12
HR
West
®
I
ntegrating a pro bono program with a
company’s existing talent development
priorities has the potential to deepen the
program’s internal impact on talent as well as
its residual benefits on the community. While
currently upwards of 70% of corporate pro bono
programs are reported to be run by a Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) department
1
, there
is a rapidly increasing set of companies adding
pro bono service opportunities to an existing
leadership development program or beginning
and expanding programs in direct partnership
with talent development initiatives driven by
Human Resources. We have seen this type
of integration add a layer of depth to program
value — transforming pro bono from simply a
nice-to-have community service initiative to a
core strategic investment in a company’s primary
asset, its talent. In addition to providing tangible
professional development benefits, pro bono
service as a talent development investment also
helps reinforce a company’s emphasis on purpose
and social good to its future leaders at a critical
point in employees’ tenure at the company.
•
Benefit from Human Resources’
perspective on employee expertise:
Screening internal talent to identify the right
participants for a pro bono engagement is
often cited as one of the most challenging
tasks for a CSR-led program. In most cases,
HR is very well equipped with a sense of the
skills, expertise and potential of employees
and can help facilitate an effective
matching process.
By Lindsay Firestone Gruber and Kristin Teti
Local Story
INVESTING IN YOUR TALENT
WITH PRO BONO SERVICE
As expectations for socially responsible business continue to increase around the world, we see frequent
examples of companies looking to add value to the community with a more diverse portfolio of support beyond
traditional cash contributions and volunteering.
