
Time is also a real (and perceived) blocker to engagement
46% of employees say they don’t feel they have time to volunteer—even if their company offers Volunteer Time Off (VTO).
This perception often comes down to manager support. Encouragement from team leads and execs during all-hands meetings can dramatically shift participation.
Employees crave in-person volunteering with teammates
Even with remote flexibility, 62% of employees still prefer in-person volunteering with colleagues. These events double as “team bonding on steroids.”
They’re especially useful during return-to-office initiatives—and help rebuild connection across distributed teams.
When you host volunteer events makes a difference
According to the report, weekday mornings and afternoons are the best times for volunteering. Weekend or evening events? Not so much.
This is a low-effort way to meet employees where they are and see higher turnout.
Personalization is key—we all champion different causes
Employees don’t all care about the same causes. One-size-fits-all programs won’t work anymore.
That’s why we built the Passion Assessment. It reveals what your employees care about and how they want to give back. Their responses are compiled into a custom Passion Report—your cheat sheet to personalize your programs and increase engagement.
It also includes AI-powered recommendations, donation suggestions, and best times to host events—all tailored to your people.
What these new 2025 trends means for your teams
If you want more people to show up, feel connected, and participate regularly, start with what they care about.
Our clients see 50–100% engagement because they use tools like the Passion Assessment to design around employee interests—and remove barriers like time, low awareness, and lack of personalization.
- Explore our Passion Assessment to learn how to unlock what your people care about most.
- Read the full Proctorio case study to see how one team turned insights into real results.
Download the full 2025 Employee Engagement Trends Report
Get all the data and strategies to build a giving and volunteering program your employees will actually use.
