FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2024
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Forbes Column: “Social Change Under Trump: A Playbook for Business Leaders”
FAIRFAX, VA – Carolyn Berkowitz, president and CEO of the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), the nation’s leading advocate for corporate social impact professionals, is featured as one of eight experts in a new Forbes column helping business leaders prepare a playbook for corporate social impact over the next four years during a second Trump Administration.
The column discusses how corporate executives can continue balancing profits and purpose by integrating new and time-tested approaches that advance their goals in a changed post-election landscape.
In the column, Berkowitz states, “I would strongly encourage CEOs to lean into and invest in corporate social responsibility initiatives that benefit the bottom line. Now is a great time to remind corporate leaders of the fundamentals of why and how their companies authentically engage in the work.”
Berkowitz believes companies who connect their CSR work to business strategy strengthen customer, employee, investor, and brand loyalty. She encourages corporations to strategically manage their work in communities by focusing on the issues that matter most to their company, resourcing the work for success, and holding themselves accountable to measurable goals.
For example, Capital One’s business strategy is to lead the industry with technological solutions that support their customers’ financial well-being. By teaching 29K young people to code (build apps) with schools and nonprofits as partners through Capital One Coders, their employees are meaningfully lending their skills and the company is building its future workforce.
Ms. Berkowitz is available to offer additional strategies to positively impact the issue area landscape in 2025, including:
- Maintaining Responsiveness to Stakeholder Expectations: Regardless of the election outcome, companies that invest in communities and create workplaces where employees can thrive continue to earn the support of employees, shareholders, and customers alike.
- Social Impact as a Profitable Business Strategy: Extensive research shows that long-term investment in corporate social impact yields strategic advantages and enhances profitability, making it a sound business approach.
- Harnessing Storytelling to Highlight Positive Impact: Sharing stories of social impact brings programs to life and shapes conversations around this work. For example, FedEx shares the story about their Delivering for Good program, in which the company works with global disaster relief nonprofit organizations year-round to respond when catastrophes impact communities.
Berkowitz advises CEOs to ensure their companies have well-resourced efforts with ample, experienced staff, seasoned leadership, crisp strategies, evolving technology, and appropriately funded external partnerships. Those that do will see a return on their investment through measurable community outcomes, employee engagement, public support, and brand loyalty. “Invest financial, operational, and human resources in CSR as you would any other business function so it can achieve the outcomes you seek,” suggests Berkowitz.
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The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) is the preeminent membership organization advancing the practice of corporate social impact. ACCP increases the effectiveness of CSR & ESG professionals and their companies by sharing knowledge, fostering solutions, and cultivating inclusive and supportive peer communities. ACCP amplifies the voices of its practitioner network to elevate strategies that work, provide innovative solutions, and expand impact.
