Natixis Global Asset Management Sharpens Corporate Citizenship Focus for Greater Impact

The definition of what it means to be a good corporate citizen has evolved over the years. It varies according to a company’s resources, giving priorities, corporate culture, and even with time. Natixis Global Asset Management (NGAM) underwent a period of internal reflection as it sought to develop a more strategic corporate citizenship program that produced greater impact on the local community.

John Hailer, President & CEO of the Americas and Asia, drew upon his long history of volunteerism and community involvement to develop ways to get employees engaged in the community. Together with his team, Hailer identified key areas that are often overlooked in terms of community giving. NGAM brought community involvement back to the basics and focused on supporting programs geared to address fundamental social services, including: health care, housing, education and mentoring. In partnership with 10 local nonprofit organizations that have a strong reputation for delivering these services, NGAM has developed a new strategic corporate citizenship program focused on the individual or family that slips through the cracks in society.

Recently, NGAM was recognized for its efforts in building sustainable partnerships with nonprofit organizations throughout the Boston area by the Boston Business Journal. In addition to providing NGAM with an outlet to be a better corporate citizen, its corporate philanthropy program engages employees in volunteerism and creates a dialogue around developing better opportunities for communities in need. To provide some insights into the program’s development over time and its impact on NGAM’s overall responsibility goals, Hailer recently shared his perspective on this transformation.

What prompted NGAM to redesign its corporate philanthropy program? What departments were involved in the process?

In 2011, we established a more strategic corporate philanthropy program with the goal of better focusing our efforts and making community engagement and charitable work an integral part of our overall corporate culture. Our goal was to create a philanthropic model that engages and collaborates with the nonprofits to ensure the company’s efforts are well aligned with the goals of the nonprofit and are maximized to generate the strongest results possible.

Like every organization, we have limited resources so we needed to come up with the best use of our people, time and money. It’s a team approach that enables us to understand the nonprofits’ strategies, goals and objectives. This effort was led by senior executives and leaders from the human resources division, who all played a critical role in creating a successful model that has received overwhelming support and engagement at all levels of the company.

To read the full blog post click here