How engagement is driving CSR outcomes in 2025 

CSR is evolving, and engagement is your strongest lever for impact 

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown from a check-the-box initiative to a strategic driver of business value and employee culture. But today’s CSR leaders face new challenges: distributed teams, rising expectations from socially conscious employees, and the need to show meaningful, measurable impact. In this landscape, engagement is not an accessory, it’s foundational. 

The Bonterra 2025 Impact Report highlights how digital-first CSR strategies are transforming employee giving. Among top-performing CyberGrants customers, participation grew by 13%, approval times dropped by 24%, and average gift size increased by 42%, but that’s just the start. Companies that use social feeds to showcase impact saw 89% higher engagement, while those using digital wallets saw a 90% increase in donation amounts. Matching programs and gamified experiences also boosted giving participation by over 20%. These results show that when CSR programs are accessible, personalized, and powered by technology like Bonterra CyberGrants, they do more than perform, they build purpose into the employee experience and deliver measurable impact across the business and the community. 

Digital-first CSR creates deeper connection 

Employee expectations around CSR have shifted. They want to support causes that matter to them personally, and they want it to be easy. CyberGrants is built for this exact reality. 

According to Bonterra’s 2025 Impact Report, organizations that integrate digital-first tools into their CSR programs are seeing significantly higher levels of participation. For example, companies that use social feeds to share impact report an 89% increase in employee engagement, while those leveraging digital wallets see a 90% increase in donation volume. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s the result of intentional, digital-first design: 

• A unified interface brings together giving, volunteering, and corporate grantmaking in one platform. 
• Personalized experiences allow employees to choose causes aligned with their passions. 
• Mobile-friendly tools let them participate on their own time from anywhere. 
• Gamification tools like achievement badges and real-time progress tracking motivate ongoing participation. 
• Social sharing and visibility features help employees celebrate their impact together, building a stronger sense of community. 

When CSR becomes frictionless, participation follows. And participation isn’t just a metric it’s a marker of culture, alignment, and impact. 

This is why forward-thinking brands are moving beyond basic donation portals to invest in meaningful employee engagement. CyberGrants helps embed purpose into the everyday employee experience, making it easier to connect values with action. 

Time-saving tools that drive team efficiency 

CSR teams are being asked to do more with less. More programs, more reporting, more strategy, with the same or fewer resources. That’s why workflow automation matters. 

CyberGrants customers reported a 24% decrease in grant approval times from 2023 to 2024. For lean teams, that means a week of administrative lift removed. Instead of managing approvals manually, teams are using CyberGrants’ workflow engine to: 

• Route requests automatically based on configurable rules 
• Trigger timely reminders and status updates 
• Track outcomes in real-time without manual data pulls 

This kind of time savings doesn’t just make life easier; it creates space for deeper strategy, stakeholder storytelling, and nonprofit relationship-building. 

Smarter giving leads to stronger partnerships 

The benefits of a digital-first CSR strategy extend beyond internal metrics. They ripple out to the nonprofits and communities your company serves. 

In 2024, CyberGrants customers saw a 42% increase in average gift size across their employee giving programs. That kind of growth reflects more than just convenience. It signals trust. Employees are more likely to give, and give generously, when the experience is smooth, meaningful, and connected to their values. 

That trust deepens even further during times of crisis. According to Bonterra’s 2025 Impact Report, organizations using Bonterra tools saw a 1,308% increase in funding during high-impact moments, such as hurricanes or major court decisions. The ability to respond within hours not days, turns CSR into a responsive force for good that meets communities when they need it most. 

Stronger employee engagement leads to: 

• More consistent donor behavior 
• Deeper nonprofit relationships 
• Improved community outcomes 

The result? CSR programs that are not only efficient, but deeply effective. 

CSR that clicks isn’t just good, it performs 

Why are some companies thriving while others struggle to scale their CSR efforts? It often comes down to the strength of the systems behind them. 

Bonterra CyberGrants stands out because it delivers: 

• A unified CSR platform that supports giving, volunteering, and grantmaking in one place 
• The most flexible CSR workflow engine on the market for customized program design 
• Insights, a market-leading analytics tool for real-time measurement and optimization 

Together, these tools empower companies to: 

• Increase employee participation 
• Streamline operational efficiency
• Show measurable business and social impact 

Whether you’re a CSR team of one or part of a global enterprise, CyberGrants turns your strategy into action and your action into results. 

The future of CSR is agile, data-driven, and human 

Bonterra’s 2025 Impact Report reinforces a clear trend: companies that invest in personalization, automation, and real-time impact tracking are redefining what it means to do good at scale. 

CSR isn’t static. It evolves with your people, your communities, and your business priorities. And with the right tools, you can stay ahead of that curve, building a more resilient, more human strategy for social good. 

Ready to see what’s possible with smarter CSR? 

Want to create a CSR strategy that drives engagement, reduces friction, and strengthens your impact? Explore Bonterra CyberGrants to learn how the world’s most forward-thinking brands are leading with purpose.