Business Value of Pro Bono: Innovate and Adapt

Mar 28th, 2018 Advisory Services, Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee Engagement, Service Area: Strategy, Service Area: Technology

Pro bono service is a powerful way to drive social change. Yet, many corporate employees looking to bring pro bono service to their company struggle to get buy-in from leadership and other key stakeholders. Although these stakeholders may understand the social value of pro bono, they don’t always see the business value.

That’s why Taproot developed the Business Value of Pro Bono, a new resource for the field that outlines six common business objectives that pro bono can help support.

Business Value of Pro Bono #4: Innovate and Adapt

An agile approach helps companies keep their edge.
In an economy that is increasingly driven by technology and innovation, the companies that are most effective at innovating and adapting to shifting landscapes are the ones best positioned to rise above the competition. Pro bono helps companies… stimulate innovation, effectively navigate change, and think and act globally.

Adobe’s Pro Bono Approach:
Adobe employees from across the company are placed on small cross-functional teams to develop creative solutions that address a key challenge for a nonprofit partner. The event–one of several pro bono programs Adobe has developed with Taproot–takes place each year and is designed to challenge and inspire employees to apply their professional expertise and design thinking approach.

In Adobe’s Words…
“Adobe has a strong commitment to innovative design. Using frameworks like design thinking as a lens for our pro bono program helps us foster an ethic of innovation among employees while helping nonprofits we care about take their work to the next level.”
–Kim Kerry-Tyerman, Sustainability & Social Impact Lead, EMEA & India