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Home Corporate giving Resources for effective corporate giving How to make the case for a 1% corporate giving commitment

24 July 2026

How to make the case for a 1% corporate giving commitment

Many organisations want to support social purpose organisations, but far fewer make a clear, long-term commitment to doing so.

One of the most widely recognised benchmarks is donating at least 1% of pre-tax profits to charitable causes. Yet only a small number of large UK companies consistently meet this level.

If you are responsible for your organisation’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), social value, or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives, you may already believe in these principles. The challenge is different: how do you build the case internally and secure buy-in from finance, legal, and senior leadership?

This article sets out why 1% is considered best practice and how you can turn that ambition into a credible, business-backed proposal.

Why 1% has become a best practice benchmark

The 1% benchmark is not arbitrary. It reflects a longstanding view that businesses can, and should, commit a meaningful, proportionate share of their profits to society.

Global models such as Salesforce’s 1-1-1 approach have helped normalise the idea that structured, percentage-based giving is both achievable and sustainable. From its early days, Salesforce built giving into its business model, committing 1% of its product, employee time, and equity to positive social impact. This approach was designed not only to be a force for good, but also to attract and engage employees who want to work for a purpose-driven organisation.

However, closer to home, our Corporate Giving Report 2025 shows how far many UK businesses still have to go. Only 24 FTSE 100 companies gave at least 1% of their pre-tax profits in the most recent data, highlighting both the gap and the opportunity for organisations to strengthen their approach.

For leadership teams, 1% offers three clear advantages:

It is proportionate – linking giving to profits ensures contributions scale with business performance.
It creates accountability – a defined percentage is easier to track, benchmark, and report.
It signals intent – a public commitment demonstrates serious, long-term investment in positive social impact.

For organisations that want to move beyond unstructured giving, 1% is a practical starting point.

The challenge: moving from ambition to approval

Even when there is strong internal support, getting approval for a 1% commitment can be complex

You may encounter concerns such as:

Profit volatility – finance teams may worry about committing to a fluctuating figure.
Budget certainty – leadership may prefer fixed budgets over variable ones.
Competing priorities – especially in tougher financial periods.
Risk and governance – particularly from legal or compliance teams.

These concerns are valid and addressing them directly may be important to building a credible case.

How to build the business case for 1%

Start with "why" your leadership cares about

Different stakeholders may be motivated by different outcomes.

1. Finance teams need to see clear parameters, predictability options, and alignment with financial planning.

2. General counsel will focus on governance, risk, and controls.

3. Executives will look for alignment with strategy, reputation, and long-term value.

Frame your case in terms that matter to each audience. For example:

For executives and commercial leaders:
How does it strengthen your reputation, employee engagement, or client relationships, while helping your organisation horizon scan for long-term societal issues and manage shareholder expectations?

For senior leaders:
No social intervention comes with guaranteed results. Pooled funding recognises this reality and spreads risk across contributors, rather than placing it on a single funder or delivery partner.

This portfolio approach enables funders to support multiple organisations or solutions at once, build an evidence base over time and learn together about what works and what does not. For many decision-makers, this shared learning is as valuable as the outcomes themselves.

For finance teams and general counsel:
How does it compare to peers or sector expectations while providing the governance, reporting, risk management and financial oversight to support a long-term commitment with confidence?
Ensure you ground your argument in evidence and business relevance, not just intent.

Offer practical models rather than just a principle

A common barrier is the perception that 1% is too rigid but in reality, organisations apply it in different ways.

You can strengthen your case by presenting options, such as:

Annual 1% commitment: Giving 1% of pre-tax profits each year (a clear, performance-linked model).
Smoothed or averaged approach: Calculating 1% over a multi-year period to manage volatility.
Fixed budget with 1% ambition: Setting a stable annual budget while working towards the 1% target over time.

Providing flexible models helps finance teams see that this is not an all-or-nothing decision.

Use benchmarking to create momentum

Many leadership teams want to understand how they compare.

Use benchmarking to show:

Where your organisation currently sits.
What peers or competitors are doing.
What “good” looks like in your sector.

This helps shift the conversation from “why should we?” to “why wouldn’t we?”

Address risk and governance upfront

Building trust is critical, particularly with finance and legal stakeholders.

Be clear about:

How charitable funds will be managed and governed.
What reporting and oversight will be in place.
How decisions on giving will be made.

Demonstrating strong controls makes it easier for stakeholders to support a long-term commitment.”

Tailor your approach to where your organisation is now

Your starting point matters and your case should reflect it.

If you are not currently giving: focus on building a structured, credible starting point.
If you are giving below 1%: position this as a natural next step in your organisation’s maturity.
If you are already at or near 1%: focus on formalising, sustaining, and communicating your commitment and consider how you can go further, whether by increasing your percentage over time, expanding into employee or in-kind giving or deepening the social impact of your existing corporate giving.

In every case, the goal is the same: make it easier for decision-makers to say yes.”

Turning intent into action

A 1% commitment is not just about increasing budgets. It is about setting a clear, long-term approach to giving that is aligned with your business and is resilient over time.

The most successful organisations do not treat this as a one-off ask. They:

Start conversations early with finance and leadership.
Build cross-functional support.
Use evidence and benchmarking to strengthen their case.
Stay flexible in how they apply the model.

Skipton Group has voluntarily chosen to make this 1% commitment and they are keen to encourage other businesses to follow suit:

“It’s a really powerful initiative [to donate 1% of pre-tax profit]: all businesses have a social dimension. Company law and corporate governance are evolving more and more to consider the impact businesses have on stakeholders, including wider society, and all businesses should have a moral obligation to give back to society in some way."

Skipton Group

Get support with your corporate giving strategy

We work with organisations at every stage of their corporate giving journey, from building the initial case to benchmarking performance and managing charitable funds effectively.

Whether you want to sense-check your approach, explore different commitment models, or engage your leadership team, we can help you move forward with confidence.

Get in touch to start the conversation.

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