Make the business case Skeptics and believers alike often think that executive endorsement of corporate citizenship relies on a business case that demonstrates bottom-line financial results. However, practitioners frequently overvalue what the business case can deliver, relying on it as the ultimate tool for convincing nonbelievers. Yes, the business case … Connects corporate citizenship to your company’s business agenda Builds confidence that corporate citizenship will help -- not hinder -- business success Articulates the “why” and “what” of corporate citizenship for your company But the business case can … Ignore nonfinancial ways of articulating value Create internal resistance from those who prefer to emphasize the company’s core values Overpromise and underdeliver with thin financial data Position corporate citizenship as a support function, not a core operating value Exploit a canned pitch that is not relevant to your company The bottom line A financial justification does not capture the full value of corporate citizenship and does not always generate action. The business case is more about laying the initial groundwork. Use financial data to open the door for a conversation around the value and strategy of corporate citizenship at your company.