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(New York City) – Business and nonprofit leaders gathered at the Summit on Corporate Volunteerism here yesterday launched a three-year campaign to generate $1 billion of pro bono service to help nonprofits become more effective in meeting social and community needs.
Major global companies including Deloitte, Intel, IBM, Target, and General Electric committed to ramp up their pro bono efforts, and eight companies announced specific pledges totaling more than $110 million.
The Summit brought together 130 corporate, government, and nonprofit leaders to the Citi Corporate Center to discuss their pro bono efforts and map strategies for boosting skilled volunteering in professions such as marketing, finance, technology, and management consulting.
Speakers pointed to the extraordinary work of the nonprofit sector in tackling vexing social problems and noted that adding the skills of business professionals would help nonprofits achieve greater scale, sustainability, and impact. While not the primary focus, many speakers also highlighted how pro bono work can help a company’s bottom line by boosting recruitment, productivity, and customer loyalty.
“Participating in pro bono can lead to a competitive edge,” said Jean Case, Chair of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, which convened the Summit. “Talk to any CEO they’ll tell you they have two great priorities. One is attracting the best and brightest workforce, and the second is building a powerful brand. Pro bono supports both those business goals.”
James Quigley, Global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tahmatsu, kicked off the Summit by announcing Deloitte’s three year $50 million commitment to pro bono service. Noting the ‘black market” in employee volunteering where individuals or small units venture out on their own to do pro bono work, Quigley explained how Deloitte is establishing a separate budget and formal policies to institutionalize its pro bono program. By keeping track of billable hours and treating pro bono clients just like regular clients, Deloitte hopes to drive high-impact results for nonprofits and attract Gen Y workers who are increasingly looking for socially responsible workplaces.
A panel of corporate leaders then shared real-world examples in the “Pro Bono: It’s Here, Its Now and It’s not Just for Lawyers Anymore” session. Micheal Bontrager, CEO of Chatham Financial, explained how his firm’s commitment to making a difference helps attract the “best and brightest” workforce and enhances long-term relationships with clients. Sylvia Reynolds, chief marketing officer at Wells Fargo, noted how the bank is shifting more of their employee volunteering to a skills-based approach as a way to create team cohesion, enhance recruitment, and strengthen their brand. Esther Lardent, President and CEO of the Pro Bono Institute, shared lessons learned from the legal field’s longstanding pro bono tradition, and noted how the most profitable law firms in the world embrace pro bono as a way of “doing good and doing well” at the same time.
The stage was then turned over to nonprofit and government leaders who articulated the need for more pro bono service. Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of the newly-merged Points of Light & Hands On Network, explained how Accenture’s mergers and acquisition experts provided critical pro bono service in helping them navigate the unusual circumstance of a nonprofit merger. She also highlighted how service and community engagement is a continuum, not an either-choice between skills-based vs. hands-on service, and that all kinds of service have at their core making a difference and improving communities.
David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, saluted companies that have already made pro bono pledges and urged more to take a stand. “One billion dollars is an ambitious but reachable goal. Pro bono is here, it’s important, and it’s changing things for the better. As we work towards that goal, we have to focus on impacts instead of inputs – the difference we’re making for the one-third of students who drop out of school, or the 700,000 adults coming out of prison every year with no job, home, or support system. We have nonprofits that are turning those problems completely around, but they don’t have the capacity to go to scale without help of more skilled volunteers.”
Aaron Hurst, a driving force behind the Summit who created the Taproot Foundation to engage business professionals in giving pro bono service, explained the great appetite for pro bono service in the nonprofit sector and how his organization currently receives three times more requests for help than it can fulfill. He announced that the Taproot Foundation will facilitate more than $50 million in pro bono services over the next three years. Margaret Coady, program manager at the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, announced that their next annual survey of corporate philanthropy will include 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 change will be a major help in tracking pro bono services.
USA Freedom Corps Director Henry Lozano brought thanks from President Bush. “I commend the leadership of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation for fueling President Bush’s vision for volunteerism and energizing a new corporate culture of pro bono service in America. Today’s Summit is a catalyst our nation needs to spur solutions to some of our greatest social problems. By changing the philanthropic landscape of our corporate sector to increase the capacity of nonprofit organizations, we can, and will, only make our nation stronger,” Lozano said.
While unable to make remarks in person due to inclement weather, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao reinforced the importance of skilled workers donating their time to nonprofit causes. “As former President and CEO of the United Way of America, and Director of the Peace Corps, I know personally that the professional services America’s workers volunteer to non-profit organizations are invaluable. Volunteering to help others is part of a long tradition in this country and I commend those who have committed to volunteer their time and skills to improve our communities. They truly are making a difference in people's lives,” Chao said.
Attendees wrapped up the Summit with a working session aimed at identifying the barriers to ramping up pro bono service. Laysha Ward, vice president of community relations at Target, shared how the company gives away about $3 million every week to support the arts, education and social services, and shared examples of pro bono service including Target forensic scientists helping the FBI find criminals and store designers revamping the National Domestic Violence hotline call center. Ward said companies exploring pro bono need to think of how it will work for different kinds of employees – part-time vs. full-time, domestic vs. international.
Evan Hochberg, National Director of Community Involvement for Deloitte, joined Ward talking through the challenges and opportunities in pro bono service and invited companies and nonprofits to follow-up meeting taking place in Chicago on April 16-17. The Pro Bono Round Table is co-hosted by the Taproot Foundation, Target, Deloitte, and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Attendees will discuss how to grow pro bono efforts to scale, create an action plan, and identify ways to measure, quantify, and evaluate pro bono efforts. Companies and nonprofits interested in pro bono were also invited to the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, taking place June 1-3 in Atlanta, the world's largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders.
The Summit kicked off on Tuesday evening with remarks from Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy and presentation of Pro Bono Awards to six organizations for their excellence in offering pro bono corporate skills to solve social challenges. The award recipients were The Ad Council, General Electric, Harvard Business School Community Partners, McKinsey & Company, Monitor Group and Pentagram Design.
Noting the complex social issues of crime, substance abuse, and family stability, Dungy challenged corporate leaders to embrace pro bono. “Winning championships takes a team effort, and so does resolving our nation’s social issues. My challenge to you tonight is the same one I give my team every year. Yes, we want to win the Super Bowl, but if that’s all we do it will be pretty shallow and short-lived. As we win, let’s be significant. Let’s make our communities better places to live. When we do that, we’ll achieve the kind of success that is measured far beyond profit margins.”
The Summit was convened by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation in collaboration with the Corporation for National and Community Service, Points of Light & Hands On Network, Taproot Foundation, UPS, and USA Freedom Corps, and with support from Citi, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, and Target. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
Created by President Bush in 2003 and administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media to recognize and inspire service and volunteering in America.
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