We were honored to be part of the A Billion + Change event at the beautiful Eisenhower Executive Office Building on June 27th, right near the White House. Pro bono (or skills-based service) is indeed huge and growing!  The guests list was wonderful as well as the location. Some of the guests included Senator Mark Warner, Honorary Chairman of A Billion + Change,  Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light, Joe Echevarria, CEO, of Deloitte LLP, Moderated by Jean Case, CEO of The Case Foundation.  Many representatives of companies were there, including Toyota, PepsiCo and HP.

The goal of the event was to “shine the national spotlight on corporate engagement in skills-based volunteering, and [show] how the private sector can achieve high-impact, transformative social change through skills-based service.”  Within the past year, they were able to get more than 200 companies to pledge an estimated $1.8 billion and nearly 12 million hours of time and talent to nonprofits. The value of pro-bono compared to traditional volunteering is 500 percent more!

During the event, we were impressed to learn that pro-bono work is actually part of the evaluation process at Deloitte and by a number of socially responsiblity initiatives at IBM.

Also, the Chairman of the marketing agency, GolinHarris, explained that they pioneered the CSR concept with their client McDonalds and the Ronald McDonald Foundation. The business case for pro-bono was clearly depicted – it increases employee engagement and improves skills and leadership of employees.  It is part of the solution to the job crisis and to many of our most serious problems at companies.

Their goal for 2013 is to have 500 companies pledge their time and skills. Click here to take part of this amazing movement. Do it, now!

Forbes confirm our beliefs that corporate social responsibility is not only important for marketing, but also for recruiting. A large number of millenials are indeed expecting companies to offer more than just a paycheck – a place where they can make an impact.  The article also points out that because CSR has become such a commonplace that the public is no longer paying attention to companies’ initiatives.  So, companies are needing to find new strategies to ensure that the public does not forget about what companies are doing to be socially responsible.

Big or small, every amount of donation adds up. Bolder Giving, an organization that helps people that are new to giving or looking to give more, advises that in order to get into the habit of giving and being motivated, individuals need to start giving today and start slowly.

“Having a career with purpose starts with a realization that there is something fundamentally wrong with society or that there are particular gaps in the way specific social issues are being addressed,” says  Paul Klein. The writer goes into details about what it takes to have a career that involves in changing the world and the fact that it can be done while working for a corporation.

A teenage patient who was severely burned healed faster by connecting with other patients, nurses, doctors and other hospital staff members. After Britt healed, he took his experiences further by reaching out to students who were having a hard time fitting in and needed a friend. Britt came to realization that “connecting is a fundamental driver of engagement,” and it brings in sense of satisfaction, purpose and fulfillment.    His case explains well the importance of employees needing to connect with people so they can become more engaged in their work and even perform their tasks better.

Corporate social responsibility is become more than just about marketing.  Many business leaders are indeed becoming more concerned about impacting their society and environment.  One company is even finding that by being socially responsible, they are also saving money.  As consumers are becoming more concerned about companies’ social responsibilities, as consumers are being educated about it through internet.  Read more about why being socially responsible is no longer an option for companies.

Myths about CSR are being spread. Examples millenials only care about salaries and benefits, investors only care about return of investment (ROI), and being responsible is only about giving to local charities.  Peter Downing, co-founder and managing partner at FutureSpark debunks the myths.

As companies’ budgets have become limited, companies became more strategic with their charitable efforts in order to be able to do more with less money. Companies are giving larger gifts to fewer causes. Matching gifts and “dollars for doers” are on the rise. Overseas profits are being donated to international organizations.

Having jobs that make an impact on the world has been increasingly important for many people.  According to a survey, having an impact job is more important than a prestigious career, having children, community leadership, and wealth.  58% of students say that they would take a 15% pay cut to work for an organization that shares their values.  Read more about the survey results.

Promote and publicize events, know what employees are interested in, and reward participation for volunteering are some of tips for increasing success for employee volunteer programs.  Read all 9 effective strategies for managing the program.

A university shows the importance of demonstrating knowledge in philanthropy for careers by offering bachelor’s degree in philanthropic studies. Indiana University, in Indianapolis just handed out diplomas to the first group of five students graduating with bachelor’s degree in philanthropic studies.  It is believed that Indiana University is the first university to offer the degree.

While there has been a steady growth in companies implementing International Corporate Volunteerism (ICV), corporations are finding tremendous benefit in sending their employees abroad to volunteer. President and CEO of CDC Development Solutions, Deirde White says: “Most of the participants of these programs are leaders and future leaders of the world’s largest and most influential corporations. Having the ICV experience opens their eyes, minds and hearts in new ways and necessarily changes the type of leader they are or will become.  Their first hand exposure to the opportunities, challenges and conditions of local communities will inform their actions as they move to become mentors and decision makers. And this is a good thing for the future of human well-being.”

“The mantra of corporate social responsibility is transparency and open communications and social media channels like Twitter can lend credibility to these communications,” says Susan McPherson, senior vice president with Fenton.  Employees whose job relates to CSR is turning to Twitter to learn about the latest news and information relating to CSR.  Twitter is giving them the opportunity not only to network with their peers, but also engage directly with the customers.

A subsidiary of the giant staffing firm, ManpowerGroup, Right Management, just released survey results from 411 workers in the US and Canada. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they were not happy at work – 21% said they were “somewhat unsatisfied” and 44% said they were “unsatisfied.”

While Rachael Chong, CEO and Founder of Catchafire, confirms that volunteering and donating is becoming more important for companies, she also points out the importance of acquiring skill-based volunteering opportunities. “91% of HR managers of Fortune 500 companies believe that volunteering knowledge and expertise to a nonprofit is an effective way to cultivate many skills including critical thinking and leadership skills. ” However, while people are struggling to find pro bono projects that allow them to improve their current skills or learn new skills, Catchafire, Sparked, and NPower are changing the issue by giving people access to more pro bono projects. Read more about the visions of the future of volunteering in America.

Source: change my background.

On an ordinary Mother’s Day like today, we typically see mothers receiving cards, flowers, breakfast in bed, and/or little gifts from their families in the news media.  While many moms are fortunate to live in a prospering life, there are many who are not so lucky.  Here are examples of women who are helping to change the lives of other mothers and their families:

Anne Geddes, a famed photographer who photographs babies, urges mothers to help save lives of 1.5 million children who die before the age of five years old due to preventable diseases by donating funds to Shot@Life campaign.

A woman volunteers at Ronald McDonald House of Memphis and cares for 51 kids with cancer as if they were her own by listening to their stories, wiping of their tears, and giving them hugs.

Mothers in developing countries sacrifice their lives by walking miles for water in order to provide cooking, cleaning, an drinking to meet the survival of their children.