Will DEI Backlash Make the Role of Planner More Critical?

The latest Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals pulse survey suggests an opportunity for business event strategists to step up as thought leaders.

It was only shortly after the U.S. administration signed an executive order on Jan. 20 declaring DEI “immoral and illegal” that the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) took a pulse survey of its members to see how that executive order and other administration policies were having an effect on their work. We cited the results of that survey in one of the stories in our August issue CMP Series on how planners are prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their events  — without calling attention to it —and provided examples of ways corporate citizenship professionals avoid explicit references to DEI and use more neutral terminology.

What has changed since that survey was conducted? ACCP just published the results of the 6th Annual CSR Insights Report, conducted two months after the first pulse survey and it’s interesting to see how the dust has settled — or as the report phrases it, “as political scrutiny intensifies” — for CSR professionals over that brief time period.

Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of CSR respondents in the new insights report said they are changing the language around DEI efforts, 44 percent have decreased external communications about DEI, and 36 percent (an increase of 6 percent from the first survey) have seen increased legal oversight of DEI initiatives.

Additionally, more than seven out of 10 (72 percent) report “being somewhat to very concerned about the impact of executive orders and legal actions on their DEI-related programs.” The report notes that there has been a significant decline in the integration of DEI into CSR efforts — companies reporting decreased DEI integration rose from less than 1 percent in 2023 to 11 percent in 2025.

“Political pressure and shifting public sentiment are actively reshaping internal strategies” around DEI, according to the report. “Companies are reevaluating how inclusive efforts for their organization align with social impact, particularly in public-facing and community investments.”

But those pressures aren’t causing CSR professionals to question their job security — the opposite is true, according to ACCP President and CEO Andrea Wood, who underscored the value they bring to the companies where they work. As corporate leaders rethink their social impact initiatives, they are increasingly relying on CSR professionals “to guide them through a period of heightened change and scrutiny,” Wood said. “Our new data shows that this expanded responsibility is creating positive career growth opportunities for social impact leaders and their teams.”

With events being the most outward-facing reflection of their organizations’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, how organizers continue to make them welcoming spaces will only become more important. And just like CSR professionals, that work should serve to elevate their roles within the organizations they serve.

Michelle Russell is editor in chief of Convene.

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