10 Top Platforms That Are Helping People Change The World

Source: Curiosity, Leon Zucchini
Photo: Courtesy of Benevity

Do you want to change the world but don’t know how? Are you a business leader who’s heard of corporate social responsibility (CSR) but are unsure where to start? Look no further.

Enter social impact platforms. They help companies and employees collaborate to support charity and CSR initiatives. Their main focus is on giving companies a way to organize and support social engagement among their employees.

Social impact platforms

In a recent study, OKTA put together a list of ten amazing social impact platforms, ranked by users. That’s a lot of options for you to get started. In addition, these platforms grew an incredible rate of 29% last year, so it’s clearly an area to watch.

For those who haven’t heard of them (I hadn’t), in this post we’ll introduce each one briefly. Let’s jump right in!

1. Benevity

Benevity is a platform for managing charitable donations and grants. It was ranked top by users in the 2022 OKTA report and was also a finalist in the 2020’s Fast Company’s World’s Changing Ideas Awards.

Benevity helps companies organise corporate giving, volunteering, and grants. It also offers quick ways of providing disaster-relief during crises. It includes multiple payment options, and donations show up in real-time.

Part of Benevity’s mission is to improve the way global charities access corporate giving programs. It aims to reduce administration costs by aggregating donations, payments process, and donor acknowledgments across individuals, causes, and companies.

2. YourCause

Next on the list is YourCause. Founded in 2008 by Matt Combs, YourCause has become a leader in the corporate social responsibility (CRS) space.

YourCause provides CRSconnect, an online platform for organizations to manage one or more philanthropic programs including volunteering grants and matching gift programs.

Companies use YourCause to:

Set up and manage corporate and employee giving
Establish matching gift guidelines
Process payments to non-profits
Process donations from employees
Verify that non-profits are eligible for corporate giving programs
Major socially-responsible companies have partnered with YourCause to manage their volunteering, corporate giving, and grant programs.

3. Bright Funds

Bright Funds is another trusted leader in the CSR space and ranks third by users in the OKTA report.

Bright Funds provides a platform that lets companies of all sizes support their employees in giving and volunteering.

Headquartered in California, Bright Funds has partnered with world-leading companies to bring impact-focused employee and corporate giving globally.

The company boasts a 74% increase in user base this year compared to 2020, so their approach is evidently resonating.

4. Good2Give

Next on the list is Good2Give, a community investment and CSR platform that grew 129% YOY.

Good2Give provides giving-solutions that make it easy for corporations, charities, and donors to connect. Their mission is to inspire companies and their employees to support the communities they care about.

In 2018, for instance, Good2Give distributed $14 million to more than 1,600 charities through grant programs and workplace giving. This Australian NGO has facilitated more than $275 million of giving to more than 8,000 recipients.

As a not-for-profit organization, Good2Give focuses on strengthening the charitable sector with low-cost funding models supported by technology.

Intermission: Curiosity

If you’re interested in new technology, you might want to check out Curiosity.

Curiosity is a productivity app that gives you one place to search all your files and apps. That lets you save time and get more done.

Curiosity connects with the tools you already use, including your local folders and cloud apps like Google Drive or Slack. You can use the shortcut-powered command bar to access things quickly and the file browser for deeper searches with advanced filters.

Unlike other search apps, Curiosity keeps your data safe on your computer and never sends it to the cloud.

Curiosity is available for free on Windows and Mac. You can also get a free two-week trial of Curiosity Pro (unlimited sources / search file contents).

Give your productivity a boost by downloading Curiosity at https://curiosity.ai/download

5. Catalyser

Catalyser is another CSR and philanthropic platform that helps employees make a positive impact. Its vision is to see every employee empowered by technology to impact the world positively from their workplace.

Catalyser provides a customizable platform that lets companies give their employees a centralized platform for all their fundraising, skilled volunteering, matched payroll giving, employee rewards, and more.

According to the OKTA report, Catalyser registered the strongest growth with a staggering 189% increase in assigned users yearly.

6. Millie

As corporate giving becomes increasingly popular, many organizations are looking for CSR platforms that are easy to use and fun. That’s where Millie comes in: It’s designed to make charitable giving fun, impactful, and easily accessible.

When you launch the app, you see the profiles of three organizations that need funding. Each includes a brief description of how the funds will be used and you can find out more, or swipe to donate. There’s a fresh batch of organizations every week, and the app has a social badge that allows you to see when others are giving in real-time.

Millie also recently launched a gamification tool that allows companies to build their own “giving brackets” where employees play to give.

7. Kindlink

The next one on the list is Kindlink (who knew there were so many!?). Their special twist is their focus on showing donors the impact of their contributions. That lets charities and volunteer groups manage donations better and become more transparent.

As the name implies, Kindlink creates a link between those who want to help and those in need of help in a social media-like environment. The platform aims to build an equal and connected world where people (and companies) can help each other in a friendly and transparent manner.

Kindred is an all-in-one platform. It ensures that employees can participate in fundraising activities while gaining access to volunteering opportunities where they can hone their skills. For donors, the platform ensures they have a central place to access records about donations, volunteers, and beneficiaries.

8. Visit.Org

Visit.org is a CSR with a slightly different forcus. Founded in 2015, it’s a platform that lets employees participate in travel experiences offered by non-profit organizations. 🏝

The platform lets travelers add new experiences to their itinerary, and channels all revenue to local communities through the host company. Visit.org lets organizations to build a strong corporate culture with ongoing team-building experiences that also give back… the best of both worlds!

Honorable Mentions

The companies above provide CSR platforms that focus on helping companies provide ways for their employees to give back.

The last two companies in the OKTA report have a different focus, but they’re no less awesome so we’ve included them here as honorable mentions.

VolunteerMatch

Just a few years ago, your best bet for finding volunteer work was to check your church’s newsletter or scan a community center bulletin board.

Not any more. Thanks to VolunteerMatch, finding volunteering work is as simple as browsing your Facebook timeline. The platform is the web’s largest volunteer-engagement network. More than 70,000 non-profits list their projects on this platform, creating endless volunteering opportunities.

Those seeking charity work can search for opportunities by location, keyword, or interest area. Launched in 1998 by four MBA graduates who wanted to create volunteering opportunities for all, the San-Francisco-based platform has created more than 4 million volunteering opportunities in the past ten years.

Big-name non-profits like the American Red Cross, Peace Corps, Girl Scouts of the US, and more list their volunteer opportunities on this platform. The company also helps corporations like Google, Exelon, and Dell match their employees to community projects.

CareerVillage

CareerVillage has a different focus yet again: It’s a US-focused platform that helps high-school students get personalized career advice from real-life professionals.

The company behind CareerVillage works with educators in low-income communities to help students with questions about their future. Typically, students ask career-related questions and educators provide advice and inspiration to help them make better career decisions.

Based out of Boston, Massachusetts, CareerVillage aims to help students achieve professional success by bridging the career information and advice gap. This Q&A platform is focused on scaling to serve millions of children across the US.

I wish they’d been around when I was wondering what to do after school!

Ready to Change the World?

Technology is dramatically changing the way we live and do things… including giving back.

All of the platforms above provide exciting ways for companies and employees to collaborate to make the world a better place. Which one of them is the best fit for your organization depends on what you want to achieve, so do check them out!

https://blog.curiosity.ai/ten-platforms-helping-companies-and-employees-change-the-world