The Pro Bono Ethic Has Taken Root
Several weeks ago, the Taproot Foundation's Pro Bono Action Tank Leadership Council hosted the Bay Area Corporate Pro Bono Workshop at Gap Inc.'s headquarters in San Francisco- the last stop on the Workshop circuit that had included Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, DC, Minneapolis, and Chicago.
The workshop was designed to promote an active dialogue about pro bono service among the 50 Bay Area business leaders who were in attendance. The response was overwhelming. Karen Baker, the Secretary of Service and Volunteering and the State of California, gave an impassioned keynote address, highlighting the pro bono ethic and encouraging business leaders to get their employees engaged and hooked on the movement. The audience was enthusiastic when Jamie Hartman, Executive Director, Pro Bono Action Tank, gave her State of the Pro Bono Union address that highlighted the achievements of pro bono service thus far. Participants remained fully engaged as Carol Gutery, National Director, Pro Bono Action Tank walked through the eight different models of pro bono service delivery and shared resources around designing a strong pro bono program.
Another
highlight of the event was a lunchtime panel that featured
representatives from Gap Inc, Deloitte, Salesforce.com, and Operation
Access, who spoke about their active pro bono engagement programs,
lending their best practices and learnings to their Bay Area peers.
Notably, Operation Access is itself a nonprofit and successful
recipient of pro bono services. Ben Aune, the CEO of Operation Access,
is an advocate for the movement and has launched an impactful pro bono
program for Operation Access employees.
Perhaps
a sign that the economic tide is turning, the energy in the room was
palpable as workshop participants discussed their triumphs and
challenges, brainstormed strategies, and identified solutions around
pro bono service. The conversation, to our great satisfaction, centered
on " how to do pro bono well" rather than "why should we do pro
bono." Pro Bono Action Tank's Business Value Flashcards were especially a big hit.
All
in all, the formula for a successful corporate pro bono program is
simple: identify what a company does best, think about how to apply it
to the nonprofit sector, and work with available resources. Whether the
goal is to build the capacity of a few local nonprofits or catalyze
change in broad issues area, it is possible to build a pro bono program
that is as effective and as innovative as the company running it.
Melissa Paulo is a Western Region Development Fellow at the Taproot Foundation. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Science.
Natasha (Natalya) Matusova is the Product Development Fellow at the Taproot Foundation. She is a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy.
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