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To kick off the final day of the 2023 International Corporate Citizenship Conference, attendees were invited to partake in a Corporate 鈥淔itizens鈥� walk around downtown Minneapolis for an energized start to the day. Over another Idea Exchange Breakfast, colleagues traded ideas and strategies for dealing with a variety of CSR dimensions.

After breakfast, General Motors led the day鈥檚 first general session. GM鈥檚 Vice President of Corporate Giving, Terry Rhadigan, described GM鈥檚 corporate philanthropy journey.

鈥淲e no longer have a foundation,鈥� said Rhadigan. 鈥淲e really did that in preparation for the all-electric future. We鈥檙e looking forward and talking about how we align our philanthropy with our business goals.鈥�

Later in the session, Terry was joined by Hina Baloch, Executive Director of Sustainability Strategy and Communications at GM, for a conversation about how the organization鈥檚 sustainability strategy is intertwined with its current corporate giving strategy.

鈥淐orporate giving is not all of social impact,鈥� Baloch said. 鈥淲e wanted to bring in a structure that is strong enough and simple enough for everybody across the company to understand because we know what people understand is what they advocate for. We also wanted it to be broad and simple so we could bring in a number of different things from within the organization so that when we鈥檙e talking about social impact, we鈥檙e talking about philanthropy and corporate giving, but that鈥檚 not all we鈥檙e talking about. Right now, our social impact has three broad areas: people, communities, and environments.鈥澛�

GM鈥檚 presentation gave way to two more rounds of breakout sessions and wellness workshops. For the rest of the morning, participants engaged in a case study hosted by TIAA about making the best use of the limited resources dedicated to CSR programs.

Breakouts included discussions on the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ESG; expanding access to technology and STEM education in rural and urban settings; and how many companies are monitoring their water use in their operations and making strategic efforts to curb overuse.

After a short break, the final round of breakouts began. Through a case study presented by聽The Travelers Companies, participants learned about developing and maintaining a diverse talent pipeline. The Travelers EDGE庐 utilizes partnerships with colleges, universities, and community-based organizations to facilitate college and career readiness programs for underrepresented students. The program focuses on providing mentorship, internships, scholarships, and other support for those students interested in the insurance and financial services industries with the ultimate goal of placing them in jobs within the company after graduation.

鈥淭hese resources that are given to us aren鈥檛 loaned; they鈥檙e given. As an [alumnus], you leverage those relationships and know that you have people on your team,鈥� said Samantha Lopez, a Travelers EDGE庐 alumnus and current account manager at Travelers.

Other breakouts featured presentations on leveraging your company鈥檚 business focus to create transformative social impact programs; what new environmental trends can be expected to factor into science-based program frameworks; how to design CSR initiatives that appeal across a range of countries and cultures; and determining what impacts can and should be measured and shared with different stakeholders.

Then, it was time for one more opportunity to network over lunch before the closing keynote session hosted by next year鈥檚 convening sponsor, FedEx. FedEx鈥檚 Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Communications, Jenny Robertson, shared insights from FedEx Cares鈥� 50 by 50鈥搕he philanthropic goal FedEx set to positively impact 50 million individuals to celebrate the company鈥檚 50th anniversary.

鈥淲hen we looked at our philanthropic programs, and we looked at our citizenship efforts, and we said we need to ensure that what we're doing actually affects people's lives for the better,鈥� Robertson said. 鈥淎s we're looking ahead, we're challenging ourselves to do what we鈥檝e been talking about this conference for the last few days: Rethinking resilience and how can we continue to grow as a company and prepare for new challenges while still strengthening and uplifting our communities where we operate.鈥�

Robertson joyfully announced Memphis, TN, as the location for next year鈥檚 Conference before introducing the closing keynote speaker.

To officially close the 2023 Conference, Valley Water CEO and sustainability and diversity advocate Rick Callender shared remarks on the intersection of racial justice and economics. Callender, an NAACP board member and President of California/Hawaii NAACP State Conferences is Valley Water鈥檚 first African American CEO and the only African American CEO of a public water and flood protection agency in the United States.

鈥淚 get curious looks when I say that environmental justice is a civil rights issue,鈥� said Callender. 鈥淓ach and every single one of us in this room depends on the physical environment. But not all people are equally impacted by [climate change]. Race, even more so than class, is the number one indicator for the placement of toxic facilities in this country.鈥�

As attendees learned, Callender stands firmly against the misappropriation of traditionally Black and African American phrases, concepts, and terminology to further oppressive legislation, including the anti-ESG bills emerging across the country.

鈥淏eing woke is not a negative thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is an everyday positive Black history thing. Don鈥檛 let those who are trying use the racially baiting undertones and terms take away our lexicon, our cultural sayings, and try to make them salacious. I believe each and every one of us has a responsibility to know the history and call them out.鈥�

With that, the 2023 International Corporate Citizenship Conference came to a powerful end.

Thank you to all our sponsors, speakers, and attendees for making the 2023 International Corporate Citizenship Conference one of the best yet! Save the date for next year鈥檚 Conference: April 28-30 in Memphis, TN!