ACCP Staff
I am excited to speak with one of our newest ACCP Board Members, Patrick McAnally. Patrick is the VP/Director of Community and Engagement for AllianceBernstein. We explored what it takes to lead boldly in today’s CSR landscape. From nonprofit roots to global leadership, Patrick shares lessons in clarity, collaboration, and staying grounded in community.
How did you get your start in corporate citizenship?
Before joining AllianceBernstein, I worked for a nonprofit organization and served as a conflict management consultant. These roles allowed me to connect with leaders across Tennessee and become deeply involved in the nonprofit sector in Nashville, where AB’s headquarters are located. The experience I gained over the years helped me secure a position on AB’s Community and Civic Engagement team.
There, I learned from my former manager, who built the program from the ground up and kindly guided me into the world of corporate America. Fast forward eleven months, and I found myself leading the program worldwide. It was a significant challenge, but it provided an incredible opportunity to step into a leadership role and learn from my peers (thanks, ACCP!). It taught me a lot about myself and perseverance.
The field is evolving rapidly. What are the most important skills and knowledge corporate social impact professionals need to stay ahead of the curve and be successful in the future?
- Don’t be afraid to give and receive feedback. No person or process is perfect, and in this rapidly evolving space, feedback is crucial for CSR professionals and their programs. Seeking feedback from grantees and partners is also immensely helpful in ensuring your programs effectively meet the community’s needs. It’s also a valuable way to build trust and reduce the power imbalance between grantors and grantees.
- Freely share ideas, frameworks, and best practices with your peers. One of my favorite aspects of the CSR space is that we aren’t really competing. If I share a successful program model or disaster response plan with a peer at another company, my community benefits from our collaboration. That’s a win-win for everyone.
What advice or lesson learned do you most often share with members of your team or other CSR professionals?
Being clear and candid is kind. Most nonprofit organizations are resource-constrained, and CSR professionals often operate with limited bandwidth due to numerous internal and external requests for conversations, information, funding, and engagement.
Out of respect for everyone’s time, it’s helpful to clearly communicate what will receive a “yes” and what is likely a “no.” Being explicit about how you partner with organizations, what you fund, what you don’t fund, and how your company will engage with the community can help organizations decide how much of their time and resources should be dedicated to pursuing engagement with your company.
Considering the current landscape corporate social impact professionals are working in, what are the essential things you suggest for them to make a priority?
Two key priorities:
- Stay connected to the communities you aim to serve and make yourself available to nonprofit organizations as much as possible. These roles can be demanding, and it’s easy to lose touch with what your community needs most, especially in our rapidly changing socio-political environment.
- Communicate effectively with your leadership and executives about why the work is important, how it makes a difference internally and externally, and how it adds value to the organization. This will help build and retain your headcount and your budget.
One fun/personal question – who’s someone you admire and why?
Chef José Andrés. I am always amazed by how Chef Andrés shows up worldwide to meet people exactly where they are and help fulfill one of their most basic needs—food. There’s much to be said about individuals who are exceptionally talented, use their talent to achieve great success, and then channel their celebrity status and wealth toward the greater good. Additionally, his willingness to speak truth to power in moments of crisis and injustice is truly inspiring to me.
