The Confederation of British Industry, one of the country's main lobby groups, won a vote of confidence from its members on Tuesday after setting out reforms to restore its reputation following sexual assault allegations.
The CBI was thrown into turmoil in March by allegations of rape at a staff party in 2019 and reports of other serious misconduct.
That led to government ministers shunning it and companies such as NatWest and John Lewis resigning as members.
Without backing from its members, whose fees provide almost all of its income, the CBI would struggle to continue.
In a statement, the organisation said 93 per cent of businesses that voted backed a motion at an extraordinary general meeting in London on whether internal reforms it had proposed "give you the confidence you need to support the CBI".
"After an incredibly tough period, I'm deeply grateful for the faith shown in us by our members," said CBI director general Rain Newton-Smith, a former chief economist at the CBI who took over after the board sacked her predecessor.
The vote of confidence from members gives the CBI a path to restore relations with the government and businesses that have suspended ties with the body, which was founded in 1965.
But it may face an uphill struggle.
"The CBI is responsible for rebuilding the trust and confidence of their membership and that remains a matter for them," a government representative said.
While the CBI says it represents 190,000 businesses, by far most of those are in other trade bodies that are affiliated with the confederation.
It does not publish the number of direct members, and only 371 votes were cast in Tuesday's vote.
"Both businesses and government will now want to see clear evidence that the CBI is delivering on its promise to change," said Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute.
"A mandate from the members is not enough, on its own."
The CBI has said it will have to cut staff after the loss of members, and on Monday the rival British Chambers of Commerce said it was launching a new business council with members including BP and Heathrow Airport.
