How RTX transformed their CSR program to be a strategic lever for talent, innovation and brand impact

Company overview

RTX, the world’s largest aerospace and defense company, knew their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs needed to do more than “feel good” – they needed to drive measurable business value and global social impact. With 185,000 employees across 300+ sites, the company faced fragmented efforts and inconsistent practices across three distinct business units. Enter a bold transformation.

Through partnership with Benevity and the implementation of a comprehensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework, RTX shifted from decentralized, ad hoc initiatives to a unified, data-driven and business-aligned strategy. The result: a scalable program that empowers, engages and retains employees.

The challenge

Before the transformation, RTX’s CSR efforts were siloed across business units and geographies. Each unit operated independently, with unique focus areas and governance structures. This led to:

• Conflicting nonprofit partnerships and brand messaging.
• Limited visibility into community impact and return on investment (ROI)
• Redundant processes and administrative inefficiencies
• Difficulty justifying investments to business leaders

Even passionate employees and executives lacked the tools and data to champion CSR in a way that aligned with business objectives.

The solution

Faced with internal restructuring and uncertainty, the CSR team seized the opportunity to reimagine their strategy. Over three intensive days, the team aligned on a shared vision and began building a resilient, business-integrated approach.

Key to this transformation was their partnership with Benevity, which helped RTX:

• Implement a unified Enterprise Impact Platform to manage volunteering, granting and giving across 300+ global sites.
• Design a regional council and ambassador network to drive local engagement while aligning to enterprise strategy.
• Create a robust impact measurement framework using Impact Genome and Benevity to assess nonprofit effectiveness and business outcomes.
• Use real-time data to inform decision-making and demonstrate value to the C-suite.

By democratizing access to data and defining clear roles for local leaders and ambassadors, RTX made CSR more inclusive, efficient and effective.

The results

In just one year, RTX achieved impressive results:

• $54 million in grants across nearly 1,000 nonprofits
• 244,000 volunteer hours logged, a 20% increase year-over-year
• 98% of grantees reported increased impact
• 3x higher retention among employees who volunteered
• Global reach with localized relevance across 300+ sites
• Ambassador engagement expanded, including employees dedicating part of their official role to CSR efforts

By integrating Benevity with internal HR systems, RTX was able to correlate volunteering with employee retention and engagement, giving leadership concrete proof of the program’s business value.

Partnership highlights 

RTX’s transformation proves that even the most complex organizations can create cohesive, scalable and resilient CSR programs. By embedding purpose into business strategy, they’ve future-proofed their impact in a rapidly changing world.

Their advice? Don’t wait for perfection. Build, test, refine – and act with urgency and intention.