CPRT Mini-Workshop: Beyond the Audit: Trade Associations & Positive Policy Engagement

With the tumultuous events of the 2024 US election season, companies are reviewing a wider range of risk scenarios — from political violence to election interference, conflicting stakeholder pressures, regulatory uncertainty, and the politicization of strategic business issues. These challenges are unlikely to abate completely after the election.

In this hyper-politicized environment, proactive risk management is all the more important. One major area of risk management is whether companies’ political spending aligns with their public statements and commitments, exposes the firm to political pressure, or has broader impacts on the systems and institutions that are foundational to the business. Managing these risks is not a trivial exercise; it involves complex decisions, tradeoffs, and judgment calls.

To help companies take a consistent, principled approach, the CPR Taskforce has been hosting a series of mini-workshops on Corporate Political Responsibility and Election Readiness 2024. First, we explored How to Conduct a Political Risk Assessment, and then High-stakes Decisions in a Polarized World, Using our New CPR Decision Tool.

In our third mini-workshop, we will explore Managing Political Spending Risk in the 2024 US Election: A Practical Guide Prepared with CPA-Zicklin Index Trendsetters.  

Please join us for an action-oriented session where participants will: 

• Review recent data on state-level political spending and the hidden risks this can pose
• Walk through the Guide to Corporate Political Spending, developed in consultation with CPA-Zicklin Index Trendsetters to address practical management challenges
• Hear a speaker from a CPA-Zicklin Trendsetter company explain how their company reviews and mitigates risks from political spending
• Learn how the CPA-Zicklin Model Code of Conduct, in combination with the CPR Decision Tool, provides a framework for managing larger systemic risks from spending

The session will be led by Elizabeth Doty, Director of the Erb Institute’s Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce, and will feature three distinguished guests:

• Bruce Freed, President and Co-Founder, The Center for Political Accountability
• Jeanne Hanna, Vice President for Research, The Center for Political Accountability
• Rex Wackerle, former Vice President and Director of Federal Affairs for Prudential Financial

The CPR Taskforce’s mini-workshops are designed for executives, professional advisors, and network leaders focused on Risk Management, Legal, Government Relations, Public Affairs, Communications, Sustainability, and related functions, as well as academic experts and advocates interested in raising the bar on corporate political responsibility in practice.

The CPRT is strictly non-partisan and does not advocate, promote, or support any political party or candidate. While members and partners may express their views freely, we do not endorse or advocate particular policies or legislation but may provide thought processes for evaluating proposals based on CPR principles.

The CPRT is strictly non-partisan and does not advocate, promote or support any political party or candidate. While members and partners may express their views freely, we do not endorse or advocate particular policies or legislation but may provide thought processes for evaluating proposals based on CPR principles.