CDC Development Solutions (CDS), a non-governmental organization headquartered in Washington, DC and focused on driving economic development worldwide, will conduct a workshop on April 21, 2010 entitled International Corporate Volunteerism: Learning from the Practitioners. The event will bring together companies that currently implement international corporate volunteer (ICV) programs and those that are considering starting a program in the future.

According to Michael Levett, CEO of CDS, "This is an important event that will allow companies to talk about best practices in a new and growing field of corporate social responsibility that benefits corporations, their employees, and small businesses, NGOs, and governments in emerging markets."

The event will be co-sponsored by CDS, IBM, and DLA Piper. IBM's Corporate Service Corps is the largest cross-border employee volunteer program in the world and has been recognized as a 'best practice' in how to undertake such an initiative. DLA Piper's New Perimeter program fields lawyers to work on pro bono assignments worldwide.

Representatives from companies such as IBM, DLA Piper, Ericsson, Mars, Ernst & Young, and GlaxoSmithKline have tentatively agreed to speak about their experiences in implementing ICV programs. NGOs who have experience in corporate partnerships are also expected to attend. Topics to be covered include a discussion of a new benchmarking study on ICV; designing programs to meet varied corporate goals; successfully implementing a program; measuring the results; and developing partnerships for higher impact.

For additional information about the ICV workshop, please contact Steve Hurley, Senior Advisor for Corporate Engagement, at shurley@cdc.org or 781-686-1607.

About CDC Development Solutions
CDC Development Solutions (CDS) is the country's leading organization designing and implementing programs that leverage corporate employees to support small and medium size enterprises, non-governmental organizations, governments, and educational institutions in emerging markets worldwide. CDS has placed thousands of business-oriented volunteers in over 70 countries in the past 20 years, and our International Corporate Volunteer (ICV) programs are designed to apply the skills and experience embedded in corporations to address the unique challenges of economic growth, education, ICT, environmental sustainability, and governance in these markets.

Since 2008, CDS has managed IBM's Corporate Service Corps program and has fielded over 350 IBM employees to seven countries. CDS is also working with other Fortune 500 firms on designing and implementing international corporate volunteer programs worldwide. For more information about CDS, please visit www.cdcdevelopmentsolutions.org or contact Kate Ahern, Director of Business Development, at kahern@cdc.org or 202-530-7663.

PYXERA Global

PYXERA Global

CDC is a nonprofit organization that supports private sector development and economic growth in emerging markets worldwide by delivering practical strategies and solutions and the expertise of business professionals.

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