WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) and Points of Light, the nation’s definitive experts on civic engagement, announced the start of a two-week countdown to the closing of The Civic 100, a national initiative to survey, rank and recognize corporations making a difference in communities. S&P 500 companies have until July 31 to complete The Civic 100 survey. Bloomberg News, one of corporate America’s most respected sources of business and financial information, will serve as The Civic 100’s media partner in this endeavor.
“The Civic 100 is an incredible opportunity for companies to be recognized for their good work empowering American communities,” said Jackie Norris, executive director of the Points of Light Corporate Institute. “That’s why we’re encouraging all eligible S&P 500 corporations to take steps to complete The Civic 100 before the survey closes on July 31. It is absolutely not too late to get started.”
“There is no reason for any eligible corporation to miss this opportunity to share its story of community leadership and engagement,” said David Smith, executive director of the National Conference on Citizenship. “At a time when many people are distrustful of corporate America, The Civic 100 is an opportunity to share the positive work companies are doing to empower the communities they serve. We want to show the public – and the world – that Wall Street and Main Street can and do work together.”
The Civic 100 isn’t the first effort to track corporate social responsibility, but it is the first initiative to implement a scientific approach to measuring and evaluating corporate civic engagement. A recent CSR Perception Survey conducted by Penn Schoen & Berland found that 40 percent of respondents were willing to take a pay cut to work at a socially responsible company, and 72 percent would sacrifice spending or salary to support corporate social responsibility initiatives. The same survey found that 75 percent of consumers say corporate responsibility is important to them, and they are more likely to purchase products or services from a company after reading its responsibility agenda.
To learn more about The Civic 100 survey as well as the importance of civic engagement in corporate America, please visit www.Civic100.org.
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About NCoC
At the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), we believe everyone has the power to make a difference in how their community and country thrive. We are a dynamic, non-partisan nonprofit working at the forefront of our nation’s civic life. Through our events, research, and reports, NCoC expands our nation’s contemporary understanding of what it means to be a citizen. We seek new ideas and approaches for creating greater civic health and vitality throughout the United States.
NCoC was chartered by Congress in 1953 to harness the patriotic energy and national civic involvement surrounding World War II, and we’ve been invigorated by this charge ever since. In 2009, Congress recognized the importance of our role once again and expanded our Civic Health Assessment to become the nation’s largest and most definitive measure of civic engagement. Today, we continue to discover and share best practices in civic engagement. For more information, visit www.NCoC.net
About Points of Light
Points of Light is the leading volunteer organization with more than 20 years of history and a bipartisan presidential legacy. Our mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world. We connect people to their power to make a meaningful difference by providing access to tools, resources and opportunities to help volunteers use their time, talent, voice and money to meet the critical needs of our communities. We are organized into three divisions: Programs, Civic Incubator and Action Networks, which include HandsOn Network, the largest network of 250 local volunteer centers across the country and around the world; generationOn, the youth service movement that ignites the power of kids to make their mark on the world; AmeriCorps Alums, the national service alumni network that activates the next generation of service leaders; and Points of Light Corporate Institute, our enterprise that enables companies to engage their employees and customers in service. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org
About Bloomberg News
Bloomberg connects influential decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. Our strength - quickly and accurately delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology - is at the core of everything we do. With over 15,000 employees in 192 locations, we deliver business and financial information, news and insight around the world. For more information, visit Bloomberg.com