February 2008 Archives
By Aaron Hurst on
February 25, 2008 10:28 AM
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There are daily articles about carbon footprints and environmental footprints. Companies and nonprofits are using the concept to market their goods and services: "Reduce your carbon footprint." "Have a carbon neutral footprint." "Our new building has a carbon neutral footprint."
It made me think about another type of footprint - a professional footprint. What is the net impact of your career on the planet and society?
If you work for Ford and design a car that has poor mileage, what would you need to do in your career to have a neutral professional footprint and make up for this profit at the cost of the planet? What if you work at a private equity firm and specialize in restructuring after M&A deals that leads to layoffs of thousands of employees?
On the other hand...
If you work at eHarmony helping people connect and find love do you have credits you could trade to your friend at Ford? What if you work at a Disney theme park and help bring smiles to the faces of thousands of children? What if you are a doctor or a social worker?
Think about all your jobs, board, pro bono work and other professional activities. How does your footprint look?
By Aaron Hurst on
February 18, 2008 11:00 AM
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At the Pro Bono Summit last week, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) announced that it is investing in the measurement of pro bono work. CECP does one of the largest annual surveys of corporate philanthropy with the intent to benchmark success and identify trends in the field. Their 170 company members complete the survey each year.
In the past, this survey enabled professional services firms to include pro bono work in their total giving number (defining it as a cash equivalent). It was, however, lumped in with other in kind donations and therefore was not tracked accurately.
This year, CECP is creating a distinct line item for pro bono for professional services firms AND is enabling other companies to add pro bono work to their total giving number. This is a significant validation of the value of pro bono to the community but also represents an understanding of the investment required for companies to offer quality pro bono programs.
In the next few years, we will for the first time start to reward in house pro bono programs and understand trends in the field.
By Jamie Hartman on
February 13, 2008 9:20 AM
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As a sponsor of the Pro Bono Summit we were asked to identify outstanding examples of pro bono programs to highlight at the opening reception. Last night at the Harvard Club in Manhattan, these six firms were honored.
1) Ad Council
For over sixty years, the Ad Council has been the advertising industry's gift to our communities. Every year dozens of ad firms develop the pro bono creative that Ad Council places on $2 billion in donated ad inventory to get out critical PSAs.
2) McKinsey
Since its inception, McKinsey has made pro bono a core part of their culture. Today, their 8,000 consultants provide 5% of their time to pro bono work. That is the equivalent of a 400 person full-time consulting firm dedicated to pro bono.
3) General Electric
GE has pioneered the in-house legal pro bono concept. Their leadership has enabled attorneys to realize that they don't need to be at a law firm to do it pro bono. Today, roughly 50% of GE attorneys participate in the program.
4) Pentagram Design
Pentagram, the gold standard of design firms, reports that 50% of their clients are nonprofits who they serve pro bono. As they explain, this investment is a large part of what has put them on top. Their pro bono work is widely recognized and is a significant part of what attracts their paid corporate work.
5) Monitor
Monitor, a 1,500 person consultant strategy firm, has partnered with New Profit, Inc in Boston to channel tens of millions of dollars of pro bono consulting to well vetted and high potential social entrepreneurs. By working with New Profit, Monitor is able to focus their pro bono efforts on high potential nonprofits at an inflection point in their growth. This maximizes the impact of their pro bono work.
6) Harvard Business School Community Partners
HBSCP works with HBS alumni on consulting projects for nonprofits. In the Bay Area alone, they provide over $1 million per year in consulting to local nonprofits. They are making pro bono part of what it means to be an HBS alumnus. They are truly building the ethic into the DNA of business leaders.
By Aaron Hurst on
February 8, 2008 2:00 PM
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Last year we approached the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation and requested that they make pro bono work a core part of their agenda. They immediately saw the power of pro bono and its potential to strengthen our country, and they have spent the last year planning a major event to gather top companies and challenge them to increase their pro bono work by a collective $1 billion per year.
Next week in NYC, the council is hosting the Pro Bono Summit. We are expecting 150 attendees including leadership from 70 companies. Many of those companies will be making pledges to support pro bono work for the first time.
We want to thank Jean Case and the President's Council for taking on this important campaign.
There are daily articles about carbon footprints and environmental footprints. Companies and nonprofits are using the concept to market their goods and services: "Reduce your carbon footprint." "Have a carbon neutral footprint." "Our new building has a carbon neutral footprint."