Rising Above the Pack Through Targeted Pro Bono Program Design
Originally published on Taproot Foundation's Pro Bono Junkie blog
Pro bono service is no longer the new kid on the block in the corporate volunteerism space—more and more companies have pro bono programs or active plans to build one. As pro bono continues to gain traction, companies are no longer asking themselves if they will create a pro bono program, but instead increasingly exploring how they can create one that is uniquely well aligned with their own core competencies and goals.
This question of how is where the real opportunity lies. A tried-and-true, off-the-shelf program design is sometimes exactly what a company needs. However, like any good investment, taking the time to build something intimately relevant to your company’s unique context can really pay off. If you’re investing the time and effort to build something new, don’t miss the opportunity to get creative and reach for maximum impact on your business and social goals.
Intrigued? Wondering what it can look like when you build a custom program to match your unique strengths with your community impact goals? To give you some ideas, let’s take a look at an organization that did it well: EMC.
The EMC Global Impact Corps Program
EMC is an IT and business transformation company headquartered outside of Boston but with offices all around the globe. EMC’s Community Involvement team already had a great track record, with strong initiatives and a core group of nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners around the world. However, it felt like something was missing. The team sensed they had an opportunity to expand their impact both at EMC and on their NGO partners by adding pro bono support. Their commitment to thinking outside of the box resulted in the Global Impact Corps (GIC) program with impressive results.
