According to the 2004 corporate community involvement survey by Deloitte LLP, 72 percent of employed Americans would choose to work for a company that supports charitable causes when deciding between two jobs with the same location, responsibilities, pay and benefits. The response rate climbs to 87 percent for employed students over the age of 18. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive®.
Other key survey findings:
- 92% of Americans think that it is important for companies to make charitable contributions or donate products and/or services to nonprofit organizations in the community
- 87% percent of Americans believe it is important for companies to offer volunteer opportunities to its employees
- 73% say that workplace volunteer opportunities help companies contribute to the well being of communities
- 61% think that they help to communicate a company’s values
- 58% believe that workplace volunteer opportunities improve morale
Learn more about the survey questions and results:
1. In your opinion, how important is it for a company to…
| Question | Important1 | Not at All Important |
| Make charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations in the community? | 92% | 8% |
| Donate products and/or services to nonprofit organizations in the community? | 92% | 8% |
| Offer opportunities to its employees to volunteer with nonprofit organizations in the community? | 87% | 13% |
2. Which of the following statements, if any, are true of your situation?
| Statement | All |
| I expect my company to donate products and services to community-based nonprofits. | 50% |
| I expect my company to make charitable donations to community-based nonprofits. | 49% |
| I expect my company to offer volunteer opportunities for its employees. | 41% |
| None of these statements are true. | 32% |
3. If you had to choose between two jobs with the same location, responsibilities, pay, and benefits, how likely would you be to choose the company that supports a charitable cause?
| Statement | All |
| Likely2 | 72% |
| Would not affect my decision | 20% |
| Unlikely3 | 8% |
4. Some companies offer workplace volunteer opportunities. Which of the following statements, if any, do you believe are true about these opportunities?
| Statement | All |
| Improve the companies’ image | 78% |
| Help the companies to contribute to the well-being of their communities | 73% |
| Give employees an opportunity to connect with coworkers and build teamwork | 62% |
| Help to communicate the company’s values | 61% |
| Improve employee morale | 58% |
| Help to provide ‘work-life balance’ | 44% |
| Help the companies recruit new employees | 30% |
| Help the companies retain employees | 29% |
| None of these | 8% |
5. In your opinion, which of the following is the most effective way for your company to support its community? (respondents could select only one response)
| Statement | All |
| Donate products and/or services to charitable causes | 39% |
| Encourage/allow employees time to volunteer time to charitable causes | 31% |
| Give money to charitable causes | 23% |
| None of these | 8% |
6. Does your company support charitable causes?
| Statement | All |
| Yes | 62% |
| No | 11% |
| Not Sure | 27% |
1 Important equals the net number of respondents that answered extremely, very or somewhat important.
2 Likely equals the net number of respondents that answered very or somewhat likely.
3 Unlikely equals the net number of respondents that answered somewhat or very unlikely.
About the survey
Harris Interactive® fielded Deloitte’s corporate community involvement survey from July 20-22, 2004, via its QuickQuerySM online omnibus service, interviewing a nationwide sample of 2,169 U.S. adults (18+), of whom 1,328 are employed. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
