Corporate philanthropy has an opportunity to redefine the purpose and value for corporate foundations and giving programs. Visionary leaders in our field have proven that when corporate philanthropy is managed as an investment in society, it can become a powerful catalytic force for change.

On April 29, 2012, the Council released a seminal report for the corporate philanthropy field,  Increasing Impact, Enhancing Value: A Practitioner’s Guide to Leading Corporate Philanthropy. The guide offers original field research and a new platform for corporate philanthropy, and provides clear and practical paths forward for the future of the field and the role of corporate foundations. That work is guided by a five-point framework:

1. Create a new narrative for corporate philanthropy as an investment in society.
2. Develop an inclusive “operating system” for philanthropic investment.
3. Professionalize the field.
4. Improve collaboration, communication, and knowledge sharing.
5. Mobilize “field level” leadership behind this agenda.

Download the executive summary and full report.

In 2011, the Council introduced “Corporate Philanthropy 2012,” a research initiative designed to recommend ways corporate philanthropy and foundations can respond most effectively to global social needs and challenges. The Council’s goal is to create a new agenda for corporate philanthropy and equip the field with a vision and strategic framework that elevates and transforms the practice and profession that creates value for society and businesses alike. Increasing Impact, Enhancing Value: A Practitioner’s Guide to Leading Corporate Philanthropy is the resulting agenda.

Learn more about the context and purpose, goals, and elements of the project.

The guide is an invitation to engage in dialogue on the issues necessary to transform the field. Get up to speed on the conversation so far and lend your own voice. 

• The First Rule of Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not What You Think, Peter Karoff

• A New Narrative for Corporate Philanthropy, Debra Lind, Mattel

• Q&A with Chris Pinney, lead researcher of the guide, reporting on internal and external factors that continue to play a role in corporate philanthropy.

• Add your comments to perspectives from your peers on topics and tensions raised in the guide:

• Corporate Philanthropy and Citizenship Leaders Need a New Script, David Etzwiler
• Corporate Philanthropy 2012: The Conversation Is Just Beginning, Dinah Dittman, Kaiser Permanente
• Communicating Corporate Responsibility, Rhonda Mims, ING Foundation
• What Really Counts: Measuring ROI, Caroline Roan and Atiya Weiss, Pfizer
• “Reinventing” Corporate Philanthropy, Jacob Gayle, Medtronic
• Corporate Philanthropy as a Profession, Robert Smith, Eli Lilly and Company
• Exploring a Platform for Collaboration, Michael Bzdak, Johnson & Johnson

Want to contribute a blog post? Contact Lana Williams at lana.williams@cof.org.

• Listen to a webinar archive from May 15, 2012, on a leader-to-leader call to action and learn about the strategies and resources used to develop a portfolio mix unique to your company. Learn innovative ways to position your corporate philanthropy program to meet the needs of your business and the pressing challenges of our times.

• Listen to a webinar archive from December 14, 2011, introducing clear and critical paths for the future of corporate philanthropy and the role of corporate foundations. Hear about the five-point framework in the guide from field leaders Ann Cramer (IBM), Dinah Dittman (Kaiser Permanente), David Etzwiler (Council Board Member), and Eduardo Cetlin (Amgen).