The Secrets of Her Success: Anne Marie Agnelli of CA, Inc. Talks Strategic Corporate Philanthropy
Thursday, October 15, 2009
By: Elisabeth Anderson

It isn't an easy time for corporate philanthropists, for reasons now too obvious to mention. But it's as critical as ever to hold fast to the reasons why you do the work you do, and the difference you can make. We could all use a little inspiration, and this week onPhilanthropy brings it to you via an interview conducted by Corporate Social Engagement editor Elisabeth Anderson with Anne Marie Agnelli, Vice President, Communications & Community Affairs for IT giant CA, Inc. Anne Marie's story of turning a sporadic giving program into a scaled-up strategic success will motivate you to keep jumping over whatever hurdles hinder you.

onPhilanthropy (OP): Leaders in the corporate community involvement world have such diverse backgrounds and paths to their current positions.  Tell me your story, and how your previous experience has shaped the professional you are today.
 
Anne Marie Agnelli (AMA): Currently in my role at CA, Inc. as vice president, communications and community relations I am responsible for North America and Latin America public relations and global community relations. I have been with CA for almost six years and have held various positions within CA‘s communications department. Prior to CA I held several marketing and communications positions within the cable industry. It was early in my career at Manhattan Cable (now Time Warner Cable) that I realized the far-reaching positive effect a company could have on the community by giving resources financially and through people power. New York City was facing some very critical community needs and as a team member within the company who managed branding and communications, it just felt natural to me to support the company in addressing these needs. From that point on, practically all of my positions involved both a communications and community relations function. Overall, I believe all the experience gained as a marketing and communications professional led me to the community relations path. It really is imperative for anyone considering the corporate community involvement profession to have some level of communications experience as there will always be a need for getting your message out, persuading internal and external audiences to support your initiatives while also delivering strong results.

OP: Your company’s is a true success story of taking what was once sporadic, unfocused giving and transforming it into a super-strategic platform.  How did you do it?

AMA: When I took on the responsibility of community relations at CA in 2004 there were really no true focus areas, policies or philanthropic mission in place. The first step initiated was a community relations audit where we retained an outside firm to work with us. As a company we reviewed all of the corporate contributions, matching gifts program, employee volunteerism and in-kind (software) donations. The audit was extremely beneficial as it gave the company a full picture of what we were doing or not doing and provided validity for making decisions on what areas we could change and improve upon , as well as areas that were successful. From the audit came CA’s philanthropic mission of “Improving educational opportunities for children and young people worldwide where CA has a presence.” With the mission in place, we were equipped to create partnerships with organizations that delivered results and provided direct value back to the business. CA now works strategically with our partners, customers and employees to support community relations activities.

OP: One of the toughest things to do, even after you’ve devised the best program strategy, is to sell it in to the C-suite.  Tell me how you got all of your stakeholders – especially your executives – on board.

AMA: One of the most positive attributes about CA is that all aspects of corporate social responsibility and community relations are part of the company’s culture. There was no doubt in my mind that when we began the community relations audit it was critical to involve the executive leadership team from the very start. Throughout the audit process we held regular meetings to share findings, make recommendations and discuss CA’s philanthropic roadmap. Where we are today with CA’s program is a testament to the early involvement and investment of the company’s leadership. I believe the support we have today comes from involving our leaders in the decision-making early on.

OP: What one program or initiative are you most proud of, and why?

AMA: Aside from the task of taking the company from an unstructured community affairs program to a strategic focused one, I think one of the projects I am most proud of is creating CA’s first corporate sustainability report. Similar to the community affairs audit, this effort involved tremendous collaboration among various departments to collect all of the pertinent information that encompasses a CSR Report. The CA Sustainability Report reflects the company’s understanding of the connection between CA’s business, the community and the environment. The 76-page report consists of three core sections highlighting CA’s goals and achievements that connect these areas together. The company’s progress is measured against the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicators and United Nations Global Compact principals. This project was a remarkable experience for me and just recently CA was notified that we received a Silver ARC Award in the 2009 23rd Annual International ARC Awards Competition -- honoring outstanding achievement in annual reports, presented by MerComm, Inc. -- in the category "Social and Public Responsibility Reports" and in the industry class "Information Technology." CA’s 2008 Sustainability Report is available in PDF format at http://ca.com/citizenship.

OP: I see there’s lots of good community involvement work going on right now.  Tell me more about CA Together in Action activities in October, and about your Technology Service Corps workshop in New York.

AMA: CA Together in Action (CTA) is another program we are proud of at CA. This year is our fourth annual global event which provides employees a chance to give back to the communities where they live and work. Last year, employees set a CA record by participating in 90 projects involving 25 offices that spanned six countries. A total of 1,279 CA volunteers were involved in community projects throughout the month of October, representing more than 7,000 volunteer hours given to help local organizations. This year, CA anticipates even higher levels of involvement across the globe.

One exciting CTA project we just wrapped up was an NPower Technology Service Corps workshop. CA joined forces with JPMorgan Chase and Accenture to host a workshop at CA’s New York City office for young people interested in careers in IT. Bill McCracken, CA’s Chairman of the Board, kicked off the event for students from NPower’s Technology Service Corp program, answering questions about his career in the field. The event continued with an executive panel including Ajei Gopal, EVP, Products & Technology Group, CA, Inc.; Adrian Kunzle, MD, Head of Firmwide Engineering & Architecture for JPMC; and John Izzett, Senior Executive, Accenture. We also had a presentation on the do’s and don’ts of job interviewing from Karen Mangione of CA’s Human Resources department. All of these executives volunteered their time to support our 2009 CTA program!

OP: Technical expertise is a big part of what drives CA, Inc.’s success.  From the view in the Community Affairs office – how is CA using technology to change the world?

AMA: Although non-profit organizations share many of the same IT challenges as large corporations, they often lack the financial resources needed to address them. Through our CA Together IT program, CA is helping non-profits meet these needs. The company partners with non-profit organizations around the globe and provides them with world-class software solutions and IT expertise. CA is equipping non-profits with the technological capacity necessary to be successful in the 21st century. Since 2005, through several strategic partnerships, CA has donated the same outstanding software solutions that businesses use to a number of non-profit organizations to help them strengthen their IT infrastructures and build organizational capacity to ultimately better serve their clients.
For example, the first major partner of CA Together IT was Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), which is headquartered in Atlanta and has more than 4,300 locations nationwide. As a part of this initiative, in 2005, CA became BGCA’s national information security partner and made a commitment of $4.6 million in financial and in-kind contributions over a three-year period. Since the partnership began, BGCA has experienced significant success as a result of CA becoming its national information security partner. Not only does the partnership bring considerable cost savings to BGCA, but the organization has also taken its IT structure and capabilities to higher levels, helping to create a new data center while creating consistency among Boys & Girls Clubs.

About the Author

Elisabeth Anderson is a Senior Director in the Corporate Social Engagement group of Changing Our World, an international consulting firm providing individualized solutions to corporations, nonprofits and philanthropists in all areas of fundraising and philanthropy. She can be reached at eanderson@changingourworld.com.