Every company’s purpose journey looks different. Some may be running programs, potentially in silos. Others may be working within a strategic, global program that includes grantmaking, volunteering, giving and more with local executions. What unites them all is the need to understand which best practices can have the most influence on their business goals. CSR leaders and grantmakers want to know if their programs are set up to thrive, where their biggest social impact opportunities are and how they can inspire deeper engagement with company purpose and values across their employees, customers and communities.
The Benevity Impact Index (BII) was designed to meet that need. Built with the expertise and insights that are based on our global community of CSR leaders and purpose-led companies at every stage of maturity, it serves as both a compass and a catalyst — helping organizations better understand their current state, identify areas for growth, and chart an authentic path to exceed their social impact goals. This groundbreaking assessment benchmarks companies on the depth and breadth of their impact investments across eight key areas considered critical for success. The BII has already helped more than 150 companies transform their impact by:
- Measuring the maturity of corporate impact programs,
- Highlighting where programs and teams excel,
- Identifying opportunities for improvement, and
- Providing tailored recommendations that can help maximize their enterprise impact.
As one participant shared:
“The BII gave us our first holistic view of our purpose program. The conversations that followed have been some of the most valuable we’ve had in aligning leadership and planning for the future.”
Why corporate purpose needs a new approach
Many programs start out measuring dollars donated or hours volunteered. Those efforts remain valuable as indicators, but they only reflect part of the story. For companies committed to living their purpose, the conversation has shifted to how well that purpose is reflected in the company’s overall impact and culture, how it shows up in employee engagement and talent branding, and measurable outcomes from the nonprofits and communities supported through programs.
Effective corporate purpose programs are multi-dimensional, requiring attention to budget, executive buy-in, culture, communications, employee engagement, community investment and more. Without seeing the full picture, leaders risk overlooking the areas that could help their programs thrive. A holistic view supports smarter choices and the ability to unlock greater engagement and impact.
How the Benevity Impact Index works: a CSR roadmap
The Benevity Impact Index is intentionally designed to be a straightforward yet adaptable self-assessment that offers relevant insights and identifies actionable opportunities, no matter where a company is on its CSR or grantmaking journey.
1. The Benevity Impact Assessment
The index is based in self-assessment data, collected through a series of 102 carefully designed questions covering eight unique dimensions of most corporate purpose programs, including:
- Employee and customer engagement: Understanding how deeply are people participating in the available programs and how well are those participants supported
- Culture: Exploring the depth of the connection to purpose across the company culture, values and decision-making
- Grantmaking and community investment: Affirming that grants and donations are strategically aligned with company and community needs
- Reporting and storytelling: Reflecting on the ability of company and CSR leaders to articulate not just inputs, but the outcomes of the purpose program and social impact priorities
- Program communications: Considering how and when programs are amplified in ways that build trust and inspire action
- Disaster relief and rapid response: Evaluating how effectively the company can mobilize and how they choose to respond when it matters most?
- Ambassadors and ERG involvement: Assessing the reach of purpose programs through employee ambassador programs, grassroots leaders, or employee resource groups mobilizing peers and extending impact.
Leaders can typically complete the self-assessment in less than an hour using general program knowledge only — no spreadsheets, audits or hours of data-hunting are required. By taking the time to complete the full assessment, organizations can count on a comprehensive lens into their purpose programs and impact initiatives.
2. The Benevity Impact Index Report
The results of the Benevity impact assessment come in the form of a score set and a customized report that provides:
- Ratings for each section of questions that offer specific areas of strength and opportunities for improvement or expansion
- Tactical suggestions for those areas identified for improvement or growth
- A comprehensive rating across all categories, aligning to 4 different stages of program evolution: beginning, intermediate, advanced or visionary
Think of it as a compass for your purpose program — a quick reference and a clear picture of what’s working and indications as to where the opportunities are and to help prioritize and improve those opportunities that can multiply the impact of CSR and grantmaking programs.
Section Overview
Below are the scores calculated for each of the self-assessment sections. The scoring legend and brief descriptions on the prior page will provide a sense of where these scores land on the maturity arc.
3. The Benevity Impact Index Workshop
For Benevity clients, the process doesn’t end with the report. With support from a Client Success Manager, companies have the opportunity to participate in a results workshop with a knowledgeable advisor to review findings, align priorities and chart next steps.
The workshop uses a structured prioritization framework so CSR teams learn to distinguish, based on program and enterprise impact goals, between actions they could take now, those they might want to consider soon and those that can be planned for later. This collaborative approach is what turns the Benevity Impact Index from a static assessment into a strategic planning tool that sparks alignment and momentum.
Charting a course with the Benevity Impact Index
- For a company with a regional program expanding globally: The Benevity Impact Index and workshop could surface the need for consistent processes across markets. The roadmap would include scaling proven approaches, while also adapting them to different cultural contexts.
- For enterprise organizations with a highly mature social impact and grantmaking program: The session might reveal opportunities to innovate in areas like impact storytelling, DEI integration or rapid-response readiness. The roadmap becomes about pushing the frontier of purpose and setting new benchmarks.
- For C-Suite leadership teams: The Benevity Impact Index and workshop often becomes a forum to unify different functions — HR, CSR, communications and operations — around a shared set of priorities. This alignment helps secure resources and sponsorship from the top down.
“Time invested in completing the BII is well worth the results and follow-up discussion. The conversations with our CSM have been so helpful for brainstorming new ideas.”
Program Manager, Newrez
The power of data to power corporate social responsibility programs
As more companies complete and use the Benevity Impact Index, it becomes an even greater source of valuable benchmarking and shared learning. Because it can be repeated over time, the Index also allows programs to track their growth and check in on how initiatives have performed and where changes have had positive impact. These initial and progressive insights from companies across industries and regions are helping shape what excellence in corporate purpose looks like today and what it can become tomorrow.
The Benevity Impact Index is powerful, and is just one of many CSR and grantmaking tools from Benevity that can help organizations maximize their purpose-driven work.
- A version of the Benevity Impact Index for Grantmaking is available for corporate and foundation teams focused on grantmaking who are specifically looking to understand how to better evaluate the tangible value their grant programs are delivering.
- The Benevity Enterprise Impact Platform was created to help companies embed purpose into everyday operations, scale their efforts and drive inclusive and sustainable change with modules that support Volunteering, Giving, Granting and Challenges.
A catalyst for purpose at work
One of the most valuable outcomes of the Benevity Impact Index is the way it sparks conversation inside organizations. For some, it’s the first time leaders have looked at their investments holistically. For others, it validates their direction and helps unify key stakeholders behind the next phase of growth. In both cases, Benevity and the Benevity Impact Index can provide clarity, confidence and momentum.
Take the Benevity Impact Index or the Benevity Impact Index for Grantmaking - today!
