For some years the legal community has recognized the institutional benefits of pro bono service.  As articulated in the Pro Bono Institute’s seminal publication, Making the Business Case for Pro Bono, there is “a hard-headed business rationale for pro bono work.”  Increasingly, the corporate/business community has discovered that the business case is not limited to the legal profession. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal and a study sponsored by Deloitte LLP reflect the corporate world’s embrace of “pro bono” as a business imperative.

The Wall Street Journal recently published a detailed article on skills-based volunteerism as an office perk.  Beyond noting the draw of employer-subsidized volunteer opportunities for a community-service-minded generation, the article also makes a strong case for the substantial benefits that accrue to companies that invest in the development of an infrastructure to support volunteer work.  Among such benefits are: greater development of employees’ skill sets and knowledge; recruitment of a community service-oriented generation of employees; exposure to different work environments; and retention of highly-skilled workers who may need additional variety in their work.

The article quotes Robert Mallett, President of the Pfizer Foundation and Senior Vice President at Pfizer Inc., a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠ Signatory.  He notes, “You develop their talent better.  They come back with more substantial leadership skills and a better strategic sense of how to navigate in different types of environments.”

The article also points out that skills-based volunteerism provides another avenue for a company to act on and publicly demonstrate its corporate social responsibility goals.  By providing a high-level means to support non-profits, a company can have an exponential impact on issues it has chosen as central to its CSR goals.  The Wall Street Journal notes that United Parcel Service, Inc., a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge℠ Signatory and the first corporate sponsor of a Legal Aid Fellow, is supporting nonprofits in this way.

Skills-based volunteerism differs from the way many companies have traditionally supported nonprofits. Until recently, for example, United Parcel Service Inc. mainly donated money to nonprofits or arranged for employees to do volunteer work such as distributing food to homeless shelters, says Lisa Hamilton, President of UPS’s corporate foundation. Now the delivery company also provides the expertise of its employees.

The recently-released results of a survey by Deloitte LLP also tout the low-cost professional development and retention benefits of skills-based volunteerism.  In its fifth annual Volunteer IMPACT Survey, Deloitte questioned a random sampling of 250 Fortune 500 human resource managers and published results with momentous impact for corporate volunteer programs, and by extension, pro bono programs as well.  The executive summary of the survey notes that, while training and development are considered crucial business priorities, 70 percent of respondents are dealing with static or decreased training budgets.  91 percent of survey respondents agree that skills-based volunteerism can be a low-cost and effective method of developing employees’ business and leadership skills while supporting non-profits in need.

In a widely-quoted press release announcing the survey results, Barry Salzberg, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte LLP, notes “Talent development is one of the most critical priorities facing corporate America today.  By intentionally linking two often unconnected areas like community involvement and training, innovative companies can meet strategic business goals, save money and, at the same time, release new resources for the community.  It’s powerful.”

The executive summary of the survey also details three organizational priorities that companies need to adopt to leverage skills-based volunteering programs:

• Acknowledge that community involvement can be purposely leveraged to satisfy business needs.
• Intentionally integrate community involvement into business strategy in a way that produces a measurable return.
• Encourage these types of learning opportunities throughout the organization.

Developed by Corporate Pro Bono
A global partnership project of the Pro Bono Institute and the Association of Corporate Counsel
www.cpbo.org