Why do companies give? Research uncovers what motivates corporate giving
Howard Lake | 26 September 2025 | News
Fireside Fundraising has published its latest research, Why Companies Give: In Their Own Words, based on interviews with people in a range of roles inside companies with the aim of learning what motives corporate giving.
Fireside set out generate new insight into corporate giving, aware that individual giving has a wealth of data and behavioural insights over several decades to inform it. It was conducted with an assumption that companies are not giving as much as they might.
The consultancy conducted in-depth interviews with 20 people within companies, from shareholders to marketing assistants, “to hear directly what motivates corporate giving”.
Advertisement
They asked:
- Why do companies give? What do individual charities do that inspires companies to take action – to put their brand, bank account and business on the line to try and make positive change?
- Why don’t companies give more? What do individual charities and the sector as a whole do that puts companies off? What are the behaviours, perceptions and problems that lead a company to hold off their investment?
Andy King, Director of Fireside Fundraising, explains:
“The research gives corporate fundraisers hard evidence. We can finally prove what’s needed from us, and how it differs from other income streams. We haven’t built this on what companies say in polished CSR statements: it’s based on what they say when you’re not in the room.”
The research provides the charity sector with:
- A clearer understanding of what does and does not drive corporate giving
- Insight into what makes partnerships flourish once secured
- Practical ways to improve corporate fundraising programmes
- Tools to challenge internal assumptions and shape more effective strategies
The research was carried out by Lesley Pinder of Compass and Andy King of Fireside Fundraising.
They then published the findings earlier this month with a live online event hosted by Fundraising Everywhere.
You can download a copy of Why companies give: in their own words by registering for free with Fireside Fundraising.
- Corporate partnerships in April 2025 (16 April 2025)
- Research finds corporate/charity support delivers 37x return (15 July 2025)
- Corporate fundraising partnerships in March 2025 (7 March 2025)
Related posts
New Rogare project will create theory & evidence knowledge bases to help fundraisers inform work
Top US companies slow to register domain names
Airbnb launches nonprofit to provide temporary shelter to people in crisis
Overhauling funding systems in Scotland & Northern Ireland could provide extra millions for charities, Commission finds
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.