Three Ways to Take Your Impact Further | Taproot Foundation’s Advisory Services Spring Newsletter

Get the Right Support to the Right Nonprofit at the Right Time

It’s a common misconception that the bigger and more complex a pro bono initiative is, the higher the impact will be for nonprofits, your employees, and the company itself. In fact, the biggest determinant of a program’s impact is not its scale or complexity but the quality of the match between employees’ expertise and nonprofits’ needs. Great pro bono initiatives have one thing in common – the right support for the right nonprofit at the right time. In this 3-part series, Taproot breaks down how to ensure you’re making the right match. Check out our series overview then get started with Part 1.

Get In with the C-Suite

We’re excited to introduce Quick Consult, a new series where members of our team share insights into topics we hear are top of mind for pro bono practitioners. In this talk, Taproot Advisory Services’ Kim Gillman provides three tips for more effectively engaging senior leadership in your company’s pro bono programming. Which tactics you use and what will work best differs company to company, but regardless the benefit of buy-in from leadership is big – and worth exploring. Read Kim’s tips here.

Are You Measuring What Matters? 

You want to build pro bono programs that have real impact – you need your investment to matter to the community you serve. Last year we joined forces with True Impact and Mastercard to produce a paper offering guidance for pro bono practitioners to think beyond measuring outputs. And we’re pleased to see a recent article in the Harvard Business Review making a similar case for measuring success through outcomes, not just outputs. Check it out to see how they framed the topic of outputs and outcomes – particularly as you make the case for an improved approach to assessing the value of your pro bono services. Learn more here.

Global Pro Bono Summit Recap

We just wrapped a terrific Global Pro Bono Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. This year’s gathering was hosted by Taproot and the BMW Foundation along with local partner, Social Entrepreneurs Agency. In its fifth year, the Summit was composed of pro bono leaders from across sectors and 27 countries who gathered to build the strength and momentum of global pro bono. It’s amazing to see how much the Global Pro Bono Network has grown since we created it with the BMW Foundation in 2012. And most exciting? The best days are ahead! See the Summit in photos.

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