World's Largest Companies Convene to Address Communities’ Toughest Challenges, Together
CECP’S Annual Summit Attended by More than 250 Leaders in Corporate Societal Engagement
NEW YORK, NY, June 4, 2013 /3BL Media/ – CEOs polled at CECP’s Board of Boards CEO conference in February reported that the leading action they can take to create solutions to tough issues is collaboration with other companies. Answering that call, CECP, where Fortune 500 CEOs turn to achieve societal progress and sustainable business performance, continues its tradition of assembling corporate giving officers at Fortune 500 companies for its annual CECP Summit: Ahead, Together. CECP will convene more than 250 leaders in corporate societal engagement to network, hear the first analysis of 2012 corporate giving trends, and participate in leading-edge discussions about solving pressing community problems through business strategies. This year’s theme Ahead, Together emphasizes the importance of collaboration as companies learn from others to take their corporate giving strategies to the next level.
“CECP’s Summit is a chance for CECP members to reflect on the work they have accomplished, gain perspective to improve strategies for the future, and find potential partners to elevate their work,” stated Daryl Brewster, CEO of CECP. “Year after year, we are impressed by the amazing group of people from the world’s largest corporations that come together with a common goal: to better the communities around us.”
The Summit includes a number of distinguished speakers. Dr. Manuel Pastor of University of Southern California will set the tone on June 4th by sharing startling statistics on rapid demographic transformation occurring in America. Ambassador Melanne Verveer will kick off June 5th by sharing her perspective on the role of women and girls around the world and how corporations can encourage new opportunities for leadership and participation. A keynote panel on June 4th will focus on reintegrating returning veterans, 10 years after the war in Iraq began, with panelists Duncan L. Niederauer, NYSE Euronext; Jake Wood, Team Rubicon, and Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, Give an Hour, moderated by Bob Woodruff, ABC News and Bob Woodruff Foundation. The Summit’s special guest Lashinda Demus, 2012 Olympic silver medalist, will introduce a special tribute to Charles Moore, founding Executive Director of CECP and 1952 Olympic Gold Medalist.
Plenary sessions and breakouts will offer a variety of content from Navigating Philanthropic Strategy through Mergers and Divestitures, discussing the need to rethink the societal engagement strategies and commitments to the community as corporate transactions occur, to The Power of Storytelling for Change, presenting clips from two game-changing documentaries—American Promise and Girl Rising--which have utilized film to spark transformative conversations and engage others.
CECP will share the first look at the analysis of 2012 corporate giving trends data. This year’s survey brought in a record amount of data from 240 participants. These statistics serve as the basis for Giving in Numbers, which will be released this fall in association with The Conference Board. The survey’s data revealed that aggregate corporate giving rose 42 percent ($4.48 billion) from 2007 to 2012.[1] Additionally, non-cash contributions have transformed the field, accounting for more than 95 percent ($4.30 billion) of this total giving increase. See the related press release on the CECP Press Room webpage.
June 4th will conclude with the presentation of and discussion among the 2013 Excellence Awards winners. The winner of this year’s Directors’ Award is Partners in School Innovation for its partnership with Applied Materials Foundation. IBM, recipient of the Chairman’s Award and The Mosaic Company, recipient of the President’s Award, were announced at the 2013 Board of Boards CEO Conference. Companies and nonprofits honored with these awards exemplify the Standards of Excellence: CEO Leadership, Innovation, Dedication to Measurement, and Partnership. See the related press release on the CECP Press Room webpage. CECP is accepting applications for its 2014 Excellence Awards; applications are due September 5th, 2013.
In addition, GlobalGiving will provide gift cards to all attendees on June 4th, and Alcoa Foundation will provide an additional $1,000 grant to the projects that receive the top number of redemption of gift cards.
Post-event videos, photos, and an executive summary will be shared on the CECP site soon after the event.
CECP would like to thank our Convening Sponsors for their generous support of the 2013 CECP Summit and the 13th Annual Excellence Awards ceremony: Allstate Insurance Company, General Electric Company, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft Corporation, Citigroup Inc., ING U.S., KPMG LLP, Newman’s Own Foundation, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Target, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and UnitedHealth Group.
About CECP
CECP draws together and empowers senior executives of the world’s leading companies to achieve unprecedented progress on societal challenges while driving performance. Through high-powered connectivity and platform to multiply investments in solving the world’s most pressing issues, CECP is an irreplaceable tool catalyzing the forces that drive big change.
[1] Source: CECP and The Conference Board, annual Corporate Giving Standard (CGS) survey, 2012, the sample size for this response was 96.
