Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility records, 1966-2011

The records of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) primarily document the work of the center's staff, although the collection also includes records relating to the activities of its governing board and individual member organizations. The strength of the collection lies in its documentation of ICCR's programs, its work on issues, and its work with individual corporations and the SEC.

The collection includes many records related to programs and issues coordinated through the ICCR, which originate from both Program Directors and Executive Directors. There is extensive documentation of the ICCR's work on issues related to apartheid South Africa and the responsible distribution of infant formula. In addition, there are records documenting work on issues related to the environment, corporate governance, discrimination and equality, health, labor, militarism, and violence. These records include action and campaign materials, correspondence, minutes, meeting files, reports, and working group materials, as well as research materials and general subject files.

ICCR's work with individual companies is also well-documented in the records. The company files include materials on companies, their business practices, and proxy resolutions filed by ICCR members. Some files also include information requests, clippings, and communications with other entities such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The collection also documents ICCR's work with the SEC. These records include documentation of ICCR's advocacy work on SEC policies and rule change proposals that relate to its work, such those related to as corporate disclosure, proxy rules, and shareholder rights and resolutions. The ICCR also works with the SEC on issues related to its shareholder resolutions, and this work is documented through correspondence, information on the resolutions, and responses to corporate challenges.

There is some information on members and subscribers in the collection. Much of the communication with members, particularly on issues and resolutions, is with those files. In addition, the ICCR's staff was often copied on members' direct communication with companies and other entities. There are some membership files, which include information on the member organizations, pledges, mailings, and subscriptions, but only for 1995-2002.

Coverage is less comprehensive for high-level administrative records of the ICCR. The collection does not include any large sets of executive records, per se, rather, the executive records in the collection primarily relate to work with specific issues and companies. In addition, there is limited coverage of the activities of ICCR's governing board. The collection includes board mailings (1993-2000), and while these include some memos and minutes, there are no other records related to the board's regular activities in the collection. However, there is coverage of annual planning meetings (1975-1995). Initially, ICCR held annual long range planning meetings or retreats. By the early 1980s, these meetings became Annual General Meetings. These records include minutes, questionnaires, evaluations, reports, and development papers.

Coverage of publicity materials is also limited within the collection. There are files of clippings and press releases from the 1970s, but they are not well-organized. In addition, some material exists that relates to the 15th, 20th, and 40th anniversaries. Otherwise, there is no comprehensive coverage of publicity or promotional materials. There is good, but not comprehensive, coverage of major publications, such as the Corporate Examiner and the Proxy Resolutions Book.

There is also very little audiovisual material in the records; there are a few audio and video recordings, and no photograph files.