The Center for Political Accountability (CPA), a non-profit and non-partisan organization, launched an educational program on June 22 to educate companies on the alignment of corporate political spending with corporate reputation and brands.

It created this initiative with events and a report called Collision Course: The Risks Companies Face When Their Political Spending and Core Values Conflict and How to Address Them to educate corporate and academic communities at a time when many companies are being scrutinized by the media, shareholders, and activists for influencing election. The report discusses hot-button topics like LGBTQ and reproductive rights, advising companies on political spending, while maintaining their brand.

 
“Companies that spend to influence elections are at a tipping point,” the report states. “In today’s highly volatile environment, corporations are vulnerable to serious risk if political contributions or their outcomes, or both, are perceived to be at odds with their core values. This can affect a company’s relationship with customers, employees and communities in which it located.”

The report is based on:

 • A review of company political spending through political committees and trade associations from the 2010 election cycle to the present;

• Legislation, policy outcomes, and media coverage that followed; and

• An examination of how these outcomes and actions aligned with the core values, brands, and positions of the contributing companies.

The CPA has worked with The Conference Board Committee on Corporate Political Spending on many projects. The Committee’s focus stems from the ever-increasing demand for transparency regarding corporate involvement with political activities. The goal is to educate and help navigate companies through corporate political expenditures to improve public image and participate in corporate citizenship.

In the past decade, The Conference Board has released three reports discussing successful leaders’ corporate political expenditure methods and policies. Learn more about The Conference Board’s Committee on Corporate Political Spending at its website.