subscribe by email
In 2007 Booz Allen Hamilton set out to help small nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. area gain access to expert advice and guidance on management and fundraising that was otherwise unattainable for them due to cost. In the four years since, the Booz Allen Hamilton Nonprofit Development Conference Series has grown exponentially and now successfully serves more than 400 unique nonprofit organizations with top tier guest speakers from around the metropolitan area who provide the sorely needed advice and guidance.
For corporate citizenship to take hold we must reach out our hands
By Brad Googins
When discussing a company’s impact in a community we often refer to its footprint, a measure of the impact it has on the environment. And there is no shortage of discussion about carbon footprints. But I think it’s time companies start to think about the handprint they make. When people reach out to touch one another it’s their hands they offer. A company’s civic engagement is like a hand extended, but one that can be leveraged to have tremendous impact.
The financial meltdown of 2008 will be remembered for the seismic changes it created. The socio-economic and political structures in the world as we knew them have all shifted and this requires business to reexamine the role it plays in the large civic arena. As we try to comprehend these changes, there’s not a minute to spare in reassessing the handprint a company leaves on society.
Full civic engagement by a company involves five critical components: people, products, philanthropy, public policy, and presence. Like a hand, these five elements provide strength and value when working together.
So often a company leads its community engagement story with what it is donating to whom, and how many volunteers are doing great things in the neighborhoods. This is the people and philanthropy part of the handprint. These things are important and contribute wonderful value but are they the most effective way for business to be truly engaged. Do they demonstrate the real value of a company and what it can contribute to society and to its own business? In light of the tremendous energy and influence of business in the 21st century, current engagement activities are too often unimaginative, stale, outmoded and not tied to the innovation that is at the heart of business.
The dynamic forces of globalization, rapidly changing political and economic forces, and even shifting societal norms and expectations have all contributed to a very different operating environment for corporate citizenship. Business today is much more aware that it is embedded in a web of social and environmental communities and stakeholders that are critical for its success as a business. Concern from the corporate sector is growing about the soundness and viability of societal systems such as education and healthcare. This is the public policy part of the handprint.
This broadening stakeholder engagement poses new risks but creating effective relations and strategies can minimize their cost to the business. At the same time, business today is increasingly aware of opportunities for using corporate citizenship as a competitive advantage in increasing market share, introducing new products and services – “green is green,” says GE – and adding to brand value and reputation. This is the product part of the handprint.
Consequently companies must rethink and transform their engagement strategy to insure that it is strategic, effective, and tied to their overall business strategy. A more vibrant civic engagement will strengthen existing elements, make innovation a driving force and signal to communities, stakeholders and societies that it is an authentic relationship. It will demonstrate a company is bringing to bear its financial assets, its people and their knowledge, and its unique resources and innovation in equal measure when working to address civic issues ranging from education and a sustainable environment to community and economic development.
This new handprint of business must be a lasting impression-and a consistent presence-rather than a fleeting influence. This handprint will be evidence of a company’s conscious effort to make a difference for the better.
Opening up a new sense of civic engagement could not come at a more opportune time. With trust in business at an all time low, CEO compensation defining corporate reputations, and rising expectations of the corporate role reaching impossibly burdening levels, a real transformation is called for. This handprint also can bring a longed for leadership in the civic arena at a time when community life and institutional relevancy are struggling to become relevant in a 21st century world.
Let’s step back and bring a group of business together to create a new vision and some new approaches to civic engagement. It is long overdue and will be widely welcomed and appreciated. Not to mention that the real promise of capitalism can finally be viewed by the active handprint of thousands of businesses in working together for a more sustainable and ennobling society.
We can’t always choose whether or not to leave a footprint but the kind of handprint we make is our choice. What kind of handprint is your company making?
