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What is The Civic 50 Colorado?
Since 2012, The Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light, has recognized the 50 most community-minded major corporations in the nation each year as determined by an annual survey developed by True Impact.
The national Civic 50 will be offered for the first time on the state level for Colorado in 2019. In partnership with CSR Solutions of Colorado, The Civic 50 Colorado will recognize 50 most community-minded small, medium, and large companies in Colorado as determined by True Impact’s adapted national Civic 50 survey that is independently administered and scored. By benchmarking and celebrating best practices, it provides visibility and a framework for how local companies can use their employees’ time, skills and other resources to improve the quality of life in our community.
What type and size of companies eligible to participate in The Civic 50 Colorado?
Companies with Colorado operations, employees and community engagement programs are eligible to participate. Companies must have a minimum of 15 employees in Colorado to be eligible to participate. Not all companies have the same level of resources or engagement in all the activities measured by the survey. Therefore, scoring and awards will be based on the number of employees (small 15-99, mid-size 100-499 and large 500+), and similarly sized companies will be measured within their peer group and compared only on their community engagement programs inside Colorado. Small and medium size companies are encouraged to apply and not be intimidated by the depth of the questions asked. It is not expected that they will be engaged in all the activities included in the survey.
What does it take to become a Civic 50 Colorado honoree?
The Civic 50 Colorado honorees are selected based on four dimensions of their community engagement program, as determined by an annual survey:
Investment: How extensively and strategically the company applies its resources to community engagement in Colorado, including employees’ time and skills, cash, in-kind giving and public leadership.
Integration: How a company’s Colorado community engagement program supports business interests and integrates into business functions, or how it “does well by doing good.”
Institutionalization: How the company supports community engagement in Colorado through its organizational policies, systems and incentives.
Impact: How the company measures the social and business outputs and outcomes of its Colorado community engagement program.
Additionally, CSR Solutions of Colorado may also choose to recognize companies with the following awards:
The Excellence in Volunteer Investment Award will be given to the company that maximizes employee time and talent in volunteering and service. Thanks to a strong culture of giving back and pro bono service, this company will have demonstrated the highest level of volunteering.
The Excellence in Volunteer Impact Award will be given to the company who demonstrates the strongest measurable impact from their volunteer initiatives. From excellence in measurement to quantifiable and laudable output and outcomes, this company will have demonstrated the deliberate and thoughtful efforts to ensure the most robust impact possible from their employee volunteer initiatives.
Why should my company participate?
Companies that participate in The Civic 50 Colorado have a unique opportunity to gain recognition for their community engagement programs, take a leadership position in corporate community involvement and to share their best practices with the broader business community. Many companies have also said that the process of taking the survey and receiving their complimentary individual scorecards with information on their rankings helped them understand how they could improve their processes and strategies in the future.
How will honorees be recognized?
All 50 honorees will be identified in alphabetical order, drawn from all the small, medium and large company categories, with special recognition for the top scorer in each size segment.
Who should submit the survey on behalf of my company?
The employee who is most knowledgeable and responsible for community engagement programming and initiatives should submit the survey on behalf of your company. It is recommended that another staff member who is familiar with the work of the company should review the information to be submitted for accuracy and completeness.
How much time will it take to complete the survey?
We estimate it will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes of staff time to enter your responses in The Civic 50 Colorado online survey. Additional time will be required to pull together the required quantitative information about your company. We recommend that you use the Quantitative Survey Questions Preview Sheet to help you prepare and collect the 11 required numbers you will need to know to complete the survey. This packet contains the survey questions for your reference and applicants can save their responses in the password-protected system and retrieve them at their convenience. Also see the Survey Completion Instructions Section for further details. If your company requires responses to be approved before submission, please factor that time in when starting the survey, as no extensions will be granted.
What is the date range for the survey data period?
Your company must submit the survey data period from the company’s last full fiscal year (each company submitting could therefore have a different date range depending on when their fiscal year ends).
Will I receive my score and a report?
Yes. All eligible companies that submit a completed survey will receive a free individual scorecard, which lists the company's individual score and ranking in each dimension. Additional reports to support more detailed corporate reporting and continuous improvement efforts are available for a minimal fee. Please contact Civic50@TrueImpact.com for more information.
How will the information I submit be used?
All data from the quantitative and multiple choice questions collected in the survey will contribute to a company being honored as a Civic 50 Colorado honoree. Only the top 50 companies will be shared publicly, with attribution. Names and rankings of companies that participate but do not have rankings qualifying for the top 50 will be kept confidential. All other information submitted on The Civic 50 Colorado application may be aggregated and shared for benchmarking and continuous improvement purposes, but will be anonymous (not attributed to any specific company). Any information The Civic 50 Colorado wishes to publicly attribute to a company beyond a top 50, will be cleared with that company before publication.
I’m a national corporation. Which activities should I document?
The Civic 50 Colorado is a local award based only on a company’s Colorado community engagement programs. It does not matter whether your company is headquartered in Colorado or elsewhere.
If my company has multiple local companies under one umbrella firm, do we have to fill out separate forms?
Yes, multiple companies under one umbrella firm need to fill out a separate survey per local company.
Who should I contact if I have a question or problem?
Information and technical assistance contacts are listed below:
Is there feedback available on our ranking for continuous improvement purposes?
Yes. All eligible companies that submit a completed survey will receive a free individual scorecard, which lists the company's individual score and ranking in each dimension. Additional reports to support more detailed corporate reporting and continuous improvement efforts are available for a fee. Please contact Civic50@TrueImpact.com for more information.
Has this survey been administered before?
Yes, the national Civic 50 was founded in 2012. To learn more about this initiative visit www.civic50.org.
What is the deadline for The Civic 50 Colorado Application?
The deadline to submit your company’s application is July 31, 2019. It is recommended that companies begin the survey 2-3 weeks before the deadline to have plenty of time to review, gather data and receive approval on the responses.
Our company has a private foundation, can this giving be included in our application?
Yes, typically companies include both their corporate contributions as well as their corporate foundation giving.
I’ve submitted my application, can I make edits?
Submissions can be edited before the survey deadline by logging into your application and making necessary adjustments. No edits will be accepted after the survey deadline.
Can I print my responses?
Yes, after submitting the application there will be an option to print your responses. If you would like a copy before you submit, please contact a member of the local team or True Impact.
My company granted scholarships last year, do those contributions count?
Yes, grants provided in the form of scholarships can be included with cash grants/contributions.
Points of Light - the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. Points of Light inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities across more than 30 countries and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org. True Impact - is a web-based measurement tool and benchmarking network for the charitable sector. Donors and nonprofits use True Impact to measure the social impact of their grants, volunteerism, and other philanthropic investments, to demonstrate success and identify opportunities for improvement. Learn more at www.trueimpact.com.
What if my company is not a Civic 50 Colorado honoree?
Only the top 50 companies will be shared publicly, with attribution. Names and rankings of companies that participate but do not have rankings qualifying for the top 50 will be kept confidential. Information submitted on The Civic 50 Colorado application may be aggregated and shared for benchmarking and continuous improvement purposes, but will be anonymous (not attributed to any specific company). Any information The Civic 50 Colorado wishes to publicly attribute to a company beyond a top 50, will be cleared with that company before publication. We recommend looking at your personalized scorecard to find areas where you can improve your score and re-apply the following year. If you need support, please contact CSR Solutions and we will be happy to assist.
Is there anything else I should keep in mind?
Points of Light reserves the right to exclude companies on The Civic 50 Colorado list that are not considered to be in good standing during the research year. Bases for not being “in good standing” include, but are not limited to: the company experiencing official, significant legal sanction; an adverse company event so significant that it deems The Civic 50 Colorado practices presented in its application as a misrepresentation of the company’s overall community involvement efforts; or any development that puts into question the company’s community involvement to the degree that most people would not consider it reasonable to find the company on a list of the most community-minded companies in Colorado.
Who was involved in the development of the Civic 50 survey instrument?
The following academic leaders reviewed the survey during its development in 2014: Professor Bea Boccalandro, Georgetown University Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership; Dr. Edward Freeman, University of Virginia Darden School of Business; Dr. Ira Harkavy, The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Pamela Harper, Marist College School of Business; Professor Peter Levine, Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University; Dr. Kelvyn Moore, Bentley University; Dr. Nicholas Pearce, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management; Dr. John Peloza, Gatton College of Business and Economics at University of Kentucky; Dean Alan Solomont, Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University.
