NEW YORK, Feb. 25 /CSRwire/ - The leaders of the pro bono movement from around the globe are convening in New York City to support their progress in engaging business professionals in leveraging their talents to help advance social change.  The convening is hosted by the Taproot Foundation, the pioneer and lead architect of the movement, and the BMW Foundation, a global foundation committed to supporting leaders working for our collective good around the world.

The Global Pro Bono Summit is an annual gathering of leaders with a shared vision to make the talents and skills of the business community accessible to organizations committed to social progress.  In addition to the global attendees, the Summit will include leaders in pro bono programming from companies like American Express and Google, professional services firms like IBM and Deloitte to domestic intermediaries like NPower and Catchafire.

Over the past ten years, Taproot has inspired the development of organizations in more than 10 different countries dedicated to building the pro bono ethic in their own business sectors. Domestically, they have worked with over 30 companies to drive corporate interest and build world class pro bono programs through its Advisory Services practice.  Taproot has also partnered with India@75 to conduct research on the potential for growing pro bono services in India, and with the BMW Stiftung Foundation to organize the international pro bono provider network through a formal Fellowship program.

The 2013 Global Pro Bono Summit marks a new threshold in the development of the pro bono marketplace. Twenty corporate pro bono leaders along with eleven professional services firms will be in attendance, as well as twenty-two domestic pro bono intermediaries. Nineteen Global Fellows with be participating in this year’s Summit, including leaders from France’s Pro Bono Lab, China’s Huizeren, and Japan’s Service Grant Japan.

“The pro bono service movement is truly global now,”  said Aaron Hurst, president & founder of the Taproot Foundation. “We are not only seeing amazing pro bono programs pop up all around the world but our corporate partners are quickly expanding their pro bono programs to serve their diverse locations of their operations and customers.  We are excited to expand our annual gathering of pro bono leaders to welcome our colleagues from China to Costa Rica.”

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