London Benchmarking Group assurance

The Corporate Citizenship Company has been asked to comment on the use by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer of the London Benchmarking Group (LBG) model (www.lbg-online.net) to measure and report on its community involvement activities for the year to 30th April 2007.

The LBG model was developed by a group of businesses in 1995 as an internal evaluation tool and as a way to ensure greater consistency and comparability in external reporting. Today more than 100 leading international businesses apply the model around the world. Freshfields have been an active member since 2002.

The LBG model helps businesses to improve the management, measurement and reporting of their corporate community investment (CCI). It moves beyond charitable donations to include the full range of contributions (in time, in kind and in cash) made to community causes, and assesses the actual results for the community and for the business. (See www.lbg-online.net for more information).

As managers of the Group, we have worked with Freshfields to ensure that it understands the LBG model and applies its principles to the measurement of community involvement programmes. Having conducted an assessment, we are satisfied that this has been achieved. Our work has not extended to an independent audit of the data.

This year Freshfields developed a more sophisticated data collection system to capture each individual community contribution made by its business units; identifying, in particular, the pro bono and other general volunteering activities undertaken in the community by its staff. Also, for the first time it collected data from its international operations. The results have been impressive and extensive.

In conducting the assurance we have advised Freshfields to pay careful attention to, and review where necessary, the categorisation of the nature of contributions (e.g. whether a contribution is of direct benefit to the community, or is more concerned with the overall management of the community programme) to ensure that they are classified according to LBG definitions. Freshfields is keen to adopt best practice and has made any necessary revisions.

Looking forward, a challenge for Freshfields is to assess more comprehensively the achievements of its community programmes. Collecting further data on the aims of each major contribution and the extent to which these are achieved, in terms of additional resources attracted (leverage), community benefits and the business case (outputs and impacts), will begin this process.

The Corporate Citizenship Company
www.corporate-citizenship.co.uk
November 2007