Download the Benefits FAQ One-pager

Showcase and enhance your community engagement

As a participant in The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia, you will a have a unique opportunity to highlight and improve your community engagement programs, including:

• Receiving national and regional recognition for your programs in our regional top 50 rankings.
• Showcasing leadership in the community by sharing your best practices with other businesses.
• Use insights from your individual scorecard to help grown your impact and contribute to the collective impact of the regional business community.

Gain access to education and networking opportunities with like-minded businesses and professionals

Philadelphia Foundation and all partnering organizations will offer educational programs throughout the year to help participants enhance their community impact initiatives (see events page and partner websites for details). Organization partners can also support you in applying knowledge from the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia to your organization.

Companies can also participate in the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council (GPCVC), a community of diverse businesses committed to giving back to their communities. Access a wealth of programs and resources and connect directly with fellow professionals working in community and employee engagement. The GPCVC benefits companies of all sizes.

Build your brand and improve company culture

The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia will place your organization among a select group committed to the idea that doing good results in good business. It is a clear signal of your commitment to building a 21^st century workplace culture.

By participating you will gain access to the Civic-Minded Company Branding Package and other tools to help communicate your commitment to community stewardship and sustainable business leadership. Demonstrating your authentic commitment to civic engagement – backed by action – can help connect to the social consciousness of your employees while serving as a key asset in talent attraction and retention.

Download the Civic 50 FAQ One-pager

Is there a cost to take The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia?

Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia is sponsored by the Philadelphia Foundation to provide this benchmarking tool at no cost to all companies. Each participating company will receive a complimentary scorecard report from True Impact that lists your company’s individual score and ranking in each dimension.

What type and size of companies are eligible to participate in The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia?

Public and private companies as well as nonprofits agencies and institutions (e.g. hospitals and universities) of more than five (5) employees with operations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and/or Delaware are invited to participate in The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia.

What if I don’t have a formal community engagement program in place already?

That’s okay. Small and medium size companies, including those without formal community engagement programs, are encouraged to participate even if you cannot answer every question in the assessment. You can also opt for the more streamlined Greater Philadelphia Civic Mindedness Self-Assessment. This mini-assessment tool is perfect for companies early on their community engagement journey who are looking for new ideas and are interested in gaining a baseline assessment of their current efforts.

What kind of feedback will we receive to help inform our work?

All eligible companies that complete the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia, regardless if they make the top 50, will receive a free individual scorecard, which lists the company’s individual score and ranking in different dimensions as outlined in the tool.

How will the information I submit be used?

Your privacy is important to us. While companies will be ranked based on information shared, all specific data points will remain private and confidential.

Data shared in the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia will contribute to a company being listed on The Civic 50, unless explicitly noted otherwise. Only the names of the top 50 companies overall, and the optional case studies they provide, will be shared publicly, with attribution. Companies that participate but do not qualify for the top 50 are kept confidential. All other information submitted on The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia application may be aggregated and shared for benchmarking and continuous improvement purposes. However, individual data will be confidential and anonymous (not attributed to any specific company).

Who should I contact if I have questions?

Please direct all questions to Civic50@philafound.org. We will get back to you within 48 hours (business days).

When will I receive my score?

You will receive a personalized report with your organization’s score from True Impact following the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia announcement. These reports will be available for all companies that participate in the Civic 50, regardless if they are among the top 50, for the purposes of continuous improvement.

How will honorees be recognized?

All 50 honorees will be identified in alphabetical order, drawn from all the small, medium, and large company categories. Each partner organization will integrate the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia recognition into their existing programming so as to best align with their programming schedule.

Is there anything else I should keep in mind?

Points of Light reserves the right to exclude companies on the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia list that are not considered to be in good standing during the research year. Bases for not being “in good standing” include, but are not limited to: the company experiencing official, significant legal sanction; an adverse company event so significant that it deems the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia practices presented in its application as a misrepresentation of the company’s overall community involvement efforts; or any development that puts into question the company’s community involvement to the degree that most people would not consider it reasonable to find the company on a list of the most community-minded companies.

Download the How to Participate FAQ One-pager

Who should submit the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia on behalf of my company?

The employee who is most knowledgeable and responsible for community engagement programing and initiatives should submit the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia on behalf of your company. We encourage you to have another staff member familiar with the work of the company review the information for accuracy and completeness.

Is it important that I answer all the questions?

Yes. It is ideal to answer all questions because points are cumulative and earned on responses. Answer each question to the best of your ability and available data. You do not need a formal tracking system and can and should make estimations where necessary.

What is the date range for the data period?

Your company should submit data from the company’s last full 12- month reporting period (fiscal or calendar year).

What if my internal corporate policies use different definitions for terms used in The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia?

Use the True Impact glossary of terms to align your organization’s internal terms to the Civic 50 questions. If you are still uncertain you can always contact our help line at Civic50@philafound.org for any clarification.

How should donations to national organizations be counted?

If your company or office makes a contribution to an organization outside of your region (e.g., a national nonprofit headquartered in another state), you can estimate the portion that would benefit your region. Examples of how to address this include:

• If you made a $10,000 donation to a national organization with 10 local chapters, one of which is located in your region, count $1,000 of that contribution.
• Estimate the local donation based on the proportion of employees within that specific local area

If you cannot make an estimate with reasonable confidence, we recommend not counting it toward your total. If you have further questions, a Civic 50 representative can help you navigate the issue

Who should I contact if I have questions?

Please direct all questions to Civic50@philafound.org. We will get back to you within 48 hours (business days).