Month: December 2025

In the landscape of kidney disease management, from chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end stage kidney disease (ESKD), dietitians stand as essential figures. While their work often occurs behind the scenes, their impact on clinical outcomes, patient adherence, and reducing costly complications is profound. These specialized professionals play a pivotal role that goes far beyond simply providing meal plans, especially for those facing the challenges of ESKD.

The Clinical Cornerstone: Personalized Nutrition for Complex Needs

Dietitians are highly trained clinicians who craft individualized nutrition plans — what some might call “nutrition prescriptions” — for each patient, whether they are managing early-stage CKD or navigating the complexities of ESKD. They carefully analyze lab data, medication schedules, existing health conditions, and lifestyle factors to create dynamic plans. These plans address the unique mineral and fluid imbalances at each stage of kidney disease and are adjusted based on ongoing lab results and patient feedback.

• Slowing Kidney Disease Progression

  Nutrition management has been shown to help slow the advancement of CKD, potentially delaying the need for dialysis. For those who progress to ESKD, a kidney-friendly diet remains crucial in managing the complications of dialysis and improving quality of life. Since CKD is progressive, the nutrition recommendations can exist on a sliding scale and a dietitian can help make tailored recommendations depending on the stage and other health conditions.

• Improving Key Lab Values

  Dietitians help play a vital role in managing lab values, such as phosphorus and potassium levels, which, if uncontrolled, can lead to heart problems and increased risk of death, particularly in ESKD patients. By creating personalized dietary plans, dietitians help stabilize these crucial lab values. They also focus on incorporating adequate protein intake to maintain healthy albumin levels, a key predictor of survival for dialysis patients.

• Reducing the Impact of Comorbidities

  Dietary intervention is also crucial for managing conditions like diabetes and hypertension, major contributors to CKD and significant challenges in ESKD. By helping patients better manage their blood sugar and blood pressure, dietitians support reduction in the overall burden on both the patient and the healthcare system. This is particularly important in preventing complications and hospitalizations in ESKD patients and delaying CKD progression in earlier stages.

These positive impacts of a dietitian’s guidance is felt across the healthcare journey. By empowering patients to maintain stability and better manage their health needs — especially when managing ESKD — dietitians can help reduce the frequency of serious and costly complications that affect quality of life. Fluid overload, for example, is a common and serious challenge for people who need dialysis as well as a leading cause of hospitalization that can be reduced through dedicated dietary support.

Comprehensive Support: DaVita’s Care Model in Action

“Proactive nutritional management is one of the cornerstones of holistic care,” says Amanda Wetherington, a dietitian for DaVita Integrated Kidney Care (IKC). “By working with the rest of the care team, we work to empower individuals in avoiding physical and emotional setbacks in their kidney health journey.”

This focus on prevention and maintenance reinforces a care model centered on long-term patient well-being and a higher quality of life. A core care team for every patient offers an interdisciplinary approach – including nephrologists, nurses, social workers and patient care technicians — to provide comprehensive care centered on individualized needs throughout the kidney care journey.

Through personalized, high-touch support, DaVita dietitians offer one-on-one counseling for patients and participate in monthly reviews of lab trends with the entire care team. They’re also able to leverage DaVita® resources, including DaVita Diet Helper and a comprehensive library of recipes and cookbooks, to help patients stay on track and find foods that support not only their health needs but their lifestyles and preferences, too.

By prioritizing the role of dietitians within an integrated care team, healthcare organizations can optimize results and deliver early intervention to help manage CKD — as well as common comorbid conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure — through early education and behavior changes.

“Food plays such an important role in our lives, and understanding nutrition needs can make a significant difference,” Wetherington shares. “The most common sentiment I hear from the people I work with living with CKD is that having access to a dietitian was the missing piece in their CKD healthcare.”

In the landscape of kidney disease management, from chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end stage kidney disease (ESKD), dietitians stand as essential figures. While their work often occurs behind the scenes, their impact on clinical outcomes, patient adherence, and reducing costly complications is profound. These specialized professionals play a pivotal role that goes far beyond simply providing meal plans, especially for those facing the challenges of ESKD.

The Clinical Cornerstone: Personalized Nutrition for Complex Needs

Dietitians are highly trained clinicians who craft individualized nutrition plans — what some might call “nutrition prescriptions” — for each patient, whether they are managing early-stage CKD or navigating the complexities of ESKD. They carefully analyze lab data, medication schedules, existing health conditions, and lifestyle factors to create dynamic plans. These plans address the unique mineral and fluid imbalances at each stage of kidney disease and are adjusted based on ongoing lab results and patient feedback.

• Slowing Kidney Disease Progression

  Nutrition management has been shown to help slow the advancement of CKD, potentially delaying the need for dialysis. For those who progress to ESKD, a kidney-friendly diet remains crucial in managing the complications of dialysis and improving quality of life. Since CKD is progressive, the nutrition recommendations can exist on a sliding scale and a dietitian can help make tailored recommendations depending on the stage and other health conditions.

• Improving Key Lab Values

  Dietitians help play a vital role in managing lab values, such as phosphorus and potassium levels, which, if uncontrolled, can lead to heart problems and increased risk of death, particularly in ESKD patients. By creating personalized dietary plans, dietitians help stabilize these crucial lab values. They also focus on incorporating adequate protein intake to maintain healthy albumin levels, a key predictor of survival for dialysis patients.

• Reducing the Impact of Comorbidities

  Dietary intervention is also crucial for managing conditions like diabetes and hypertension, major contributors to CKD and significant challenges in ESKD. By helping patients better manage their blood sugar and blood pressure, dietitians support reduction in the overall burden on both the patient and the healthcare system. This is particularly important in preventing complications and hospitalizations in ESKD patients and delaying CKD progression in earlier stages.

These positive impacts of a dietitian’s guidance is felt across the healthcare journey. By empowering patients to maintain stability and better manage their health needs — especially when managing ESKD — dietitians can help reduce the frequency of serious and costly complications that affect quality of life. Fluid overload, for example, is a common and serious challenge for people who need dialysis as well as a leading cause of hospitalization that can be reduced through dedicated dietary support.

Comprehensive Support: DaVita’s Care Model in Action

“Proactive nutritional management is one of the cornerstones of holistic care,” says Amanda Wetherington, a dietitian for DaVita Integrated Kidney Care (IKC). “By working with the rest of the care team, we work to empower individuals in avoiding physical and emotional setbacks in their kidney health journey.”

This focus on prevention and maintenance reinforces a care model centered on long-term patient well-being and a higher quality of life. A core care team for every patient offers an interdisciplinary approach – including nephrologists, nurses, social workers and patient care technicians — to provide comprehensive care centered on individualized needs throughout the kidney care journey.

Through personalized, high-touch support, DaVita dietitians offer one-on-one counseling for patients and participate in monthly reviews of lab trends with the entire care team. They’re also able to leverage DaVita® resources, including DaVita Diet Helper and a comprehensive library of recipes and cookbooks, to help patients stay on track and find foods that support not only their health needs but their lifestyles and preferences, too.

By prioritizing the role of dietitians within an integrated care team, healthcare organizations can optimize results and deliver early intervention to help manage CKD — as well as common comorbid conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure — through early education and behavior changes.

“Food plays such an important role in our lives, and understanding nutrition needs can make a significant difference,” Wetherington shares. “The most common sentiment I hear from the people I work with living with CKD is that having access to a dietitian was the missing piece in their CKD healthcare.”

The landscape of corporate citizenship is undergoing its most profound transition in a decade. It is no longer enough for companies to simply have a social impact program; they must demonstrate that these corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are strategically aligned, clearly supporting business objectives, outcomes-oriented and authentically woven into the fabric of the business.

In the Benevity Impact Labs 2025 State of Corporate Purpose Report, leveraging proprietary data from the collective giving, volunteering and granting activities of over 1,000 leading global brands, we reported that nearly two-thirds of companies significantly shifted their corporate purpose strategies in the past year. This transition — driven by rising stakeholder scrutiny, polarized social issues, a changing regulatory landscape and a tightening focus on talent — defines the challenge and opportunity for 2026 CSR and ESG planning.

There are several critical lessons from the 2025 data for corporate leaders and impact professionals to consider and potentially integrate into next year’s strategy.

‍The new risk frontier: Balancing caution and courage

As corporate purpose strategies mature, and regulatory complexities continue to evolve, a fundamental tension is emerging: the gap between cautious executive messaging and an activist workforce.

The 2025 State of Corporate Purpose Report data reveals this tightrope walk: while 52% of leaders expect their CEOs to be less vocal on contentious issues, 76% anticipate increased employee activism in the coming year. This corporate silence, while likely intended to mitigate external political risk, paradoxically creates internal brand risk. Benevity data suggests that when companies stay silent, their people will often fill the void through employee-led grassroots action, sometimes without the benefit of formal corporate support or compliance guidance.

The focus must shift from what is said publicly to how the work is done internally and shows up externally. The Benevity data shows that CSR teams are connecting with more departments than ever before, from the executive teams to legal, to HR with the biggest rise in work with communications. It’s become essential that CSR teams must be integrated with both HR and corporate communications to craft transparent, authentic narratives about impact metrics and company values, rather than just react to socio-political events. This is critical for both internal and external communications, as consumer actions have also proven to be quite reactive over the past year.‍

“Some CEOs may underestimate stakeholder expectations. They may assume that silence is golden when it comes to hot-button issues. But actually many employees, younger consumers, even investors, may interpret silence as avoiding issues that are particularly important to them.”

– Andrew Jones, Principal Researcher, Governance & Sustainability Center, The Conference Board, on the Speaking of Purpose podcast‍

Employee-directed imperatives: Resilience through engagement

The 2025 Talent Trends report from the U.S. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that the recruitment challenges persist, with 69% of organizations reporting significant difficulties filling full-time, regular positions. Purpose programs have solidified their role as a critical contributor to business resilience and talent retention. Benevity data provides quantitative proof that employee participation is directly linked to enhanced retention, particularly among newer hires.

• Retention: Newer employees who participate in corporate purpose programs are 52% less likely to leave their company.
• Trust and inclusion: 91% of employees and leaders view Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as an important part of their employer value proposition, and 87% say they are a trusted source of information amid peak DEI polarization.

The volunteering renaissance: Driving engagement and resilience 

Volunteerism is proving to be a key driver of business resilience — and 94% of companies agree. In fact, volunteerism is proven to be the only workplace intervention among 90 that were measured to suggest a positive impact on well-being and belonging.

With 2026 designated as International Volunteer Year by the UN, there is a big opportunity for companies that lean in. In fact, Benevity data shows that volunteering has been rising sharply within CSR programs since the world reopened after COVID-19 pandemic, with growth expected to be around 11% in 2025. There are shifts towards more structured, high-impact activities such as skills-based volunteering, teams-based volunteering, and virtual volunteering, which continues to draw attention from program administrators in the wake of the increased presence of hybrid work.‍

Sharpening grantmaking focus: Prioritizing capacity and trust

Grantmaking is also evolving in response to the changing environment. Visible efforts are seen across the granting ecosystem to support capacity, trust and flexibility.

• Shifting priorities: Grants to critical areas like BIPOC-led nonprofits and climate justice saw a relative slowdown in growth acceleration compared to previous years, as companies reframed their granting in favor of broader themes like STEM training, disaster response and local communities.
• Building capacity: Community improvement and nonprofit capacity building jumped from ninth to fourth position among granting focus areas. Companies are recognizing that strengthening the nonprofit sector’s infrastructure is a fundamental act of support.
• Filling the funding gap: With significant shifts in government funding creating widening gaps in the social safety net, flexible grant programs are critical. Unrestricted grants allow nonprofits to be more nimble in times of need, and increase confidence in grantmakers that their programs are having the desired positive impact.‍
• Closing the confidence gap: The Benevity Grants Confidence Gap Report shows that 74% of grantmakers execute on best practices, while only 51% feel they are doing it well. Closing the confidence gap requires the integration of trust-based practices, improved communication strategies and aligning granting with stakeholder expectations.

Planning for 2026: A Benevity checklist

To navigate the current transition successfully, corporate citizenship leaders should adopt a data-driven approach centered on accountability and engagement.

The evolution of corporate citizenship as an enterprise-wide strategy is complete. In 2026, the businesses that will lead the way are those that use real-time data to deliver purpose at work. Those that implement authentic, employee-powered programs that are true to their values, build community, engage stakeholders and contribute to their business’ bottom line will be the most successful and will have future-proofed their organizations beyond 2026.

The landscape of corporate citizenship is undergoing its most profound transition in a decade. It is no longer enough for companies to simply have a social impact program; they must demonstrate that these corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are strategically aligned, clearly supporting business objectives, outcomes-oriented and authentically woven into the fabric of the business.

In the Benevity Impact Labs 2025 State of Corporate Purpose Report, leveraging proprietary data from the collective giving, volunteering and granting activities of over 1,000 leading global brands, we reported that nearly two-thirds of companies significantly shifted their corporate purpose strategies in the past year. This transition — driven by rising stakeholder scrutiny, polarized social issues, a changing regulatory landscape and a tightening focus on talent — defines the challenge and opportunity for 2026 CSR and ESG planning.

There are several critical lessons from the 2025 data for corporate leaders and impact professionals to consider and potentially integrate into next year’s strategy.

‍The new risk frontier: Balancing caution and courage

As corporate purpose strategies mature, and regulatory complexities continue to evolve, a fundamental tension is emerging: the gap between cautious executive messaging and an activist workforce.

The 2025 State of Corporate Purpose Report data reveals this tightrope walk: while 52% of leaders expect their CEOs to be less vocal on contentious issues, 76% anticipate increased employee activism in the coming year. This corporate silence, while likely intended to mitigate external political risk, paradoxically creates internal brand risk. Benevity data suggests that when companies stay silent, their people will often fill the void through employee-led grassroots action, sometimes without the benefit of formal corporate support or compliance guidance.

The focus must shift from what is said publicly to how the work is done internally and shows up externally. The Benevity data shows that CSR teams are connecting with more departments than ever before, from the executive teams to legal, to HR with the biggest rise in work with communications. It’s become essential that CSR teams must be integrated with both HR and corporate communications to craft transparent, authentic narratives about impact metrics and company values, rather than just react to socio-political events. This is critical for both internal and external communications, as consumer actions have also proven to be quite reactive over the past year.‍

“Some CEOs may underestimate stakeholder expectations. They may assume that silence is golden when it comes to hot-button issues. But actually many employees, younger consumers, even investors, may interpret silence as avoiding issues that are particularly important to them.”

– Andrew Jones, Principal Researcher, Governance & Sustainability Center, The Conference Board, on the Speaking of Purpose podcast‍

Employee-directed imperatives: Resilience through engagement

The 2025 Talent Trends report from the U.S. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that the recruitment challenges persist, with 69% of organizations reporting significant difficulties filling full-time, regular positions. Purpose programs have solidified their role as a critical contributor to business resilience and talent retention. Benevity data provides quantitative proof that employee participation is directly linked to enhanced retention, particularly among newer hires.

• Retention: Newer employees who participate in corporate purpose programs are 52% less likely to leave their company.
• Trust and inclusion: 91% of employees and leaders view Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as an important part of their employer value proposition, and 87% say they are a trusted source of information amid peak DEI polarization.

The volunteering renaissance: Driving engagement and resilience 

Volunteerism is proving to be a key driver of business resilience — and 94% of companies agree. In fact, volunteerism is proven to be the only workplace intervention among 90 that were measured to suggest a positive impact on well-being and belonging.

With 2026 designated as International Volunteer Year by the UN, there is a big opportunity for companies that lean in. In fact, Benevity data shows that volunteering has been rising sharply within CSR programs since the world reopened after COVID-19 pandemic, with growth expected to be around 11% in 2025. There are shifts towards more structured, high-impact activities such as skills-based volunteering, teams-based volunteering, and virtual volunteering, which continues to draw attention from program administrators in the wake of the increased presence of hybrid work.‍

Sharpening grantmaking focus: Prioritizing capacity and trust

Grantmaking is also evolving in response to the changing environment. Visible efforts are seen across the granting ecosystem to support capacity, trust and flexibility.

• Shifting priorities: Grants to critical areas like BIPOC-led nonprofits and climate justice saw a relative slowdown in growth acceleration compared to previous years, as companies reframed their granting in favor of broader themes like STEM training, disaster response and local communities.
• Building capacity: Community improvement and nonprofit capacity building jumped from ninth to fourth position among granting focus areas. Companies are recognizing that strengthening the nonprofit sector’s infrastructure is a fundamental act of support.
• Filling the funding gap: With significant shifts in government funding creating widening gaps in the social safety net, flexible grant programs are critical. Unrestricted grants allow nonprofits to be more nimble in times of need, and increase confidence in grantmakers that their programs are having the desired positive impact.‍
• Closing the confidence gap: The Benevity Grants Confidence Gap Report shows that 74% of grantmakers execute on best practices, while only 51% feel they are doing it well. Closing the confidence gap requires the integration of trust-based practices, improved communication strategies and aligning granting with stakeholder expectations.

Planning for 2026: A Benevity checklist

To navigate the current transition successfully, corporate citizenship leaders should adopt a data-driven approach centered on accountability and engagement.

The evolution of corporate citizenship as an enterprise-wide strategy is complete. In 2026, the businesses that will lead the way are those that use real-time data to deliver purpose at work. Those that implement authentic, employee-powered programs that are true to their values, build community, engage stakeholders and contribute to their business’ bottom line will be the most successful and will have future-proofed their organizations beyond 2026.

Originally published by the ASPCA

For the eighteenth year in a row, the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) has been selected as a national charity partner in the 2025 Subaru Share the Love® Event to help support thousands of animals in need across the country. From November 20, 2025, through January 2, 2026, Subaru will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle, purchased or leased, to the customer’s choice of participating local and national charities, including the ASPCA*.

Since the partnership’s inception in 2008, Subaru has donated more than $41 million to the ASPCA, which has helped support the rescue, care, and adoption of more than 142,000 animals nationwide. Subaru and the ASPCA are committed to helping as many animals as possible again this year.

“We’re grateful to Subaru for their longstanding support of the ASPCA and their dedication to the wellbeing of shelter pets across the country. With their help, we’re able to reach more animals in need and strengthen the lifesaving work of shelters nationwide,” said Matt Bershadker, president & CEO of the ASPCA. “Together, our work has positively impacted nearly 250,000 animals to date and demonstrates what’s possible when corporate compassion meets local action. I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together—and excited for the road ahead.”

The funding received from last year’s Subaru Share the Love Event helped support the ASPCA’s lifesaving work across the country, including its efforts to rehabilitate severely fearful, under-socialized dogs, such as those rescued from puppy mills and hoarding situations, as well as its cruelty and disaster response efforts to rescue animals in crisis from natural disasters and animal abuse. In addition, Subaru’s funding supports the ASPCA’s work to provide basic and preventative veterinary services to underserved pet owners, helping to make veterinary care more affordable and accessible nationwide and improving the health and welfare of dogs and cats.

For more information about the ASPCA’s participation in the Subaru Share the Love Event, please visit aspca.org/sharethelove. 

*Subaru of America, Inc. (“SOA”) will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased from November 20, 2025, through January 2, 2026, to four national charities designated by the purchaser or lessee. Pre-approved hometown charities may also be selected for donation depending on retailer participation. Purchasers/lessees must make their charity designations by January 9, 2026. The four national charities will receive a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 each. See your local Subaru retailer for details or visit subaru.com/share. All donations made by SOA.

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About the ASPCA^®
The ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) believes every animal deserves to live free from suffering. For more than 150 years, we’ve been on the frontlines to save, transform and protect millions of lives in the fight against animal cruelty. As the nation’s first and leading animal welfare organization, we assist animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal relocation and placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary communities through research, training and resources. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than 2 million supporters nationwide, our commitment to eliminating animal cruelty is unwavering. For more information, visit aspca.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.