According to industry discussions, UK companies increasingly prioritise CSR activities such as volunteering and giving, with many aligning these efforts more closely to business goals.
However, with this promising growth, there is also added responsibility for your internal HR and CSR teams. Without the right support, managing employee efforts and contributions and aligning them with your organisation’s values and impact can be challenging. This is where CSR platforms can be a good solution.
Among the many popular platforms, this article compares three leading names in the CSR space – KindLink, Neighbourly, and Benevity. Find out what these platforms are best known for, their limitations, and how to choose based on your business’ scope, budget, and needs.
CSR Platform Profiles
KindLink
KindLink is a UK-based dedicated CSR company and an all-in-one CSR and corporate philanthropy platform. Designed by experts, its focus lies on making all core CSR and corporate philanthropy activities accessible on a single platform. KindLink allows businesses to receive donations, raise funds, manage volunteering, connect to corporates to vetted UK charities and non-profits, and report on impact, SDG, and ESG efforts. Through its easy-to-use features and clean interface, KindLink simplifies CSR for organisations.
KindLink has a charity-focused arm, the KindLink Foundation, that offers a dedicated CRM for UK non-profits and charities. It has supported thousands of UK non-profits with collecting donations, raising funds, managing donors, and automating Gift Aid reporting. All these factors make KindLink one of the key choices for a CSR platform.
Neighbourly
Neighbourly is a UK- and Ireland-focused CSR platform with partnerships with global brands that are community-driven. It connects businesses with vetted local charities and community causes across the UK and Ireland.
Benevity
One of the most recognised players in the CSR tech space, Benevity offers CSR solutions to grow employee engagement and improve social impact.
Comparison Table
|
KindLink |
Neighbourly |
Benevity |
|
|
Core Offerings |
Fundraising, volunteering, donation matching, payroll giving, impact reporting, ESG/SDG reporting, grant management, charity-corporate marketplace |
Donations, volunteering, and surplus product redistribution |
Corporate giving, volunteering, grant management, and impact reporting |
|
Reporting |
Tracks donations & matched donations, volunteer hours, products donated, ESG & SDG metrics |
Reports impact in hours, engagement, and demographics |
Dedicated reporting suite across giving, volunteering, and grants |
|
Pricing |
Publicly displayed, includes free tier Premium starts from £11/month |
Quote-led pricing |
Quote-led pricing |
|
Geographic Focus |
Broad with a strong UK-based adoption |
UK and Ireland |
Global |
|
Best Fit for |
UK and EU companies wanting CSR+ESG tracking on one platform |
UK and Ireland are looking for community impact and surplus product redistribution |
Mid to large-sized organisations focused on giving, grants, and volunteering on a global scale |
Key Consideration Factors
Before choosing, carefully consider these comparison factors to help your organisation achieve its CSR goals.
User Interface
KindLink
KindLink simplifies corporate giving through its values and its platform design. Its platform has a beginner-friendly, intuitive and easy-to-use interface that requires little training and instructions. This makes it easier for your HR and CSR teams to adapt and start working on your goals.
Neighbourly
Neighbourly’s volunteering interface focuses on practical UX features, such as sign-ups, reminders, and real-time dashboards to track employee participation and engagement.
Benevity
While Benevity offers multiple features, some users report that the platform can be challenging to manage without support. Simple changes may require help from customer service.
Scope of Corporate Giving
KindLink
KindLink covers all common corporate-giving and social-impact activities. In addition to donation matching, volunteering, and payroll giving, this platform can support broader ESG, SDG, and impact tracking and reporting.
Neighbourly
Under corporate giving, Neighbourly focuses on local community outcomes from donations, volunteering, and surplus product redistribution.
Benevity
Benevity’s increased focus on employee engagement is mirrored in its features. The core features go beyond basic volunteering and giving options and micro-actions as part of selected engagement modules.
Reporting
KindLink
You can use KindLink to track total donations (including matched), volunteer hours, products donated, carbon dioxide emissions offsets, and collect impact data from supported charities and non-profits.
Neighbourly
Neighbourly allows you to collect and report metrics on participation, engagement, and volunteering.
Benevity
Benevity has robust reporting capabilities, including a special reporting studio. But advanced reporting and analytics may require additional modules depending on the programme setup and require users to have deep analytics and industry knowledge to generate reports.
Investment
KindLink
KindLink exhibits transparency in its pricing, published on its website. Along with premium and enterprise-level plans, they also offer a free tier.
Neighbourly
Pricing on Neighbourly is typically quote-based for corporates.
Benevity
Along with its extensive offerings, Benevity’s plans are expensive and often at the higher end of the CSR software market. This CSR platform may not be the best choice if your business is cost-sensitive.
Support
KindLink
Support on KindLink varies depending on the plan you choose. In general, it offers email support with responses within 72 hours.
Neighbourly
Neighbourly focuses on providing onboarding, ongoing, and communications/engagement support.
Benevity
Benevity supports a structured onboarding process for enterprise programmes, often packaged with its plans.
In Summary
Before choosing the right CSR platform, carefully evaluate your organisation’s size, objectives, and unique requirements. From tracking your sustainability efforts to improving employee volunteering, there are many credible solutions to select from.
Each of these CSR platforms has its own set of capabilities that make it a leading choice. Your selection ultimately narrows down to what value they can bring to your corporate philanthropy and CSR goals.