What do you think about when you picture a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative? For most, it’s volunteering at a local food bank or engaging employees in a donation drive. But some of our favorite CSR initiatives we’ve facilitated have been far more behind the scenes. One of our recent CSR projects involved helping San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) partner with a local San Diego nonprofit.

With corporate volunteering increasing since 2020, companies understand the positive correlation between employee volunteerism and employee engagement and wellbeing. We’ll discuss the benefits of consistent volunteer engagements for companies, and offer ideas for how your company can provide a more sustained impact through employee volunteering.

At Mission Edge, our expertise in Community Engagement programming places us at the forefront of understanding the intricacies of volunteering. We've compiled a series of practical tips designed to ensure your employees are well-equipped during your CSR volunteer event and that they feel wholly supported as you send them off into the world to lend a hand.

Traditionally, grantmaking is straightforward: the wealthy donate to the less fortunate to address societal issues. But here at Mission Edge, we want funders to bring an awareness of power and equity. Trust-Based Philanthropy seeks to rebalance the power dynamics in philanthropy. At its foundation, it acknowledges the reality that philanthropy has contributed to systemic inequities.

Qualcomm’s racial justice initiative sought to allocate $500,000 across 10 different organizations, each actively working to dismantle racial injustices in unique ways. Mission Edge facilitated this process, making sure the initiative was not just about financial support, but that it also brought employees together to engage in meaningful dialogues on racial justice.

San Diego Gas and Electric came to Mission Edge at the beginning of the summer wanting help with getting their interns connected to the San Diego community in a meaningful way. We partnered with SDGE to facilitate a virtual social impact project for more than 40 of their summer interns who were eager to make a difference in the community through their roles supporting nonprofit partners.