Why CSR and Social Impact Leaders Should Attend bbcon 2023

We’re excited to be back in-person!

If you’re not familiar with bbcon, it is Blackbaud’s annual event that convenes thousands of change-makers for a technology conference designed to fuel your impact and help you find your community. After three years of meeting virtually, this conference is back in-person on October 22-24 in Denver, Colorado.

Keynote Speaker

Imagining our Future: Reflections on AI, Equity, and a Better World

By: Brandolon Barnett

Brandolon Barnett is an investor, author, and entrepreneur dedicated to merging technology and social impact to better move resources to those in need. His book, “Dreams Deferred: Recession, Struggle, and the Quest for a Better World,” chronicles his personal journey through poverty and adversity to a career in social impact and tech. Currently, he serves as the Founder of The Regular App and Chief Product Officer for Humanitas.ai. He is also active as a volunteer, having served until recently as an elected ANC Commissioner in Washington, DC and currently as a board member of Spur Local (formerly The Catalogue for Philanthropy) and Giving Compass.

Join us for a session that weaves a personal journey from poverty, loss, and adversity to a career at the intersection of social impact and technology. This will be an honest and authentic conversation about the many obstacles confronted by under-resourced individuals and organizations striving to help drive social change. We’ll delve into both the risks of AI and the potential rewards that could come from leveraging these newly accessible technologies to build a better world through equitable innovations. Together, we’ll explore answers to the question – how might AI make the hard work of impact, and the often difficult paths to that work, easier and more accessible for us all? 

Breakout Sessions and Panels

Engaging Internal Stakeholders to Design a Successful Volunteer Program

By: Maureen Flynn, Changing Our World; Leah Brody, Changing Our World; Jewell Willet, YourCause from Blackbaud

Now more than ever, CSR has become a strategic imperative for companies of all sizes. More than just a “nice to have,” CSR initiatives, and employee volunteer programs in particular, have proven effective in increasing employee engagement and customer retention, improving brand reputation, attracting and retaining top talent, and overall, creating a measurable, sustainable positive impact in the places where we live and work.

But how do we continue to ensure we’re supporting our employees’ passions and meeting our communities’ greatest needs? Stakeholder engagement is an essential and ongoing component of successful corporate volunteer programs, and one of the greatest tools we have in making sure all of our social impact programs have the support they need to thrive.

This session will focus on the importance of engaging internal stakeholders in the design of a successful corporate volunteer program. Through a mix of interactive exercises and real-life examples, participants will learn how to build a cross-functional team of stakeholders, leverage their expertise and insights, and create internal CSR champions to help drive participation and create a shared sense of program ownership among employees.

Key Takeaways:

• Explore how volunteering benefits employees, retains talent, and creates brand value.

• Engage internal stakeholders in support of volunteering.
• Discover how to build a cross-functional team of experts.
• Drive participation through your CSR champions.

Workplace Culture Strategies for Authentic DEI

By: Elizabeth Bille, EVERFI from Blackbaud; Ariana Moon, Greenhouse Software

Research has clearly shown that companies with a more diverse, inclusive, and engaged workforce perform better. While many organizations are focusing on hiring, data has revealed that many employers seeking DEI progress overlook key steps that can reduce bias and increase diversity and inclusion. This session builds upon the learnings from the “Better Together” session to help companies develop holistic DEI strategies that can lead to increased innovation, retention, and employee satisfaction; better decision-making and profitability; and more. This requires a broader focus across the entire employee experience with initiatives that drive inclusion, employee engagement, purpose, and belonging. 

Key Takeaways:

• Delve into learnings, research, and benchmark data on what companies are and aren’t doing to build a holistic DEI strategy that includes recruiting, hiring, onboarding, education, development, leadership involvement, employee resource groups and CSR/employee engagement initiatives.
• Identify where gaps exist in their organizations and provide recommendations across each of these elements for action and accountability.

Shifting Trends & Priorities in Corporate Social Impact

By: Andrew Troup, Blackbaud; Lacey Gatain, ACCP; Kate Stobbe, CECP

In this session we will delve into some of the key insights and trends taking place across the corporate social impact space. In this panel discussion we will be digging into some of the most interesting data points that have surfaced this year across YourCause’s 11th Industry Review, ACCP’s 4th Annual CSR Insights Survey, and CECP’s recently released Giving in Numbers™ 2023 Edition. Whether it be the economy, the political landscape, global conflicts and natural disasters, or employee burnout and reduced budgets, there are many factors that influence how CSR professionals are implementing strategies and how employees are engaging. Join us for a robust conversation about the trends in corporate social impact and how they may influence your CSR strategy and execution.

Key Takeaways:

• Gain data and insights from the various surveys.
• Understand the key trends impacting the larger CSR sector.
• Discover best practices for approaching strategy review and refinement.

ESG and CSR – Going Beyond the Terms to Impacts Insights and Reporting

By: Andrew Troup, Blackbaud; Farron Levy, True Impact

ESG is on track to be a $1 trillion dollar investment category by 2030 according to Blackrock’s Head of iShares. However, there is still a lot of learning when it comes to ESG best practices and reporting. At the same time, some headlines are calling for ESG investing to expand the materiality definition – especially when it comes to measuring the “S” in ESG – while others are pushing back on the fundamental concept of the role ESG should play in business in general. In this session, we will look beyond the headlines and the terms to explore the important work companies are doing every day as they remain committed to corporate social impact. We will explore the work that companies can do today to start a meaningful measurement and impact reporting journey as they look to connect their broader CSR and ESG initiatives.

Key Takeaways

• Learn best practices for impact measurement and ESG reporting.
• Go beyond the terms and stay committed to impact.
• Leverage output data effectively and consider the outcomes.
• Link your broader CSR and ESG initiatives.

Inspire Employee Engagement Through Action

By: Andrew Troup, Blackbaud; Seth Braddock, GoodMove

At the heart of every volunteerism program is the goal to increase overall participation and impact; however, the question often becomes how? In this session, we will explore some of the ways to inspire engagement from employees by not only offering compelling volunteer opportunities, but also providing a way for employees to feel a tangible connection to their passions and purpose. We will explore the overall definition of engagement and where volunteerism programs can go beyond events and projects to include health, wellness, and everyday social good acts of kindness.

Key Takeaways:

• Connect increased participation to greater inspiration and purpose.
• Consider engagement beyond participation in traditional volunteering events.
• Harness social good acts of kindness for both engagement and well-being.
• Enable employees to feel their connection to impact through action.

Better Together: The Nexus Point of HR, DEI, and CSR

By: Wendy Rentschler, BMC; Layla Ramirez, Justworks; Hillary Smith, NBC Universal

Although often siloed organizationally, the work of HR, DEI, and CSR are inextricably connected. Each area has a critical impact on employee engagement and satisfaction, retention, and feelings of purpose and belonging. Join this session to learn how the work of each area can be leveraged, supported, and reinforced for greater success and deeper impact.

Key Takeaways:

• Explore employee engagement at the intersection of HR, DEI, and CSR.
• Implement a more holistic, collaborative approach to connect employee passions and purpose to engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
• Unite the various aspects of hiring, onboarding, benefits, retention, inclusion, engagement, purpose, and philanthropy.

What the Death of Participation Can Tell You About Your Programs

By: Chris Jarvis, Realized Worth Institute

Participation is critical to the success of any employee giving and volunteering program, but what drives employees to participate or decline to participate in your CSR programs? Join us as we answer this question. Make a shift from a transaction model of giving and volunteering to a transformative approach that provides immense benefits to corporate culture and impacts business goals for corporate community investment.

Key Takeaways:

• Recognize the significance of employee participation.
• Understand the factors that influence employee motivation.
• Move away from a transactional model of giving and volunteering.
• Embrace a transformative approach to advance your community investment goals.

The Critical Role Work Environment and Culture Play in Employee Mental Health

By: Elizabeth Bille, EVERFI from Blackbaud

Employee mental health efforts are critical for your organization to attract and retain top talent, as well as to keep employees healthy, engaged, and productive. The stakes couldn’t be higher – 76% of managers say they are worried about the mental health of a person on their team and 98% say that the mental health of their employees can have a negative effect on their bottom line. While mental health was once viewed as a personal issue or something to be supported through company health plans or EAPs, leading organizations today are taking a more holistic, workplace culture-centered approach, examining how various aspects of the work environment can harm—or help—employee well-being. Join EVERFI’s SVP of Workplace Culture, Elizabeth Bille, as she discusses new research and new strategies your organization can take to create an environment that supports employee mental health.

Key Takeaways:

• Start to identify and address organizational practices, values alignment, and individual behaviors that contribute to a toxic environment.
• Be able to better coordinate your DEIA and CSR strategies with your mental health work.
• Know how to help managers to “manage for wellbeing”.

Bringing Our Refreshed Purpose & Values to Life By Giving Back

By: Jacquelyn Hood, Crowe LLP; Crystal Adams, Crowe LLP

Join us for a case study presentation of how Crowe LLP launched CSRconnect and the Crowe Gives Back campaign to put their newly refreshed purpose and values into practice and bring them to life for their people. Within two weeks after the launch of tool, 85% of Crowe personnel had registered and the campaign resulted in more than $1M being donated to 2300 unique charities.

Key takeaways:

• Understand the power of an effective giving campaign launch strategy.
• Learn how to successfully manage the implementation of a CSR technology platform.
• Hear about how to drive early engagement and bring refreshed values into practice with a new tool.

How to Build Trust in Your Community During a Financial Downturn

By: Peggy Smith, EVERFI from Blackbaud

Consumers are facing a perfect storm of financial pressure with rising inflation, widespread layoffs, and increasing interest rates amid a recession. To add to this pressure, many consumers—of all generations—struggle with gaps in financial education that can have serious and long-lasting consequences. Financial institutions have a unique role to play in building financial capability and strengthening community resilience in times of need to create measurable impact. Join this session to learn how to create opportunities amidst a financial downturn to strengthen relationships within your community by bridging critical education gaps and engaging your employees with volunteerism.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the current financial pressures faced by consumers and communities.
• Discover the unique role that financial institutions can play in building financial capability and resilience.
• Learn strategies for bridging critical education gaps in financial literacy.
• Explore how employee volunteerism can make a positive impact.

Register now!

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with industry experts and take your CSR and social impact efforts to new heights. Register now for bbcon 2023 and unlock a world of knowledge, networking, and actionable strategies to amplify your impact!