GRACE+ Citizenship Community: A Space to Turn Good Intentions into Strategic Impact
On the day July 2, took place at the Big Top, in Lisbon, the first in-person meeting of the GRACE+ Citizenship Community, an initiative launched by GRACE in March 2026 to address a need identified among its members: to create a safe space for sharing experiences, challenges, questions, and best practices regarding responsible citizenship, volunteerism, and social impact.
The GRACE+ Cidadania Community began as a digital community through an exclusive WhatsApp group, where members can exchange ideas and learn from one another throughout the year. To complement this dynamic, two annual in-person meetings are planned, designed to foster open conversations, meaningful networking, and collaborative learning.
One of the distinctive features of this community is that its members themselves choose the topics for the meetings through a vote, ensuring that the discussions address real challenges faced by businesses. In addition, each meeting takes place at the facilities of a social economy organization, creating an opportunity to learn about its work and explore potential avenues for collaboration.
The First Step Toward Impact
The inaugural meeting of the format “Bridges to Impact”, brought together representatives from 12 member companies on the topic of:
“Ad-Hoc vs. Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: How to Align It with the Business?”
Following the presentation on Chapitô and its opportunities for corporate involvement, the group was joined by Filipa Pimentel, Director of Sustainable Development and Local Impact at Pingo Doce, who shared the organization's journey toward integrating social responsibility into its business strategy.
This was followed by a session of facilitated discussions, led by Marta Bastos dos Santos, a member of GRACE’s board representing EDP, during which participants shared experiences, identified common challenges, and reflected on the path companies are taking to evolve from a more reactive approach to a truly strategic social intervention.
Key takeaways from the conversation
Throughout the session, several relevant points emerged that may be helpful to those working in these fields.
1. Start with the company's strengths
One of the most striking ideas was the need to change the question that many companies ask when they seek to contribute to the community.
Instead of asking “What do you need?”, the challenge is to start by asking:
“What do we have that’s unique and could be useful?”
This shift in perspective allows companies to put what they do best to work for the community, thereby increasing the relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of their initiatives.
2. Focus is essential for making an impact
There was also a lot of talk about the importance of setting clear priorities.
Having a well-defined strategy and areas of focus allows companies to stay on track, better evaluate the results they’ve achieved, and, when necessary, say “no” to initiatives that don’t align with their mission or strategic objectives.
At the same time, it was recognized that there must be flexibility to respond to emergencies or unforeseen needs, setting aside resources to support urgent causes when warranted, or referring them to GRACE and other partners who can help find a solution.
3. Mobilizing people remains a challenge
Among the challenges most commonly cited by participants, the following stood out:
The difficulty in recruiting and engaging new volunteers or internal ambassadors;
The need to keep teams engaged over time;
The challenge of effectively communicating the work that has been done and the impact it has had.
Internal engagement remains a critical factor in the success of corporate citizenship strategies and one of the areas where many organizations are seeking new approaches.
4. Social impact and business objectives must go hand in hand
One of the most relevant insights offered by Filipa Pimentel was the need to analyze each initiative through a dual lens:
What problem or social need are we helping to address?
What strategic objective or value are we creating for the organization?
Far from being incompatible goals, the simultaneous creation of social value and business value is precisely what distinguishes a strategic approach from a one-off intervention.
5. Measure to Gain Relevance
The session concluded with a clear message: social responsibility must be managed with the same rigor as other areas of the organization.
Setting goals, tracking metrics, measuring results, and communicating impact are essential practices for demonstrating value, justifying investments, and ensuring that citizenship and sustainability issues make their way to corporate decision-making tables.
As mentioned during the conversation, it is only through data, evidence, and results that we will be able to strengthen teams, consolidate structures, and increase the resources allocated to these areas.
Join the conversation
The first meeting of the GRACE+ Citizenship Community confirmed what had motivated its creation: there is a strong desire to learn from peers, share real-life experiences, and develop collective responses to shared challenges.
If you also believe that corporate citizenship is most effective when approached collaboratively, this community is for you.
The conversation has already started—join us in the WhatsApp.
And we'd love to have you join us at the next meeting.
