Building the pro bono movement through Billion + Change

The most recent Billion + Change event, hosted by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) on May 22 in San Francisco, was a raging success for the pro bono movement. In attendance was a 75-person dream team of pro bono junkies, all making profound connections and driving thoughtful conversations about how to proliferate pro bono. Heather McLeod Grant, author of Forces for Good, gave a keynote address emphasizing the power of networks to strengthen the social impact sector and mentioned afterward that “It looks like I’m preaching to the choir.”

Attendees included leaders from large companies, local government, small businesses, nonprofits, and pro bono intermediaries like Taproot. In panel discussions and breakout sessions these pro bono all-stars discussed themes like how to scale a pro bono programs across companies large and small, done-in-a-day pro bono events, how to integrate pro bono into a company’s core business strategy, and pro bono for local government.

About the campaign

Taproot is a founding member of the Billion + Change campaign. A Billion + Change is a national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based service by 2013 to address core issues our communities face across the country and around the world. Together we will transform how businesses leverage their employees to make a lasting impact on society by engaging, inspiring and mobilizing professional talent to build the capacity of non-profit organizations to better meet community needs. For more information, see www.abillionpluschange.org.

Support the pro bono movment by connecting with us to build capacity in the nonprofit sector.

By Caroline McDermott, Senior Associate Consultant, Taproot Foundation