UTES

In doing so, they developed some basic common definitions and standards which they were subsequently asked to share more widely. This resulted in the formation of the London Benchmarking Group (LBG).

What is LBG?

The London Benchmarking Group (LBG) is a group of over 100 companies working together to measure Corporate Community Investment (CCI).

It is a member-driven organisation where companies have been working collectively since 1994 to:

• Continue development of a global measurement standard - the LBG model
• Benchmark and share best practice
• Develop and refine measurement tools
• Improve management and implementation of CCI projects
• Better communicate CCI results to stakeholders with LBG centres

The model is used by hundreds of leading businesses around the world and LBG has centres in a number of key world markets including Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany and the US. Members include multinationals such as HSBC, Vodafone and Unilever, as well as major UK companies such as Marks and Spencer and BSkyB.

The LBG model provides a comprehensive and consistent set of measures for CCI professionals to determine their company's contribution to the community, including cash, time and in-kind donations, as well as management costs. The model also captures the outputs and longer-term impacts of CCI projects on society and the business itself.

LBG model - the essentials

The LBG model is used by companies around the world to assess and report on the value and achievements of their corporate community investment.

The model takes the form of a matrix that helps summarise, and quantify, the achievements of a community activity (or project). It breaks down the elements of the activity, detailing the different inputs, then going on to establish the outputs and, eventually, the impacts that The model takes the form of a matrix that helps summarise, and quantify, the achievements of a community activity (or project). It breaks down the elements of the activity, detailing the different inputs, then going on to establish the outputs and, eventually, the impacts that these have achieved.

Benefits of the LBG

The LBG model provides a comprehensive and consistent set of measures for corporate community involvement professionals to determine their company’s contribution to the community.

Companies that join the LBG and apply the LBG model find that it can benefit the measurement and management of their community programmes in a number of ways.

These include:

• A complete understanding of the scale and value of the company's investment in to the community - In several cases members applying the model have seen the value of their community contributions almost double.
• Assessment of what the company’s investment achieves - The model looks beyond the input costs of community investment to assess what this actually achieves for both the company and the community
• Better management of the community programme – Application of the model provides the information to assess how the programme achieves its objectives or fits with business goals
• Take better decisions on future investments - The model provides a simple matrix for assessing the project achievements to feed into the decision making process
• Better communication, internally and externally - Simple summary information to communicate the community programme and its achievements.

LBG member companies

• Abbey, Accenture
• Airbus UK
• Allen and Overy
• Anglo American
• ANZ
• Arab African International Bank
• BAA Plc
• BAE Systems
• Bank of America
• Barclays
• BBC
• BG Group
• Bradford and Bingley
• Britannia
• British Airways
• British American Tobacco
• British Land
• Britvic
• BSkyB
• BT
• BUPA
• Cadbury Schweppes plc
• Camelot Group
• Capita Group
• Centrica
• CitiFinancial Europe
• City of London
• Clifford Chance LLP
• CMS Cameron McKenna
• Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company
• Credit Suisse First Boston
• De Beers
• Deloitte
• Deutsche Bank AG London
• Diageo
• DLA Piper
• E.ON
• EDF Energy
• Energias de Portugal
• Ernst and Young
• ExCeL London
• Financial Services Authority
• FirstGroup
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Friends Provident
• Gallaher
• GCap Media
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Hammerson
• HBOS
• Herbert Smith
• Home Retail Group
• HSBC
• ING
• International Personal Finance
• Investec plc
• IPC Media
• J Sainsbury Plc
• John Lewis Partnership
• KPMG
• L'Oréal
• Laing O'Rourke
• Land Securities
• Legal and General
• Liberty Global Europe BV
• Linklaters
• Lloyds TSB
• Marks and Spencer
• Morgan Stanley
• National Grid
• Nationwide
• Nestlé UK
• Nokia Corporation
• npower
• Pearson
• Philip Morris International
• PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
• Procter and Gamble UK
• Provident Financial
• Prudential
• Reed Elsevier
• Rio Tinto
• Rolls-Royce
• Rothschild
• Royal and Sun Alliance
• Royal Mail Group
• SABMiller
• Scottish and Newcastle
• ScottishPower Plc
• Segro Plc
• Sellafield Ltd
• Severn Trent Plc
• Shell
• Standard Chartered Bank
• Standard Life
• Syngenta
• Telecom Italia
• Telefonica O2 Europe
• Tesco
• Thames Water
• The Boots Company
• The Co-operative Group
• The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
• Trader Media Group
• Turner Broadcasting
• UBS AG
• Unilever
• Unilever UK
• United Utilities
• Unum
• Virgin Media
• Virgin Unite
• Vodafone
• Wates Group
• Weil, Gotshal & Manges
• Wragge and Co
• Yell Group
• Zurich