ACCP The Corporate Citizenship Guide

As executives increasingly prioritize corporate citizenship as a vital role within business, companies must assess the expertise needed to build and elevate their citizenship functions. 

That’s why the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals is introducing The Corporate Citizenship Guide: Defining the Profession. This first of its kind publication outlines the core professional knowledge domains of corporate social responsibility and provides a roadmap to success for companies and professionals. 

When done well, this field and its professionals add significant value to a company’s brand and reputation, enhance stakeholder relationships, and provide both financial and societal returns.

“Authentic corporate citizenship is a complex landscape to navigate, and one that companies cannot afford to get wrong,” says Carolyn Berkowitz, President and CEO of the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP).  “ACCP saw the need for a resource that identifies the scope of work led by corporate citizenship professionals inside companies across the country and the world.” The Guide is the culmination of nearly two years of work by ACCP, an association representing more than 200 diverse companies that span from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-size private enterprises across industries.

This new online and print resource will promote a clear understanding of the breadth of corporate citizenship knowledge, roles and responsibilities and assist corporate citizenship professionals in identifying opportunities to align business and social goals. It offers guidance in five critical areas: corporate citizenship strategy and management; community investment; measurement; employee experience, and operations. Each of these areas then contains multiple dimensions of expertise. 

“Demonstrating high value, social consciousness requires wide-ranging, ongoing efforts that define how and where a company can devote its resources to serve customers, employees and the community,” says Berkowitz. “The guide serves as a map for acquiring the knowledge required to meet the challenge of profit with purpose. It also provides guidance to companies who seek to start-up a corporate citizenship function.”

“This is the first comprehensive tool to help companies assess the expertise needed to build and elevate their citizenship function,” says Laura Coy, Director of Philanthropy Strategy and Vice President of the William Blair & Company Foundation. Coy also chairs the ACCP Board of Directors.

Berkowitz and Coy believe The Guide for Corporate Citizenship: Defining the Profession will help businesses craft a framework that supports informed decisions and helps various disciplines work together to improve their companies and the world.

“We began developing this resource in 2017, and we see this as a living roadmap. Our profession is rapidly evolving as companies more closely align their citizenship functions with core business strategies and seek to attract next-generation talent. We will update and expand its content to support the success of any company or professional working in our field,” says Coy.

Download a copy of The Corporate Citizenship Guide: Defining the Profession from the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals website (www.accprof.org). 

About ACCP
Founded in 2005, ACCP is the sole membership-based organization chartered to champion the Corporate Citizenship professional. ACCP connects members to information, peers and resources and cultivates educational opportunities that promote better stewardship of corporate resources to magnify social and business impacts. For more information contact Maryann Fiala at maryann@accprof.org, or (407) 650-9748.

ACCP

ACCP

The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) is the nation's leading independent organization providing services and support for corporate contributions, community relations, and employee volunteer managers.

ACCP is a nonprofit advocacy and continuing education organization that helps corporations identify and adopt best practices and provides training for contributions professionals in the contributions, community relations, and volunteerism fields.

 

 

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