ensuring academic success

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.”

A high school senior attends a College Summit workshop in Washington DC. photo | courtesy of College Summit

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.”

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.

A Deloitte volunteer assists a student in writing a college application essay. Photo | courtesy of College SummitSchramm 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 SummitDeloitte’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.”

fighting a neglected disease

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 gskFrom 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.

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.”

collective response to disaster

A construction worker is building the Saerf-funded basic health unit in the north-west frontier province, Pakistan. photo | Nazim RiazPhilanthropy is not always an individual corporate program or initiative; it can also be a collaborative effort.

CECP supports and encourages corporate response to natural disasters. According to CECP’s Web site, “In addition to making extensive corporate contributions, [CECP member corporations] effectively leverage their global supply chain networks, innovative technologies and highly skilled employees to aid affected communities.”

This response became evident when a devastating earthquake left more than 3 million people homeless and killed nearly 80,000 in South Asia on October 8, 2005.

Shortly after this disaster President Bush approached the Xerox Corporation and four other businesses to lead a collaborative effort to raise money and resources to help the victims of the earthquake. “The instrument to do that was the South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund (SAERF), and I believe it is a model that has enormous potential,” says Joseph Cahalan, president of the Xerox Foundation. “It is a simple yet unique concept that brought together the on-the-ground knowledge and expertise of the federal government, the influence and reach of the corporate sector and the experience and capacity of the nonprofit world.”

Students at the groundbreaking ceremony of a Saerf-funded high school in the north-west frontier province of Pakistan. photo | Nazim Riaz

Bringing together corporations, nonprofit organizations and governments, SAERF has created a sustained reconstruction effort. One hundred percent of the funds raised were then granted to aid agencies that had extensive experience in the region for use in humanitarian relief. These five supporting companies covered all administrative costs: Citi, GE, Pfizer, UPS and Xerox. They also contributed legal, communications and project management expertise. SAERF provides grants to many organizations including the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Both PPAF and IRC are working within the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, focusing on education and health care facilities. The projects funded by SAERF will improve the quality of life for those affected by the 2005 South Asia earthquake.

An International Rescue Committee health professional examines a young girl in Pakistan. photo | courtesy of International Rescue Committee

Charles Moore, executive director of CECP states, “We have made tremendous strides in spreading the word to CEOs and senior executives about the power and impact of corporate philanthropy. We are proud that our membership has recently grown to more than 165 leaders, all of whom are vocal advocates for corporate community investment.”

The theme of the 2007 conference was “Imperatives for Corporations Investing in Society.”
photo | courtesy of CECP

SF Connect, Inc.
Project Homeless Connect
60 Spear Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
USA
415.385.7778
info@sfconnect.org
www.sfconnect.orgCollege Summit
1763 Columbia Road NW
Second Floor
Washington, DC 20009
USA
202.319.1763
info@collegesummit.org
www.collegesummit.org

Global Alliance to Eliminate LF
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Pembroke Place, Liverpool
United Kingdom l3 5QA
+44 (0) 151.705.3145
gaelf@liv.ac.uk
www.filariasis.orgAschiana
PO Box 1827
Kabul
Afghanistan
+0093 (0) 702.77280
aschiana@yahoo.com.au
www.aschiana.com

International Rescue Committee
122 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10168
USA
877.733.8433
www.theirc.orgCommittee Encouraging
Corporate Philanthropy (CECP)
110 Wall Street
Suite 2-1
New York, NY 10005
USA
212.825.1000
info@corporatephilanthropy.org
www.corporatephilanthropy.org

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