subscribe by email
Many companies striving to be good corporate citizens today face an internal tug of war between giving attention to community initiatives that address social problems and the growing demand to make environmental issues paramount.
Fellow citizens make a case for corporate citizenship
By Tim Wilson, Editor & Writer, Boston College Center
Corporate citizenship professionals striving to demonstrate the value of their efforts inside and outside companies may be happy to know they have an ally who is trumpeting their work in the wider world of citizenship.
In a series of featured discussions on its website headlined The Case for Corporate Citizenship, the National Conference on Citizenship is “highlighting some ways corporations are engaging employees, giving back to communities, and integrating civically responsible business practices into their operations.” The NCOC goes on to note that “corporate responsibility has become a key driver in securing stakeholder interest, consumer trust, and employee loyalty, and many corporations are stepping up accordingly to demonstrate their leadership and investment in civic engagement.”
Founded in 1946 and chartered by Congress in 1953, the National Conference on Citizenship works to promote civic life in the United States by tracking, measuring and promoting civic participation and engagement. Collaborating with other organizations, the NCOC focuses on ways “to enhance history and civics education, encourage national and community service, and promote greater participation in the political process.”
In the series’ first feature, which highlights employee volunteer programs, the NCOC points out that those volunteer programs allow companies to devote time toward fostering a culture of service. The discussion of volunteering cites the Boston College Center report The State of Corporate Citizenship 2009: Weathering the Storm, which found that 83 percent of large companies support employee volunteering because of its positive community impact. It also cites our finding that 62 percent of employees said they would rather work in companies that allow them volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations than those that don’t offer civic engagement programs. The discussion goes on to point out examples of types of volunteer programs companies offer such as days of service, signature service events and dollars for doers.
The second topic in the NCOC series on The Case for Corporate Citizenship is pro bono service and skills–based volunteering. The NCOC cites estimates from the Taproot Foundation, a corporate pro bono counseling center, that there are more than 6.7 million professionals in corporate America with the skills necessary to help address the nonprofit sector’s most critical needs. It’s no news to today’s corporate citizenship professionals when NCOC observes that cross-sector collaboration through pro bono service and skills-based volunteering helps build a trusting relationship between businesses, nonprofits, and communities.
Next up in the NCOC’s Corporate Citizenship Highlight series: Corporate Philanthropy.
