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This session is available exclusively to members of Future 500’s Corporate Affinity Network and select guests. To learn more about membership or request a courtesy invitation, visit future500.org/can.
Members of Future 500’s Corporate Affinity Network (CAN) and select guests are invited to join a private briefing on Corporate Political Responsibility on February 26 at 1:00 pm Eastern / 10:00 am Pacific with:
Tom Lyon & Elizabeth Doty, The Erb Institute's Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
Sarah Bonk & Richard Eidlin, Business for America
Bill Shireman, In This Together.
In the wake of the attack on the US Capitol, many companies are scaling back their political contributions and reevaluating their political engagement strategies. Meanwhile, internal and external stakeholders are scrutinizing corporate political engagements on a whole range of issues and are asking whether corporate political and marketing activities are directly or indirectly contributing to increasing polarization, disinformation, and distrust – and thereby eroding civic institutions and democracy.
Given these trends, companies need to shift from reactive, ad hoc responses on specific crises, to integrated, cross-functional guidelines for "corporate political responsibility" that help them make decisions and articulate their positions clearly for years to come.
Leaders from the Erb Institute, Business for America, and In This Together will discuss their organizations' approaches to Corporate Political Responsibility including:
How should companies cross-functionally align their public affairs goals with their commitments to sustainability, inclusion, and social justice which underpin long-term value creation for all their stakeholders?
What might political transparency and accountability look like in this evolving landscape?
And how can companies advocate for their particular commercial self-interests, while also standing up for the critical values of liberal democracy?
This will be an interactive dialogue designed to engage sustainability, government and public affairs, diversity, investor relations, marketing, and legal affairs. We will start by previewing a simple framework from the Erb Institute's Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce, then consider two specific action proposals – Business for America's campaign around the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and In This Together's proposal that firms redirect media and political spending to reduce polarization – as test cases to tease out guiding principles and identify further questions firms will want to explore.
Only CAN members and invited guests will be admitted to the meeting. To learn more about membership visit future500.org/can. Senior corporate leaders can email Erik Wohlgemuth, COO with an expression of interest and request a courtesy invitation to audit one of our virtual meetings.