Weber Shandwick and Gill Foundation Release ‘Business of Change’ - A Resource Guide for Effective Corporate-Nonprofit Collaboration on LGBT Equality

NEW YORK – Weber Shandwick and the Gill Foundation have released “Business of Change,” a resource guide focused on corporate-nonprofit collaboration to promote equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The 104-page guide, available free to download, is a first-of-its-kind collection of best practices with actionable and practical ideas to help nonprofits and corporations advance LGBT equality.

The Business of Change guide includes:

* Overview of the changing landscape of corporate philanthropy
* 2009 Business of Change survey results
* Glossary of terms
* Information on organizations that provide indices rating LGBT equality
* 110 questions nonprofits should consider prior to partnering
* Case studies of innovative collaborations between LGBT nonprofits and corporations

“Weber Shandwick believes in the power of collaboration between nonprofits and corporations. We’re proud to author Business of Change with the Gill Foundation, and hope this unique publication empowers organizations to develop more effective partnerships to promote LGBT equality,” said Chad Boettcher, Weber Shandwick’s senior vice president of Social Innovation.

“Given the rapidly changing dynamic between the private and public sectors, we hope to challenge both nonprofits and corporations to seize opportunities to drive change on LGBT initiatives,” says Patricia Evert, Gill Foundation’s vice president of Donor Resources. “Taking action and partnering together is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.”

The guide is a product of Weber Shandwick’s Social Innovation team in partnership with the Gill Foundation’s Donor Resources team. The 2009 project included a summer fellowship program for LGBT student leaders, and an advisory board made up of expert nonprofit and corporate professionals working toward LGBT equality.

To download a copy of the Business of Change guide, log on to webershandwick.com or gillfoundation.org. For more information or to receive a free copy contact Chad Boettcher at CBoettcher@webershandwick.com or Patricia Evert at patriciae@gillfoundation.org.

Gill Foundation
Established in 1994, the Gill Foundation’s mission is to secure equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. In its 15-year existence, the Gill Foundation has become one of the nation’s largest private foundations focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights. During these years, the Foundation has invested more than $162 million to support programs and nonprofit organizations across the country that share its commitment to equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.

The Foundation works to engage and educate donors to provide the effective, large-scale financial support necessary to achieve equality, and joins with like-minded organizations and individuals to put forward a shared vision for doing so. The Foundation works to broaden the base of LGBT and allied supporters—individual, institutional and corporate—that are knowledgeable about local, state and national LGBT nonprofits and the importance of their work. Today, as ever, the Gill Foundation remains invested in equality. For more information, visit www.gillfoundation.org

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 77 countries around the world. The firm’s success is built on its deep commitment to client service, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates - engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advocacy advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. In 2009, Weber Shandwick was recognized as PRWeek’s inaugural Global Agency Report Card Gold Medal Winner, an ‘Agency of the Decade’ by Advertising Age, Global Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report, and International Consultancy of the Year by PRWeek UK. The firm has also won numerous ‘best place to work’ awards around the world including PR News and The Holmes Report. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com/.