Helping solve the world’s complex challenges is at the heart of Ernst & Young LLP’s approach to corporate responsibility.
The professional services firm is one of the medium-size companies to attract special recognition on the annual Business Journal Civic 50 list. The skills-based approach the firm takes to tackling Orange County’s most pressing social issues is the reason.
Building a Better World
EY’s 400-plus local employees are a diverse group with a range of talents. As uniquely talented as each is, one characteristic the firm says they share is a desire to demonstrate integrity every day, in every interaction, be it with clients, their teams, or in the greater community. For them, making a positive difference isn’t a side activity but the company’s purpose.
The firm’s slogan is Building a Better Working World, and the building includes strengthening the community.
“We know that people today want their work to have meaning, and at EY, we strive to provide numerous opportunities for our associates to understand and live our purpose of building a better working world,” Orange County Managing Partner Kim Letch says in an email interview.
The 3Es
“For EY, that means focusing our corporate responsibility efforts on three issues that lay the foundation for a better world,” Letch adds, “as well as reflect the strengths of our people and the capabilities of our organization.”
EY calls those issues the 3Es: entrepreneurship, education and equity in the workforce. It’s created initiatives in each category designed to leverage employees’ strongest skills to help others.
“We use our knowledge and experiences to change lives in the communities where we live and work,” says West region Community Engagement Leader Angela Milano. “When we do all these things, we can drive strong impact.”
Working with the entrepreneurial program in the Rancho Santiago Community College District, EY identifies young entrepreneurs who can benefit from its guidance. One example is 18-year-old Maryam Edah-Tally. EY provided the young entrepreneur with specialist advice on a wide range of issues as she grew her equestrian accessories e-commerce business. Now her company, Fleur Á Cheval, has 25 brand ambassadors across the world.
EY experts also lend expertise to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an international nonprofit organization providing entrepreneurship training and education programs to young people from low-income urban communities.
A similar program is Ripples Projects. EY employees use their strengths to help improve fledgling businesses’ resilience, productivity and capacity for sustainable growth. A not-for-profit extension of EY consulting services, Ripples Projects are managed with the same rigor as with any other client. The difference is that the firm charges only a nominal fee, making the services affordable, even to entrepreneurs in low-income communities.
Supporting education means helping young people prepare for and succeed in the global market. Through the College Mentoring for Access and Persistence program, EY professionals help underserved students understand the complexities of the college application process. In addition, EY volunteers act as advisers and mentors, as well as providing a support system for teens who may not otherwise have support.
The firm is also deeply involved with Junior Achievement, which delivers kindergarten through 12th grade programs designed to foster work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills. EY professionals volunteer at Junior Achievement events throughout the year.
The final “E,” promoting equity in the workforce, means diversity and inclusiveness is an EY value. One of the ways the firm works to achieve that is through its Entrepreneurial Winning Women program, which identifies female entrepreneurs with promising high-growth businesses and connects them to an elite business network and customized executive leadership program designed to help them think bigger and set the bolder plans in motion.
Changing Tomorrows
Another stated area of importance at EY is climate change and sustainability services. Its Earthwatch Ambassadors are high-performing EY associates who go on week-long expeditions to Brazil or Mexico, where they work with people from across the Americas, helping scientists conduct research and using their skills to assist farmers, businesses and nonprofit organizations in adopting economically and environmentally sustainable business practices.
EY has also set internal goals to help reduce its carbon footprint. It’s implementing measurable actions to increase energy efficiency in its offices, seeks to reduce waste, and works in the community to promote responsible treatment of the environment. Its goal is to cut its own U.S. emissions by 12% by 2020.
Dedicated Day
Each EY office has a Community Engagement Committee empowered to curate strategically aligned, skills-based volunteer activities in its market. In Orange County, Letch and Senior Manager Jeff Whitton lead the effort. Volunteer opportunities available to EY employees include participation on non-for-profit boards and committees. Letch, for example, serves on the board of UCP of Orange County.
“Part of my role includes leading our engagement in the OC community,” she says, “building relationships, creating tangible impact, and helping our people live our purpose of building a better working world.”
While EY’s social-impact efforts continue throughout the year, on EY Connect Day, it gives employees the day off so they can volunteer with various organizations and projects, including Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.
