Agenda
Wednesday, September 2
9:45 AM
Registration, Networking, and Refreshments
10:30 AM
Welcome and Introduction
10:45 AM
Peer-Led Vendor* Clinic
ESG and CSR vendors: What are we using, what works, and what doesn’t?
*We are a vendor-free community, so these “vendor clinics” are a special opportunity to dig-in, ask tough questions, and get candid feedback — not a sales pitch.
Open, peer-led discussions where you can find workarounds and share successes (and frustrations) with the ESG & CSR tool integral to your program’s success. If you aren’t a customer but are considering an investment in a particular vendor, you can get an honest assessment from other brands who use the tool. In this clinic, we’ll focus on:
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11:15 AM
Break
11:20 AM
Panel
Demonstrating the ROI: What can sustainability and social impact learn from each other?
11:50 AM
Lunch Discussion
1:00 PM
Break
1:10 PM
Case StudyGrant Application Review: Putting Employees in the Driver’s Seat
Engaging employees in grant decisions can transform how your workforce connects to your company’s impact mission, but getting there requires the right balance of structure and autonomy. Join Wesley Touhy and Jenna Gregory of Motorola Solutions as they break down how they run a successful 300+ participant grant review program and share scalable steps any company can implement to expand employee influence in grantmaking. |
Case StudySustainability Strategies that Engage and Serve the Business
Designing and implementing an enterprise sustainability strategy requires cross‑functional engagement, disciplined execution, and a clear link to business resilience. Hear from Rachel Grunberg, Director of Environmental Sustainability and Casey Velazquez, Manager, Sustainability Reporting & Planning at The Hershey Company on how they worked across the organization to build a commitment framework that supports long‑term performance and value creation. |
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1:40 PM
Break
1:55 PM
Case StudyFrom Disruption to Engagement: Building a Global Volunteer Movement
Amid a period of significant organizational change—including leadership transitions, restructuring, and evolving ways of working—Avantor launched a global Community Impact program as an opportunity to engage employees and strengthen its culture. Since September 2022, the program has driven consistent double-digit growth in participation year over year. Join Valerie Collado, Director of Community Impact and Communications at Avantor Sciences, for an inside look at what it takes to design, launch, and scale a volunteer strategy that resonates—and endures—through change. |
Case StudyTackling Sustainability Through the Corporate Legal Lens in 2026
Ever wish that you could get inside your legal department’s head? Now’s your chance. Join Karen Garnett, Head of ESG Policy and Reporting at Charles Schwab (and lawyer by training) as she breaks down the competing priorities and risks running through your inside counsel’s head whenever ESG gets mentioned. Hear her tips for fostering collaboration and alignment as the regulatory and litigatory landscape continues to rapidly change. |
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2:25 PM
Break
2:40 PM
Case StudyBuilding a New Signature CSR Program with Environmental Impact
The process of assessing and overhauling your existing giving strategies stresses out every CSR leader, especially when it comes to selling leaders and colleagues on a new signature vision. Come hear how Julie Lata, Director of Social Impact at Everpure and her team designed, built, and launched a new signature program to drive new impacts around environmental sustainability, and the lessons they learned along the way. |
Case StudyScope 3: Trial and Opportunities Moving to More First Party Data |
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3:10 PM
Networking Break
3:40 PM
Case StudyDemonstrating the Business Value of Social Impact
Aligning social impact initiatives with business goals has never been more critical. Proving the value of Social Impact won’t work with a single-prong approach. Instead, it takes integrating across the business with messaging adapted to different internal stakeholders. Join Brandon Ruffin, Social Impact Manager at CDW, to learn practical ideas for connecting social impact initiatives to business priorities while advancing digital opportunity and empowering coworkers. Discover creative and actionable ways to engage your workforce and partners. |
Case StudyESG Governance That Drives Progress, Not Delays |
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4:10 PM
Break
4:25 PM
Case StudyMaking the Case: CSR Storytelling that Shows the ROI |
Case StudyNavigating the ESG Regulatory Landscape without Losing your Mind |
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4:55 PM
Adjourn
5:00 PM
Drinks Reception and Members-Only Dinner
Following our afternoon of conversations and case studies, we’ll all go out for a fantastic dinner together. It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with your fellow members before a big day of brainstorming, discussion, and collaboration.
Thursday, September 3
8:00 AM
Breakfast Discussions
The conversations over coffee and eggs at this event are often more lively than any other conference’s happy hour. You’ll want to be here bright and early (and on time).
8:50 AM
Break
9:00 AM
Workshop
Building a rater/ranker strategy that doesn’t waste your time
Workshop
Finding the Right Mix: Balancing Broad Reach and Deep Investment
Dora Zapata, McKesson
Every corporate giving program faces the same question: is it better to spread funding across many organizations or make fewer, larger investments? Join Dora Zapata of McKesson to talk through how to determine the right mix of grants, balance competing priorities, and align funding decisions with both community needs and organizational goals – all while building a grant strategy that delivers meaningful results.
Workshop
Days/weeks/months of service: What makes them really deliver?
9:30 AM
Break
9:45 AM
Workshop
ESG + AI: What use-cases are moving the needle?
Workshop
CSR + AI: What’s helping? What’s just more headache?
Workshop
Protecting purpose-driven teams from burnout
10:15 AM
Break
10:30 AM
Workshop
Embedding ESG strategies into your finance functions
Workshop
Trusting and empowering community partners
Workshop
Integrating enterprise risk into ESG & CSR decision-making
11:00 AM
Break
11:15 AM
Workshop
Supply chain and environmental sustainability: Driving change together
Workshop
Impact models and theories of change: How do we help our nonprofits evolve?
Workshop
Environmental justice: Bringing sustainability and social impact to the table
11:45 AM
Themed Lunch Discussions
During lunch, the tables will be divided into industries so leaders can pick where they want to sit and connect with others who are leading ESG and CSR in the same space:
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12:45 PM
Break
12:55 PM
Peer Advisory Roundtables
Example topics:
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1:30 PM
Peer Advisory Roundtables
Example topics:
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2:00 PM
Break
2:15 PM
Peer Advisory Roundtables
Example topics:
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2:45 PM
Adjourn
Please note: This agenda is subject to change based on speaker availability and scheduling.
