FleishmanHillard’s pro bono and volunteer initiative, FH4Inclusion, supports nonprofit organizations that are creating an inclusive society — one where all people feel valued, their differences are respected and their basic needs are met, so they can live in dignity.

Like many parts of the United States, Texas has seen an increase in threats of violence toward the LGBTQIA+ community this year, as well as legislation targeting this group specifically. According to the Human Rights Campaign, legislators in Texas have introduced more than 100 anti-LGTBQIA+ bills this year – more than 20% of all the anti-LGTBQIA+ bills introduced in the U.S.

Our Texas team members felt compelled to find a way to support this community through our FH4Inclusion initiative and, over the summer, partnered with the Resource Center, which operates one of the largest LGBTQIA+ community centers in the U.S. and is a primary HIV/AIDS service organization in North Texas. With a staff of nearly 100 people supported by over 1,200 volunteers, the Resource Center serves more than 62,000 people each year through programs that address the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community and services that provide critical assistance to people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS – including a food pantry and hot meal program that serves 800 people each week. They have grown into a trusted provider of LGBTQIA+ services in a safe, affirming environment with the goal of achieving recognition and equal rights for all LGBTQIA+ people. (To learn more about the Resource Center and the multitude of ways they support the LGBTQIA+ community, visit myresourcecenter.org.)

To ensure that all our Texas team members could participate, we worked with the Resource Center to find multiple ways for folks to contribute –including on-site, in-office and remote options. Our support kicked off in June for Pride Month with a letter-writing initiative and food/supply drive where colleagues wrote letters or shared cards with words of encouragement and/or donated much-needed food/supplies to support the LGBTQIA+ community. In July, eight FleishmanHillard team members delivered the donations of cards and goods to the Resource Center and spent the morning assisting clients in the food pantry and serving hot meals.

In all, our colleagues donated 166 pounds of food and goods and spent 44 hours planning, writing cards and volunteering to support the Resource Center.

The efforts by our Texas office helped bring our cumulative contributions through FH4Inclusion to more than 37,000 hours of service to more than 130 nonprofit organizations globally.

FleishmanHillard and Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC) joined forces this summer to bring fresh perspectives to key creative gatherings, leveraging the power of FH4Inclusion, FleishmanHillard’s pro-bono and volunteer initiative that has provided more than 37,000 hours of service to more than 130 global nonprofit organizations advancing inclusion.

It all started when Adrianne C. Smith, FleishmanHillard Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and CC:DC founder, attended her first Cannes Lions Festival and witnessed a significant lack of representation. She created CC:DC in 2017 to continue the conversation about the lack of diversity in the communications industry and to bring previously underrepresented groups to the table. In 2018, the organization brought its first group of ambassadors to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where storytellers, creatives and other industry professionals gather annually. From there it took off, bringing more ambassadors each year and creating bespoke programming.

Fast-forward to 2023, we locked arms with CC:DC and supported social media management, media relations, thought leadership, activation planning and on the ground logistics at CC:DC’s two annual activations: the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and Inkwell Beach at Martha’s Vineyard. At the events, our colleagues helped connect Grammy award-winning producers, well-known activists, artists and Fortune 500 sponsors to facilitate thoughtful and impactful conversations surrounding the intersection of inclusion, creativity and the need for continued investment into both within our industry.

Our global creative team also got in on the action, working with CC:DC to reinvent its AYA Inclusion Awards program hosted in Cannes. This included developing the graphic design and overall aesthetic of the awards, along with creating the award categories and judging standards, and having a hand evaluating the entries. In the spirit of inclusion, the AYA awards are free to enter.

“The goals of FleishmanHillard and CC:DC align in many ways to create a more inclusive communications and marketing industry. We were able to uplevel the already impactful work that CC:DC has been doing by enhancing the AYA Inclusion Awards with our world-bending creative leaders, managing the flow of events flawlessly, and increasing social and traditional media awareness, which garnered great feedback and engagement online while landing over 20 pieces of coverage in publications such as PRWeek, PRovoke, the Lions Daily News, Campaign, Fast Company, Human Resources Director Magazine and more,” said Francesca Weems, Director of DEI, FleishmanHillard.

The reinvigorated awards were also a hit.

“It was inspiring to see so many amazing pieces of work that center various aspects of diversity – be it race and ethnicity, accessibility or gender equality. With work entered from China, Brazil, France and the U.S., the AYA Inclusion Award is a great showcase that across the world diverse agency teams are using creativity to make an impact for marginalized communities,” said Anne Beutel, FleishmanHillard vice president.