CECP is a CEO-led coalition that believes that a company's social strategy—how it engages with key stakeholders including, communities, investors, and customers—determines company success.
Founded in 1999 by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman and other business leaders to create a better world through business, CECP has grown to a movement of more than 200 of the world's largest companies that represent $7 trillion in revenues, $18.6 billion in societal investment, 13 million employees, and $15 trillion in managed assets. CECP helps companies transform their social strategy by providing customized connections, counsel, benchmarking and trends, and awareness building and recognition.
Currently, there is a great deal of uncertainty about how governments will act with respect to climate change, improving conditions for workers, embracing diversity and inclusion, international cooperation, and other major geopolitical challenges. CECP's view is that the world's leading corporations have emerged as a steadying presence, and remain uniquely qualified to continue to drive progress against these challenges and be a force for good.
As part of the CECP 2017 campaign – Brave Moves in a Complex World, CECP has set out to provide data, successful practices, new measurement tools, and investor insights, all with the vision of Fortune 500 companies acting as a key force for good in our communities, for employees and for our planet. The campaign is broken in to four major categories:
LONG-TERM THINKING:
86% of CECP CEOs stated that they are too short-term oriented. Strategic investors and companies are shifting capital to companies committed to a sustainable future. The "Big 3" asset managers (Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street) are encouraging companies to adopt and regularly disclose long-term strategic plans and governance practices.
CECP Action: CECP's Strategic Investor Initiative (SII) – CECP CEO Investor Forum, CECP Annual Summit, and roundtables around the country.
More than 200 long-term-focused investors representing over $20 trillion in assets under management heard presentations from CEOs and CFOs of major global companies. CECP Annual Summit of 250 executives, Brave Leaders, Bold Moves 2017 CECP Summit.
ADVOCACY AS STRATEGY:
According to a Public Affairs Council study, pressure to engage on social issues in the last three years has increased for 60% of companies. CEOs are playing statesman-like roles on issues ranging from race relations to living wages and supporting environmental organizations.
CECP Action: CECP gathers 50 CEOs each year at the Board of Boards
The Board of Boards is a forum for CEOs to discuss the business case for societal engagement. CEOs participate in highly interactive peer-to-peer discussions, hear stories of challenges and success in this area from other CEOs, and have the opportunity to share their own plans and achievements. The conversations set the community investment agenda for the coming year.
LEVERAGING ASSETS:
CECP data show that 91% of companies are "doing good" that is not counted through current measurement methods. From impact investing, to data, to brand and logistics, leading companies are solving societal challenges by leveraging their skills and assets.
CECP Action: CECP is transforming its measurement process to capture this "good beyond giving" through its Social Scorecard and the What Counts: The S in ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) report, in partnership with USAA.
What Counts: The S in ESG:
The process provides a framework through which to measure the materiality of social investment and link this to a company's financial condition for inclusion in SEC Filings. S in ESG aims to shift the conversation from Total Giving to Total Social Investment.
PURPOSE DRIVEN:
Employees who take part in the company's social programs report higher fulfillment through work and are less likely to leave the company. 63% of CEOs reported that the greatest benefit of expanding their Purpose-oriented societal investment is strengthening human capital.
CECP Action: CECP is helping companies identify authentic purpose statements, relevant case studies, and actions.
Building a Culture of Purpose: A 2017 CECP Imperative, PwC Accelerate Initiative
The initiative, launched by CECP, PwC and Imperative will develop a shared language, proven approaches, and commonly valued measures to ensure sustained strategic investments and trackable progress toward an effective purpose-driven culture.
More than 50 CEOs from the world's largest companies convened at CECP's 12th annual Board of Boards on February 27, 2017 to discuss the theme, "The Long-Term Business Imperative" and how companies are infusing stakeholder needs—such as community, customers, employees, and investors—into core business strategy. This Forbes-named top-three "power player" event for CEOs, with the vast majority of attendees reporting that they are very likely to recommend the event to a fellow CEO, is a closed-door networking discussion. Board of Boards Executive Summary
In addition to presenting operational and financial outlooks ranging three to five years or more, these long-term plans incorporated financially material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, introduced new long-term performance metrics, and highlighted the role of each company's values or purpose as the foundation for long-term prosperity and enhanced stakeholder relations. CEO Investor's Forum
In the most complete annual survey of corporate societal engagement, CECP, in association with The Conference Board, heard from a record 272 multi-billion dollar companies with aggregate revenues of USD$7.5 Trillion. Leading companies are tapping The New Competitive Advantage of societal engagement; a majority of companies saw increased attention from new stakeholders, such as the investor community, recognizing that societal commitments are good for business. Giving in Numbers
