Ask a CSR Friend: How Can Companies Understand What Employees Care About—Beyond Surveys?

Looking for CSR advice?

Hear from our experts right here in our Ask a CSR Friend monthly column.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, we know collaboration is key to creating vibrant workplaces where employees are equipped to contribute to the communities and causes they care about. So, when you need a trusted advisor to lean on, rely on Points of Light to be Your CSR Friend. Each month, our experts share their wisdom and wit to address a specific but often universal challenge related to your work as a corporate social impact practitioner.

Have questions about employee community engagement? Submit your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.

Dear CSR Friend,

We want our social impact strategy to reflect what employees genuinely care about, but adding another survey isn’t the answer—and we know surveys only capture part of the picture. What other ways can I help my company to understand employee priorities, and how can existing data be translated into something useful?

Signed,
Looking Beyond the Survey in Las Vegas

Dear Looking Beyond the Survey,

You’re right—surveys are useful, but they’re just one snapshot in time. What often tells a more accurate story is employee behavior: where people give, how they volunteer and which causes consistently show up across your systems.

The good news? Most companies already have this information. The key is knowing where to look, and how to connect it.

Before adding new tools, start with existing employee touchpoints. The signals you’ll learn from these touchpoints tend to be more authentic because they reflect real commitment of time, money or leadership.

Volunteer Recruitment and Participation Data

• What it reveals:
  • Which opportunities fill fastest or always have a waiting list
  • Preferred formats (team-based, skills-based, virtual, in-person)
  • Seasonal or geographic trends
• How to use it: Compare opportunities offered with actual participation. High engagement signals where to deepen partnerships or scale programming.

Matching Gift and Giving Data

• What it reveals:
  • Cause areas employees personally support
  • Nonprofits receiving repeat gifts
  • Issues employees prioritize outside of formal campaigns
• How to use it: Group supported nonprofits by cause area and track trends over time. Consistent patterns often point to shared employee values.

Recognition Programs and Employee Stories

• What it reveals:
  • Causes employees celebrate in internal posts or submissions for recognition awards
  • Values that resonate most across teams
• How to use it: Track recognition entries by cause or theme to identify patterns that can inform both CSR focus areas and storytelling.

Employee-Driven Nonprofit Board Service and Community Leadership Participation

• What it reveals:
  • Causes employees care about deeply enough to lead
  • Organizations where employees have strategic influence
• How to use it: Encourage voluntary disclosure of board service or track public announcements. These cause areas and organizations may be strong candidates for creative partnerships or more in-depth opportunities like skills-based volunteering.

Turn Insight into Action

Data is only valuable if it informs decisions. Look for trends across multiple sources, revisit them regularly and use insights to guide partnerships, program design and communications. Just as important, close the loop by showing employees how their engagement is shaping your strategy.

Surveys tell you what employees say they care about. Behavior shows you where they’re already invested. When companies listen to both, they build CSR programs that feel relevant, credible and built to last.

Until next time,
Your CSR Friend

If you need help strategizing ways to engage your employees in support of your community, Points of Light’s Consulting team is here to help and the Corporate Service Council member network is a great way to engage your peers in conversation on vital topics like this. Still have questions? Don’t forget you can always ask a CSR friend!