How I Approach Corporate Giving as Employee-Driven CSR Gains Momentum

Corporate philanthropy has entered a new era. One-size-fits-all donation programs and generic volunteer days no longer satisfy employees who want to connect their work to causes they genuinely care about. According to recent research, 98% of employees want to volunteer or donate at work, and companies offering both giving and volunteering programs see 16.8% engagement—more than triple the rate of organizations offering only one.

J-P Conte, the managing partner of family office Lupine Crest Capital, has built his philanthropic approach around this principle for decades. Instead of merely writing checks, the JP Conte Family Foundation prioritizes direct involvement, such as mentoring high school students through programs like Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. His model predates the current corporate giving movement, yet matches precisely what CSR research now calls “employee-centric” philanthropy.

“Companies will increasingly focus on employee-driven CSR initiatives that cater to the unique interests and passions of their workforce,” notes a recent analysis from Chezuba, a corporate volunteering platform. For J-P Conte, this approach stems from personal experience. Growing up as a first-generation American with parents who fled France and Cuba, he received mentorship from Wall Street professionals his father met while working as a tailor and clothing salesman. Those relationships opened doors to internships that shaped his career trajectory.

“I’ve always felt the need to give back,” Jean-Pierre Conte has said, referencing the example set by those who helped him and his family. His foundation now channels that sense of obligation into structured programs that bring employees into the giving process—not as passive donors, but as active mentors and skills-based volunteers.

The Shift Toward Personalized Philanthropy

Employee expectations around corporate giving have fundamentally changed. According to Benevity’s 2025 State of Corporate Purpose Report, 94% of companies now report that volunteering helps build business resilience, and organizations see a 52% lower turnover rate among newer employees who participate in corporate purpose programs.

The shift captures a broader transformation in how companies think about social responsibility. Rather than viewing CSR as a separate budget line or annual campaign, leading organizations now integrate giving and volunteering into their core employee experience. Research from the Percent Pledge 2025 Employee Engagement Trends Report found that 88% of employees say volunteering helps their personal and professional growth, with participants gaining leadership skills, feeling more connected to colleagues, and reporting reduced stress.

This hands-on approach exemplifies what CSR researchers now call “skills-based volunteering”—programs where employees contribute professional expertise rather than just time. According to Goodera’s analysis of 2025 CSR trends, “Skills-based volunteering is emerging as both a recent trend in CSR and a workforce development lever. Instead of focusing only on time-based volunteering, companies are channeling employee expertise into nonprofit and community challenges.”

Measuring Impact, Not Just Hours

The move toward employee-driven philanthropy has also transformed how organizations measure success. Traditional metrics—total donation dollars, volunteer hours logged—no longer capture the full picture. Companies increasingly track outcomes: student graduation rates, career placements, and measurable community improvements.

J-P Conte applies this results-oriented mindset to his foundation work. When he observed that Sponsors for Educational Opportunity needed stronger leadership in the Bay Area, he took action. “We multiplied the reach of SEO in the Bay Area by five to seven times,” Conte has noted of the turnaround. His approach mirrors the operational improvement philosophy he developed during decades in private equity: identify underperforming assets, install capable management, and hold teams accountable for measurable results.

“A lot of nonprofits aren’t run crisply,” Jean-Pierre Conte has observed. The comment captures his belief that philanthropic organizations deserve the same management rigor applied to portfolio companies. Data from the YourCause CSR Industry Review supports this perspective: organizations that leverage employee resource groups and structured giving platforms see combined engagement rates of 18.6%, compared to 15.7% for those without such infrastructure.

The emphasis on measurement also extends to individual employee experiences. According to Chezuba’s research, employees increasingly want to track their contributions in real time, creating a sense of fulfillment and purpose. This transparency matters because it closes the feedback loop between contribution and outcome—employees can see how their mentoring hours or donated expertise actually changed someone’s trajectory.

For J-P Conte, that feedback comes through direct relationships with students. “It’s amazing to see the transformation in these kids,” he has said. “Closing the information gap and mentoring them changes their trajectory.” The Conte First Generation Fund, which supports first-generation college students at 11 universities including Colgate and Harvard, operates on this same principle: targeted support delivered through personal relationships rather than impersonal grants.

Building a Culture of Purpose-Driven Engagement

The business case for employee-driven philanthropy has become increasingly clear. According to Benevity research, companies that use team volunteering see 7.5 times the volunteer participation rate, and those supporting employee-created volunteer opportunities average nearly three times the participation rate of more rigid programs. The data suggests that autonomy matters—employees engage more deeply when they help shape how their companies give back.

This autonomy extends to choosing causes. The Goodera CSR trends report notes that employees want to be actively involved in causes they care about, contributing time, skills, and resources to make a tangible difference. Companies that can match employees with opportunities tied to their personal values see higher satisfaction, stronger retention, and more authentic brand loyalty.

J-P Conte’s foundation work demonstrates this principle across multiple cause areas. The JP Conte Family Foundation directs resources toward education through the Conte First Generation Fund, medical research through a $5 million gift to UCSF for Parkinson’s disease studies, and environmental conservation through work with Pepperwood Preserve in Northern California. Each area connects to formative experiences in Conte’s own life—his journey as a first-generation college student, his father’s battle with Parkinson’s disease, his commitment to the California communities where he built his career.

The personal nature of these commitments illustrates why employee-driven models outperform top-down corporate giving. When philanthropy connects to authentic experiences, the engagement deepens. Research from the 2025 State of Volunteering report found that 77% of companies reported higher employee volunteer participation when programs connected to genuine employee interests and ESG priorities.

For business leaders considering how to structure their own corporate giving programs, J-P Conte’s approach offers a template: identify causes where employees can contribute expertise rather than just dollars, create pathways for direct mentorship and skills-based volunteering, measure outcomes rather than inputs, and apply the same management discipline to philanthropic organizations that you would to any business investment. “To be a business builder, you need to know you can have an impact on things by sheer hard work or thinking differently,” Conte has said. That philosophy applies equally to building companies and building communities.

The SEO students who receive mentoring through Conte’s initiatives represent a generation that will carry those values forward. “These are kids who, voluntarily in eighth grade, agree to go into this program and do after-school work, work on Saturdays, work during the summer,” Jean-Pierre Conte has noted. The commitment runs both directions—students dedicating their time to academic preparation, and professionals dedicating their expertise to opening doors that might otherwise remain closed.

As corporate giving continues its shift toward personalization and employee ownership, the organizations that thrive will be those that recognize philanthropy not as an expense line but as a talent development tool, a culture-building mechanism, and a direct expression of company values. The numbers make the case: engaged employees stay longer, perform better, and bring more discretionary effort to their work. Giving them meaningful ways to contribute beyond their job descriptions turns abstract values into lived experience.