Blackbaud, Changing Our World and The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals Release Report on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Corporate Grantmaking

Study Analyzes the Strategy, Measurement and Goals Behind Corporations’ Efforts to Integrate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in their Grantmaking Practices  

 Charleston, S.C. (March 15, 2022) — Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, Changing Our World, an impact consulting firm, and the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), the membership association for purpose driven companies advancing the field of corporate citizenship, today released a new report: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Corporate Grantmaking. Through a survey of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practitioners, the report looks at how companies are integrating DEI into their corporate giving and grantmaking programs and provides an overview of the landscape of DEI in corporate grantmaking, as well as best practices that are emerging.

In fall 2021, Blackbaud, Changing Our World and ACCP, invited corporate giving professionals to participate in the survey to better understand the rapidly evolving CSR landscape. The respondents worked for a wide variety of companies—89% were headquartered in the U.S., 48% were Fortune 1000 companies and 38% had a global giving focus. The companies collectively represent over 2 million employees.

“Blackbaud, Changing Our World and ACCP each work in different capacities with CSR professionals to help advance their work and impact,” said Mandy Ryan, managing director, corporate social engagement division at Changing Our World. “The survey grew directly out of our work over the past two years, as many of our client and member companies have been working to more intentionally and measurably integrate DEI into their giving programs. We have found that there is little information available on current trends, standards and best practices from the perspective of what peer companies are actually doing. This survey is our first step towards helping meet that gap and sharing timely information with practitioners to guide their work.”

“With YourCause® from Blackbaud, we want to equip CSR professionals with everything they need to advance equitable, effective strategies for their community investment,” said Brandon Sharrett, vice president and general manager, Blackbaud Corporate Solutions. “This report includes survey responses from CSR practitioners representing companies that drive over $1 trillion in revenue, and it will be a great starting point for those hoping to integrate DEI in grantmaking and in their CSR programming moving forward.” 

Key Findings in this Report:

• Nearly 75% of companies have committed to intentionally address DEI in their grantmaking. The most common way for companies to address DEI via their grantmaking is through an “explicit emphasis on advancing DEI within other funding areas,” such as within education, health, etc. 
• Within the past year, about 30% of companies have implemented new practices to address DEI within their grantmaking teams and processes.
• 30% of companies have set a measurable goal to grow their DEI-aligned giving.

“ACCP has made a multi-year commitment to create a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable corporate citizenship sector that will improve the efficacy of corporate investments in racial equity,” said Lacey Gaitan, senior director of content and learning, ACCP. “The findings of this survey are consistent with the conversations ACCP members are having in our member forums and responses in ongoing equity-related research projects.”

Download the full Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Corporate Grantmaking Report here.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, higher education institutions, K–12 schools, healthcare organizations, faith communities, arts and cultural organizations, foundations, companies and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG), school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for more than four decades, Blackbaud is a remote-first company headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, with operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit  www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About Changing Our World
Changing Our World is a trusted social impact consulting firm that advises leading corporations, brands and nonprofit organizations. Our corporate practice specializes in designing and implementing strategic, purpose-driven programs that push for equity and deliver social impact while driving business objectives. We help companies maximize efforts to leverage their resources and engage employees, consumers, and community partners to authentically address vital social needs. For more information, visit www.changingourworld.com 

About ACCP
The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) is the membership association for purpose-driven companies, and a career-long resource for corporate citizenship professionals. Its 230+ member companies— representing all sizes including many Fortune 500 companies—gain access to some of the field’s most practical insights, relevant tools, and meaningful connections that help them identify and understand trends, improve their results, and expand their impact. For more information, visit www.accp.org.

 

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Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding expected benefits of products and product features. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud’s investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.