Corporate Social Responsibility
Socially conscious businesses embrace a philosophy that is reflected in the way they create and market their products, the way they interact with their consumers and the workplaces they create for their employees. They make conscious decisions every day that balance a desire for profits with a commitment to social purpose. These businesses recognize that the buying decisions of their consumers are increasingly driven by and aligned with their closely held beliefs and values.
Ice Miller's Social Impact Team assists our clients with implementation of the following strategies:
- Employee volunteerism programs;
- Employee fundraising drives;
- Employee matching gift programs;
- Charitable grant programs;
- Employee scholarship programs;
- Creation of corporate private foundations and donor-advised funds; and
- Commercial co-venturing programs (i.e., charity sales or service promotions).
Click below to enlarge the infographic and learn more about corporate social responsibility.
Representative Experience
The Gene B. Glick Company was born out of a young WWII veteran’s desire to help his fellow GIs build homes for their families. Eugene Glick founded the company in 1947 in Indianapolis, and by the early 1960s, it was the largest single-family homebuilder in Indiana.
The Gene B. Glick Company built its first apartment community in 1962, and by the mid-1970s, the business focused solely on multi-family housing development and management. The company’s reputation was built on its founder’s commitment to integrity, quality construction, excellent service and superbly maintained communities. Today, the Gene B. Glick Company is one of the largest privately held real estate management and development firms in the United States, with more than 20,000 units in 13 states.
However, purpose, not just profit, has been a part of the company since its early days. In 1982, Gene and Marilyn Glick established what is now known as Glick Philanthropies. With more than $600 million in charitable assets in the various initiatives, programs and organizations under its umbrella, Glick Philanthropies demonstrates the company’s focus on people—both inside and outside the organization.
- The Glick Family Foundation has awarded over $150 million to charitable causes throughout the community.
- The Glick Family Housing Foundation owns 25 nonprofit affordable housing properties with nearly 5,000 units under management and has a commitment to meet the individual needs of its residents. Through funding from the Glick Family Foundation, all Glick Family Housing Foundation properties employ on-site service coordinators to help residents navigate community services and build bridges to self-sufficiency.
- Through Glick Gives, the Glick Family Foundation encourages Glick employees to support local charities by matching employee contributions dollar-for-dollar.
- Through Glick Cares, employees are invited to give their time, energy and talents to serving their communities through paid time off to devote to volunteering.
Additionally, Glick Philanthropies, in conjunction with the Central Indiana Community Foundation, is leading a collective impact plan to address societal problems on the Far Eastside of Indianapolis, including housing, education and intergenerational poverty. Through its Far Eastside Success Initiative, Glick Philanthropies has invested more than $8 million in the Far Eastside and is coordinating multiple community partners, including the local United Way, the city’s largest school district, Goodwill Industries and other neighborhood-serving groups, as they work to implement the comprehensive redevelopment plan.
Ice Miller's Social Impact Team is proud of our long-standing relationship with both the Gene B. Glick Company and Glick Philanthropies as we work together to identify and create new and innovative ways to use business to benefit the community. Our legal services include:
- Establishing legal entities within Glick Philanthropies, including TeenWorks and the Gene B. Glick Housing Foundation; creating governance and operational documents; obtaining tax exemptions and advising on ongoing compliance issues;
- Building the legal framework and implementing operational guardrails to ensure the relationships between the Gene B. Glick Company and Glick Philanthropies are compliant with the complex regulations that govern public charities, private foundations and for-profit companies;
- Structuring, drafting and negotiating comprehensive grant agreements that support large-scale projects across all Glick Philanthropies platforms; and
- Providing advice regarding related-party issues that impact for-profit companies with related charitable organizations to ensure Glick family members and key corporate employees remain meaningfully engaged in the corporate and philanthropic work of both Gene B. Glick Company and Glick Philanthropies.
We also brought our experience in both the corporate and charitable sectors to bear when working with the Gene B. Glick Company to create corporate social responsibility programs, such as Glick Gives and Glick Cares, that not only encourage employee volunteerism and philanthropy but also increase the Gene B. Glick Company's ability to recruit and retain talent and increase its bottom line.
The Gene B. Glick Company remains committed to giving back in the communities it calls home and is a national leader in corporate social responsibility. The Gene B. Glick Company “takes care” in business.