Study: Corporate Citizenship | Page 11

11 APPROACH The methodology of this benchmarking study derives from the combined consulting experience of Beyond Philanthropy, a Corporate Citizenship and philanthropy advisor, and goetzpartners, a Strategy, M&A and Transformation advisory, and was developed and refined in a process of ongoing stakeholder involvement and feedback. The analysis of DAX 30 companies presented in this report is based on data from three different sources to provide the most holistic and comprehensive picture possible 4 . Information gained through extensive DESKTOP RESEARCH, questionnaires sent to DAX 30 INVESTOR RELATIONS DEPARTMENTS, especially for areas with limited publicly available information, and discussions with SECTOR EXPERTS, including heads of sustainability departments of global corporations, leading researchers in the field, and representatives from the foundation sector and civil society. The analysis is based on twelve guiding questions in four dimensions, aiming to capture all relevant aspects in order to provide a holistic picture of Corporate Citizenship. STRATEGY 1 Are activities clearly focused on a limited number of topics? RESOURCES 4 How high is the company’s financial giving in the form of cash donations? 2 How are activities connected to the company’s core business? 5 How are the company’s employees involved through corporate volunteering? 3 Are activities integrated into a social value chain? 6 What amount and quality of in-kind donations does the company provide? IMPLEMENTATION 7 How is the organizational structure for Corporate Citizenship activities set up? RESULT 10 How strongly does the company engage in awareness-raising for its chosen cause? 8 Are clear procedures and responsibilities defined? 11 How does the company engage in topicspecific networks and collaborations? 9 Are KPIs defined and reported regularly and transparently? 12 What impact is achieved and is the impact measured systematically? 4 Criteria were excluded from the assessment in cases where no data was available