Corporate Community Stewardship

Corporations exist within communities, typically with capital invested by local investors who are both shareholders and stakeholders. As shareholders, we understand corporations’ need to expand market reach, create efficiencies and innovate. As community stakeholders, we understand that these actions—particularly when combined with share buy-backs and cost-cutting demanded by profit-driven activist investors—too often result in downsizing of US operations, with debilitating costs to local workers and communities who typically contribute greatly to corporate profitability.

To address this imbalance, stakeholders are developing guidelines for responsible corporate practice in community developed by impact investors, with input from philanthropists, local governments, community organizations and corporations. These aim to set the stage for greater engagement between corporations, shareholders and stakeholders, greater corporate accountability across sectors and more equitable and sustainable prosperity for all.