June 22 – Boston CSR panel featuring TPI’s Remmer

A crowd of 170 corporate, non-profit and academic leaders attended the “SM& Presents” Panel featuring TPI on June 22 in Boston to discuss the evolution of corporate philanthropy toward a “new normal.” To provide a foundation for the discussion, Ellen Remmer shared initial findings from an ongoing national survey of CEOs and corporate leaders to be unveiled this Fall. Following are some highlights from the discussion:

“Nearly every CEO interviewed talked about the importance of authenticity in corporate social responsibility and corporate giving and embedding philanthropy in the core of their corporate culture as part of its brand identity,” said Ellen Remmer, president of TP.

“In this economic environment it is particularly important that CEOs be direct and transparent in their communications with stakeholders about changes in giving strategies,” said panel host and Solomon McCown CEO Helene Solomon. “It is the only way to maintain trust in the brand.”

“We have an ethic that is deeply embedded in our DNA. You need to switch to a different currency, not just the ability to write checks. You need to speak out in the issues of the day and share the rest of your platforms, there are under utilized assets in so much of what companies do,” suggested Bob Glassman, Co-Chairman of Wainwright Bank and Trust Company.

“You don’t need to take out big ads to talk about what you do,” said former Chairman and CEO of Young and Rubicam Brands, Ann Fudge. “Do great work with local nonprofits and make it visible at the community level – you can then save your advertising dollars to support those nonprofits.”

Moderating the panel was Renee Loth, Editorial Editor for the Boston Globe.

A downloadable audio recording of the panel discussion will be available shortly.

To download the preliminary highlights of TPI’s corporate research, click here.

Event co-sponsors include:
Harvard Kennedy School of Government Center for Public Leadership
The Commonwealth Institute
Massachusetts Business Roundtable
Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston
Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship