Despite persistently-high unemployment figures over the past few years, the corporate “war for talent” is still very much on. Firms are competing as fiercely as ever to attract and retain high-performing employees at all levels. In fact, as reported by The Wall Street Journal in November and by CNBC in October, “there are about 3.2 million job openings in America that companies are unable to fill”, counter-intuitively, as companies search for candidates with the right skill set.

What are companies doing to improve the odds that job offers extended are accepted, and that their current talent is happy? CECP’s ongoing conversations with the leading corporate CEOs in its membership and the findings of our most recent “Giving in Numbers” analysis of corporate giving trends make clear that companies continue to invest in programs that allow employees to bring their values to work—such as matching gift policies, company-supported volunteer offerings, pro bono service projects, and recognition awards for public service.

According to CECP’s trends research:

• In 2010, 94% of companies offered a matching-gift program (programs that match employee contributions of cash or volunteer time with a financial contribution to the employee’s charity of choice). Among those companies, matching gifts comprised an average of 15% of the company’s total cash giving.

• From 2009 to 2010, 57% of companies increased their cash contributions to matching gift programs on account of three main factors: increased employee participation, raised caps on the corporate matching limit, and the addition of new programs.

• In 2010, 89% of companies had a formal domestic employee-volunteer program, while 52% had a formal international volunteer program.

Stepping back, earlier this year CECP surveyed its members asking: “Which factor most drives your company to engage in community investment programs?,” the top-two answers selected were complementary: “brand, trust and reputation” followed by “employee engagement and recruitment”—which are inextricably linked in their contribution to employee morale.

The “Millennial generation” (loosely defined as recent college grads and by NCoC as those born between 1980 and 1995) is frequently credited for starting this trend—using time during their job interviews to ask for evidence of a company’s track record in philanthropy and corporate community engagement, and also about what opportunities they’ll find to get involved themselves. However, CECP now sees employees at all levels—and even a company’s customer base—asking for the same transparency and opportunities to make a difference. The upside for nonprofits and communities is clear: companies are leveraging a greater suite of their resources and administrative time to create new channels to support locally-relevant causes as identified by their employees, a trend CECP hopes and expects will only grow stronger still.

We want to hear from you: What are you seeing? Are these trends CECP is spotting in evidence where you are? Does your company or institution provide ways for you to bring your values to work? Or has your nonprofit seen an uptick in corporate volunteers? Do you have tips for how best to structure and manage this new wave of employee interest?

Continue the conversation by adding your comments here on this subject or any other findings from CECP’s research (shared with the public at no cost).

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Margaret Coady is the Director of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy.