Are you ready to dive into the world of corporate social impact and accelerate your career? ACCP Forum is the premier learning experience for professionals new to the field (with one to three years of experience) in corporate social impact. Designed to build both knowledge and confidence, Forum combines immersive learning, real-world application, and meaningful peer connections to help you navigate the complexities of the profession.
Through interactive sessions led by ACCP staff and experienced practitioners, collaborative discussions, and hands-on activities, you’ll explore the core concepts, trends, and practices that shape today’s corporate social impact landscape. Along the way, you’ll build a career-long network of peers facing many of the same opportunities and challenges. Participants also receive a certificate of participation, recognizing their commitment to professional growth and development.
Who Should Attend Forum?
Open to both ACCP members and non-members, Forum is designed for professionals in their first three years of corporate social impact, including those with responsibilities in CSR, ESG, inclusion, or community impact. Through immersive learning and peer collaboration, participants gain practical knowledge of the core concepts, trends, and practices shaping the field.
Which Forum is right for you?
Whether you prefer an immersive, in-person experience or the flexibility of online learning, ACCP offers two pathways to help you build a strong foundation in corporate social impact. Forum provides an intensive, face-to-face learning experience in Chicago over four days, while Forum Flex delivers the same practical, practitioner-informed approach through a flexible online format. Choose the learning experience that best fits your schedule, learning style, and professional goals.
Forum Flex:
Foundations of Corporate Social Impact Practice
Build Your CSR Foundation From Anywhere
New to corporate social impact? Looking to deepen your understanding of the field while connecting with peers facing similar challenges?
For nearly two decades, ACCP’s Forum has helped early-career professionals build the knowledge, confidence, and connections needed to succeed in corporate social impact. It remains one of ACCP’s longest standing and most impactful programs, with alumni consistently citing it as a turning point in their careers.
Now, we’re bringing that same spirit of learning and community to a new format.
Forum Flex is a seven-week guided learning experience designed for professionals with three or fewer years in corporate social impact. Combining self-paced learning with virtual peer discussions, Forum Flex helps participants build practical knowledge across the core functions of CSR while creating meaningful connections with fellow practitioners.
Forum Flex was created to meet learners where they are. While our in-person Forum remains an immersive, intensive experience, Forum Flex offers a more flexible and accessible option focused on five core areas of corporate social impact.
It’s ideal for professionals who are unable to travel, have limited professional development budgets, are balancing busy schedules, or simply prefer a virtual learning experience.
Whether you’re a team of one, working remotely, balancing family commitments, or looking for a more affordable way to build your skills, Forum Flex delivers the flexibility you need without sacrificing meaningful learning or peer connection.
Over seven weeks, you’ll gain exposure to the foundational topics every corporate social impact professional should understand while building a network of peers navigating many of the same opportunities and challenges.
What You’ll Learn
Over seven weeks, participants will explore five foundational areas of corporate social impact:
- Vehicles of Corporate Philanthropy & International Giving
- Impact Measurement & Strategy
- Grantmaking, Equity & Signature Programs
- Corporate Volunteerism
- Employee Engagement
Each topic includes an on-demand course, real-world examples, and a live, facilitated virtual discussion where participants can share experiences, ask questions, and learn from one another.
Program Details
- Dates: September 28 – November 13, 2026
Format: Fully virtual – self-paced learning + live Zoom sessions (recorded)
Duration: 7 weeks (time commitment each week is approximately 2.5-3 hours) - Live Discussions: Led by ACCP’s Content & Learning Team (held weekly on Tuesdays, 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET (Note: Weeks 1 & 7 will be held from 1:00-2:15 p.m. ET)
- Platform: ACCP Learning Center (LMS) for courses, discussion boards, and resources
- Cohort Size: Maximum 30 participants
- Pricing
- Member: $1,695
- Nonmember: $2,595
Is Forum Flex Right for You?
Forum Flex is designed for professionals with three or fewer years of experience in corporate social impact, CSR, corporate citizenship, community relations, employee engagement, or philanthropy.
It is especially valuable for:
- Teams of one
- Remote professionals
- New practitioners seeking a broad foundation
- Professionals who cannot travel to in-person training
Forum Flex is proudly sponsored by
The forum: a csr intensive (in-person)
April 12-15, 2027 | Chicago, IL
Why Attend?
- Gain real-world examples and diverse perspectives: Gain practical insights into the key aspects of corporate social responsibility through dynamic sessions and interactive discussions.
- Build your professional network: Connect with peers and industry experts who will support your career growth long after the program concludes.
- Accelerate your career: With deeper knowledge and new skills, you’ll be better positioned to lead impactful initiatives within your company.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand ways CSR can contribute to the business and regulations.
- Gain insights into how to weave equitable and inclusive practices into corporate social impact.
- Explore the broad program areas of CSR and the variations across organizations.
- Benchmark employee engagement programs and hear insights into how to boost participation.
- Build a trusted network of CSR professionals to share best practices and collaborate on solutions.
- Dive into some of the basic complexities of domestic and international giving, understanding compliance and legal implications.
- Expand your knowledge on impact measurement and how to drive data-informed decisions
Sample AGENDA
DAY 1
| Check In |
| Welcome & Introductions |
| Structuring Social Impact: Terminology, Roles & Intersections |
| Breakouts on Org Structure & Responsibilities |
| Wrap Up |
| Forum Welcome Reception |
DAY 2
| Breakfast & Networking |
| Impact Measurement & Logic Models |
| Corporate Citizenship Team Announcements |
| Shifting Legal and Reputational Landscape in CSR |
| Lunch & Table Discussion |
| CSR Landscape & Tech Trends |
| Aligning to the Business – Positioning Yourself Within Your Company |
| Expanding Change Management & Influencing Without Authority |
| Corporate Citizenship Team Work |
| Wrap Up |
DAY 3
| Breakfast & Networking |
| Grantmaking & Equity |
| Panel on Strategic Partnerships |
| Group Tours of North Lawndale Employment Network |
| Lunch at NLEN and shopping in beelove® café |
| Vehicles of Corporate Philanthropy |
| International Giving – Understanding Regulations |
| Breakouts on Grant Process & Requirements |
| Disaster Relief & Crises Response |
| Hurricane Myles Update & Corporate Citizenship Team Work |
| Wrap Up |
DAY 4
| Breakfast & Networking |
| Employee Engagement & Workplace Giving |
| Breakouts on Volunteer Programs by Workforce Type + Undie Kit Packing with Undies for Everyone |
| Cause Marketing/Fundraising Overview |
| Lunch & Table Discussion |
| Corporate Citizenship Team Work |
| Group Presentations |
| Final Wrap Up |
Hotel details
Room block details to be added at a later date.
Tuition Rates
Your tuition includes four days of immersive learning, opportunities to connect, breakfast and lunch on session days, and an off-site excursion in Chicago to experience a signature CSR program in action.
- ACCP Members: $3,695
- Non-Members: $4,800