Summer 2008

In This Issue

• Upcoming Corporate Events
• 2007 Corporate Giving Data
• Recent SDG Corporate Program on Managing Reputation
• CECP Report: Business's Social Contract
• Resources and Publications
• Corporate Philanthropy News
• Local & National Events of Interest

Hosted by The Conference Board and the Public Affairs Council, this conference is designed for corporate grantmakers and others involved in corporate philanthropy.  This year’s conference will examine the fundamentals of a CCI program including: creating and maintaining volunteer programs; regulatory and legislative issues; maximizing technology; measurement;  communicating program success; and stakeholder management.  For additional details or to register go to: www.conference-board.org/ccic or www.pac.org/ccic.

Webinar: Measuring Community Impact of Corporate Philanthropy
August 13, 2008
1:00-2:00 p.m. EASTERN (10:00-11:00am Pacific)
Cost:  $50 per person        
Format: Webinar (PowerPoint/video via Internet and accompanying conference call)
Click here for more information.

Thursdays with SDG: A National View: Current Trends in Corporate Philanthropy
August 28, 2008, 8:30-10:30 a.m. (Light breakfast served)
Location: AMN Healthcare, 12400 High Bluff Drive, San Diego, 92130
Click here for more information!

Save the Date: Corporate Social Responsibility: Combining Core Business with Strategic Corporate Citizenship
September 26, 2008
Registration/Networking 8:00-8:30am
Program 8:30-10:30am
Sponsor: Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Location: Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 9360 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego 92121

Speaker: Anne Erhard, Vice President at Cone Inc.

An acknowledged expert in proving and developing the power of corporate citizenship, Cone believes that a company’s reputation is strongly linked to its commitment to Corporate Responsibility--an integrated business strategy, supported by policies, practices and communication that deliver social, environmental and economic value to the company and its stakeholders. Cone has conducted groundbreaking benchmark research exploring the attitudes and behaviors of American consumers, employees and executives towards corporate involvement with social issues and responsible business practices. Click here for more information!

CECP: Giving Increased by 5.6%
Despite economic uncertainty impacting many companies, corporate philanthropy increased in 2007 according to the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP). Giving by large, multi-national corporations increased by 5.6%, from a median of $24.67 million in 2006 to a median of $26.05 million in 2007. Additional trends from 2007 data include:

• 66% of matched-set respondents increased their giving in 2007, 34% decreased their giving.

• 56% of companies reporting lower profits increased their giving.

The weakening economy did not seem to play a significant role for most companies’ giving in 2007. The Committee projects that despite an apparent earnings slowdown in 2008, most companies will likely maintain 2007 levels of giving in 2008. 88% of companies surveyed have a corporate foundation, which is an important tool to help businesses sustain giving levels in years with strong and weak profits alike. Click here for more info and click here for a Financial Times article covering the study. Also, click here for SDG's Philanthropy and the Economy resource page.

Recent SDG Corporate Program on Managing Reputation

On June 19, SDG hosted a program called "Managing Reputation: Corporate Giving in the Face of Adversity" to discuss how corporate giving and community relations can impact corporate reputations, especially when faced by adversity or controversy. The event featured Matthew Nelson, the Managing Director of Corporate Services at COF; Todd Flora, Manager, IBM Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs; and Kelly Prasser, Manager, Corporate Community Relations, Sempra Energy. For those of you who were not able to attend, here are some of the resources shared with us:

• Click here for a handout with the statistics on corporate giving and reputation cited by Matthew Nelson.
• Click here for the COF website on corporate giving, including many links to additional resources.

According to a new report (pdf) released by Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), based on research conducted by McKinsey & Co, 84% of executives recognize increased expectations of their companies, and 75% believe corporate philanthropy is an effective way of meeting these evolving expectations. The report suggests that due to a number of complex challenges, only 11% are truly efficient in their philanthropy, maximizing both the business and social impact of their efforts.

The report finds that for the few truly efficient philanthropists,

• Strategic giving engages the CEO and senior executive leadership,
• Corporate giving is aligned with overall business strategy, and
• Philanthropy is managed with discipline and an eye for metrics, similar to other business investments.

Click here for a related PND article. And remember that CECP is coming to town to talk with SDG on August 28!

Resources and Publications

Disaster Grantmaking
BCLC's new report, On the Brink: Re-engineering the Nation's Disaster Response Processes, shows that some organizations in every sector are taking steps to advance a new way of thinking about disaster management. The new report includes lessons learned and recommendations from 26 contributing experts, representing corporations, local chambers of commerce, federal and local government, academe, and humanitarian-aid organizations.

Also-check out SDG's Disaster Grantmaking page for a wealth of resources.

Article: How to Communicate Corporate Citizenship, More or Less
This BCCCC article by Ken Freitas includes advice on how to communicate your activities.

Report: Most Companies Lack Effective "Tale of the Tape" for Corporate Citizenship
This BCCCC article by Sylvia Ciesluk shares the results of a Boston College Center study on how companies measure citizenship and use those measurements to communicate their efforts. The study found that fewer than half of those surveyed measure key issues and less than 40% use measures to set objectives or evaluate programs.

Magazine: The Corporate Citizen, Volume 2
The Boston College Center has published The Corporate Citizen, Vol. 2, to provide business leaders, policy makers, academics and others with the latest thinking — and doing — in the field of corporate responsibility.

Corporate Philanthropy News

Financial Times: A Twist in How Wall Street Does Philanthropy
This article profiles increasing corporate involvement in international causes.

San Francisco Chronicle: 'B corporation' plan helps philanthropic firms
"B corporations are the latest innovation within the small world of companies with a social as well as financial mission."

Forbes: Bad Times, Good Deeds
"Executives tempted to cut back on their corporate philanthropy in a slowing economy should think again. The long-term reputational benefits outweigh the short-term costs of sustaining their levels of giving even when profit and earnings growth slows."

Wall Street Journal: Strategic Corporate Philanthropy
Bill Gates writes: "Public-private partnerships make it possible to multiply the impact that a single organization or company could hope to achieve working alone. They combine public sector organizations' knowledge of local communities with private companies' technical expertise and implementation experience."

Forbes: Bill Clinton's Charitable Mission
"Corporate America is uniquely equipped to offer support because of its infrastructure, know-how and resources, Clinton said at the Corporate Philanthropy Summit." Also, click here for a full report on the event, including video of Clinton's remarks.

BusinessWeek: Teaching Charity by Example
"Analysts say a top-down approach to establishing a culture of volunteerism is key in parts of the world where there is none."

Wall Street Journal: Does Being Ethical Pay?
"For corporations, social responsibility has become a big business. Companies spend billions of dollars doing good works -- everything from boosting diversity in their ranks to developing eco-friendly technology -- and then trumpeting those efforts to the public. But does it pay off?"

MSNBC: Philanthropy & Co.: The Benevolent Bottom Line
"Whether regarded as cause marketing, strategic philanthropy, values-led marketing, good corporate citizenship, accountability to shareholders, or a mix of such objectives, there’s no doubt about the underlying trend: Donors are snubbing some causes in favor of others tied more closely to business objectives — and expecting nonprofits to meet their own objectives, just like businesses."

Wall Street Journal: The Latest Office Perk: Getting Paid to Volunteer
"Today, a growing number of companies are lending out skilled employees to nonprofits and struggling small businesses around the world to provide accounting, marketing and other professional services."

New York Times: When a Corporate Donation Raises Protests
"Opponents who complain about the growing commercialization of the American culture are upset that private companies are able to brand stadiums, parks, schools, school buses and hospitals."

Local & National Events of Interest

Corporate Community Involvement Conference:
Strategic Corporate Community Involvement – Meeting Business and Community Challenges
(SDG members receive a discounted rate)
July 30 – August 1, 2008
San Francisco, CA

Webinar: Measuring Community Impact of Corporate Philanthropy
August 13, 2008
10:00-11:00am Pacific       

Thursdays with SDG: A National View: Current Trends in Corporate Philanthropy
August 28, 2008, 8:30-10:30 a.m. (Light breakfast served)
Location: AMN Healthcare, 12400 High Bluff Drive, San Diego, 92130

Annual Global Corporate Citizenship Conference  
Sept. 18-19     
Washington, D.C.

Volunteer San Diego's Hands on San Diego
September 22-28, 2008
San Diego, CA

Corporate Social Responsibility: Combining Core Business with Strategic Corporate Citizenship
September 26, 2008
San Diego, CA

BCCCC Institute for Corporate Citizenship
October 8-10, 2008
Denver, CO

SDG Annual Conference

Thursday, October 23, 2008
9:00am-5:30pm
Location: Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA

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