The Power of Communities: Four Reasons to Join the Relaunched ACCP Communities

Carolyn Berkowitz, ACCP

 If you’ve ever attempted to do something new, whether it’s taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle or taking on a new professional role, chances are you’ve encountered a challenge that has impeded your success. When I go it alone, challenges have felt insurmountable. But when I’ve connected with others over common challenges or experiences, I’ve created breakthrough solutions. That’s the power of community. 

It sounds like common sense, but the importance of community often goes overlooked in business. The pressure of day-to-day assignments and deadlines too often favors isolating ourselves, so we get the work done. And yet, we’ve all experienced how much richer the quality of our work can be when we learn from and bounce ideas off of colleagues and peers in real time. That’s why at the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), we’re focused on creating connections among corporate citizenship professionals that build on shared interests, industries, and issues and through ACCP Communities, our online member resource groups, which relaunched today.

ACCP Communities provide members with unique opportunities to build and grow relationships with peers, get questions answered by others who have successfully solved an issue, and challenge themselves to find new and innovative ways to expand impact. Like Employee Resource Groups in your own companies, ACCP Communities are designed to help you align with others, support common interests and solutions, and amplify your voice in the association and in the field. If you haven’t previously considered participating in an online community, here are four reasons why I think our new ACCP Communities might convince you otherwise.

You can engage with and learn alongside your peers, in real time.

We believe shared practice informs best practice. Have a problem? Chances are, the issue that you are struggling with has been solved by a fellow member with similar interests. On the ACCP Communities platform, you can ask and answer questions and seek and provide advice or recommendations, informing and challenging others to evolve your corporate citizenship practices, and drive value for your business and communities.

You’ll enhance your personal brand and differentiate yourself within a competitive industry.

Because Corporate Citizenship is changing so rapidly, having access to an online community that helps you stay ahead of the curve when you need it most may be the opportunity you need to turn a good result into a great outcome. By being active on ACCP Communities, you are interacting on a regular basis with peers and decision makers in other impact-driven companies and have a platform to highlight your individual expertise and creative solutions.

You can serve your association and be a leader in the organization.

ACCP Communities are organic and evolving, responding to your interests and needs. New communities can take shape at any time. If groups of members come together with a common issue or interest, they can take the lead to form a new online community. By taking the initiative to start-up a community, you will support fellow members and help ACCP identify and respond to emerging issues that drive the organization’s success.

You can craft the future of CSR.

As a member of ACCP, you’ll help lay the foundation for the future of CSR. We understand the field and the challenges our members face but we also recognize the potential for more positive impact and growth within the industry. Through the ACCP Communities, you drive the conversation about what’s ahead for our changing field and how the industry will shift accordingly. The ACCP Communities platform is driven entirely by members, allowing you to start new threads of conversation, responding in real time to trending topics.

I invite all ACCP members to join an online community and become active in dialogue with peers from more than 210 impact-driven companies. Over the course of the next three weeks, you’ll see four new communities come online: Open Forum, Employee Experience, Emerging Leaders and LGBTQIA. If you don’t yet see a community representing your industry or interest, let us know and if there is also interest from others, we will start one up.

Not yet a member? Access to ACCP Communities is one more reason for you to join ACCP, the professional membership association for corporate citizenship professionals and the community for purpose-driven CSR professionals.

When we act alone, we cannot build on one another’s wisdom to maximize our impact. But together, we can shape some of the field’s most practical insights, relevant tools, and meaningful connections through ACCP Communities. Visit us at accp.org/membership to learn more.

Thank you for your submission.