PG&E Participates in Pilot Program to Measure the Impact of Community Investments

Orlando, FL, August 28, 2013 /3BL Media/ – The Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals (ACCP) and Corporate Citizenship (CC) have released a summary report highlighting results of an 18‐month pilot program designed to improve companies’ ability to measure the impact of corporate community investment. Through this initiative, 13 ACCP member companies learned the LBG model, a global standard in impact measurement, and its measurement tools. At the conclusion of the pilot, participants felt the framework provided a succinct, and very much needed, process to assess impact of their community investment programs.

“Establishing a system of measurement is vital. I applaud ACCP and Corporate Citizenship for spearheading this initiative to advance the business community’s ability to evaluate the impact of social investments,” said Ezra Garrett, Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of the PG&E Corporation Foundation. “Using the model has enabled us to achieve greater clarity on the community and business benefits of our program and demonstrate value and return. We urge other members of the Fortune 500 to join in the movement to further the impact we can make together.”

The pilot, focused on the LBG measurement model, launched on November 30, 2011. Over the course of the program, a series of intensive workshops took place applying the model to actual company programs. The resulting summary report, jointly developed by ACCP and CC, details the pilot participants’ experience, how their company data compares to LBG member companies and conclusions on how the LBG model can be more widely applied in the United States.

“While there are other measurement methods out there, ACCP believes the LBG model is the most robust option while still allowing the level of flexibility the profession needs to address our measurement conundrum,” said Mark Shamley, President and CEO at ACCP. “Now that we have completed the pilot and achieved a productive outcome, our team has begun developing the trainingand resources necessary so companies and NGOs alike can begin using this measurement framework as a planning and assessment tool.”

ACCP and LBGs’ combined global scope includes more than 375 member corporations. By joining the efforts of these two organizations, the best practices of North America, Europe and the rest of the world have been brought together for the betterment of the profession.

“Through the pilot with ACCP, we have witnessed first‐hand the transparency and guidance the LBG model, the global standard, gives companies in measuring their community involvement,” said Mike Tuffrey, Co‐founder of Corporate Citizenship. “We look forward to expanding our relationship with ACCP to further enable US‐based companies to use the LBG model and also in joining a large, global group of companies with shared objectives to align business and community to generate great results.”

About ACCP

The Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals (ACCP) is the nation's leading independent organization providing services and support for corporate grant making, community relations and employee volunteer managers. ACCP is a nonprofit advocacy and continuing education organization that helps corporations identify and adopt best practices and provides training for contributions professionals in the volunteerism, community relations and contributions fields. Our membership is comprised of 140 Fortune 300 multinationals whose collective annual charitable giving exceeds $8 billion.

About LBG and Corporate Citizenship

LBG is the international standard for measuring corporate community investment. More than 300 companies around the world use the LBG model to manage their community programs and demonstrate the impact to society and the business. The LBG framework is also integrated into international indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. The LBG network is also a global forum for members to share best practice and benchmark performance. LBG is managed on behalf of its members by Corporate Citizenship; a sustainability consulting firm with offices in the US, UK, Singapore and representation in Scandinavia and Bangalore. Corporate Citizenship offers clients around the world unrivalled breadth and depth of experience in corporate responsibility. Since 1997, it has advised leading, multi‐national corporations on how to enhance and align their citizenship and traditional business activities to create strategic business value.

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