The Daily Tell

Western Union and other corporate leaders were recognized Friday for their commitment to corporate social responsibility at an awards ceremony held by PR News at the National Press Club in Washington.

As a winner in the stakeholder engagement category, Western Union and its cause branding agency, Cone, were recognized for the successful ways in which they enlisted Western Union employees, agents, customers and new strategic partners in the company’s Our World, Our Family program. The initiative addresses the root causes of poverty through job creation and education.

The program is the signature initiative of the Western Union Foundation, which has granted over $52 million to more than 1,750 nongovernmental organizations in 75 countries. Our World, Our Family is a $50 million, five-year commitment, the foundation said.

"This year’s winners have redefined corporate social responsibility, particularly PR’s role in CSR," said Jens Bang, president and CEO of Cone. "Western Union and Cone […] are reaping the benefits in terms of reputation, market share, mind share and global good deeds."

Anne McCarthy, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Western Union, said the Our World, Our Family program promotes economic opportunity and draws attention to migration between countries by people seeking a better way of life.

The company is well known for its remittances and cash transfer services and it operates through a combined network of more than 365,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories.

PR News, a journal covering the public relations trade, will publish the full list of winners in the March 2, 2009 issue of the publication.

The Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, which garnered the best picture award, best song and six other Oscars at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, gave millions of Westerners a startling vision of poverty in the developing world.

Public Radio International (PRI) correspondent Jeb Sharp reported on PRI’s The World program this week that because of the movie’s focus on desperate living conditions in Mumbai and the Oscar-winning documentary short "Smile Pinki," which profiles a rural Indian girl with a cleft palate, charities are tapping the films’ popularity to increase donations that benefit India’s poor.

Jim Hickman at the Institute for One World Health, Kate Redman of Save the Children (UK) and Brian Mullaney of the Smile Train each said their organizations are using the films to promote their work because for India’s poorest children, the program reported.

As much as the movie has been celebrated in the United States, Slumdog Millionaire and its cast and crew have been treated like national heroes since the award ceremony on Sunday.

A.R. Rahman, the composer whose infectious “Jai Ho!” won the Oscar for best song, was greeted back in India by a crowd of thousands, according to a report by AFP. "I dedicate the Oscars to the people of the country and young and budding music artists," he said.

However, at least one prominent Indian has criticized the film for being too fantastical. Prize-winning novelist Salman Rushdie told an Atlanta audience it "piles impossibility on impossibility," according to news reports.

At a speech Sunday at Emory University, Rushdie reportedly complained about several scenes in the film, including one in which characters end up at the Taj Mahal, 1,000 miles from the previous scene.

Millions of young people look up to R&B stars like Usher Raymond, who has made service a big part of his public life.

Raymond, more commonly known as just plain Usher, testified before a Congressional committee this week on how to engage young people and build a national spirit of service and volunteerism.

"Far too many young people are living in places where life is hard [and] the notion of service is still that of a ’sentence’ handed down by a judge," Raymond said. "But we can make it cool to serve by supporting initiatives that think outside the box."

The Boys and Girls Club in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee was Raymond’s first exposure to community service, he told the committee. Although young people sometimes get a bad rap, the youth generation is committed to helping others, he said.

"When I stand on the stage and see my young fans, I am always blown away by their energy," Raymond said. "[B]ut I am even more blown away when I come off the stage and see them in action in their community."

Due to his past philanthropic work, including through his New Look Foundation, which mentors young people from diverse backgrounds, Raymond will soon be honored with this year’s emerging philanthropist award at the 18th annual nonprofit summit held by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits in Atlanta.

Some of Raymond’s other work includes the "Our Block" program, which helped over 750 families in New Orleans re-establish housing and provided over 1,200 families with food and clothing, according to the website Singersroom.

Most recently, Raymond implemented the "I Can’t But You Can" campaign to mobilize youth voter registration.

A new global survey of business executives and investors finds growing support for corporate social responsibility, but little consensus on how to evaluate CSR in terms of shareholder value.

The McKinsey Global Survey found that a majority of CEOs believe that CSR efforts create shareholder value. But chief financial officers and professional investors have no way to place a value on those efforts and thus are less likely to consider CSR in financial decisions, according to a summary of the report.

Executives, investors and regulators believe CSR programs can build reputations and lessen the impact of corporate crises. But how such programs create shareholder value and how to measure that is not clear.

A significant proportion of survey respondents don’t fully consider CSR programs’ financial value when assessing the attractiveness of projects or companies for investment.

The perceived importance of corporate environmental, social and governance programs has grown significantly in recent years, although the global economic recession has led to a decreased focus on environmental and social causes, the report states.

In the economic climate of today, attaching a dollar value to CSR could prevent companies from cutting back on their efforts. Geoffrey Heal, a Columbia Business School professor, says companies must see CSR as profitable, not just a public relations gimmick.

"If they see CSR as contributing to their bottom line, they’ll continue to act responsibly," Heal told The Big Money, a business news website. "If they see CSR as a kind of a PR campaign, they’ll probably cut back on it."

The McKinsey survey asked CEOs, CFOs, investment professionals, institutional investors and corporate social responsibility professionals from around the world to identify whether and how environmental, social and governance programs create value and how much value they create.

United Technologies Corp. became the first of the 30 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average to publish a fully integrated annual and corporate responsibility report, the company announced.

UTC’s 2008 financial and corporate responsibility performance, titled "More with less," assesses the company’s goals and targets for environmental sustainability, human rights and corporate ethics.

The report reflects the company’s belief that corporate responsibility and profitability go hand in hand, said Andrea Doane, director of corporate citizenship and community investment, explaining why the company merged its financial reporting with its CSR evaluation.

"For UTC, the evolution to one report is natural, but we believe firmly in the years to come the practice of just one report will be not only widespread, but expected from those who believe corporate responsibility and profitability are inseparable."

As of Dec. 31, 2008, UTC achieved 11 percent reductions in water use and carbon emissions, surpassing the water goal two years ahead of schedule. UTC has reduced base energy use by 22 percent and water use by 50 percent since 1997, the company reported.

On the corporate philanthropy front, the Hartford, Connecticut based company recently donated $17,000 in grants for area high school students to participate in a regional robotics competition. In 1999, UTC established the Connecticut Regional FIRST Robotics Competition, to which it has contributed $3 million since 1995.

Since 2005, UTC has been on the list of Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and has been on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes every year since the indexes began in 1999.

Dell has delivered some good news in its efforts to become "the greenest technology company on the planet."

According to the computer company, its Oklahoma City campus now runs on 100 percent wind energy. By working together with Oklahoma Gas and Electric on renewable energy projects, the company anticipates cutting up to 5,100 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

The electricity saved on the wind innovation for its 240,000 square foot campus is just one way Dell is reducing its carbon footprint.

The company also gives consumers a way to get involved and make a difference. Whether making a Dell purchase or not, by visiting the website customers can join the "Plant a Tree for Me" campaign and help offset the CO2 produced from an individual’s computing.

On the company website, Dell explains its process to reduce negative environmental impact at every stage of the product lifestyle. By considering the eco-impact of product design, packaging materials, and manufacturing materials Dell is hoping to emerge a ‘greener’ company.

Having achieved its renewable energy goal at its Oklahoma City site, the company also announced new environmental initiatives. Dell set 2015 as a goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions at facilities across the globe by 40 percent.

According to Dell’s director of environment, health and safety, "Integrating green power into our operations wherever and whenever possible is a key environmental and business strategy."

Dane Parker continues, "It’s critical that our industry take a leadership role in the transition to a green economy. Aggressive energy efficiency and renewable-power targets are essential."

The Obama administration’s energy and environment agenda also focuses heavily on migrating to renewable energy resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The White House would like to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

Dr Larry Brilliant, hired by Google in 2006 to head up its new philanthropy arm Google.org, announced in a blog post that he is changing his role to become chief philanthropy evangelist for the organization.

Megan Smith will take over day-to-day management of Google.org as general manager, in addition to her existing role as vice president of new business development. She will focus on leveraging the resources of the search engine giant.

Google.org, the umbrella organization for the company’s philanthropy efforts, includes the Google Foundation as well as Google Grants and the company’s major initiatives on global poverty, health and climate change.

Brilliant, an MD and MPH, co-founded the pioneering virtual community The Well in 1985. He previously served as CEO of two public companies and other venture-backed start-ups.

"It’s clear that I am most effective in helping to identify ‘big ideas’ and potential partners, as well as raising awareness about society’s biggest challenges," Brilliant wrote. "I think this is the highest contribution that I can make both to Google.org and to fighting the urgent threats of our day: from climate change to emerging infectious diseases, to issues of poverty and health care."

Brilliant reiterated Google’s commitment to devote 1 percent of its equity and profits to philanthropy and development of its philanthropic model "to make its resources have the greatest possible impact for good."

Prominent examples of Google products that have been applied to global challenges include Flu Trends, RechargeIT, Clean Energy 2030 and PowerMeter.

Google will assign more engineers and technical talent to work on these issues and problems.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy has released an investment guide to help individual philanthropists use their donation dollars wisely to fight malaria.

The guide, called Lifting the Burden of Malaria: An Investment Guide for Impact-Driven Philanthropy, offers strategies on how individual donors can make a meaningful difference in combating the disease, which results in one child death every 30 seconds, according to the World Health Organization.

Katherina Rosqueta, executive director for the center, said individual philanthropists links costs and results to help philanthropists understand what their dollars can achieve. The guide provides practical advice on getting started, examples of promising practices and information on how to evaluate potential investments and assess post-donation impact.

“Our multidisciplinary team synthesized data on effective malaria control strategies, considered funding trends and nonprofit performance data and interviewed malaria specialists and public health practitioners to help you get to smarter decisions faster,” the authors report.

In addition, the guide outlines three strategic entry points at which a philanthropist can make an effective impact: treatment and prevention, building long-term systems and future innovations.

“Despite the existence of effective, low-cost tools for preventing and treating malaria, too often these tools don’t reach those who need them most,” said Carol McLaughlin, the lead author of the guide. “It’s the classic last-mile problem.”

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy was founded in 2006 by alumni of the Wharton school with the goal of assisting philanthropist to determine where their funds can have the greatest impact in improving the lives of others. It is housed at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice.

The full report and a brief executive summary are available at www.impact.upenn.edu.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon used the opening of the United Nations Economic and Social Council meeting to note the important role corporate donors play in fighting worldwide health threats.

The UN News Centre reports that Ban underscored the importance of ongoing philanthropy needed to combat maternal health issues, tropical diseases, and other destabilizing illnesses even as the recession takes hold.

"The economic crisis is putting at risk the unprecedented rise in public and private funding we have witnessed in recent years. The food crisis and the threat posed by climate change have profound implications for people’s health and well-being," said Ban in the article.

According to the UN News Centre, business and philanthropic leaders from companies like IKEA and Toyota were part of the 400 person group on hand to hear his remarks.
IKEA is one corporation expanding its donations to UNICEF in support of the organizations programs in India targeting women and children’s health issues.

IKEA Social Initiative, the corporate philanthropy arm of the well known home furnishing business, has become UNICEF’s largest corporate partner having donated or committed to donate over $180 million from 2000 to 2015.

Its most recent contribution totaled $48 million and was geared to areas where IKEA has long operated as a business.

"IKEA Social Initiative has chosen to concentrate its long-term commitments on South Asia, where the needs of children and women are great, and where IKEA has long business experience," said Karin Hulshof, UNICEF India country representative.

"The resources being provided will allow us to implement critical long-term programs that seek to improve child survival, development and protection," she explained.

IKEA’s donation is expected to develop or advance health and nutrition programs for children through immunization and vitamin supplements. It will also foster clean water and sanitation projects like improved access to toilets and basic hygiene education.

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) and leading businesses today marked the 2009 celebration of International Corporate Philanthropy Day.

This year, CECP convened the fourth annual Board of Boards CEO Conference, hosted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, in New York. More than 60 leading CEOs and chairpersons gathered for the program titled "Global Leaders: Confronting a Crucial Decision."

Each year, companies mark the day with special programming at their offices and in their communities. Charles Moore, executive director of CECP, said philanthropy is no longer a discretionary expense in the current economic climate.

"This is the time for corporations to demonstrate that community investments are core to their businesses," Moore said. "The world is waiting to see what will happen to corporate giving during these tough economic times."

CECP’s 2008 "Giving in Numbers" report found that among companies with decreased pre-tax profit in 2007, 57 percent still increased their giving. Corporate giving yields the greatest social and business benefits when funding is predictable and sustainable and is even more critical in an uncertain economy, the organization said.

A highlight of this year’s conference in New York was the UN Economic and Social Council special program on opportunities for philanthropy to help advance the Millennium Development Goals on global health-related issues.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and former President Bill Clinton attended.