Kelem Butts brings a wealth of experience to his role as VP of CSR Strategy at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. With 22 years at AT&T, primarily managing sustainability and charitable operations, Kelem offers a unique perspective on nonprofit-corporate relationships. His background allows him to view these partnerships from both sides, emphasizing the importance of long-term, strategic collaborations over transactional exchanges. Kelem's insights are particularly valuable for companies looking to align their sustainability and philanthropic efforts with both corporate goals and community needs.

Philanthropy doesn’t have to be altruistic

Kelem challenges the notion that corporate philanthropy must be purely altruistic. He argues, "It's okay to be self-serving. I think a lot of people think that when you're dealing with philanthropy, it has to be purely altruistic. I don't believe that…. I think it's okay to focus on work that's going to also impact you and help your community at the same time."

He illustrates this point with workforce preparedness initiatives. He explains that companies will often work with his organization to boost opportunities for young adults in the community. He then says, “While they're doing that, that may help those people who need a hand up to get into corporate jobs, which also helps the corporations because it helps them find talent….You're helping your community and you're helping yourself at the same time."

Align your CSR efforts with your operations to engage employees

"It's really important for [employees] to align the work to their company.” He says that when you do this, you get more buy-in from your employees. “If what you are doing from a CSR perspective aligns with the goals of the company, it's more seamless."

To illustrate this point, Kelem shares an example from his time at AT&T. The company shifted its CSR focus from education to the digital divide when a new CEO came on board in 2020. This shift aligned with the company's narrowed focus on internet and related products. Kelem explains, "When you align your philanthropy with the goals of the company, then it really helps you bring your employees along too … it helps them understand the connection between the CSR work and the goals of the company."

CSR partnerships: a two-way street

Kelem reminds us that businesses ultimately need to act in the best interest of the business while doing positive work in the community, and nonprofits need to be nimble and always aware of what their clients (not just donors) need. “You do need to think about this work from the company's perspective as an investment, not charity. …you are investing into the community to make a greater impact,” and “from a nonprofit's perspective… we need to understand the needs of the company.”

Listen to the full episode to learn more about Kelem’s experience, and how to make a deep impact through your work.