New York Companies Profit from Giving Away Their Time
Firms are turning to pro bono projects to give up-and-coming managers a chance to grow
Originally published on Crain's New York Business
When Carissa Biggie was selected for Goldman Sachs’ six-month leadership-acceleration program, one of her tasks was to figure out a template for growth—not for the firm or even for her department but for STRIVE, a national nonprofit that provides skills training for low-income people and helps them get jobs.
Welcome to corporate pro bono, the fastest growing category of volunteerism in the U.S.
“[Companies] are using pro bono as a way to develop leadership, nurture high-potential employees and create more strategic ways of giving back to the community,” said Liz Hamburg, president and CEO of the Taproot Foundation, which maintains a network of 20,000 corporate volunteers across the country and coordinates skilled volunteering programs for Fortune 500 companies, connecting them with nonprofits in need of strategic savvy.
