ESG 2.0: Putting it into Practice
Environmental, Social, Governance or commonly known as ESG, is becoming more common as companies are shifting policies, practices and job titles to reflect the changing norms and expertise within the space. And its not just for publicly traded companies. By reimagining your corporate social responsibility (CSR) work with an ESG mindset, you can have a business strategy with multiple benefits, including attracting and retaining talent, branding and maximized impact.
As more companies begin to align and build awareness around ESG, it’s important to have clarity on how the E, S and G, work separately and in unison. Join Casey Stock, Head of ESG & Sustainability for Natera, to learn ESG best practices and standards and how to utilize them within your company.
Register here.
This program is perfect for:
- Professionals working in CSR, corporate citizenship, corporate responsibility, disaster response, social impact, etc.
- ESG and Sustainability Professionals
- Marketing, communications and public relations professionals
- HR individuals working on D&I, DE&I and employee engagement
- Those working in community relations, partnerships, or foundations
- Part-time or full-time professionals that are involved in a similar role
- And anyone who is interested in understanding and building awareness around ESG
Coffee and snacks will be provided.
Ball Corporation’s commitment to flood relief
The following Member Spotlight was submitted by Ball Corporation.
Do you want to see your community investment story featured? Fill out a Share Your Story form today!
Ball Corporation, in partnership with the Oskar Blues Can’d Aid Foundation, is sending nearly 200,000 cans of water to areas of South Carolina affected by the recent floods. Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard, North Carolina, is filling cans donated by Ball’s Rome, Georgia, facility with city drinking water to assist flood victims.
Assisting with flood relief efforts is not new to Oskar Blues and Ball. Colorado’s 2013 floods devastated several communities, including Oskar Blues’ hometown of Lyons. In response to the floods, the Ball Foundation pledged $1 million to several nonprofits that assisted with relief efforts in areas impacted by the flood. These organizations included Community Food Share, Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley, Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, Impact on Education Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools and the Foothills United Way’s Foothills Flood Relief Fund.
Growing corporate giving, one business at a time
The Denver Business Journal
www.bizjournals.com/denver
Friday, October 9, 2015
4:00 am MDT
By Emma Dell
edell@bizjournals.com
303-803-9235
It’s well-known that community brings people together — sometimes it’s an individual, sometimes it’s family, and sometimes it’s a group of philanthropic companies coming together under one organization.
Denver’s B:CIVIC is banking on that third way: An altruistic organization focusing the civic and philanthropic efforts of many businesses.
Formed from the skeleton of Denver’s original “2% Club” and fleshed out with a host of new members, Businesses Committed to Investing & Volunteering in the Community dedicates itself to promoting philanthropic efforts by local companies.
The organization, which has taken on the moniker B:CIVIC, has applied for classification as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. B:CIVIC will rely on member companies and their donations to keep itself running. After its founding in 2013 with 100 members, B:CIVIC’s membership has grown to 150 and leaders have high hopes for future growth.
“Certainly we want to expand the membership even further,” said B:CIVIC’s executive director and CEO, Su Hawk. “We’re so proud that we have 150 very forward-minded, civic-thinking companies.”
B:CIVIC’s members come from all parts of Colorado’s business community. More than 40 percent of B:CIVIC members are considered entrepreneurial companies, employing anywhere from 1 to 50 people. But it also counts Fortune 500 companies with more than 500 Colorado employees and everything else in between.
“Corporate philanthropy is for any company of any size of any industry,” Hawk said.
Each member is different. They all contribute in their own way, but are formed by the same basic principles: A desire to do good in the community, and an interest in fulfilling their corporate social responsibility.
Law firm Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, one of the organization’s founding members, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary with a “Year of 100 Good Deeds,” choosing 100 charitable causes to support over the course of the year. And their progress tracker is filling up, as 95 of 100 projects had been listed as complete as of mid-September.
Its motivation is unique, as not many companies can boast such longevity, but its execution is right in line with B:CIVIC’s goals: Helping member companies find compelling ways to engage their employees and give back to the community.
“So many of these companies are doing this for all of the right reasons, and so nobody knows that they’re doing it except for the people who were intended,” said Hawk.
B:CIVIC isn’t just a support group for do-gooders, though. Their reasons may be selfless, as Hawk contends, but the businesses also benefit.
One of the guiding principles of The 2% Club was that businesses can compete better with other businesses of equal quality when their customers see them supporting a cause. Joining the Club, or now B:CIVIC, gives companies an edge over their competitors while also helping the community they’re based in to grow stronger.
Participating in CSR can also give businesses an edge when it comes to hiring. Hawk argues that it is a common theme among B:CIVIC’s members that volunteering builds pride in company employees.
“They’re not there to show off, they’re not there to be recognized. They’re doing it because they want their employees to feel really good about the company,” she siad.
Employees are some of the biggest benefactors of company membership, because not only do they get to feel good about working for a philanthropic business, but they also get to participate in B:CIVIC’s many programs and discussion workshops based on sharing ideas, networking, and discussing strategies.
“We have different programs…one is called Academy and that’s all about really deep, thoughtful content. Then we have another program that’s called Sparks & Sips and the objective is to have a workshop to spark peoples’ interest, and then we have a social hour afterward so they can connect with each other and further the conversations,” said Hawk.
“We also have a peer-to-peer network that we’ve held that’s been very successful, and often times it’s because it’s held with other peers who are discussing the same issues.”
Resources such as these can be really great motivators for those who may want to get involved in their community, but aren’t really sure how to do it.
The increase in company contributions after companies become members of B:CIVIC is evident to Hawk, and she credits the increased association with other philanthropically minded companies for that change. Online discussion forums are set to be launched soon as well.
“I believe they will be very productive for people, because our in-present conversations have been very successful. I would hope that our online discussions would even further that,” Hawk said.
“Every single day I want to make sure that I’ve done more in our community,” said Hawk. “Now I get a chance to really help B:CIVIC strengthen how it’s a hub in our community.”
5 Key Ways to Boost Employee Philanthropy
1. Create a unique charity involvement project
2. Attend networking events and educational seminars
3. Team with similarly involved companies
4. Pick specific quarterly focus issues
5. Listen for great ideas or areas of interest
Source: B:CIVIC
edell@bizjournals.com, 303-803-9235
Denver Transit Partners Fills Backpacks for Local Students
The following Member Spotlight was submitted by Denver Transit Partners.
Do you want to see your community investment story featured? Fill out a Share Your Story form today!
The school year is in full swing, and thanks to B:CIVIC member Denver Transit Partners, many disadvantaged kids entered their classrooms with fresh school supplies.
According to the National Retail Federation, the average family spent $670 on back-to-school costs in 2014. For families struggling to pay the bills, it’s difficult to pay for classroom essentials like pencils, paper and backpacks. Denver Transit Partners saw an opportunity to help solve this issue with the local nonprofit, A Precious Child.
The Fill A Backpack program at A Precious Child supplies disadvantaged and displaced children with backpacks filled with school supplies to help them be better prepared to perform in school. Denver Transit Partners joined forces with the Fill A Backpack program to donate backpacks, school supplies, and ultimately help A Precious Child exceed their goal of providing 7,750 filled backpacks this year.
“I am most proud of my fellow employees at Denver Transit Partners for their commitment to serving the community,” said Aaron Epstein with Denver Transit Partners. “Big thanks to DTP for helping the Fill A Backpack program distribute a total of 8,447 backpacks this year!”
B:CIVIC is proud of Denver Transit Partners’ work in the community!
Learn more about A Precious Child click here.
Member Spotlight: University of the Rockies Wins Award for Diversity
The following Member Spotlight was submitted by University of the Rockies.
Want to see your story featured? Fill out a Share Your Story form today!
For the fourth year in a row, University of the Rockies recently accepted the prestigious 2015 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for its efforts to ensure diversity and inclusion on campus through “initiatives, programs and outreach; student recruitment, retention and completion; and hiring practices among staff.”
This honor was presented by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“University of the Rockies is honored to have been selected for this prestigious award,” said Francesca Galarraga, director of diversity for University of the Rockies, in a press release. “For us, being recognized for our diversity efforts reinforces our commitment to our core values of service, integrity, diversity, and excellence. Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusion where our faculty, staff, and students feel welcome, appreciated, respected, and valued for their contributions to the University and our community. We are proud to receive the HEED Award for the fourth year in a row.”
Congratulations to University of the Rockies for this prestigious honor, and for setting an example for all of us.
Learn more about INSIGHT into Diversity and its HEED Award here.
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B:CIVIC and Elevating Philanthropy In Communities of Color (EPIC) will host Elevate Your Giving on October 6th on the beautiful rooftop patio of Janus Capital Group. This free event will celebrate and empower community-minded professionals of color. All are welcome to join us for an evening of networking, music and inspirational speakers! RSVP here.
Member Spotlight: Brownstein Denver Office Congratulates Las Vegas Office for Being Named Private Philanthropic Business Of The Year
The following Member Spotlight was submitted by Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
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Congratulations to Founding Member Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Las Vegas office for being named the Philanthropic Business Partner of the Year – Private for 2015 by Vegas Inc. and Angel Media Groups in the annual Angel Awards!
According to the company blog, “Brownstein contributes to the community through board service, hands-on volunteerism, financial contributions and pro bono legal work. Approximately 70 percent of the firm’s attorneys and policy professionals sit on nonprofit boards. In addition to board service, Brownstein’s attorneys and policy professionals provided more than 11,000 hours of pro bono service in 2014. Brownstein’s pro bono commitment to the Las Vegas community includes significant work for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, the largest low-income civil legal services provider in Las Vegas, including representation of children in the foster care system through the Children’s Attorney Program (CAP).
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The firm’s Las Vegas office has adopted Halle Hewetson Elementary School, where more than 90 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Firm employees built bikes for students, cleaned school grounds, installed a garden, painted classroom doors, adopted students’ families for the holidays, read to students during Nevada Reading Week, and contributed books, school uniforms and a washer/dryer to the school. Brownstein team members also volunteer at Three Square Food Bank, Southern Nevada’s only food bank providing food assistance to the residents of Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda and Clark counties, and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, which strives to be the model for providing hope and change to the homeless, addicted, and others in need.”
B:CIVIC is proud to have Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as a member and looks forward to sharing more of its generous community work in the future!