Accenture is a giant consulting firm driving innovation in the corporate world that prides itself on preparing industry for the digital age. They run the gamut from technology to business operations, partnering with the majority of Fortune 500 companies around the world. Essentially, Accenture is a B2B powerhouse. Plenty of professionals think that B2B businesses don’t need to worry about philanthropy or sustainability because it doesn’t increase their client base. Accenture doesn’t agree, and neither do I. They have a robust, forward thinking, industry defining, long-term philanthropy strategy that we can all learn from and admire.
Accenture’s purpose is to create a more equal and inclusive society. This is broad. Possibly as broad as you can go, and this scares a lot of businesses. It feels unattainable. But essentially, it is a powerful statement that allows them to do pretty much anything. It grows with the company and is adaptable to changing times. It allows them to hook that to long-term culture and identity as an innovative philanthropic company because they don’t have to change this statement, ever. It sets Accenture up to do the multitude of philanthropic activities from research to social media campaigns.
Accenture has a few different aspects of their philanthropy. First, they utilize their internal expertise and technology to solve complex societal issues. This is three fold: with clients, through advanced healthcare analytics in Japan; with their employees, through an initiative called #InclusionStartsWithI; and with their communities, by providing computer technology education to over 200,000 kids. They are working with three major groups of stakeholders to meet needs that they, specifically, can provide. Stakeholder engagement is one of the most important pieces of your strategy, and providing solutions with what you already have or do is another important piece. Accenture does both.
They didn’t stop there. Accenture has cut per-person carbon emissions in half, has committed millions of dollars to help prepare people for a digital economy, redesigned their code of business ethics, researched gender diversity and equality in the workplace, and provided millions of people with entrepreneurial and workplace skills. What a list. Remember, Accenture is a HUGE company. Your company doesn’t have to do that many things. I want you to focus on how Accenture uses their existing resources, strategizes to solve social issues, and loops in their stakeholders. THIS is the strategy every business, no matter the size, needs to take. And it doesn’t matter if you are B2B, or consumer facing, because every single business benefits from strategic philanthropy. Ready to get started?
