Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) software is increasingly essential for businesses committed to social impact.
As the expectations from employees and customers grow—with 76% of employees wanting their employers to contribute positively to their communities and 70% of customers favoring brands that actively improve the world—organizations are under significant pressure to double down on CSR.
CSR software supports companies by streamlining the management and reporting for corporate philanthropy activities such as employee giving, volunteering, and community grant programs. In 2024, effective CSR software eases the administrative load of managing CSR initiatives, and it also helps to legitimize these initiatives both internally and externally. Investment in CSR software shows that a company’s leadership holds social impact programs to the same standards as any other business priority—with the expectations that CSR programs be strategic and effective, and help the organization keep pace with the dynamic demands of the modern corporate landscape.
With these considerations in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the top 9 CSR solutions for 2024, designed to meet these challenges and support companies in their quest to make a meaningful difference.
1. Submittable
Submittable is a social impact platform designed to simplify the management of all your CSR initiatives in one place, from employee volunteering to grantmaking to corporate giving. It streamlines workflows, improves communication, and provides valuable insights to measure the impact of your CSR efforts.
Features:
- Drag-and-drop form builder for customizable forms
- Collaborative, automated review workflows
- Employee-led volunteering and Dollars for Doers
- Integration with payment gateways for quick fund disbursement
- An individualized impact wallet for employee giving
- Built-in impact reporting tools
- Multinational giving
Pros:
- User-friendly interface for both administrators and applicants
- Scalable for businesses of all sizes
- Integrates with popular CRMs and productivity tools
- Highly responsive customer support for every user
- Innovative roadmap with a customer feedback loop
- Focus on democratization creates authentic employee engagement
Cons:
- Pricing can be higher for complex programs or larger organizations
- May not be as feature-rich as more specialized or broader-focused ESG software options
“Submittable is very user-friendly. The learning curve is very short and most anyone can master the program quickly. Additionally, the team at Submittable is always making improvements and listening to customer feedback.
Carrie A., G2 Review of Submittable
Submittable is consistently building out innovative solutions to help today’s CSR teams make a deeper impact.
2. Benevity
Benevity (formerly Alaya and Spark) is a comprehensive CSR and employee engagement platform that helps large organizations effectively manage and track their philanthropic efforts. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for employee giving, volunteering, grantmaking, and more.
Features:
- Vast network of pre-vetted nonprofits worldwide
- Employee-side features like gamification and personalized dashboards to encourage participation
- Rich data-driven insights
- Prioritizes data security
Pros:
- Comprehensive solution for CSR needs
- Strong focus on employee engagement
- Ideal for large enterprises
Cons:
- Can be complex and time-consuming to implement, especially for larger organizations
- Some users report difficulties in receiving fund disbursements
- Multiple acquisitions have left big gaps in service
- A record of poor customer support
“You need to get used to navigating the platform to find what you need, but it’s all there!”
User, G2 Review of Benevity
3. YourCause from Blackbaud
YourCause from Blackbaud is a platform specifically designed to mobilize employees and boost their participation in corporate social responsibility initiatives. It fosters a culture of giving within companies by simplifying employee giving, volunteering, and grantmaking programs with its CSRConnect and GrantsConnect modules.
Features:
- Gift matching, peer-to-peer fundraising
- Skills-based volunteering, volunteer campaigns, and individual volunteer activities
- Seamless integration with other Blackbaud products
- Virtual employee resource groups
Pros:
- Employee-centric platform, ideal for companies seeking to drive employee engagement in CSR
- Global support for 172 currencies and 26 language settings
Cons:
- Dependency on other Blackbaud systems for optimal performance can limit flexibility and rack up total costs
- Has a steep learning curve to use effectively
- A record of poor customer service
“[YourCause] is not designed to be fully customizable. There is considerable flexibility, but understandably there are limitations.”
User, G2 Review of YourCause CSRConnect
4. Bonterra
Bonterra is a comprehensive CSR management platform designed to streamline and centralize all your social good initiatives. Eliminating the need for multiple systems, it offers a powerful suite of tools encompassing grantmaking, volunteer management, employee giving, disaster response, and impact measurement.
Features:
- All-in-one unified platform for all CSR activities
- Customizable, flexible workflows to fit specific grant program requirements and review processes
- Robust CSR impact reporting and analytics
Pros:
- Comprehensive solution for organizations with diverse CSR needs
- Strong focus on data-driven decision making
- Scalable to the needs of large enterprises and nonprofits alike
Cons:
- May require significant training and onboarding
- Takes a long time to implement
- Cost could be a barrier for smaller entities without the budget for a comprehensive tool
“[Bonterra is] not super intuitive. It takes a bit of getting used to and requires some due diligence to become familiar with, set up, and begin using.”
Crystal K., G2 Review of Bonterra Corporate Social Responsibility
5. Deed
Deed is a CSR solution specifically designed to make employee giving and volunteering fun and engaging. It uses gamification elements to boost employee participation in CSR, fostering a culture of social responsibility within your company.
Features:
- Gamified experience motivates employees to participate in giving and volunteering activities
- Skill-based volunteering connects employees with opportunities that match their profiles
- Donation matching to amplify employee giving
- Integrates with Slack
Pros:
- Great for companies seeking to increase employee engagement in CSR through gamification
- Supports over 20 languages, 100 countries, and 130 currencies—great for remote, distributed teams
- User-friendly platform optimized for desktop and mobile devices
Cons:
- Limited or missing functionality for grant management or more complex CSR initiatives like sustainability
- Lacks deep analytics and reports
- Gamification and social approach may not suit all company cultures
“I found the admin dashboard a bit overwhelming at first, and campaigns took me a bit of time to set up at first, but Deed’s Partner Success team are very responsive and have done a fantastic job supporting me.”
Dominic N., G2 Review of Deed
6. Groundswell
Founded in 2021, Groundswell is a new solution that aims to simplify employee giving. With Groundswell, employees have personal donor-advised funds (DAFs) to manage their charitable donations.
Features:
- Personal DAFs for employees
- Instant donation matching
- Calendar integrations
Pros:
- Funds delivered to nonprofits within 24 hours
- Mobile-friendly modern interface
Cons:
- Limited advanced features
- No grant module to support broader corporate giving
- Early-stage startup with a risk of volatility
“As a relatively new platform, they continue to expand their capabilities and modules. We are anxious and excited for them to expand their capabilities to other types of corporate giving beyond donation and volunteer matching.
Greg V., G2 Review of Groundswell
7. Millie
Millie is a CSR platform that simplifies employee giving and volunteering programs. It streamlines the process for employees to request donation matching, and for companies to track and approve these requests.
Features:
- Automated gift matching and processing
- Volunteer programs with a network of opportunities, both remote and in-person
- Campaign management tools for targeted fundraising
- Integration with payroll systems for seamless processing of donations and matching gifts
- Slack integrations post updates to your company server directly
Pros:
- Reduces administrative burden associated with employee gift matching
- Interactive, social platform engages employees and fosters a community-driven corporate culture of giving
- Powerful reporting features
Cons:
- Limited scope compared to more comprehensive CSR software solutions; may not suit organizations with complex CSR needs beyond employee giving and volunteering
- May not support local nonprofits in all regions
“Some parts of the user interface were difficult to understand. After some clicking around I was able to be successful.”
User, G2 Review of Millie
8. Chezuba
Chezuba is an employee volunteering platform for multinational companies. It connects professionals with nonprofit organizations all over the world to collaborate on various projects through skills-based volunteering.
Features:
- Support in over 133 languages, with global reach
- AI-powered volunteer matching connects employees with personalized volunteer opportunities based on their skills and interests
- Comprehensive reporting and dashboards to extract valuable insights for CSR decision-making
Pros:
- Ideal for companies with international, geographically dispersed workforces
- Boosts employee engagement by personalizing volunteer experiences and gamifying employee participation in a social feed and leaderboards
Cons:
- Primarily focused on volunteering, may not cater to broader CSR needs such as donations or grant management
“Most of the opportunities on Chezuba are online, so companies which have employees who don’t have access to a computer/internet aren’t the best fit.”
Sarah Bugden, TrustRadius Review of Chezuba
9. Selflessly
Selflessly is a CSR solution for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It offers a user-friendly, relatively affordable solution for SMBs to implement and manage CSR programs like employee donations, volunteering, and gift matching.
Features:
- Two-click donations make it easy for employees to search for nonprofits and give instantly
- Coordinated group volunteering, with choices from over 60,000 verified opportunities
- Holistic reporting into employee engagement and total impact
Pros:
- Tailored to the needs of SMBs seeking an easy-to-use solution
- Easy to launch and manage CSR programs
- Group volunteering encourages team building
Cons:
- May not be as comprehensive or flexible as more enterprise-level CSR software
- Limited scalability for larger organizations with more complex CSR needs
- Relatively new to the market, which may mean fewer integrations and limited functionality compared to more established platforms
“Customer support is readily available to troubleshoot and make things very efficient/easy.”
Claire V., G2 Review of Selflessly
Dive deeper into CSR software
As you navigate the complexities of CSR in 2024, choosing the right CSR software becomes a strategic decision that determines how your organization can make a real impact. The platforms highlighted in our list above represent what we believe are the best tools available to help your company manage its CSR initiatives as effectively as possible.
However, to make a more informed decision, we invite you to dive deeper into the specifics of what to look for in a CSR software and explore the market trends that are currently shaping the industry. Our comprehensive Future of CSR Software Guide provides detailed insights and analysis that can help you understand the nuances of these tools and how to choose the best CSR software that aligns with your organizational goals.
Hsing is a content marketer and ex-journalist who writes about tech, DEI, and remote work. Beyond the screen, she enjoys building custom mechanical keyboards and playing with her dog. You can find more of her work at hsingtseng.com.