Realized Worth has been a fan of Charties@Work since its inception. It’s one of our favorite annual conferences, and this year they’re serving up – yet again – great speakers, panels and workshops covering the hottest topics in CSR right now. We’ve got five reasons you should go.
1. It’s not “charities”
Conferences that bring together corporations and non-profits are essential for the advancement of the field, but this is not one of them. At C@W, conversation is streamlined and focused. What are your challenges as a practitioner? Struggling with how to scale your program? Not sure if your community partner is the right one? Can’t get people to adopt your workplace giving platform? What are others doing to solve the same challenges you’re facing? This is safe space for you and others like yourself to hash out these kinds of issues.
2. It’s right-sized
Having worked with the Charities@Work team on more than 5 years of conferences, we’ve come to appreciate the optimal size of this event. It’s not so small that you feel like you’re in a focus group, and not so large that you get lost in the shuffle. If you want to participate in the post-session discussion, your voice will be heard. If you prefer to remain anonymous and quietly observe, you’ll be free to do so. Having said that, this crowd is full to the brim with some of our favorite people in the CSR field, so we encourage you to bring your business cards. (Do people still use business cards? Maybe just bring your smartphone and go straight to LinkedIn.)
3. It’s got the best people. No, really.
Wonder where all the “best people” have been hiding? You’ll meet them at Charities@Work. From the stellar speakers like the fierce and fun Tiffany Calderon from BestBuy, trailblazer Gina Rude from Accenture, and the insightful and intelligent Michael Bzdak from Johnson & Johnson to the broad array of attendees who represent the most innovative and inspiring CSR programs around the country. This is a group you want to meet. And you don’t want to miss our soulful and inspiring friend Peter Dudley, formerly of Wells Fargo, Jerome Tennille from Marriot, newcomer to the conference Kerry Steib from Spotify, Matthew Nelson, from New York Life, or Michael Carren from Guardian Life!
And, this year, though he’s not emceeing, Chris Jarvis, our Chief Strategy Officer, is speaking on the intersectionality of citizenship. In his talk you’ll learn about intersectionality (a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw) as a lens to see where power collides and intersects inside a company, including the dynamics of employee resource groups, diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility. You’ll find out how these groups can align to serve the same purpose.
You can see the full list of speakers here.
4. It’s about employee engagement & inclusion
Let’s be honest, one of the ongoing challenges facing corporate employee giving and volunteering is employee engagement, and much more prominent than it’s ever been is the role of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Engagement-wise, C@W tackles the hard questions: How do you get employees to care – at an intrinsic level – about participating in CSR programs? What will it take to find employees who are passionate about social activism and really engage them in a meaningful way?
From a D&I standpoint, companies are starting to take an even harder look at what it means to have visible representation in leadership roles across the business, and are trying to figure out the best ways to both encourage and support inclusive behaviors, practices and programs at work. We’ll be talking about all of this and more at the conference.
5. Realized Worth will be there.
I mean, I’m writing a blog about it, so I might as well admit my ulterior motive here. I want you to be where my team is going to be. This conference feels like a meeting of the minds. It’s the place the RW team goes to be with our people and to remember our why. At this conference, we find ourselves surrounded by friends who reconnect us with purpose and we go back to work rejuvenated and equipped to our jobs better than we did before. We hope you’ll join us for this cherry on top of a stellar New York City event!
Register for the 18th Annual Charities@Work Employee Engagement Summit here. Have questions about the conference? Just let us know and we’ll point you in the right direction for answers.
