FAQs
- What is CCE?
- Why does Pact pursue CCE?
- Is CCE the same as CSR?
- Where does Pact pursue CCE?
- Who initiates CCE relationships?
- What value does CCE with Pact hold for a business?
- Is CCE is just a fancy word for corporate fundraising?
- What are examples of Pact's CCE?
- How does Pact identify CCE opportunities?
- Does Pact's CCE involve other partners?
- What is Pact's process for approving CCE relationships?
- Will Pact work with any company?
What is CCE?
For Pact, Corporate Community Engagement (CCE) is a development and engagement strategy. It is about engaging communities and companies in the work of social development and to address critical community issues effectively.
Pact's vision for CCE is to help shape a world in which corporations and communities work together to address the challenges of poverty and social alienation that threaten social and economic stability. This vision recognizes that corporations and communities have mutual interests. Corporations benefit from community respect and support. Communities benefit from an enlightened corporate presence that views the role of business in society to include ethical behavior, responsible operations and positive contribution to society extending beyond mere focus on the bottom line. The CCE vision extends to all levels of Pact, encompassing board, headquarters, country programs and local partners. CCE involves all parties in sharing contacts, resources, insights and recommendations. Its successes and failures have institution-wide implications that require a high degree of coordinated involvement.
Pact acknowledges both a wide spectrum of potential relationships and deep levels of engagement with some companies. Philanthropic relationships for program support will continue to be an avenue for relationship building and cooperation with business to advance Pact's work with communities. Engagement with business through deeper partnerships offers new opportunities for Pact to mobilize its expertise and networks in the service of community development and capacity building. Partnerships may address such issues as governance and transparency, security, HIV/AIDS, or core business operations and their impact on local communities.
See Pact's CCE policy for more information.
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Why does Pact pursue CCE?
Pact's CCE decisions and actions are guided by three objectives:
- To create new processes and institutions in which business and civil society cooperate for social good and leverage business actions that advance social development;
- To assist communities and business engage effectively to enhance the positive impacts of business on social development, especially in local capacity building and community development; and
- To help communities and business engage effectively to mitigate or eliminate potential adverse impacts of a particular business' presence or operations.
Pact defines "community" broadly to include local communities, and also individuals, smaller municipalities, migrant workers and other populations that may not fit a narrow traditional definition of "communities."
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Is CCE the same thing as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
CCE, as Pact pursues it, is not exactly the same thing as CSR. For Pact, CCE is based on an assumption of engagement between communities, companies and other stakeholders. CSR is an umbrella term for how an individual company pursues its operations and activities. For many companies, CSR reflects how the company chooses to conduct its relationship with society and stakeholder engagement is an integral part of that CSR. However, the distinction is that a company defines its CSR, while CCE is defined both by communities and companies.
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Where does Pact pursue CCE?
Pact considers CCE wherever CCE can enhance the social development outcomes Pact and its stakeholders seek to achieve, or when CCE may provide an important opportunity to mitigate adverse effects business operations may have on social development outcomes. Pact's most extensive CCE work is in Africa, particularly in DRC where Pact is working with a network of mining companies, donors, international organizations, local NGOs and government agencies. Pact has also had, and continues to pursue, CCE relationships in several countries in Asia and Latin America as well. CCE is a core engagement strategy in Pact's current strategic plan, Pact Strategy 2010. See the CCE case studies, and products and services for more information on where Pact is pursuing CCE.
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Who initiates CCE relationships?
At times Pact initiates CCE relationships. In some cases, companies approach Pact directly. And sometimes multi-stakeholder programs Pact pursued call specifically for CCE in the program design. Inside Pact, the idea for a CCE relationship may come field staff or from elsewhere in the global organization. There are some companies with which Pact has worked in multiple countries.
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What value does CCE with Pact hold for a business?
Business can benefit in many ways. Pact's field presence and professional experience offers local knowledge, networks, skills, and understanding of international and local standards, all of which are often relevant to business and successful operations. Pact has a variety of approaches and tools that are designed to help communities and companies develop and pursue effective stakeholder engagement, manage social license to operate, analyze critical social issues, manage social risks, and pursue effective social development strategies and investments. See the CCE case studies, and products and services for additional information.
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Is CCE is just a fancy word for corporate fundraising?
Though CCE is a way to diversify funding, it is broader and more dynamic than simple philanthropy. Unlike corporate fundraising, CCE fully engages the company involved, including a focus on key issues of interest or concern to community stakeholders and on how the company is approaching those issues in communities where they operate. Pact helps companies understand the issues and develop a plan of action to get involved with the communities where their businesses operate. CCE is also a way to engage companies and communities in more comprehensive long range planning. Finally, Pact's CCE relationships are not always directly with companies. There are times when Pact pursues CCE through stakeholder coalitions focusing on specific issues involving business and other stakeholders.
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What are examples of Pact's CCE?
Please see the case studies for more examples of Pact's CCE. A few important examples include: (1) Pact's integrated social development involvement with the Extractive Industries Network in DRC, (2) Pact's private sector engagement activities through its Mainstreaming Anti-Corruption for Equity Program in Cambodia, (3) Pact's involvement with Pfizer to strengthen support services for people living with HIV/AIDS and to broaden awareness of prevention, and (4) Pact's past involvement with the Cabot Corporation to sponsor Pact Indonesia's first National Ecotourism Seminar to launch a national level dialogue that led to the country's first National Ecotourism Plan.
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How does Pact identify CCE opportunities?
Pact staff or board, NGO partners, interested companies or donors identify potential CCE opportunities. Pact pursues CCE scoping activities to map potential places, industries, companies or organizations with which Pact might collaborate through CCE to advance the social development outcomes Pact is trying to achieve. Once potential opportunities are identified, Pact has a formal due diligence, review and consultation process prior to approving specific CCE relationships. See Pact's CCE policy for more information.
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Does Pact's CCE involve other partners?
Yes, Pact's CCE may involve other partners. Other partners often include local NGOs, international NGOs, bilateral and multilateral donors, multiple companies, trade or professional associations, government agencies and academic institutions. Pact pursues CCE scoping activities to map potential partners with which Pact might collaborate through CCE to advance the social development outcomes Pact is trying to achieve. Once potential opportunities are identified, Pact has a formal due diligence, review and consultation process prior to approving specific CCE relationships.
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What is Pact's process for approving CCE relationships?
Once potential opportunities are identified, Pact has a formal due diligence, review and consultation process prior to approving specific CCE relationships. The review and consultation process includes risk and opportunity assessment, due diligence, consideration of the context in which implementation would occur, and consultation with a range of stakeholders and Pact colleagues. The process seeks to confirm whether the opportunity advances social development work, aligns with Pact's mission and capabilities, and whether the partner organizations and companies in question are working to meet accepted international standards in their approaches to this work. Pact's chief executive and board are involved in approving CCE relationships. The time required for the approval process depends on the nature, scope and risks associated with proposed CCE relationships. See Pact's CCE policy for more information.
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Will Pact work with any company?
Pact considers CCE relationships with companies that view the role of business in society to include ethical behavior, responsible operations and positive contribution to society extending beyond mere focus on the bottom line. Pact considers working with companies that are genuinely trying to conduct their business in a manner consistent with widely accepted international standards for operations, stakeholder engagement and social development activities. For example, when considering CCE relationships with companies in the extractive industries Pact looks issues such as whether the company is working to implement practices consistent with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, whether the companies are supportive of the principles and activities of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and at the approaches the company takes to its operations and health, environment and safety policies and procedures.
