Companies that Care: Taproot Foundation Shares Their Picks
There’s a movement afoot to expand pro bono service – afterall, it’s not just for lawyer’s anymore. This week in our series, “Companies that Care” we're featuring thoughts from Tarproot's Pro Bono Action Tank. Taproot is working with companies across the country who are using the professional skills of their employees to help build the capacity of organizations serving the public good.
Recently, many of our corporate partners have expressed their need for insight into their stakeholders’ attitudes toward service and philanthropy during these challenging times. We understand this need and recognized the opportunity to be of assistance by leveraging our national pool of business professionals as a proxy for the employees, customers and shareholders of these companies. Our study showed that:
- 71% of professionals said that giving and service are not just luxuries to be engaged in when a company is profitable.
- 75% of professionals said that they would be proud of their company for investing in the community right now.
- And only 3% of professionals felt that companies giving time and money to charity right now are blind to the realities of today's economic conditions.
The clear message to business leaders is that community investment should be part of their plan to dig out of this economic situation. It will drive business value and re-build trust in their brands. Pro bono service provides an avenue for companies to demonstrate its leadership and to ensure its impact goes beyond writing a check to include the time and talents of its workforce and business expertise.
We are thrilled about the vision of the companies highlighted below for the steps they are taking through their own unique approaches to pro bono service, in which they will maximize the balance between business benefits and social impact during these tough times and beyond.
About the companies:
Capital One - Capital One focuses on creating a culture in which their associates can thrive. It is this understanding of the power of human capital that led several years ago to the creation of one of the earliest and most innovative in-house pro bono programs in the country, setting the bar for corporate community investment. In 2008, spearheaded by Community Affairs, Capital One created a Pro Bono Roundtable to formalize their burgeoning pro bono program and its interdisciplinary approach. The Roundtable brought together their two established Pro Bono Corps initiatives (Brand and Technology) and has supported the development of new Corps (Legal, HR, IT, Finance and others), sharing knowledge about challenges and opportunities across their varied pro bono efforts. It is this strategic approach that has set a strong foundation for scaling the pro bono program across their markets.
Deloitte - Deloitte helps people and communities thrive by using its best thinking to build stronger nonprofits. Specifically through a sophisticated approach to pro bono service, Deloitte is delivering the highest quality counsel and services to build critical operating capacity for the nonprofit sector. Its groundbreaking pro bono program is the embodiment of the organization’s strategic approach to community involvement: to mobilize its intellectual capital, resources and expertise in order to deliver meaningful impact in our communities. Deloitte has committed to providing $50 million worth of pro bono services over the next three years, and as they continue to scale their pro bono program they are dedicated to contributing thought leadership and best practices to promote the broader pro bono movement globally. Through its program of meaningful community engagement and advocacy efforts, Deloitte is paving the way for a new standard of corporate community involvement.
Gap, Inc. - Gap Inc.’s commitment to community investment dates back to its founding in 1969 with Doris and Don Fisher’s original vision to build community involvement into the very fabric of Gap Inc. culture. In recent years, Gap Inc. has taken their strong foundation of community investment to the next level, realizing the potential of combining financial donations with employees’ skills and other corporate assets by placing skills-based volunteerism at the core of their giving strategy through a growing variety of skilled volunteering and, most recently, pro bono service opportunities. Through signature programs like “This Way Ahead”, bringing their youth-focused nonprofit partners together with the Gap Foundation, Gap Inc. Learning & Development staff, and the staff of retail stores across their brands to support career-readiness initiatives, Gap Inc. has taken a comprehensive approach to serving their community and building the capacity of their nonprofit partners, placing them at the forefront of corporate philanthropy.
Intel - Intel recently celebrated its 40th anniversary by dedicating over 1 million hours. As it continues to broaden its community investment, Intel plans to match its employees’ specialized disciplines with community needs. Their efforts will earn grants for the organization while delivering valuable professional services in finance, HR, strategic planning, engineering, Information Technology and other areas. In partnership with its General Council’s award winning pro bono program, we are betting Intel is one to watch in this field in the not too distant future.
McGraw-Hill - The McGraw-Hill Company has developed a signature pro bono program to provide nonprofit organizations with the services of the writers, editors, and communication and public relations specialists from The McGraw-Hill Companies. Writers to the Rescue (WTR) volunteers help to develop and support the infrastructure of nonprofit organizations by assisting in the production of materials that fit within the nonprofit’s larger communication, fundraising, and/or capacity-building strategies. The company sees value in replicating the WTR model across the company, expanding the focus on communications skills to leverage the additional specialty professional skills in finance, education and business information that the company’s employees have to offer. The company also strives to expand throughout the U.S. and internationally, so that every regional office of The McGraw-Hill Companies is executing WTR or a similar WTR model.
Target - At Target, giving to the community is part of their broader commitment to corporate responsibility and engrained in their corporate DNA. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of their income and millions of volunteer hours to the communities they serve. Today, 5% equals more than $3 million every week to support education, the arts, social services and volunteerism. In addition to fiscal support, Target’s community support includes the time and talent of their team members. The value proposition is clear: giving drives change in the communities they do business, enhances their reputation and brand, helps to recruit and retain top talent, aligns with their corporate giving and inspires others to get involved as well. Over the next few years, Target will expand the collection of its pro bono service offerings, exploring opportunities to leverage the skills of a wide range of team members from various departments and functional areas. Through a comprehensive assessment of community needs, team member skills and pro bono service delivery best practices, Target is building a strong, integrated foundation for the growth of this initiative.
