For many years, American companies have been strong and active in supporting communities and wider society in Ireland. In fact, many of the innovations in corporate social responsibility practice in Ireland have come from US multinationals.
While many Irish companies have been civic-minded and generous with charitable and social causes, US companies have developed best practices to maximize the social impact of their contributions. The primary goal of these measures is to help the beneficiaries, but the positive effects are often experienced by the employees of the organizations as well.
Take the pharmaceutical company Lilly, for example.
“Community investing isn’t just something we do, it’s part of who we are,” says Lilly GBS Cork Vice President and CEO Mike Smith. “For the past 18 years, we’ve celebrated this commitment every September with our Global Day of Service, where employees support charities and causes in their communities. We encourage everyone to get involved in ways that matter to them, whether that’s volunteering, sharing expertise or raising resources.
“It’s always been important to us to be a part of the communities where we live and work, and we’re proud to do our part to make a real, positive impact.”
In January this year, the company began a three-year partnership with Family Carers Ireland, committing €750,000 to help the charity continue to provide vital support to more than 500,000 carers across the state.
“Equally important, we have also introduced a national employee volunteering program that gives all Lilly employees in Ireland the opportunity to contribute their time, energy and skills,” says Smith. “Since this time last year, our staff have dedicated over 2,000 volunteer hours across 67 supporting Family Carers Ireland. Over 300 of our colleagues took part in cleaning up the garden alone, and recently we were so proud to help bring back a night’s Respite Retreat, giving 80 carers a well-deserved break.”
Corporate engagement in this area was highlighted in AmCham’s 2020 report Beyond Business, which showed that 69% of US companies in Ireland have formal CSR programs, while 63% have long-term charitable partners and 61% support individual employee volunteering. In addition, US companies gave a score of 7.5 out of 10 for the importance of this area to their overall business strategy.
Bank of America is another large US company with a strong commitment to community and social involvement. It is a major supporter of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI). For the past six years, it has supported SEI’s Ideas Academy, which helps aspiring changemakers refine and advance solutions to societal challenges. Over 12 weeks, participants engage in workshops, peer discussions and networking opportunities to sharpen their ideas, validate solutions and build action plans. More recently, the bank has helped SEI pilot the Investor Readiness Pathway, a tailored support program to help social enterprises become investor-ready.
It is also a major supporter of the Rethink Ireland – Mná na hÉireann (Women of Ireland) Empowerment Fund. In collaboration with Rethink Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development, Bank of America established a three-year fund (2023-2026) of one million dollars (860,000 euros) to support organizations promoting women’s economic mobility. This builds on the success of the original Mná na hÉireann Fund (2019-2022), also supported by the bank, which helped multiply disadvantaged women access sustainable employment and education pathways.
“These initiatives reflect our long-term commitment to inclusive growth and social progress in Ireland,” said Andrea Sullivan, International Director and Head of Bank of America’s Social and Environmental Group. “Investing in communities and supporting social development is central to our goal and deeply committed to responsible growth. We understand the role we can play in mobilizing capital and supporting organizations.”
Sullivan notes that the bank’s employees are just as committed and that volunteerism has continued to grow, with its teams logging more than 2.5 million hours in 2024.
“We believe that meaningful change starts with understanding the unique needs, economies and cultures of the communities we serve. Community investment is a key part of how we define sustainable business and long-term impact,” he says.