Common Impact and MetLife Foundation Host 'Skills for Cities' to Leverage the Power of Pro Bono for Advancing Climate Action and Racial Equity Initiatives
An intensive one-day skills-based volunteer event will join corporate volunteers with climate justice and racial equity nonprofits to find solutions to top capacity challenges
NEW YORK, October 24, 2022 /3BL Media/ - Common Impact, a national leader in skills-based volunteering, will host its signature event, Skills for Cities, on October 27. The event helps connect corporate volunteers with leading nonprofits focused on climate justice, racial equity, and sustainability to find solutions to their most pressing capacity-building challenges.
Water contamination, lead poisoning, air pollution, and food insecurity are just some of the troubling everyday environmental and socioeconomic issues that have disproportionately affected low-income communities and communities of color for far too long. These communities are also the least likely to have the resources to recover from environmental disasters that have increased in size and number over the last decades, such as heat waves, wildfires, and flash floods.
Nonprofits working to lead the way toward a more equitable, greener, and sustainable future for all have made tremendous strides in recent years, but many of these organizations often lack crucial tools in critical areas such as marketing, strategy, finance, or human resources support needed to grow and expand and better serve communities.
Skills for Cities aims to tackle this challenge by bringing together volunteers from top companies, including MetLife, IMC, Marsh & McLennan, CareFirst BCBS, S&P Global, Pfizer, Ameriprise Financial, and AmerisourceBergen for an intensive one-day virtual flash consulting event with leaders from ten nonprofits working to advance efforts around climate justice and racial equity.
“Racial equity and climate change are complex and interconnected issues that no one player can solve alone,” said Leila Saad, CEO of Common Impact. “Together, through Skills for Cities, we hope to strengthen these organizations that have been tirelessly working to develop and implement innovative solutions to these pressing issues, help foster lasting partnerships across sectors and communities, and ultimately help fuel social change through cross-sector collaboration.”
“MetLife Foundation is proud to continue its partnership with Common Impact. Together, we leverage the time, talent, and passion of employees to be servant leaders and address head-on intersectional issues like climate justice and racial equity in communities across the U.S.,” said Tia Hodges, President & CEO of MetLife Foundation and Head of Corporate Giving and Employee Volunteerism at MetLife. “These are two of the most pressing issues of our time – and they require an all-hands-on-deck effort. Skills for Cities empowers us to collectively develop the resources, solutions, and thought partnership that center our non-profit partners and communities they serve to deliver impact today and for generations to come.”
Ten nonprofits from across the country, doing vital work related to racial equity and climate action will participate, such as the Dan River Basin Association, which works to preserve and promote high-quality water in the rivers of the border region of Piedmont North Carolina, and Virginia. Other participating nonprofits include All Hands and Hearts, Center for Diversity & the Environment, Climate Mobilization Project, Farmlink Project, InTune Mother Society, Island Institute, Latin American Coalition, Rainforest Connection, and the Trust for Public Land.
Cross-company teams of skills-based volunteers will help nonprofits with developing a brand marketing strategy, creating a budget framework, assessing an organization's website homepage, and improving DEI practices in recruitment.
This event will also feature an engaging “Community Conversation” exploring how cross-sector collaboration can meaningfully support nonprofits addressing these issues. Leila Saad will moderate a discussion with Paula Brooks, Hoosier Environmental Council; Naim Edwards, Michigan State University; and Kawanza Billy, National Urban League.
Skills for Cities events in the past have resulted in significant operational and financial developments for nonprofits (examples from our 2021 Skills for Cities event can be found here). Corporate volunteers have also consistently reported that these events have helped them to grow their professional skills as well as their understanding of the social sector and the needs of their local communities.
More information on Common Impact and Skills for Cities can be found here.
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About Common Impact
Common Impact is a national nonprofit that works to build a society in which individuals and businesses invest their unique talents towards a shared purpose: strengthening the local communities in which we live and work. Founded in 2000, Common Impact has partnered with Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of the country's leading nonprofit organizations to create transformational change through skills-based volunteering. Learn more about Common Impact's services, impact, and clients.
About MetLife Foundation
At MetLife Foundation, we are committed to driving inclusive economic mobility for underserved and underrepresented communities around the world. We collaborate with nonprofit organizations and provide grants aligned to three strategic focus areas – economic inclusion, financial health and resilient communities – while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since 1976, MetLife Foundation has contributed over $900 million to strengthen communities where MetLife has a presence. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.MetLife.org.
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