小艾电竞

Attendees entered the final day of the 2022 International Corporate Citizenship Conference feeling energized and ready to glean more insights to inform their CSR work. Some early-risers chose to muster up energy for a morning Corporate 鈥淔itizens鈥� walk around Boston Common鈥攚hile others headed straight for breakfast in the America Ballroom, eager to start the day with an eye-opening general session on working effectively with partners and nonprofit capacity building.

Developing the nonprofit leaders of tomorrow

To develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders that can drive progress on social justice, Wells Fargo partners closely with national advocacy organizations to build their operational and leadership capacity鈥攅specially in preparing for the future. In this conversation, attendees heard from Wells Fargo about the origins of the program, as well as perspectives from colleagues at the national advocacy organizations they support.

Georgette 鈥淕igi鈥� Dixon, executive vice president and head of external engagement diverse segments, representation and inclusion at Wells Fargo, discussed Wells Fargo鈥檚 Academy for Nonprofit Leaders, established in partnership with 小艾电竞CCC, which was the culmination of Wells Fargo鈥檚 external relations work with advocacy groups over the past decade. The idea emerged when Dixon and her colleagues heard nonprofit organizational leaders express concerns about succession planning and a desire to train the next generation of leaders. She was excited to share that so far the leadership academy has accepted 160 high-potential professionals from 142 nonprofit organizations to provide support as they take the next steps in their careers.

Dixon was joined by graduating leaders from past program cohorts, including Mauricio Calvo, chief executive officer, Latino Memphis; Njemile (NJ) Davis Michael, digital program analyst, technology division, USAID; and Shyam R. Gadwal, vice president of scholarships and programs, Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Scholars.

Katherine Smith, executive director of 小艾电竞CCC, joined them onstage to engage in a conversation, starting with the evolution and rapid growth of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a priority in the business community. Dixon pointed out that the focus on DEI is moving more rapidly than it ever has in her career, and the Wells Fargo is working very intentionally to ensure its operations and people are reflecting the communities they serve. She also stressed that having the company鈥檚 DEI function report to the CEO is important to make progress.

鈥淭he climate that supports bringing your full self to work, and a celebration of difference, is a real achievement,鈥� said Davis Michael. 鈥淭he institutionalization of DEI leaders and positions through funding, staffing, and support鈥攚e鈥檙e moving beyond performative actions to actions that are moving the needle.鈥�

Regarding where business might be missing the mark, Gadwal brought up the particular challenges for his constituents. 鈥淒isaggregating the data is so important. Not all Asian Americans are the same, there are over 50 ethnicities and 300 languages that comprise our group,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lso, as a corporation, you need to own your past鈥攐therwise how can we measure progress? Being able to say, 鈥榟ere鈥檚 what we used to do and here鈥檚 the progress we鈥檙e making now,鈥� that鈥檚 how we鈥檙e going to make change.鈥�

Calvo also saw bright spots in his work as a nonprofit partnering with companies. 鈥淭he private sector is realizing that corporate citizenship is not checking a box. This is an integral part of what companies do. The commitment and intentionality is there now,鈥� he said. Regarding room to grow, Calvo said, 鈥淲e love the check, but we need you to put us in your policy agenda as well so we can really have transformative work.鈥�

Smith added that a positive result of the pandemic is , the trend that more corporate givers are giving unrestricted grants and support capacity building at nonprofits. Dixon agreed this is a major focus for Wells Fargo鈥檚 Academy for Nonprofit Leaders. 鈥淗istorically we鈥檝e had a hesitancy to get close enough to the nonprofit to understand operational capacity,鈥� said Dixon. 鈥淭his program is really about shoring up the capacity of the organization to sustain itself over time, and to understand the benefit of partnering with corporations that understand listening to their stakeholders.鈥�

Attendees left the morning discussion ready to connect with peers and learn best practices from leaders in the field. The agenda delivered two rounds of intensive breakout sessions covering topics from corporate giving trends to creating cultures of environmental sustainability. Participants also benefited from several interactive case study discussions from a variety of leading companies:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts led a session on how to engage beyond philanthropy to align strategy, partnerships, and programs to advance health justice.
• Takeda led a strategy-focused session on how to incorporate corporate purpose, employee voices, and the ERG passions into philanthropy.

Moving corporate citizenship forward

Attendees then reconvened in the America Ballroom one last time. 小艾电竞CCC Executive Director Katherine V. Smith welcomed the crowd, thanking Liberty Mutual and all of the event sponsors for their generous support, and invited attendees to save the date for the  on April 30 through May 2 in Minneapolis.

Smith then introduced the crowd to next year鈥檚 convening sponsor, Target, which brought to the stage Ronald Brown, vice president for community impact at Target, Brown expressed excitement over the energy he felt over the course of the conference and looked forward to Target鈥檚 deeper involvement in next year鈥檚 planning.

鈥淥ver the past few days I鈥檝e met some incredible people. I鈥檓 excited about the future and proud to celebrate everything this conference stands for,鈥� said Brown. 鈥淥ur companies have a major role to play when it comes to corporate citizenship. We truly can no longer operate without taking it into account into our core competencies.鈥� 

Brown also described Target鈥檚 new sustainability strategy, , which is the company鈥檚 vision to co-create an equitable and regenerative future together with its guests, partners, and communities. The idea of moving humanity forward served as a perfect segue to the event鈥檚 keynote speaker, Ron Garan, a highly decorated NASA astronaut, fighter pilot, and active social entrepreneur.

Garan applauded Target鈥檚 use of the power of awe and wonder to collaborate. He then invited the audience to engage their own imaginations and picture being on the International Space Station, peering out at the Earth from space. Garan let this set the stage for his holistic, high-level view of problem solving.

鈥淢any things become clear from space, chiefly that everything is changing,鈥� said Garan. 鈥淭he mindsets and approaches that led us here are becoming antiquated and ineffective. We cannot rely on continued momentum to carry us through the growth changes of our businesses.鈥�

Through the uncertainty and disruptions of the modern business climate, Garan encouraged corporate citizenship professionals to overcome that fear of uncertainty, to use the power of imagination to create the jobs needed to power this exponentially changing world.

Successful companies of the future, Garan says, will understand our problems as planetary. Especially on the environment, he pressed that the world needs revolutionary solutions. 鈥淲e need a major course correction and we need it now. Our environment and our businesses are not mutually exclusive鈥攖hey鈥檙e complementary, and even more, it鈥檚 a required connection,鈥� said Garan. 鈥淭he path forward is to zoom out to a higher vantage point.鈥�

In space, Garan saw a new view of the world鈥攏ot one rooted in the two-dimensional maps that draw barriers between nation states, but one based on 鈥�.鈥� This represents the holistic view of Earth he saw from space, based on a photo taken by an astronaut on the first manned mission to the moon. Through this view, Garan saw what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the 鈥渋nterrelated structure of all reality,鈥� and the power of radical collaboration鈥攚hich rejects the boundaries we have created鈥攖o make lasting positive change.

鈥淏usiness decisions that we鈥檙e making now have the incredible power to either destroy or save our world,鈥� said Garan. 鈥淲e could cling to the old two-dimensional mindset, or enterprise can help to usher in a new humanity鈥攂ased on the image of Earthrise鈥攚hich represents interdependence, long-term thinking, and profound collaboration all wrapped up in the blanket of humanity.鈥�

And with that the 2022 International Corporate Citizenship Conference came to a close. The CSR professionals in the room left the ballroom at the Westin Copley with a brighter, bolder, and better perspective to apply to their work鈥攊nspired to bring their new ideas to life.

We鈥檝e been covering the 2022 International Corporate Citizenship Conference with daily recaps and deep dives into the event鈥檚 unique content. Visit the  to hear more from the Center throughout the year.