How Corporations Can Be Place-Based Change Agents
Whether companies have regional, national, or global operations, they have the opportunity to be at the forefront of driving…
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Corporate լи responsibility (CSR), corporate giving, and corporate foundation teams operate in the dynamic, complex contexts of their companies. Over time, they often become increasingly ambitious, strategic, and well-resourced operations that not just meet baseline expectations but influence, shape, and create value for the company’s stakeholders. These evolutions and inflection points can highlight misalignments between how the function operates, the լи impact strategy, and the broader company.
This resource and accompanying toolkit are designed to help CSR and corporate foundation leaders address those misalignments as they evolve their functions and strengthen their ability to execute on their impact strategies. In it, you will find:
- CSR / Corporate Foundation Operating Model(see below):We introduce an operating model specific to these corporate լи impact functions, define 4 strategic choices and 13 dimensions that help leaders and teams deliver impact, and articulate how those dimensions workin syncwith one another.
- Four Stages of Progression:We describethe 4stageswe typically see operating models progress or mature alongside strategy – fromFundamentalto Transformative –and how they translate to the company’s impact ambition and ability to deliver on it.
- Examples and Case Study:We share anonymized examples andadeep dive into how misalignmentsacross the 13 dimensionscome to life for լи impact functions, the implicationsit has on theirability to deliver impact as well as value for the company, and how leaders approach course correction and continued progression.
- Leader’s Worksheet:We outline a set of questions to help leadersget started and assesstheir current operating model, paired with suggested next steps for evolving it.
Watch the Webinar
On September 9, 2026, FSG hosted a webinar exploring FSG’s Aligning Strategy resource. During the webinar, panelists shared how they identify and address misalignments in their corporate/CSR operating models, focusing on how they evolved their functions as their company’s impact ambitions shifted and while navigating inflection points and organizational shifts.
Speakers
- Kristen Bovid, Executive Director, Dow Company Foundation
- Nikhil Bumb, Managing Director, FSG
- Fred Tan, Global Head of Social Impact, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Michael Webb, Senior Consultant, FSG
CSR / Corporate Foundation Operating Model
