Pro Bono Consulting (PBC), Time Warner’s pro bono program, works in conjunction with Time Warner’s corporate grant making efforts to increase the impact of their community engagement through significant non-financial contributions. Modeled after the best practices of law and advertising firms, PBC was launched in 2005 in partnership with the Taproot Foundation. Through PBC, employees are engaged each year on volunteer project teams to deliver marketing and communications services to local nonprofit organizations.

PBC also directly connects community service with employee learning and development objectives. Employees can be nominated by management to participate in a pro bono project to hone their skill set. PBC is seen as a particularly strong opportunity for developing middle management in a low-risk environment that benefits the community.

PBC is in the unique position within Time Warner to connect individuals from different departments of the company, offering them the opportunity to strengthen their team skills, leadership abilities, and communication between divisions. The program has the potential to have a significant impact on bridging departments within the company to share best practices and better understand cultural differences.

Two pilot PBC projects were launched in 2005 with the support of senior executives, Michele Sacconaghi, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at Time Warner Corporate and Kerry Bessey, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Time Inc. Drawing on their experience and feedback from participating employees, PBC was designed to recruit employees across departments for specific learning and development outcomes.

PBC is also designed to build a sustainable community of support around pro bono work at Time Warner. The program provides the necessary management and infrastructure to ensure the pro bono work of their employees is effective and efficient. Through the assistance of the Taproot Foundation, eligible employees apply online and are assigned to a project based on their skill-level and expertise. The Taproot Foundation manages the day-to-day implementation of the pro bono projects and provides ongoing support to employees conducting pro bono work.

The program is marketed to employees through posters, a webpage on the company intranet, integration with internal events, and various presentations. It also works with managers in each department of the company to tie employee participation to leadership development efforts.

In its first two years, Time Warner fully developed the infrastructure for a sustainable pro bono program that engages employees from all departments of the company. The program to engaged over 70 employees in its pilot year, donating $480,000 in pro bono services to 12 nonprofit organizations.

Time Warner expects to see an increase in the number of employees involved each year and works to have participation from all divisions of the company. To do this, the program hopes to identify additional pro bono opportunities that more extensively leverage the skills of its film and television production, interactive services, and publishing specialists. In addition, it strives to set high standards for corporate pro bono engagement and will continue to encourage other corporations to develop similar models for the benefit of further developing the nation’s workforce and serving the community.

PRO BONO IN ACTION Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF) provides academic resources and leadership training to under-served public students from sixth through twelfth grade so that these high potential students can learn the skills and gain the confidence necessary to be successful in college and beyond. HEAF has a track record of successes over its 15 year history, but it felt it had been lacking visibility both in the Harlem community and beyond, which was resulting in misconceptions among students, parents, current funders and potential funders about the core organizational goals and mission. Through PBC, HEAF received a new cohesive visual identity that embodies the mission of the organization and resonates with their key stakeholders. Through in-depth research on the key attributes and personality of the organization, the PBC team developed a positioning statement to anchor HEAF’s communications. The team implemented the communications strategy into the design of a new logo and tagline. The success of the project has lead HEAF to request a redesign of their website to incorporate their new visual identity and positioning.