Client Voices

ING Foundation President Rhonda Mims Authors Op-Ed for U.S. Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

Rhonda Mims, President of the ING Foundation and Senior Vice President of ING’s Office of Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility, shared her perspective on corporate citizenship in the March 2008 issue of The Corporate Citizen, an online newsletter published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center.

In her Op-Ed, Rhonda underscored the importance of corporate advocacy. Despite record corporate philanthropic giving levels, consumers remain wary of Corporate America. In order to build confidence, Mims declared, businesses must earnestly endeavor to understand customer concerns and interests and reach out with educational and advocacy programs that attempt to address those needs.

Mims wrote that corporate advocacy requires “a true customer focus” and a commitment to real change. As a result, ING’s goal is, “to create, fund, and support programs that empower [its] customers and communities— delivering the knowledge, encouragement, skills, and opportunity [to make] a lasting difference in their lives.”

The implementation of charitable giving, community-based employee volunteering and advocacy programs that are aligned and focused on customer and community interests can instill and rebuild confidence in Corporate America while simultaneously building business. As Tiller believes and as Mims asserted, “All of this is done with the growing conviction that customers are looking to corporations to act in their best interests—and will reward those that do so.”

Read Rhonda Mims’ article.

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