DE&I Action Recording: Supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Employees - 12/08/20

Call attendees took center stage in i4cp’s December 1st Action Call for the DEI community, participating in an informal discussion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.

Call facilitator Jacqui Robertson introduced the topic and encouraged participation by a handful of the DEI and other professionals on the call.

Key Ideas Shared Today:

  1. Organizations are focusing on long-term, sustainable giving and support
    •  Retailer Kohl’s extends its philanthropy to non-profit organizations that register with the organization. If five or more Kohl’s associates respond and sign-up, they can donate three or more hours of time to support a non-profit, and the company responds with an additional $500 donation. Employees recently participated in an event to benefit an organization in New York, raising money for each hour spent walking, an activity enabling social distancing for participants.
    • Organizations’ support for corporate social responsibility is seen as an effective talent acquisition strategy and a way to appeal to potential employees.
    • Copyright Clearance Center has “always had a matching/giving policy. We increased that around the time of George Floyd and called out additional giving for specific Organizations addressing Social Injustice like BLM and NAACP and more.” The company also focuses holiday giving around food insecurity, doing so on a global scale.
  2. Some companies aim to bridge identified gaps and make local impacts
    • At RSM, a large public accounting and business consulting firm, employees asked about making a sustainable, meaningful community impact across the giving spectrum. “We looked at ways to use our corporate charity and volunteerism to impact equity. We address divides in education, technology, technology, poverty, and college access within disadvantaged communities. This is paired with 6 FTE fellows for racial justice, employee volunteerism and mentoring. Our regular and local support includes partnering with Summer Search, Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), Urban League, Junior Achievement and others.”
    • Omaha Public Power District recently completed 30 days of Giving through United Way and gave to the local Energy Assistance Program to assist those in need of help with their energy bills. Employees are also able to donate a vacation day to charities. For DEI-specific concerns, the organization partners with the Urban League of Nebraska, Empowerment Network, and the Greater Omaha Chamber CODE Initiative by serving as Board officers and assisting financially. OPPD also sponsored and brought new programs to Omaha to encourage diverse leadership skills (LeadDIVERSITY) and to reach out to high school students with mentorship and long-term support to pursue education and begin careers (Legacy I-3).
    • In the last month at its local headquarters in Greensboro, NC, Contour Brands (Wrangler and Lee jeans) finished a big United Way drive led by the company’s senior leaders, organized a holiday donation for local families in need via monetary donation and an Amazon registry, and donated money and laptops to the local education alliance for virtual learning. The company is also exploring  its partnerships locally with 501c3 organizations (BGCA Teen Center is top of list) and looks forward to setting up a foundation in 2021 (postponed this year due to COVID-19) in which Giving Tuesday will be a more focused effort. The firm’s goal is to focus on youth and education support/impact for underserved populations, creating long-term sustainable efforts that have a big impact locally. 

 

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Access the recording of today’s full DEI Action Call here

Register for the next DEI Call and other weekly Action Calls
at i4cp’s Employer Resource Center

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