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Fidelity Investments announced a new program on Monday thatallows employers to integrate charitable giving into their currentbenefits program, and at the same time offers employees a way tomanage their philanthropic activities.

Fidelity Workplace Giving is a response to theincreasing desire by employees for greater involvement in theircompany's socially responsible commitments, Fidelity said.

It cited recent research that showed four out of fivemillennials preferred to work for a socially responsible company,and two out of three said they would not take a job with apotential employer that lacked strong corporate socialresponsibility practices.

“Employers increasingly recognize the importance of offeringbenefits that contribute to the total well-being of theirworkforce, especially charitable giving programs,” Kevin Barry,president of workplace investing at Fidelity Investments, said in astatement.

“However, it's often difficult for employers to easily integratethese programs into their benefits platform. Fidelity WorkplaceGiving enables companies to provide access to a charitable givingoption alongside other company benefits, increasing employeeengagement and helping employees better understand how charitablegiving fits into their overall financial picture.”

The new program eliminates the administrative burden on acompany of managing a separate third-party solution to coordinatecharitable giving. The program integrates into the employer'scurrent benefits platform, enabling the company to measure theactivity and gauge the program's effect.

As well, companies can more easily configure and automatecompany matching gifts, which may encourage increased giving amongemployees, according to Fidelity.

Fidelity said the program addresses several issues that till nowhave made it hard for employees to actively engage in charitablegiving. For one, the platform gives them access to thousands ofcharities aggregated into a single view that can be sorted by name,industry or cause, and workers can pre-set or select the amountthey want to donate.

For another, employees can make one-time or recurring donations,and have it delivered by the donor's preferred payment method.

And the program allows donors to weave giving into their overallfinancial wellness strategy, alongside other financial vehiclessuch as their 401(k), health savings account or 529 plan.

Fidelity said its aim was to provide a holistic workplacephilanthropy platform that supports both giving and volunteerprograms.

“When charitable giving is made easier and more transparent,employees are more likely to engage, which will ultimatelycontribute to greater corporate responsibility and a more positiveimpact on the community,” Barry said.