Cooking for family can be stressful. One year it was my turn to host Christmas in my tiny flat. It didn’t help that each family member, drink in hand, wandered into the kitchen to offer their morsel of wisdom. Best way to crisp the potatoes, how to baste the turkey, why sprouts should be boiled for 30 mins. It felt less like cooking and more like navigating a battlefield with drunken generals.
CSR managers are feeling similarly besieged right now. They are navigating a perfect storm of political pressure, economic uncertainty, and escalating internal demands. While it might look like companies are retreating from social impact, the reality is more nuanced- and more strategic.
CSR managers aren’t backing down. They’re just dodging bullets from all sides while still trying to build something meaningful.
And they need your help.
According to ACCP’s 2025 CSR Insights Report, 51% of CSR professionals in the USA say they’re under increased pressure to prove business value. Another 56% report heightened demand to measure impact. Meanwhile, politically sensitive issues are being deprioritised; funding for racial equity dropped from 33% to 11% in one year.
In addition:
- 71% have had to change how they talk about DEI.
- 44% are reducing external comms on these issues.
- 36% are facing increased legal oversight.
And yet, 90% of companies say they’re maintaining or increasing commitment to social impact. The budget’s still there. The intent is still there. The internal appetite for doing good hasn’t disappeared, it’s just being channelled differently.
In other words, CSR teams aren’t abandoning their values. They’re rephrasing them, rerouting them, and begging for help to make the case internally.
What does this mean for NFP Partnership Managers?
If you’re pitching a partnership right now, think of yourself not just as a charity seeking support but as an internal ally helping CSR managers survive the storm and win over their stakeholders.
Here are three practical ways to do that:
1. Speak business, not just impact
Your corporate contact knows your work matters but they need the language to prove it matters to the business.
Help them draw the line between your programs and outcomes like:
- Employee engagement (think volunteering, pro bono, storytelling).
- Talent retention (especially with Gen Z and values-aligned talent).
- Brand trust and reputation (bonus points if it ties to local or customer-facing impact).
Package up results in ways that drop neatly into slide decks or a business case. Don’t just tell a great story, quantify it. For example:
“Because of our partnership, X% of your staff reported increased connection to your brand. Our joint campaign reached Y consumers. Z students accessed STEM education aligned to your future talent pipeline.”
2. Be a safe bet in a risky world
CSR managers aren’t risk-averse, they’re just being risk-managed. There is increased scrutiny of budget decisions and community investment from across the business.
Help them by:
- Framing your work in alignment with corporate-safe priorities: workforce development, food insecurity, STEM, mental health, or community revitalisation.
- Avoiding polarising language. It’s not about watering down your mission; it’s about translating it. Equity becomes “access,” DEI becomes “inclusive opportunity” or “workforce development”, climate justice becomes “community resilience.”
The best NFP partnership managers are chameleons able to keep their core mission intact while flexing the narrative to suit internal stakeholders.
3. Arm them with stories and stats
Make it easy for your CSR contact to sell you internally. Business leaders are demanding clarity on the ROI. Benevity research shows that 51% of CSR managers must tie impact to business outcomes and 56% face more pressure to measure impact.
Give them:
- Ready-made case studies with clear outcomes and quotes from beneficiaries.
- Impact snapshots tailored for comms or C-suite reporting.
- Examples that show your alignment to their goals.
Want to be the one who helps your CSR contact shine in front of the CFO? Give them the stats and impact they need and the story they can’t ignore.
Remember, most CSR teams are small and overstretched. Many of them aren’t teams at all, they’re one person with the title Head of CSR. 72% report increased responsibilities, yet only 53% say they have adequate resources. If you can make their job easier, you become not just a good cause, but a valuable long-term partner.
Just like you, corporate social impact professionals are being asked to do more, say less, and justify everything. You have more in common than you realise. If you want their help to cook up a feast for the community, try to understand what they’re juggling and help them keep the tipsy uncles out of the kitchen.