Ever-increasing demands and responsibilities for corporate social impact are creating adverse consequences for companies’ social impact teams, a study from the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) finds.

Conducted in April, the 4th Annual CSR Insights Survey: Summer 2023 (30 pages, PDF) of 149 companies, representing more than $1 billion in community investments, found that corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environment, social, governance (ESG) professionals are “under intense pressure to produce results in a charged environment, often with fewer resources and continuing post-pandemic challenges.” The survey found that 86 percent of respondents indicated increased demands, with 61 percent reporting longer hours, 50 percent reporting burnout, and 19 percent reporting mental health concerns.

At the same time, companies are reporting the lowest number of CSR/ESG grantmaking budget increases since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 29 percent of companies indicated a budget increase in 2023, down from 41 percent in 2022 and 47 percent in 2021. Twenty-one percent of companies surveyed reported a budget decrease in 2023 compared to 14 percent in 2022. Those with no change in their budget rose to 50 percent from 45 percent in 2022.

The survey also found that employee volunteerism is increasing and adapting to changing pandemic workplace environments. A majority of survey respondents (61 percent) reported an increase in employee participation in volunteer activities, a finding that supports the belief that employee volunteerism is an effective strategy for increasing engagement and tangibly aligning corporate values with those of employees. Respondents also cited increased opportunities for group volunteering (59 percent) and a greater focus on in-person volunteering opportunities (48 percent) as well as finding more options for individual volunteering (35 percent). Despite the recent increase, however, the report noted that CSR programs have not returned to pre-pandemic levels of volunteer participation.

“Corporate social impact and sustainability professionals are being pushed past their limits as the demand for results increases and resources decrease or remain stagnant,” said ACCP president and CEO Carolyn Berkowitz. “Without the financial and human resources and support from the C-suite that these initiatives require to be effective, the gains companies have made in the last five years will quickly lose momentum.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/FG Trade Latin)