Giving of their intellectual capital, Deloitte works with multiple nonprofits to aid in the organization’s efficiency. Barry Salzberg, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA and CECP member, says this is achieved by “layering our contribution so that it includes not only cash but also pro-bono work, skills-based volunteering and board leadership, as we are doing with College Summit, we can really make a difference.” |
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| One of the organizations Deloitte supports is College Summit, a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all college-ready students, regardless of their background, enter college. “Getting a first-generation student to and through college is probably the most cost-effective way to break the cycle of poverty,” says J.B. Schramm, founder and CEO of College Summit. “That young person is going to make one million dollars more in their [sic] lifetime, and their [sic] children are almost twice as likely to go to college themselves.” |
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Teachers, administrators, school districts and colleges partner with College Summit to develop the best-practice model for raising college enrollment rates. The process equips high school seniors with a comprehensive curriculum that guides them through
the stages of the college application process.
Schramm recalls a series of meetings with Deloitte volunteers that focused on some of the challenges that College Summit encounters. He told the Deloitte team that some high school principals did not have a measurement system in place to track their school’s college enrollment rates. In response a plan was put into action. “We have worked with Deloitte and they are helping us design and [build] online tools for school districts to measure their college enrollment rates,” Schramm says.
These measurements enable schools to assess their programs and identify opportunities for improving students’ futures. Salzberg points out, “Whether you’re leading a multibillion dollar enterprise or a grassroots nonprofit organization, the management challenges are similar.”
Deloitte’s partnership with College Summit is much more than designing and implementing a single solution to a problem. In addition to financial contributions, Deloitte employees volunteer at workshops for students, and Salzberg serves on the College Summit board. |
A Deloitte volunteer works with a student at a College Summit workshop. photo | courtesy of College Summit |
Deloitte’s philanthropic efforts not only empower the nonprofits that they support, but the company’s workforce as well. Salzberg says, “[Volunteering] gives [employees] an opportunity to gain an appreciation for social issues and the world around them, which is imperative to being a good business advisor.” He adds, “For an organization like ours, where we give people the chance to contribute what they do best on pro-bono projects … it’s a win for the nonprofit, employee and for Deloitte.” |
From assisting the homeless and rebuilding a country to increasing access to education, all corporations can use their assets to improve the quality of life for people around the globe.
In May 2000, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was a founding member of the public-private partnership called the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (Global Alliance). Comprised of government health agencies, nonprofit organizations and corporations, the Global Alliance’s goal is to eliminate transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF) by 2020. The Global Alliance’s Web site states, “[GSK] provides more than $1 million USD in cash grants to Global Alliance partners each year. A dedicated team of GSK staff supports the global effort through partnership, advocacy, strategic planning, research and communications.”
The Global Alliance asserts that more than one-fifth of the global population is at risk of being infected with LF. Also known as elephantiasis, LF is caused by an infection of thread-like parasitic worms that live in the lymphatic system. |
a boy in togo, africa, is measured with a stick to determine the correct dosage of medication to stop the transmission of lf. photo | courtesy of gsk |
| The parasite is spread from person to person by infected mosquitoes. Although not life threatening, LF causes debilitating fevers and swelling of the limbs and genitals which can leave infected people incapacitated. LF is classified as one of the world’s six “neglected diseases” or a disease that still afflicts millions, yet, it has been prevented or eradicated in the developed world. |
This 14-year-old girl in Tanzania, Africa, is infected with LF. Her legs started to swell about a year ago.
photo | courtesy of GSK |
The World Health Assembly passed a resolution in 1997 to eliminate LF as a public health problem. This resolution and a series of events created an opportunity for GSK to launch an historic undertaking. They have committed to provide medication that is used to break the transmission cycle of LF. CECP member Jean-Pierre Garnier, CEO of GSK explains, “Our commitment is to donate about 6 billion [doses of the medication] to reach all the [at risk communities] in 80 countries. That’s 20 percent of the people on the planet. More than a billion people will get one [dose] a year, for five years.” In Sri Lanka alone, the annual mass drug administration reached the entire at-risk population in a single day.
Garnier confirms GSK’s employees are enthusiastic about the LF program, “Employees don’t come to work each day motivated by the next quarter’s financial results; they are driven by making a difference for others.” |
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