Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
Encyclopedia
The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) is the only international forum of business leaders focused on increasing the level and quality of corporate philanthropy. Membership includes more than 180 global CEOs and chairpersons of companies that collectively account for more than 40% of reported corporate giving in the United States.

Membership is by invitation and is renewed annually. CECP provides member companies with peer-to-peer executive convenings, premier networking events for corporate giving industry professionals, cutting-edge research and thought leadership publications, a proprietary, on-demand benchmarking system of corporate philanthropy data, and exclusive media opportunities.

CECP encourages business leaders to use strategically leverage both cash and non-cash resources as a way to find innovative ways to fulfill unmet social needs, to lead the way towards better alignment of business and social strategies, and to serve as business ambassadors.

CECP is intently focused on three guiding principles: representing the CEO voice in corporate philanthropy, encouraging business discipline in the field, and setting the standards for effective philanthropy practice and measurement.

About

Founded in 1999 by Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...

, Peter Malkin and John C. Whitehead
John C. Whitehead
John Cunningham Whitehead is an American banker and civil servant, currently a board member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and, until his resignation in May 2006, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.-Biography:He was born in Evanston, Illinois...

, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy’s (CECP) mission is to lead the business community in raising the level and quality of corporate philanthropy. CECP continues to inspire and challenge leaders in the private sector to find innovative ways to fulfill unmet societal needs and to lead the way towards better alignment of business and societal strategies.

History

In 1998, Paul Newman approached John C. Whitehead and Peter L. Malkin about creating an organization that would encourage companies to commit greater resources to charitable investments, and CECP was born. In 2000, the group recruited Ken Derr, retired Chevron CEO, to serve as co-chair. CECP has since grown to include more than 180 CEO members — representing 150 major corporations and over $10 billion of annual corporate giving.

CECP is located in New York City; however, its member companies are located across the globe. CECP’s member companies account for more than 40% of reported corporate giving in the United States.

International Corporate Philanthropy Day

International Corporate Philanthropy Day (ICPD) was started by CECP in 2004 to build awareness of corporate-community partnerships and inspire businesses around the world to engage further in philanthropy. ICPD takes place on the fourth Monday in February every year. It is a day for the business community to come together and celebrate its accomplishments in corporate social engagement, build awareness of the benefits of corporate community investment, and inspire companies around the world to engage in giving initiatives.

ICPD is open to the entire corporate giving community, as business leaders, government officials, and nonprofit organizations celebrate a year of leveraged corporate giving investment. ICPD is an opportunity for companies to tell their philanthropy story on an internationally recognized day; to further engage senior management, employees, and nonprofit partners in their giving programs; to raise awareness of the important role of corporate philanthropy in fostering stronger relationships across sectors and to enhance relationships with peers and thought leaders in the corporate giving community.

On ICPD, CECP offers a host of media-friendly events and works with partner agencies to publicize these programs and communicate the overall benefits and importance of corporate philanthropy. CECP representatives ring the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...

 Opening Bell to kick off the day's events. Each year, the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...

 is lit in blue and green, the colors of ICPD. Since 2007, the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...

 (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Office for Partnerships
United Nations Office for Partnerships
The United Nations Office for Partnerships serves as a gateway for partnership opportunities with the United Nations family. It promotes new collaborations and alliances in furtherance of the Millennium Development Goals and provides support to new initiatives of the Secretary-General...

, in conjunction with CECP, has hosted a special program on opportunities for philanthropy to help advance the Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...

 on ICPD. Since 2005, CECP has organized the Board or Boards CEO Conference in conjunction with ICPD. This conference provides up to 100 CEOs with the opportunity to come together and discuss corporate philanthropy, peer to peer.

Corporate Philanthropy Summit

CECP’s annual Corporate Philanthropy Summit convenes up to 250 senior corporate philanthropists from many of the world’s most influential companies. Over the course of two days in June, CECP delivers new data and research relevant to corporate philanthropy, presents inspiring keynote speakers such as U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

, General Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...

, and Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...

, and offers participants an open forum to discuss the important trends, success stories, and giving priorities affecting corporate philanthropy.

Excellence Awards in Corporate Philanthropy

Every year since 2000, CECP honors two corporations that best exemplify the Standards of Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy: CEO leadership, partnership, dedication to measurement, and innovation. In addition, CECP created the Directors’ Award in 2004 to recognize a distinguished nonprofit organization that has built a highly effective corporate partnership. The Directors’ Award includes a $25,000 cash donation made by CECP directors to the winning nonprofits.

Winners of the Excellence Awards step beyond the traditional boundaries of corporate philanthropy to explore new ways of solving long-standing social problems by creatively use corporate resources like employee time, business partnerships, and product donation. Winning companies have a committed CEO and senior management who serve as active leaders and participants in the program. Winning companies show commitment to measuring and evaluating all aspects of a community investment program as well as social and business results. Excellence Award winners work closely with nonprofit partners to ensure that corporate resources are best leveraged. Past winners include: Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...

, Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...

, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Corporate Giving Standard

The Corporate Giving Standard (CGS) is a peer benchmarking tool for corporate giving professionals. Each year through this annual survey, CECP collects and reports data on numerous aspects of corporate giving programs internationally. Launched in 2001, the CGS now features over $60 billion in corporate giving data.

The CGS allows peer-to-peer company comparisons, aggregated industry benchmarks, and internal year-over-year spending analyses. Giving professionals define their own peer groups to create online customized reports, particularly valuable in planning giving strategy and presenting to senior management. The CGS offers immediate, on-demand reporting and benchmarking while preserving the anonymity of each company’s giving data. CECP reviews each company’s data to ensure consistent, accurate reporting. The CGS serves as a solid foundation for strategy development and program evaluation.

Drawn from the CGS, the annual Giving in Numbers report provides thorough analysis and comprehensive benchmarking data for corporate philanthropy professionals seeking to assess the scope of their contributions initiatives.
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