17th Transatlantic Forum

The Power of Pro Bono – Professionals in the Service of Society

24–27 Feb 2014, San Francisco

Having a meaningful job is more and more important for young people. This also means that employers are increasingly expected to make a valuable contribution to society. All over the world, consumers, too, are asking what companies can contribute socially and whether they “live” the values they preach. Pro bono is an answer to these challenges.

Pro bono engagement means putting professional core competencies at the service of nonprofit organizations to help them improve their impact. Employees who experience their work as meaningful become more self-confident. Moreover, by using and adapting their skills in an unusual environment with limited resources, they learn to develop innovative and client-specific solutions. Furthermore, they are proud of their company that makes this engagement possible. Companies that systematically support pro bono thus gain motivated, innovative, and loyal employees.

A Review on Storify

https://storify.com/BMWStiftung/17-th-transatlantic-forum

The 17th Transatlantic Forum will be organized in close cooperation with the Taproot Foundation. The Forum will focus on the question of how pro bono services in the fields of IT, graphic design, and human resources can not only benefit nonprofit organizations, but also one’s own company as well as society. The goal is to develop concepts for how to systematically communicate pro bono engagement to the various professional groups to make it an integral part of their sense of identity. The Forum aims to explore “The Power of Pro Bono” through panel discussions, workshops, and in direct interaction with civic initiatives in our host city of San Francisco and with pro bono intermediaries from all over the world.

About the Transatlantic Forum

Launched in 1995, the Transatlantic Forum – initially held annually, but now at longer intervals – brings together some 40 German, Canadian, and American Young Leaders from politics, business, academia, media, and the third sector to discuss social and socio-political issues at the transatlantic level. The aim of the Forum is to promote intercultural understanding and networking, support the search for sustainable solutions, and strengthen responsible leadership in a globalized world.