Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Act With Certainty
  EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
A Letter from from Richard   Our Clients         As Edelman travels along its global citizenship journey, we grow bolder in
Page 3                       Page 11             the confidence and conviction to achieve ever more ambitious objectives.
                                                 Act with Certainty is our mantra.

A Letter from John           Our People          This is possible because our global citizenship journey since 2010 has followed an
Page 4                       Page 17             evolutionary rather than revolutionary path – and we’re still on our travels. We grasp
                                                 that leaders take risks, learn from their mistakes and use them to take bolder steps

FY18 Highlights              Our Communities     by identifying and pursuing the right policies, programs and procedures. We gain
                             Page 23             executive committee approval, develop robust policies and increasingly set specific
Page 5
                                                 goals. This approach is critical in a global organization with more than five dozen
                                                 offices – from Brussels to Buenos Aires, Jakarta to Johannesburg and Singapore to
                             Our World           San Francisco.
The 10 Citizenship Goals     Page 33
Page 6                                           Along the way, our nearly 6,000 employees increasingly relay their belief in and
                                                 support of our citizenship initiatives. Eighty-five percent believe global citizenship
                             About this Report
                                                 is an important part of working at Edelman. Buoyed by such support, we seek to
                             Page 41
Updated Citizenship Goals                        establish intrepid short- and long-term goals that we outline and update in this
Page 8                                           report. They encompass diversity and inclusion, sustainability, procurement and
                             GRI Content Index   waste reduction, among other areas, and they follow the United Nations Sustainable
                             Page 42             Development Goals.
Update on SDG Alignment
Page 9                                           We don’t always reach our objectives. Still, acting with certainty becomes increas-
                             Appendices          ingly essential, as employees and global consumers demand that in these uncertain
                             Page 52             times – as our respected annual Trust Barometer illuminates – organizations and
                                                 their leaders take charge and make clear they need a partner who tells it like it is,
                                                 cuts through the chaos and envisions the future.

                                                 We hope in reviewing our fiscal 2018 citizenship report, you will conclude that what
                                                 we’re doing in pursuit of corporate responsibility exemplifies leadership and
                                                 underscores that the goals we set are only as powerful as the change we make.
                                                 And, remember, our citizenship journey continues. Steadily and with certainty.

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
A Letter from Richard

We know from our own research             At Edelman, citizenship has always been             I am also particularly pleased by our assis-       My brother John Edelman, who oversees our
that companies and brands                 central to who we are as a company. As a            tance to organizations outside of Edelman          global citizenship work, is actively involved in
                                          family-owned firm, we have believed from our        and the professional services sector with their
must take action on issues that                                                                                                                  initiatives related to veterans, mental health
                                          founding in the value of being active and           citizenship-related challenges. For example,       and development of a sustainability standard
matter to their customers, not just
                                          engaged members of our local and global             I serve as a commissioner of the Business &        for the professional services sector. And our
communicate or advertise services
                                          communities and ensuring our footprint              Sustainable Development Commission helping         employees around the world spent almost
or products. We also know people                                                              align companies with the United Nations’
                                          reflects our values.                                                                                   20,000 hours on pro bono and volunteerism
have new expectations for the                                                                 Sustainable Development Goals, and as a            work last year.
roles companies and brands play           This 2018 report highlights some of our             member of the year-old Knight Founda-
in their lives and in society’s future.   initiatives on important global economic,           tion-funded commission addressing the              It is not always easy to do the right thing, but
                                          environmental and societal issues. Top of mind      problem of fake news and the declining trust       we work hard at it day after day and year
                                          for Edelman is diversity and inclusion because      in media institutions.                             after year.
                                          we know we consistently deliver better work
                                          for our clients when our teams reflect our          Edelman’s global program to help employees         As we forge ahead on our citizenship journey,
                                          communities. In the United States we have           quit smoking has long been in place as has our     we are equally energized by the ideal and
                                          set a racial and ethnic workforce goal of 30        stand on climate change. I am equally proud        proud of the practical.
                                          percent to reach by 2022 to reflect the diversity   we put our money where our mouth is and
                                          of our communities, and we expect to reach          awarded over $100,000 in community grants in
                                          our objective of filling at least half of our       2018 to local organizations and charities where
                                          leadership positions with women by 2020.            our employees are active as volunteers.

                                                                                                                                                 RICHARD EDELMAN
                                                                                                                                                 President and CEO

                                                                                                “Edelman has been a participant in the United
                                                                                                Nations Global Compact since March 2001. I am
                                                                                                proud to pledge Edelman’s continued support to
                                                                                                the Global Compact and its goals.”

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
A Letter from John

At a conference not long after                              However, based on our own experience, I                    We succeed best when we embed citizenship
assuming leadership of our global                           can now state with certainty that integrating              in everything we do, and it operates seamlessly
                                                            citizenship into a company culture is a step-              as part of our culture. We are doing that by
citizenship efforts eight years ago,
                                                            by-step process. Attaining real, measurable                integrating citizenship initiatives into our global
I asked how long it should take to
                                                            achievements in what is a complex, complicated             strategy and impacting how Edelman operates.
embed a strong program of social
                                                            journey requires an evolutionary, not revolu-              We hope sharing the story about how we came
and environmental purpose. The                              tionary, approach. It entails setting objectives;          to Act with Certainty will now inspire others that
response: five to seven years.                              putting policies, structures and measurements              are starting their own citizenship journey.
Self-confident, I responded, “We                            in place; often launching pilot programs before
can do it in one to two years.”                             going global, gaining buy-in from employees
Besides, for decades we have                                and senior leadership; assessing progress and
valued conducting ourselves in an                           if goals are met, setting new targets. Our time-
ethical, sustainable, inclusive and                         line below illustrates this incremental process.           JOHN EDELMAN                                                                      • Named ‘Top Company for
transparent manner.                                                                                                    Managing Director, Global Engagement and                                             Executive Women’
                                                                                                                       Corporate Responsibility
                                                                                                                                                                                                         • Purchased Renewable Energy
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Credits for all U.S. operations

                                                                                                                                                       • Introduced Ruth                                • Achieved Ecovadis Gold rating
                                                                                                         • Introduced                                    Edelman Citizenship
                                                                                                            Citizenship Scores                            Award                                          • Surpassed $1 million in
                                                                                                            (C-scores)                                                                                      Community Investment Grants
                                                                                                                                                       • Carbon Trust
    • Creation of Global                               • Developed overall                             • Achieved Ecovadis                             Standard certified                             • Launched pro bono and
       Citizenship function                                sustainability goals                             Silver rating                                 worldwide                                         volunteerism software

     2010                      2011                      2012                      2013                   2014                    2015                   2016                    2017                     2018

                              • First Annual GRI report                           • Increased pro                               • Submitted first                             • Introduced updated
                                                                                     bono/volunteerism                              CDP response                                    Citizenship goals
                              • Introduced Community                                to 8hrs/FTE
                                 Investment Grants                                                                                                                              • Tracking sustainable procurement

                              • Started tracking and                                                                                                                           • Alignment with UN Sustainable
                                 reporting our global                                                                                                                              Development Goals
                                 GHG data
                                                                                                                                                                                • Named ‘Best Place to Work for
                                                                                                                                                                                   LGBTQ Equality’

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
FY18 Highlights      OUR CLIENTS                                                                         OUR PEOPLE

                     •	Received EcoVadis Gold rating, placing Edelman among                             •	Introduced diversity and inclusion trainings
                        the top 5% of evaluated companies
                                                                                                         •	Named ‘Best place to work for LGBTQ equality’
                     •	Launched privacy and data protection trainings
                                                                                                         •	Named ‘Top Company for Executive Women’

                                                                                                         •	Increase to 48% women in senior leadership positions
                     SDGs:
                                                                                                         •	105,000+ hours of training

                                                                   *                                     •	30 Edelman Escape winners

                                                                                                         •	Completed global gender pay analysis

                     OUR COMMUNITIES                                                                     SDGs:

                     •	50 Community Investment Grant winners

                     •	Surpassed $1 million in total grants since program
                       inception in 2011

                     •	Launched global volunteer tracking software
                                                                                                         OUR WORLD
                     •	$3 million in total giving (time and cash donations)
                                                                                                         •	Carbon Trust Standard recertification
                     •	Nearly 20,000 hours community engagement
                                                                                                         •	2% absolute carbon emissions reduction

                     SDGs:                                                                               •	Renewable Energy Credits for 100% of U.S. operations

                                                                                                         •	Updated Environmental policy

                                                                                                         SDGs:

                     6.4       Citizenship Score

                  *Top three priority goals guiding our community engagement, as voted on by employees

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
The 10 Citizenship Goals

In 2017, the Edelman Executive
                                                           GOALS                                 STATUS                                  UPDATE
Committee approved 10 specific
Citizenship goals, covering         1. Carbon Footprint: Edelman aims to realize a 10 percent   In progress   We added 5 new offices to our 2018 Carbon Trust
environmental, economic and           decrease in carbon intensity emissions (tCO2e/FTE) in                    Certification cycle to reach the 70 percent emissions
social areas. The goals were          our 15 Carbon Trust-certified offices by 2020 (scope 1 +                 verification threshold.
developed to embed sustainability     2 emissions, compared to 2016 levels).
in everything we do, and to hold
ourselves accountable to keep       2. Carbon Footprint: Edelman commits to neutralize 100      Completed     Edelman purchased 5,747 MWh of renewable energy
                                      percent of its U.S. operations’ scope 2 emissions by                     credits sourced from the United States by Renewable
taking steps forward.
                                      purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (REC) for all U.S.                   Choice Energy.
                                      offices in FY18.

                                    3. Carbon Footprint: Edelman aims to maintain our           Completed     Edelman successfully recertified in June 2018, based on a
                                      Carbon Trust Certification worldwide by applying for                     6.4 percent absolute reduction in the compliance period of
                                      recertification in FY18.                                                 Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2017.

                                    4. Business Ethics: Edelman seeks to align its business    In progress   To date, we have applied the UNSDGs in our reporting,
                                      practices and corporate social responsibility program to                 pro bono & volunteerism policy, Ruth Edelman Citizenship
                                      the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in                      Award and Community Investment Grant program.
                                      FY18.

                                    5. Responsible Procurement: Edelman will measure            In progress   In partnership with Ecovadis, we reached out to 68
                                      designated key business partners’ compliance with                        suppliers in the U.S., Europe and China.
                                      its sustainable procurement policy, using leading
                                      independent third-party supply chain accountability and
                                      transparency platforms, starting in FY18.

                                    6. Responsible Procurement: Edelman seeks to measure,       In progress   We are in the process of beginning a vendor management
                                      evaluate, and improve its spend with diverse suppliers                   system that lets us identify and track our diversity
                                      in the U.S. in FY18, including Minority-, Women-,                        spending and search for diverse business suppliers.
                                      LGBTQ- and Veteran-owned businesses as well as Small
                                      Disadvantaged and HUBZone businesses.

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
The 10 Citizenship Goals , continued

                                                 GOALS                                   STATUS                              UPDATE

                          7. Learning & Development Edelman is adding additional        In progress   We launched new employee trainings and workshops
                            training modules, policies and investment in the Edelman                   focused on Diversity & Inclusion and Information Security
                            Learning Institute to communicate with our employees                       Awareness.
                            on such relevant corporate social responsibility topics
                            as sustainable procurement, diversity & inclusion and                      We aim to implement Citizenship-specific modules for new

                            workplace behavior, among other topics.                                    employee trainings in FY19

                          8. Diversity & Inclusion Edelman’s goal is that by 2020,      In progress   As of June 30, 2018, 47.8 percent of senior leadership
                            women will hold 50 percent of senior leadership                            positions are held by women, up from 41 percent in 2017.
                            positions (level 5+) globally.

                          9. Pro Bono: Edelman aims to deliver 50 percent of its pro     Initiated   We launched global volunteer tracking software to help
                            bono hours against three UN Sustainable Development                        measure our progress against these priority SDGs.
                            Goals as identified by our employees: Gender Equality,
                            Quality Education and Zero Hunger, starting in FY18.

                          10. Health & Well-Being Edelman will invest in a global       In progress   We added two specific Health & Well-being targets to our
                             culture of health & well-being intended to provide                        global Citizenship C-score key performance indicators.
                             employees in all locations with access to a structured
                             (local or regional) health & well-being program,
                             supported by ongoing local initiatives.

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Updated Citizenship Goals

Over the past year, we made significant progress
on most goals with some of them fully realized.                                                                                               SOCIAL
Therefore, we are updating the goals to better
reflect our enhanced ambition for the future. We                                                                              8.	Learning & Development: Edelman seeks
also added two new goals to drive change in all                                                                                  to add additional training modules in the
the areas where we have an impact.                                                                                               Edelman Learning Institute (ELI) by 2020
                                                                                   ECONOMIC                                      on relevant corporate social responsibility
                                                                                                                                 topics, such as sustainable procurement,
                                                                      4.	Business Ethics: Edelman seeks to align                diversity and inclusion, UN Sustainable
                                                                         its business practices and Citizenship                  Development Goals and IT security.
                                                                         program to the United Nations Sustainable
                                                                         Development Goals (SDG) and present a                9.	Diversity & Inclusion: Edelman’s goal is
                                                                         ‘2030 SDG strategy’ by 2020.                            that by 2020, women will hold 50 percent of
                                                                                                                                 local senior leadership positions (level 5+)
                                                                      5.	Responsible Procurement:                               globally.
                            ENVIRONMENT                                  Edelman aims to streamline its
                                                                         sustainable procurement processes and                10.	Diversity & Inclusion: Edelman’s goal is to
                  1.	Carbon footprint: Edelman aims to realize          maximize its spend, by                                  reach a racially/ethnically workplace diver-
                     a 10 percent decrease (scope 1 + 2 emis-            implementing vendor management systems                  sity ratio of 30 percent in the U.S. by 2022.
                     sions, compared to 2016 levels) in carbon           and annually reviewing its sustainable
                     intensity emissions (tCO2e/FTE) in our 20           procurement policies.                                11.	Pro Bono: Edelman aims by 2020 to deliver
                     Carbon Trust certified offices and achieve                                                                  50 percent of its pro bono hours against the
                     recertification by 2020                          6.	Responsible Procurement: By 2020, Edel-                three UN Sustainable Development Goals
                                                                         man will measure                                        as identified by our employees: Gender
                  2.	Carbon footprint: Edelman commits to               designated key business partners                        Equality, Quality Education, and Zero Hun-
                     source 100% renewable electricity through           in priority procurement categories                      ger.
                     Energy Attribute Certificates for all U.S. and      on their compliance with our
                     EMEA offices by 2020.                               sustainable procurement policy.                      12.	Health & Well-Being: Edelman will develop
                                                                                                                                 a dedicated working group to elevate
                  3.	Waste Management: Edelman commits to            7.	Responsible Procurement:                               employee health & well-being programs. By
                     realizing a 50 percent diversion rate in all        Edelman seeks to realize a 10 percent or                2020, we will deliver awareness programs
                     HUB-offices by 2020 and all global offices          more spend with diverse suppliers in                    and training modules to support these
                     by 2025.                                            priority categories in the U.S.                         efforts.

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Update on SDG Alignment

On September 25, 2015, world           For the goals to be reached, everyone must do        Additionally, our Community Investment Grant
leaders adopted a set of goals to      their part: governments, the private sector, civil   applications and Ruth Edelman Citizenship
                                       society and citizens. Edelman recognizes it has      Award submissions consider these three
end poverty, protect the planet and
                                       its own role to play in reaching the goals.          categories priorities.
ensure prosperity for all as part of
a new sustainable development          To maximize our impact, we follow guidelines         Now that we have started conducting
agenda for 2030. On January 1,         as defined by the Global Reporting Initiative        principled prioritization of SDG targets and
2016, the 17 Sustainable Develop-      (GRI), UN Global Compact and the World               defined SDG-related report content (as defined
ment Goals (SDGs) officially went      Business Council for Sustainable Development.        in ‘Guidelines for Business Reporting on the
into effect, mobilizing efforts to     Last year, as a first step, we mapped where we       SDGs’), the next phase will focus on setting
end all forms of poverty, fighting     already have an impact (see “SDG Alignment”          business objectives and strategies. This
inequalities and tackling climate      grid) and defined priorities for our pro bono        will help us define business objectives to
                                       projects. Because these projects come to life        contribute to the SDGs in addition to the pro
change, while ensuring that no
                                       through the enthusiasm and skills of our em-         bono and corporate giving priorities. The
one is left behind.
                                       ployees, we asked our global staff which goals       newly defined goals (see overview on page 8)
                                       they would like as priorities. As a result, we       shows how our business goals align with the
                                       focus our pro bono efforts on Gender Equality,       U.N. SDGs.
                                       Quality Education and Zero Hunger.

                                                                                             	Our goal is to present 2030 goals by 2020, elevate our
                                                                                               efforts, maximize positive outcomes and support
                                                                                               systemic and durable change.

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Act With Certainty EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Aligning Citizenship with UN Sustainable Development Goals

The graph below shows how Edelman’s material Citizenship topics (covered in this report) impact the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

                  UN
                 SDG
 MATERIAL
 TOPIC

 OUR CLIENTS

 Business Ethics &
 Compliance                                                                            l                    l
 Data Privacy &
 Information Security                                                                            l
 OUR PEOPLE

 Employee Health &
 Well-Being                                  l                    l                              l                                      l                                    l        l

 Diversity & Inclusion                                            l                              l                              l                                            l        l
 Learning &
 Development                                            l                                        l                                                                                    l
 OUR COMMUNITIES

 Pro Bono Initiatives              l                    l         l
 General
 Volunteerism

 Corporate Giving

 OUR WORLD

 Sustainable
 Purchasing                                                                 l                                                   l       l                          l                  l

 Supplier Diversity                                               l                              l                    l                 l                                    l        l
 Green Office
 Policies                                    l                              l          l         l          l                   l       l        l                                    l

 Carbon Footprint                            l                                         l                                        l       l        l                                    l

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Our Clients
  ACTING WITH CERTAINTY IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR CLIENTS

Increasingly, we assist clients with their
purpose-driven campaigns, aided by our own
leadership on varied citizenship-related fronts.
This is a key principle of acting with certainty
because to best advise and assist our clients,
we must be at the forefront ourselves on
important issues of social responsibility – from
diversity and inclusion and gender equality to
environmental stewardship and information
privacy and security.

11
Acting with Certainty in Partnership with Our Clients

                                                                                      research underlines the need for businesses           2018 Trust Barometer
                                                                                      and brands to take strong positions on social,

                                                                                                                                            64%
                                                                                      economic and environmental issues, and for
                                                                                      CEOs to be a driver for change and not wait
                                                                                      for government.
                                                                                                                                            of global respondents
                                                                                      The 2018 Trust Barometer findings reveal a
                                                                                                                                            believe a company can
                                                                                                                                            take actions that both
                                                                                      significant change in the ecosystem of trust, as
                                                                                                                                            increase profits and improve
                                                                                      confidence in CEOs who speak out on issues
                                                                                                                                            economic and social
                                                                                      and trust in experts, improved significantly, while
                                                                                                                                            conditions in the community
                                                                                      trust in peers declined substantially.                where it operates

                                                                                      CLIENT WORK

                                                                                      Global clients, both new and old, increasingly
                                                                                      engage Edelman to advise them on and help
                                                                                      plan, develop and execute cause-related initia-
                                                                                      tives. Often, they seek our assistance because
                                                                                      they know of pro bono projects and campaigns
For our clients and many others,      2018 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER
                                                                                      we have been involved in that relate to issues
Edelman’s intellectual property and   The Edelman Trust Barometer – now in its 19th   from mental health and veterans’ issues to
counsel increasingly help them        year and covering 33,000-plus respondents in    global hunger, education and gender equality.
understand their expanding            28 global markets – generates important         We gain invaluable experience from the work
social role and act on how they       signals about the state of trust and distrust   we do with clients on such endeavors and,
can contribute social purpose to      worldwide and the impact on countries,          increasingly, we apply our communications
                                      various industries, economic sectors and        marketing talents gleaned from cause-related
our world.
                                      institutions outside of business, including     client work to our own pro bono activities. The
                                      government, the media and NGOs. The             following case studies offer a glimpse at the
                                                                                      broad range of client assignments we helped
                                                                                      with in FY18. For more purpose-driven client
                                                                                      work, please visit our Citizenship website.

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CASE STUDIES

Edelman UAE

Linkedin : Hear it from me
LinkedIn wanted to strengthen its offering        Edelman helped LinkedIn define a meaningful
in Saudi Arabia in relation to Arabic-first job   role for its platform by using its data – along
search websites. To build brand presence and      with the voices of Saudi career women – to
increase sign-ups, Edelman UAE needed to          tell their stories with authority and conviction.
connect LinkedIn to something bigger.             And they united these stories under an
                                                  integrated campaign – #HearItFromMe.
So, it used this ask as an opportunity to
connect the act of signing up to making a         Edelman helped package and launch
statement: Adding more women into the work-       LinkedIn research around the barriers and
force under the Saudi Vision 2030 mandate.        drivers to hiring Saudi women and engaged
                                                  multiple influential Saudi Arabian business-
Edelman helped LinkedIn define its approach       women to blog about the data across a range
to market by providing a key insight of Saudi     of social media platforms.
Arabian women professionals: In the shadow
of their misrepresentation in the media, these    Within the first four days, the campaign
women view their careers and achievements         eclipsed regional records on social, generating
as invisible to the world and to recruiters.      over 20 percent engagement and more than
                                                  200,000 impressions. It has since generated
                                                  35 pieces of media coverage across print,
                                                  online and broadcast – not to mention tweets
                                                  from the Kingdom’s top influencers who spoke
                                                  about the findings and LinkedIn’s efforts.

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CASE STUDIES

Edelman Seattle

REI: Force of Nature
REI, a purpose-driven outdoor retailer and         Edelman launched #ForceofNature as an
the nation’s largest consumer cooperative,         integrated, insight-driven campaign to media,
has never shied away from its belief that a life   consumers and the public at large. Edelman
outdoors is a life well lived – for all. Edelman   secured a strong line-up of interviews with
partnered with REI to help them take a stand       REI women leaders resulting in launch day
during a time of ignited activism, awareness       placements in Forbes, Fast Company, Gear
and conversation around gender inequality and      Junkie and Fortune. The team also helped
barriers that exist to equal opportunity.          REI partner with Outside Magazine to create
                                                   the outlet’s first all-women’s issue. Following
REI partnered with Edelman to launch               the initial launch, Edelman took the integrated
#ForceofNature in April 2017, a long-term          media push from national to REI’s key
effort that continues to the present, to make      markets and helped drive attendance to
the outdoors the world’s largest level playing     1000+ events and classes specifically
field, resetting gender perceptions and ensuring   designed for women.
that women and girls are just as inspired and
equipped as men to embrace life outside.           Beyond initial curtain-raiser stories, Edelman
                                                   secured coverage in top-tier outlets, and the
REI, Edelman and Edelman Intelligence              campaign also garnered 45 million social
conducted a survey of 2,000 women to unearth       impressions, 15 million of which came from
the societal truths about the relationship         REI employees. Nearly 48,000 women have
women have with the outdoors and provide           participated in local events across the
newsworthy data that illustrated the outdoor       country, and the waitlist for ongoing events
gender gap. The findings proved that too many      has reached nearly 15,000. The work also
women believe the outdoors isn’t for them,         won a Bronze Lion in the Glass: The Lion for
with 84 percent of women calling themselves        Change category at the Cannes Lions Festival,
“active” but only 32 percent identifying as        not to mention several public relations industry
“outdoorsy.” This data grounded the campaign       honors including winning the 2018 Gold
and positioned REI to take action.                 Sabre Awards for Retail. But perhaps most
                                                   importantly, the campaign continues to incite
                                                   conversation and action from consumers,
                                                   retailers and the outdoor industry to address
                                                   the outdoor gender gap.

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CASE STUDIES

Edelman Singapore + Shanghai

J&J Vision : Help Children See
With nearly 90 percent of China’s youth
suffering from myopia, or near-sightedness,
it has become a growing issue of concern in
the country. To draw public attention to this
issue and raise funds to bring more early vision
screenings to children in need, the Edelman
teams from Singapore and Shanghai produced
the Help Children See purpose marketing
campaign for Johnson and Johnson Vision in
APAC, built around helping each child live up
the full potential of their names on National
Eye Care Day in China.

Led with the insight that Chinese parents
attach hopes and aspirations of desired futures
encapsulated in the names of their children,
the team created a viral film that explored the
story of a young boy as he tries to live up to
the vision behind his name while struggling
with poor eyesight. The film led viewers to the
popular Chinese gaming platform QQ, featuring
a game that also doubles as an eye exam,
after which they are prompted to donate to the     Within the first few hours of launch, the film    in brand consideration and 10 percent in
Sight for Kids school-based vision screening       garnered more than 1.5 million donations,         myopia awareness. Help Children See inspired
partnership program. As part of the integrated     and within 48 hours, over 413 million views. In   a whole new generation of Chinese parents to
campaign, the team didn’t just produce the         total, the campaign led to an increase of         truly see the importance of early eye checks
viral film – they also created content for the     16 percent in brand love for Johnson and          for their children and to understand how
game, as well as web banners and posters.          Johnson Vision’s ACUVUE® brand, 11 percent        myopia can affect their lives.

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Data Privacy & Information Security

Edelman is a client-focused and        GDPR                                             attachments and hyperlinks to identify
ethical organization that represents                                                    malicious attacks while delivering additional
                                       We have always considered data privacy
                                                                                        email user identity validation through
some of the leading organizations      and confidentiality critical to handling our
                                                                                        multifactor authentication.
and companies in the world. We         clientmatters. Like many of our international
take the privacy and security of       clients, we believe it makes sense to use        We also began a new employee training
personal data seriously and have       the European Union’s recently activated          system that revamped our compliance training
adopted global privacy policies        General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)        and introduced new Information Security
                                       as a guidepost for our global privacy and
consistent with our high standards.                                                     training modules, tools and online features to
                                       security compliance program.
Learn more about our global                                                             help employees be vigilant and prevent
privacy principles and policies        We developed and rolled out training materials
                                                                                        phishing attacks, among other things.
on our on our website’ with ‘on our    and customized mandatory data privacy
                                                                                        BUSINESS ETHICS
Citizenship page on Edelman.com.       and protection training in support of these
                                       materials that all employees were expected       EcoVadis provides an independent CSR
                                       to complete before May 25.                       analysis covering 21 criteria across four
                                                                                        themes of environment, fair labor practices,
                                       We revisited our data privacy and security       ethics/fair business practices, and supply
                                       policies and procedures and made changes         chain. The methodology is built on international

                                                                                                                                              90%                  62%
                                       as appropriate to our practices to meet          CSR standards including the Global Reporting
                                       expectations of our global clients and of        Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact
                                       regulators. We increased our IT network          and the ISO 26000, covering 190 spend                 of employees         of employees
                                       protection capabilities by adding advanced       categories and 150 countries.                         trained on           (level 4+)
                                       threat protection which scans email                                                                    general data         trained
                                                                                                                                              protection           on Anti-
                                                                                                                                              (GDPR)               Corruption
                                                                            	
                                                                             T his year marks the first time Edelman
                                                                             achieved an EcoVadis Gold rating. This result
                                                                             places Edelman among the top 5 percent of
                                                                             performers evaluated by EcoVadis.
                                                                                                                                              85%                  59%
                                                                                                                                              of employees         of employees
                                                                                                                                              trained on           trained on
                                                                                                                                              compliance           workplace
                                                                                                                                              and ethics           behavior

16   OUR CLIENTS                                                                                                                 ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Our People
     PROVIDING OUR EMPLOYEES
     WITH RESPONSIBLE CHOICES

An overwhelming majority of our nearly 6,000
employees – 85 percent – say our Citizenship
efforts are a key reason they work at Edelman.
This is why we consider it essential to adopt
meaningful actions that contribute and
improve their lives at work, at home, in their
communities and more broadly. We believe
that our employees increasingly value our
Citizenship initiatives because ours has been
an evolutionary journey that continues, and
they’ve seen our yearly progress.

17                                               ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Importance of Citizenship to Our People

Our Citizenship efforts continue to    Eighty-five percent of our employees (up         environmental and economic issues. They
gain the support of our employees      from 81 percent the year before) believe that    want us to support diversity and inclusion
                                       citizenship is important in deciding to work     initiatives and promote health and well-being
worldwide and they play a signifi-
                                       at Edelman and that percentage is consistent     while also providing effective professional
cant role in acquiring and retaining
                                       across regions and levels.                       training and development.
talent. All our regions reported
moderate to significant progress       We believe this increasing level of engagement   This is why we continue to introduce new
in citizenship in FY18 as well as in   spotlights the success we see in our Citizen-    Citizenship goals and policies, including efforts
volunteerism, green initiatives and    ship approach. But we always are seeking fresh   to center our employees’ talents and skills to
pro bono work.                         ways to connect with our global community        advance the UN Sustainable Development
                                       because, as the Edelman Trust Barometer          goals of Gender Equality, Zero Hunger and
                                       makes clear, employees – and indeed citizens     Quality Education — three goals identified by
                                       worldwide – want their organizations and         our employees as priority focus areas.
                                       CEOs to take stands on important societal,

                                       85% of                                           63% of
                                       employees                                        employees
                                       believe that citizenship is                      seek more information
                                       important in deciding to                         about potential
                                       work at Edelman                                  opportunities, indicating
                                                                                        they have a clear desire to
                                           Up from                                      become more engaged.
                                       81% in FY17
                                                                                            9%       increase
                                                                                        in interest from FY17

18   OUR PEOPLE                                                                                                                  ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Health & Well-Being

Health and well-being continue to             From supporting physical and mental health in       and resources to ensure changes met legal
rank among the most important                 the workplace, to organized activities, access      requirements and to ensure they were right
                                              to resources and policies that encourage            for Edelman.
values to our employees, and in
                                              flexibility, we continue to evolve the way we
fiscal 2018, it ranked as the top                                                                 We also began to broaden the Edelman
                                              address this important value globally to ensure
issue around nearly all of our                                                                    Escape program, a widely popular U.S.
                                              employee health and satisfaction and secure a
global offices. However, only 47              culture that places wellness at the center.         program that awards winners one week
percent of employees believe that                                                                 and $1500 to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime
Edelman has created a culture                 This past year, we undertook a large project to     experience, to eventually make it global by
that promotes healthy living.                 change our paid time off policies in the U.S. to    budgeting for it in Canada and then elsewhere.
                                              allow for more flexibility by providing buckets     Edelman also moved to make a tobacco
                                              of PTO and a PTO bank of time for employees         cessation program a global one within the
                                                                                                                                                       VETERANS
                                              to use. The project required considerable time      Employee Assistance Program.
                                                                                                                                                       WELL-BEING SURVEY
                                                                                                                                                       We conducted our third annual
                                                                                                                                                       Veterans Well-being Survey in
                                                                                                                                                       partnership with more than 15
                                               1.	Career                                        4. Physical
                                                                                                                                                       veteran service organizations.
                                                  • Barcelona: Planned a “Clear-out Day,”         •	Madrid: Offered a five-week Pilates              The survey engaged 2,000
                                                     where employees cleared their desks              class.
                                                     to “clear their minds.”                                                                           veterans, 1,075 employers,
                                                                                                   •	UK: Offers guided mediation, resilience
                                                                                                                                                       250 educators and 500 military
                                                                                                      and stress management workshops,
                                               2.	Social                                                                                              spouses, and focused on tracking
                                                                                                      biweekly massages.
                                                  • Paris: Organizes monthly afternoon                                                                changes in veterans’ well-being
                                                                                                   •	Belgium: Offers desk yoga classes.
                                                     tea sessions, encouraging employees
                                                                                                                                                       metrics over time assessing
                                                     to practice their English, and hosts a        •	Germany: Offers massages across all
                                                     monthly healthy breakfast social get-            country offices.                                 perceptions of employment
                                                     together.
                                                                                                 5.	Community                                         readiness and potential for
                                                                                                                                                       success; diving deeper into
     In FY18 offices in the Europe and the     3. Financial                                        •	Cologne and Paris: Organized
                                                                                                      office-wide charity runs.                        the civilian/military divide
     United Kingdom created a program             • U.K.: Hosted financial education
     focused on five pillars of well-being,          seminars run by HSBC Bank.                    •	Madrid: Encourages employees to                  and the issues perpetuating
     which include:                                                                                   take time off to donate blood.                   this; and assessing military
                                                                                                                                                       spouse employment as well as
                                                                                                                                                       perceptions of access to care.

19     OUR PEOPLE                                                                                                                        ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)             In January 2018, our U.S. Executive Committee       ment efforts by strengthening partnerships
are an extension of our values            set a racial and ethnic workforce goal of 30        with key organizations, universities/colleges
and are core to our culture. We           percent by 2022 (from 24 percent). At the           and communities to develop a more diverse
                                          end of the fiscal year, our diverse workforce       candidate pipeline. To drive retention and
recognize the critical importance
                                          percentage was 25 percent and it has                promotion of our work, we expect to introduce
of employing a diverse workforce
                                          continued to increase in the current fiscal year.   a D&I-focused mentoring program, especially
and senior management and
                                                                                              for mid-level employees, and provide program-
in maintaining an inclusive               Additionally, we expect to meet our 2020            ming through our five employee networks.
workplace by setting firm                 goal of achieving 50 percent representation
objectives and holding ourselves          of women in leadership roles firmwide. That         In FY18, we held over 50 D&I trainings
accountable to exceed them.               percentage increased to nearly 48 percent in        throughout the U.S. offices and beyond,
                                          FY18. Of note, the four largest U.S. offices –      and required U.S. employees to participate
                                          New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and the         in the ongoing trainings. We completed a
                                          Bay Area – are headed by women.                     companywide pay equity analysis to identify
                                                                                              and take steps to eliminate gaps, which               Edelman completed a gender
                                          To drive this work, we have several programs
                                                                                              underlines our commitment to equal pay.               pay analysis which found that
                                          underway and more work to be done. We
                                                                                                                                                    Edelman pays women 99% of
                                          continue to enhance our diversity recruit-
                                                                                                                                                    what their male counterparts are
                                                                                                                                                    paid for similar job functions,
                                                                                                                                                    experience and geographies.

             Gender Breakdown by Region                                       Age Breakdown by Generation

              Region            Female           Male              Total       Generation         Female              Male                 Total

              APACMEA             855             403             1,258        Silent                   3                 2                   5
                                                                                                                                                     48%
                                                                               Boomer                 139              106                  245
                                                                                                                                                     Women now hold 48%
              Canada              167              70               237
                                                                                                                                                     of Senior Leadership
              Europe & CIS        924             431             1,355        Gen X                  624              490              1,114        positions (Executive Vice
              LatAm               248              94               342        Millennial           3,179             1,195             4,374        President and up).
              U.S.               1,804            805             2,609        Generation Z            53                10                  63

              Total              3,817          1,803             5,801        Total                3,398             1,803             5,801

20   OUR PEOPLE                                                                                                                        ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Diversity & Inclusion, continued
                                                                                                        INCLUSIVO                                            EQUAL

Our five employee networks were increasingly active in FY18. The groups
include Edelman Equal, our LGBTQ network; Forward, our veterans’
network; Griot, our African American network; GWEN, our global women’s
network; and Inclusivo, our Hispanic/Latino network.

     GWEN                                          GRIOT

The Global Women’s Empowerment Network                                                                Edelman’s Hispanic network group expanded
continued to launch bold initiatives and                                                              its impact, hosting workshops, panels and
engage women across Edelman’s global                                                                  fundraisers to celebrate Latino pride. In New
offices. In FY18, it launched Opportunity                                                             York, the group hosted a hip hop and culture
                                                                                                                                                           Edelman Equal celebrated PRIDE month
Talks, a global mentorship program, to connect                                                        workshop in collaboration with Griot NY as
                                                                                                                                                           around the world, including participating
employees across the network, and Lean                                                                well as a food and culture panel, a fundraiser for
                                                                                                                                                           in marches in Mexico City and London;
In Circles, another mentorship program to                                                             a Puerto Rican school damaged by Hurricane
                                                                                                                                                           hosting fundraisers for homeless LGBTQ
empower women colleagues across all levels                                                            Maria and a creative lifestyle design workshop
                                                                                                                                                           youth initiatives in the U.S. and the AIDS
through group mentorship and peer coaching.                                                           with actress Joselyn Martinez. In Chicago,
                                                                                                                                                           committee of Toronto in Canada; and
Throughout international Women’s Day, the                                                             the group celebrated Dia de los Muertos, and
                                                                                                                                                           cultivating partnerships as the U.K. did with
group planned festivities and awareness                                                               partnered with local organizations to give
                                                                                                                                                           Intermedia UK, an organization that strives to
activities in offices across the globe; in                                                            back, including sponsorship of the El Futuro
                                                                                                                                                           build a more LGBT-inclusive media industry.
Chicago, the group hosted a guest speaker        To build momentum around racial diversity            High School Leadership program, to help the
and raised funds for a local nonprofit that      and inclusion through internal and external          city’s Latino community achieve better college
helps empower women to secure employment.        programming. In FY18, the group celebrated           entrance and completion rates.
                                                 Black History Month and continued to offer
                                                                                                        FORWARD
                                                 open forums to engage diverse media and
Griot                                            journalists, and supported black artists in their
                                                                                                                                                           Edelman has made its first two veteran hires
Edelman’s black network group continued          communities. To continue to build community
                                                                                                                                                           through a partnership with United States
                                                 support and encourage education throughout
                                                                                                                                                           Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes
                                                 local black communities, Griot raised money
                                                                                                                                                           program, and has also hired several military
                                                 for local school and community centers and
                                                                                                                                                           spouses, marking the first steps in our journey
                                                 joined in on service projects for local charities.
                                                                                                                                                           toward creating a more inclusive workforce
                                                                                                                                                           bolstered by the experiences and skillsets
                                                                                                                                                           veterans and military spouses offer.

21      OUR PEOPLE                                                                                                                             ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Learning & Development

UNLOCKING CLIENT VALUE BY INVESTING                  •   Targeted Learning Programs: As part of
IN OUR EMPLOYEES                                         our commitment to develop targeted skills
                                                         and experiences, we design custom learn-
We pride ourselves in our learning and devel-
                                                         ing solutions by region, office and team.
opment efforts and consider them representa-
tive of our culture of continuous improvement
                                                     •   Mentor Programs: Most global offices offer
and dynamic learning environment, which
                                                         a mentor program with active partnerships
adds new online and in-class training modules
                                                         that connect experienced employees with
regularly.
                                                         junior colleagues. Other programs link
                                                         minority talent with senior managers, newer
But it’s the on-the-job experiences that make
                                                         women employees with women leaders
Edelman special. We estimate that our employ-
                                                         and new parents with longtime Edelman
ees learn about 70 percent of their knowledge
                                                         parents.
on the job, which underlines why our career
development program combines formal
                                                       Performance Reviews: These annual and
                                                     •	
training, coaching and mentoring, and distinct
                                                         mid-year reviews evaluate skills, provide
professional experiences:
                                                         strategic goal development and career
                                                         planning opportunities.
  Edelman Learning Institute: This corpo-
•	
     rate “virtual campus” addresses personal
     and professional growth through a robust,

                                                           105,161 hrs
     global training system that supports lifelong
     development and social learning.

  Leadership Academy: This program offers
•	                                                        In FY18, employees recorded
     select client-facing leaders the global               a total of 105,161 hours of
     opportunity to participate in an intensive            training, an average of 16.5                EDELMAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY EVOLVES
     educational three-day program conducted               hours per person.
                                                                                                       This year, 70 of our top leaders from 32 global offices gathered in Montreal
     by experts from both within and outside
                                                                                                       to participate in a distinct, leader-led coaching experience. More than 30
     Edelman.
                                                                                                       Edelman executives and internal experts conducted small groups in learning
                                                                                                       structured around three pillars of Courage, Collaboration and Operational
                                                                                                       Excellence, guided by a thematic construct of Unlocking Value for Clients.

22      OUR PEOPLE                                                                                                                  ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Our
     Communities
           IMPACTING OUR
         LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Acting with Certainty extends beyond our and
our clients’ business. It applies to the way
we conduct ourselves as world citizens – in
the places where we live, work and play. Our
employees use their skills, talents and time to
make a positive impact through community
involvement. Again, it has proven important
to evolve our global citizenship efforts as
volunteerism and pro bono initiatives change
emphasis. For instance, we are aligning
our efforts more closely with three U.N.
Sustainable Development Goals favored
by our employees: Zero Hunger, Quality
Education and Gender Equality.

23                                                ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
19,907 hrs                                                        Pro Bono
                                                                                                                  total volunteerism                                                Volunteer
                                                                                                                                                                                    Board Ad
                                                                                                                                                                                    Sponsors
                                                                                                                                                                                    $3 million
Employee Giving & Volunteerism

                                                                                           63%
                                                                      1,483 hours                 9,319 hours
Being active and engaged                 Globally, one-quarter of employees have
                                                                     Board Advisory               Volunteerism

participants in society is a core        volunteered through Edelman-sponsored
                                                                     9,103 hours                                            While we continue to prioritize pro bono and
                                         opportunities, and 43 percent were involved       of employees would
value to Edelman employees.                                          Pro Bono                                               volunteerism across our offices, we also continue
                                         outside of the office. More than one in 10 has    like to receive more
In fact, 80 percent of employees                                                           information about pro
                                                                                                                            to assess where we’re falling short and how we can
                                         engaged in pro bono work either inside or
say volunteering and pro bono                                                              bono and volunteerism            empower employees to give back.
                                         outside the firm.
opportunities are important                                                                opportunities
                                                                                                                            1.Volunteering and Pro Bono Policy. Over half
factors in choosing to work              In total, we’ve given back nearly 20,000 hours
                                                                      1.2 million                 1.4 million                 of our global employees report that making time
                                                                      Sponsorship                 Probono
at Edelman.                              and $3 million in time and talent in FY18.

                                                                                           60%
                                                                                                                              available during work hours would help increase
                                         Our ultimate goal is that every employee
                                                                                                                              participation. Our recently updated volunteering
                                         gives back the eight hours they’re allotted for
                                                                                                                              and pro bono policy encourages offices to take the
                                         a total of 40,000 hours of pro222,548
                                                                        bono and           of employees would
                                                                                                   227,499                    lead in creating opportunities for their employees,
                                         volunteering time.           Board Advisory       like to Volunteerism
                                                                                                   hear from local
                                                                                           leadership about                   from volunteer days to pro bono partnerships. The
                                                                                           opportunities                      policy provides clear guidance on minimal time
                                                                                                                              investments, U.N. SDG priorities and logging hours
                                                                                                                              efficiently.

                                                                                                                            2.	Streamlining reporting. A challenge to accurate
                                                                                                                               reporting lies in volunteering and pro bono hours

                               19,907 hrs                             9,103 hours
                                                                      Pro Bono
                                                                                                 9,319 hours
                                                                                                 Volunteerism
                                                                                                                               tracking. We launched a global software to help
                                                                                                                               simplify and streamline this process across
                               total volunteerism                                                                              offices, which we will discuss on page 25.

                                                                                                 1,483 hours
                                                                                                 Board Advisory             3.	Formalizing involvement. Our policy adds
                                                                                                                               structure to Edelman-sponsored volunteerism and
                                                                                                                               we continue to build out our pro bono guidelines

                               $3 million
                                                                                                                               for involvement, ensuring that the work leverages
                                                                      $1.4 million               $1.2 million
                                                                      Probono                    Sponsorship,                  communications marketing skills and produces
                                                                                                 Grants,
                                                                                                                               top-tier case studies.
                               total giving                                                      Contributions

                                                                                                 $227,499
                                                                      $222,548                   Volunteerism
                                                                      Board Advisory

24   OUR COMMUNITIES                                                                                                       ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Employee Giving & Volunteerism

                                                50%                                                                                     82%
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES                                                      YOURCAUSE

Though employee interest in and passion for                                       We launched YourCause software globally
community engagement remains high, hurdles      Time: Fifty percent of all        to address these concerns and encourage               of employees say that
exist to involvement. While 82 percent and 79   employees acknowledge time        Citizenship engagement at all levels. The             volunteerism is important in
percent of employees, respectively, believe
                                                is the biggest factor affecting   software centralizes all volunteer and pro
                                                                                                                                        choosing to work at Edelman
                                                their Citizenship involvement.
that volunteerism and pro bono are important                                      bono opportunities, streamlines signup and

                                                                                                                                        79%
                                                This statistic is especially
in choosing to work at Edelman, only about                                        simplifies hours tracking. Transition to this
                                                common in the U.S., with
25 percent of employees have engaged in         67 percent of employees           full-service site enables the Global Citizenship
Edelman-sponsored volunteering, and only 10                                       team to obtain an accurate sense of employee          79% say pro bono is important in
                                                struggling to make time to
                                                                                                                                        choosing to work at EdelmanYet
percent have engaged in Edelman-sponsored       engage in volunteer and pro       involvement, and it empowers employees
                                                                                                                                        globally, only 39% of employees
pro bono work, citing time and awareness as     bono projects.                    around the world to give back in the best way
                                                                                                                                        volunteer through Edelman
their biggest barriers.                                                           for them.

                                                31%
                                                Awareness: Nearly one-third                                                             78%
                                                (31%) of employees are not                                                              Level 1 and 2 employees (78%)
                                                aware of opportunities to get                                                           are most interested in service-
                                                involved. This is particularly                                                          related opportunities
                                                apparent in the APAC region,
                                                followed by Canada and
                                                Latin America.
                                                                                                                                        58%
                                                                                                                                        Level 4 and 5 (58%) as well
                                                                                                                                        as Level 6+ (81%) are more
                                                                                                                                        interested in professional/skilled-
                                                                                                                                        based opportunities

25    OUR COMMUNITIES                                                                                                      ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Community Investment Grants

                                                                                                                                                                 50 grants
We’re proud of the myriad ways                             As one of the Global Citizenship team’s
employees give back outside of                             signature programs, our Community Investment
                                                           Grants have a direct and meaningful impact
the office on their own time, and                                                                                                                                awarded in FY18
                                                           on organizations with which employees are
we’re also proud to help support
                                                           engaged across the world. For the past seven

                                                                                                                                                                 14 grants
this involvement.
                                                           years, this grant program has supported
                                                           causes that matter most to employees and
                                                           their communities.                                                                                    impacted one of Edelman’s
                                                                                                                                                                 priority sustainable
                                                                                                                                                                 development goals
                                                                                                          This year we awarded 50 grants, totaling
                                                                                                          $101,500, across 18 offices globally.
                                                    QUALITY                                               Organizations ranged from a sustainable coffee
                                                   EDUCATION
                                                                                                          collective in Uganda to an adaptive winter
                               PARTNERSHIPS
                                                     12
                                                                                                                                                                 $101,500
                                                                   GOOD HEALTH AND
                               FOR THE GOALS                         WELL-BEING                           sports nonprofit in Vancouver; from a program
                                    1                                    10                               that unites magic with motor skills therapy in
                                                                                                          London to an arts organization that helps              awarded in FY18
                CLEAN WATER
               AND SANITATION
                                                                                  NO POVERTY              facilitate an understanding of diversity in

                       1                                                               8                  Connecticut; from a project to build vegetable
                                                                                                          gardens for sustainability and biology
                                          Number of grants                                                education at a school in Illinois to a project to
               ZERO                           awarded                                  REDUCED
              HUNGER                                                                                      cultivate a more walkable community in                 The Community Investment
                                            for each SDG                             INEQUALITIES

                1                                                                          8              Maryland. The list goes on – and so does               Grants program has totaled
                                                                                                          the impact.                                            more than $1.1 million USD in
                       GENDER
                                                                                                                                                                 charitable giving – in more
                                                                         SUSTAINABLE CITIES
                       EQUALITY                                           AND COMMUNITIES                                                                        than 750 separate grants – since
                           1           DECENT WORK                              4                                                                                the program’s inception in FY11.
                                           AND
                                                          LIFE ON LAND
                                     ECONOMIC GROWTH

                                               2               3

26   OUR COMMUNITIES                                                                                                                               ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Volunteerism

     LONDON’S CHALLENGE DAY                         PARIS CITIZEN DAY                                 CANADA’S LITTLE GIVE: Vancouver Edition

                                                                                                                                                    Inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s Big Give initiative,
                                                                                                                                                    The Little Give is Edelman Canada’s annual
                                                                                                                                                    corporate social responsibility project that
                                                                                                                                                    dedicates a little bit of seed money and a
                                                                                                                                                    whole lot of time and energy to worthy, local
                                                                                                                                                    nonprofit organizations. Established in 2008
                                                                                                                                                    by Edelman Vancouver, The Little Give
                                                                                                                                                    taps into employees’ diverse skillsets and
                                                                                                                                                    passions to make a difference in the
                                                                                                                                                    communities around them.
Edelman London colleagues participated in         All 140 Paris employees participated in their
the office’s first Challenge Day on May 3. As     office’s second annual Citizen Day on June 27.                                                    In June 2018, the Vancouver office celebrated
an alternative to the office’s biannual company   Office involvement focused on volunteering                                                        its 11th anniversary by collaborating with three
offsite, this day aimed to shine a spotlight on   and pro bono work for three local charities,                                                      local charities: Mount Pleasant Neighbour-
the opportunities around pro bono and             totaling more than 1,000 hours.                                                                   hood House, Whole Way House and a Loving
volunteerism at Edelman.                                                                                                                            Spoonful. These organizations supply needed
                                                  Some employees assisted an employment                                                             services, empowering those struggling with
The huge effort connected 500-plus colleagues     service agency by developing communications                                                       family issues and in need of daycare and
                                                                                                       “We connected with inspiring people in
with 24 community charities and causes.           materials and conducting interview workshops,                                                     counselling services. Edelman Vancouver’s
                                                                                                       our community, challenged ourselves
Teams were tasked with assisting a range of       resume and curriculum vitae workshops and                                                         “Little Givers” got involved in cleaning,
                                                                                                       and embraced the opportunity to work
projects both small and large from across the     job coaching workshops. Others helped at a                                                        crafting, dancing, cooking, painting and
                                                                                                       alongside our colleagues in a new
U.K. Some teams developed a digital skills        homeless shelter with various tasks including                                                     projects involving manual labor.
                                                                                                       environment, whether it was through
workshop and helped organizations rebrand         basement cleaning, wall painting, lunch prepa-
                                                                                                       power washing or line dancing, ‘The
and activate. Others spent the day outdoors       ration, building patio furniture and creating a
                                                                                                       Little Give’ is one of the most enriching
on large community projects – whether tending     beautiful piece of wall art. Still others aided a
                                                                                                       experiences that we, as Edelman employees,
gardens, preparing and serving hot meals or       humanitarian emergency service organization,
                                                                                                       take part in as a collective group.”
engaging with diverse community members,          sorting more than 2,200 articles of clothing for
                                                                                                       - Vanessa Mora, Vancouver
among others.                                     those in need. For Paris, this was a day of
                                                                                                       Citizenship Lead
                                                  solidarity – of uniting time and talent to give
                                                  back in a truly meaningful way.

27     OUR COMMUNITIES                                                                                                                 ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Volunteerism, continued

                                                 tangible results: Packaged 2,000 pounds of
     CHICAGO’S WEEK OF SERVICE
                                                 food at Lakeview Pantry; made nearly 100
                                                 chew toys for animals the Anti-Cruelty Society;
                                                 sorted donations for 192 children at Cradles to
                                                 Crayons; mentored nearly 200 middle school
                                                 students with Junior Achievement; organized
                                                 and stocked linen and toiletry closets for
                                                 Ronald McDonald House families; and played
                                                 bingo and served lunch to 160 seniors with
                                                 Meals on Wheels.

                                                    THE BAY AREA: Annual Offsite
Each year, Edelman Chicago dedicates a week
to give back to the community. Employees are     The Bay Area offices comprising San Francisco,
encouraged to sign up for various volunteer      Silicon Valley and Sacramento close down for
activities throughout the week, which in FY18    an afternoon each summer for an offsite
included: sorting donations at Cradles to        celebration to wrap up the fiscal year and start
Crayons, making chew toys for animals at         the next on a positive note.
the Anti-Cruelty Society, packaging food
                                                 In August 2017, the Bay Area offices canceled
donations at Lakeview Pantry, mentoring
                                                 their morning work hours to provide several
middle schoolers with Junior Achievement,
                                                 volunteer opportunities to enable employees
playing bingo with seniors for Meals on
                                                 to give back to their local communities. More
Wheels, and much more.
                                                 than 80 employees engaged in these events,
More than one third of the office engages        impacting five UN Sustainable Development
with these activities throughout the week, and   Goals through the Alameda Food Bank,
employee participation created the following     Project Open Hand, Botanical Garden at
                                                 Golden Gate Park, The Arc and the East Bay
                                                 College Fund.

28     OUR COMMUNITIES                                                                              ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
Pro Bono Work

In addition to empowering                        RUTH EDELMAN AWARD                                Top-ranking entries closely emulated the
employees to give back with time,                Throughout her life, Ruth Edelman supported
                                                                                                   beginning-to-end communications marketing
Edelman also encourages them                     numerous health organizations and nonprofits.
                                                                                                   work we do for clients regularly, including:
                                                                                                   collaboration across practices; clear goals,
to give back with talent. Our Pro                Her commitment to helping others proved an
                                                                                                   objectives and tactics based on research
Bono and Volunteerism policy                     inspiration to all who knew and loved her. From
                                                                                                   and insights; full-circle campaign execution;
prioritizes pro bono work, or                    Ruth’s involvement in the community to the tens
                                                                                                   compelling case study and video development;
“professional volunteerism,”                     of thousands of volunteer hours that Edelman
                                                                                                   lasting and measurable impact; and demon-
defined as skilled work performed                employees complete every year, Citizenship
                                                                                                   strating our third core value – the courage to
                                                 has always been core to who we are.
by a professional, done free of                                                                    do the right thing.
charge to serve the public good.                 In its third year, the Ruth Edelman Citizenship
                                                                                                   The following pages outline Edelman’s best-

                                                                                                                                                           9,000 hrs
                                                 Award recognizes the pro bono project that
When considering pro bono opportunities, we                                                        in-class pro bono work. For more examples of
                                                 demonstrates Edelman Citizenship to the
seek to apply employees’ unique communica-                                                         our nonprofit partnerships at work, please visit
                                                 highest extent. The recognition is part of
                                                                                                   our Citizenship page on Edelman.com.                    In FY18, employees
tions marketing talents to create campaigns      Edelman’s larger Culture Awards initiative –                                                              completed more than
that make a sustained impact for organizations   which celebrates the achievements of teams                                                                9,000 hrs of pro bono activity,
and causes in their communities. But there’s     and individuals who have made a positive                                                                  valued at nearly $1.4 million
work to be done. In FY18, only roughly           impact for the firm, clients and one another –
one-in-10 employees reported pro bono            and grants $5,000 to the winning team.
involvement through Edelman, although 79
percent consider these opportunities important
in choosing to work at the firm.

                                                   Edelman’s goal is to deliver 50 percent
                                                   of its pro bono hours against the top UN
                                                   Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as
                                                   identified by our global employees :

29    OUR COMMUNITIES                                                                                                                       ACT WITH CERTAINTY | EDELMAN FY18 CITIZENSHIP REPORT
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