Recently, SAP pledged its support as part of A Billion + Change — a campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono service from corporations to nonprofits to address core issues that communities face across around the world.
The campaign was launched in 2008 as a public-private partnership by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. At a time when nonprofits were faced with increased difficulty raising funds and a greater demand for services, businesses were looking for ways to more effectively recruit, retain and engage employees who expect social responsibility from their employers.
Reinvigorated in 2011 with expanded leadership under the honorary chairmanship of United States Senator Mark Warner, it is now housed and managed by Points of Light Institute. The initiative is powered by the support of Deloitte, HP, the Case Foundation and IBM, all of whom provide strategic direction for the initiative.
Why Pro-Bono?
Through pro-bono and skills based volunteering, corporations of all sizes can transform how employee skills are utilized to have a lasting impact on society and help build the capacity of non-profit organizations so that that can better address community needs.
From a corporate perspective, such programs can:
• Develop employee skills
• Improve employee engagement and morale
• Enhance reputation, especially among millennials
• Shift thinking as a result of experiential learning from a non-profit experience
While nonprofits can:
• Leverage corporate expertise that they may otherwise not be able to afford
• Support organizational development
• Improve staff skills and increase bandwidth
• Advance service provision
Join the Movement!
A Billion + Change has mobilized more than $1.6 billion in pledges for pro bono service as a result of commitments from 80+ companies. Pledge companies range in size from small businesses with fewer than 10 employees, such as GothamCULTURE, to larger organizations like Starbucks, Adobe and PepsiCo.
Be a catalyst for change in this important movement. As an individual, consider volunteering with your company during a pro-bono or skills based volunteer experience. As a corporation, join SAP and the other member companies by pledging to create, increase or expand a pro bono program and help A Billion + Change reach its goal of $2 billion in pledged pro bono by 2013.
The Billion + Change team can help any company develop a pledge for pro bono that fits with its culture, size, and goals. For more information, please visit www.abillionpluschange.org.
