Corporate citizenship reimagined with KPMG and Catchafire

Corporate citizenship is a powerful force driving positive change in communities while strengthening the bond between corporations, employees, and nonprofits. By embracing corporate citizenship, companies not only fulfill their social responsibility but also empower employees to connect with meaningful causes and contribute their skills and time to nonprofit missions. This dynamic interaction creates a ripple effect: employees feel engaged and motivated, nonprofits receive critical support to sustain their programs, and corporations build a strong reputation as community-focused leaders. The collaboration fosters innovation, compassion, and impact, proving that when businesses and nonprofits work together, everyone benefits.

We hosted a discussion with Anita Whitehead, Chair of KPMG US Foundation and Head of KPMG’s Social Impact practice, and Matt Miszewski, CEO of Catchafire, to discuss the evolution of corporate citizenship. During our conversation, Anita and Matt provided insights on:

• How to reevaluate and improve your CSR strategy while engaging employees
• KPMG’s commitment to a healthy nonprofit sector
• Aligning employee volunteering and corporate philanthropy with business goals
• The intersection between corporations and community nonprofits

Anita is a dynamic leader that is passionate about making an impact in the workplace and drilling down in lists, so below you’ll find her cliff-note list of insights!

You can watch the full discussion here.

KPMG’s collaboration with Catchafire

KPMG joined forces with Catchafire to bring skills-based volunteering into their community impact days and open up new volunteer opportunities for their workforce and the nonprofits and communities that they are closely involved with. From microvolunteering to day-long projects, our collaboration brings impact to the participating nonprofits, employees, and the values of KPMG. 

What does this look like in action? During KPMG’s third annual Community Impact Day over the summer, thousands of KPMG volunteers from 79 offices across the U.S. volunteered and donated their time and skills to support more than 400 local non-profit organizations, programs, and initiative! Thank you to all of the KPMG employees who participated in creating meaningful, tangible impact for nonprofit leaders and their communities.

KPMG’s Community Impact Day also included microvolunteering events, where employees could lend their expertise to answer critical questions from nonprofits. 

KPMG employees answered over 250 questions, providing support in areas such as:

• Communications
• Fundraising
• Human resources
• Organizational strategy
• Marketing and social media
• Website and brand

The day also included an in-person Cause Day event, where employees helped brainstorm actionable solutions to nonprofit challenges. Three of the education-focused nonprofits that KPMG employees volunteered with are on track to serve over 13,061 individuals in their community this year alone. Nonprofit representatives agreed that the employees had the right skills for the challenges and would be open to follow up on the event. At the same time, KPMG employees reported that the event helped them connect with colleagues that they don’t work with on a regular basis, while using their skills for meaningful and fulfilling work.

These kinds of events go a long way towards engaging employees while giving back to the communities KPMG serves. We are so grateful for this partnership, KPMG’s employees, and all of the impact we are able to create together!

Insights on corporate citizenship

KPMG joined forces with Catchafire to bring skills-based volunteering into their community impact days and open up new volunteer opportunities for their workforce and the nonprofits and communities that they are closely involved with. From microvolunteering to day-long projects, our collaboration brings impact to the participating nonprofits, employees, and the values of KPMG.  

Matt: So much conversation has happened over the last few years about corporate citizenship and the positive role that companies can play in our communities. What does corporate citizenship mean to you and KPMG?

Anita: For us, it’s building a more ethical, resilient, and sustainable way of doing business. We use this to guide our work around sustainability efforts and our philanthropic work. Over the last couple of months, we’ve tried to prioritize our efforts around equity and access to opportunity, with three pillars: education, mental health, and community vitality.

We picked these areas because we believed it positioned us in the best way to make an impact with nonprofits and address interconnected issues in our communities. This builds upon who we are as a company. 

1. Education: Education has been at the heart of what we’ve done–over a decade-long history of supporting education. In the last year, we’ve focused on programs that empower students to create access to quality opportunities– college readiness, career prep, mentorship, and professional development.

   
   We also recognize the crucial role that educators play in a student's success… to and through secondary education. So, we also invest in programs that provide professional development, training, and support – not just for teachers, but for school administrators as well.

2. Mental health: Globally, our teams are dispatched into the business world with their minds and expertise to tackle complex issues across industries. Mental health is such an important issue not just for KPMG, but for everybody. It gets to the heart of who we are as a people business. We’re really focusing on programs focusing on our practitioners, reducing stigma, and increasing access to resources.
   
3. Community vitality: In the United States alone, we have over 80 offices. This pillar allows us to engage in communities across our US network, providing our people with opportunities to engage with these organizations. They’re taking holistic approaches to strengthening their communities, and it allows us to give a localized focus to what communities need. 

Matt: Talk to us a little bit about the changes you’ve seen in corporate social responsibility in general, not just in KPMG, but as a professional. How have you seen a change?

Anita: We know our employees want to do more, and they want to take pride in their companies. We’re talking about the work, engaging with our people and customers, and trying to make ourselves (the whole sector) relevant in the community. It’s becoming more of a business imperative.

Matt: With the election behind us, we’re headed into a new time for the country. Communities are going to be in transition during the next few years. While moving through these changes, we know that they can make great things happen in their communities, as long as they have the right resources. What burdens do corporations like KPMG carry to support their local communities in their search to become sustainable?

Anita:

1. Listening to community needs: For companies, I believe that we need to be really focused on community needs, really listening to the actual needs of the community and nonprofit. In my 22 years of consulting, a lot of what I’ve seen is funders trying to shape their program into a nonprofit rather than the nonprofit having the voice. 
   

2. Company skill sets: How do we as companies leverage our skill sets? How do we leverage our unique expertise and resources to make a meaningful difference in the community? For companies like ours that are focused on skills, I think we have an opportunity to leverage those skills in a variety of different ways and really help communities.

3. Collaborative partnerships: Be focused on stronger partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders. That doesn’t just mean a nonprofit and a company–it means schools, the government, and public-private partnerships that really affect change.

4. Long-term sustainability: How do you create lasting change by investing in initiatives that address root causes? For us, that’s multi-year commitments. I encourage corporate leaders to look at long-term commitments you can make with organizations and dive into the skills you can contribute.

Matt: There are a lot of nonprofits looking to engage in their local communities with corporations that might have an interest. What are the internal demands on you as a CSR leader as you’re trying to make a difference? 

Anita:

1. Aligning with our company’s mission and values: As corporate citizenship leaders, we are always trying to build programs that really align with who we are as a company. It needs to reflect our commitment to social responsibility.
   

2. Employee engagement: Is there an opportunity to engage our people? It’s something we like to lean into, whether it’s skills-based volunteering, nonprofit board service, or a community-wide event. 

3. Talent retention: How do we prioritize this work to focus on talent attraction and retention strategies? Reputation and brand is at the heart of all of this. 

4. Risk management and compliance: How do you protect your foundation’s tax-exempt status with what you’re doing? There are a lot of regulations on what’s charitable here in the US vs. globally. We have to help organizations think about how to give globally in an ethical and responsible way.

5. Innovation: Our programs can drive innovation into new partnerships and business opportunities that are going to benefit society and the bottom line. 

 
Matt: How does KPMG engage their employees in giving and volunteerism? 

Anita: Here in the US, with over 80 offices, we actively plan and host volunteer programs year-round. Our Community Impact Day engages close to 20,000 KPMG professionals each year, connecting them with nonprofits and bringing people together to create meaningful impact.

This year, we introduced KPMG’s AI Impact Initiative. On Community Impact Day this year, we piloted an AI educational session for 14 organizations in six markets, providing them valuable insights into AI. We’ve had great comments about how teams are talking about using it every day, or how they can use AI to advance their mission. We’re leaning into how to provide free content to the nonprofit sector on just learning what AI is.

Matt: What are KPMG’s goals around employee volunteerism? 

Anita: For us, it’s about engagement, and focused around our annual day of service. We also have a nice program around nonprofit board service where we’re placing our people on boards and providing the opportunities to develop their skills and help the nonprofit. I also think it’s mentorship–nonprofit board service is a key way for us to support our employees, and provide great connections between mentors and mentees.

“For us, it’s all focused around building morale, and on the good work of what we can have as a legacy in terms of what we’re doing in our communities. I think there’s an opportunity for teams to use these moments to come together.”

Insights on corporate citizenship

Learn more about KPMG’s AI Impact Initiative here.