goodworkpeople

For Pepsi, a Business Decision With Social Benefit

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:00:48 -0600

For Pepsi, a Business Decision With Social Benefit:

For Pepsi and other corporations, social impact is secondary to core business.

“The social benefits of the corn program are obvious in higher incomes that have improved nutritional and educational standards among the participating farmers, not to mention its impact on illegal immigration and possibly even the reduction of marijuana production…but PepsiCo insists those benefits are ancillary to the business rationale for the program.”

Having trouble coming up with a wish list this holiday...

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:59:09 -0600

Having trouble coming up with a wish list this holiday season?

Causes just launched their “Holiday Wish” feature, which lets you ask friends and family for donations to your favorite charity in lieu of gifts.

Read about my experience starting a Birthday Wish here. I had a blast raising over $4,300 for The Trevor Project, the leading organization providing suicide prevention services to LGBT teens.

Help Shape the Future of the Social Sector

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:40:43 -0500

The Future Leaders in Philanthropy Community, a part of the Changing Our World organization, is conducting a survey to gain a better understanding of the attitudes and expectations of those new to the field of philanthropy.

Take their survey now and they’ll donate $1 to a Global Giving project.

Changing Our World invites those with varying perspectives to participate—both new and experienced professionals, those working in traditional nonprofits, new social enterprises and corporate giving programs, and those who have an interest in or may have left the sector.

You’ve never seen a fundraising video like this before. ...

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 11:54:04 -0500

You’ve never seen a fundraising video like this before. Check out Mahindra Foundation’s “A Girl Story” campaign and watch the video series following Tarla, an underprivileged Indian girl. But there’s a catch: donations are required to keep the story going.

Amazing use of technology and the YouTube API. Only complaint is that I wish the website were clearer about where a donation would go and how it will be used to make a difference.

"A full 83% of consumers want more of the products, services and retailers they use to benefit..."

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 06:44:23 -0500

“A full 83% of consumers want more of the products, services and retailers they use to benefit causes.”

- 2010 Cone Cause Evolution Study, the nation’s only 17-year benchmark of cause marketing attitudes and behavior. Download the study here.

Read more about moms, millennials, and cause marketing here.

Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:12:59 -0500

Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes:

“Most Americans want to do things that are good for the environment, but not everyone wants to pay the price,” said Elke U. Weber, director of the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University.

How Millionaires and Billionaires Give

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:03:00 -0500

A few months ago, Warren Buffett pledged to give 99% of his wealth to charity during his lifetime, publicly encouraging the world’s richest to follow suit. He and Bill Gates have even scheduled a trip to China this month to figure out how to “do philanthropy” there. Meanwhile, Buffett business partner Charles Munger says the idea of “very intelligent people sitting around trying to do good” makes him squirm in his seat.

And most recently, Omidyar Network, the philanthropic investing arm of eBay, plans to invest up to $200 million in India over the next five years. Richard Branson is also urging others to invest in Zimbabwe through Zimbabwe Enterprise, a nonprofit formed by his Virgin Unite, the philanthropic investing arm of Virgin.

Promises Aren't Enough: Business Schools Need to Do a Better Job Teaching Students Values

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:32:54 -0500

Promises Aren't Enough: Business Schools Need to Do a Better Job Teaching Students Values :

Three Yale School of Management professors wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about why it’s not enough to get students to take The MBA Oath.

They say: “The solution to ethical challenges in business is not to create an army of M.B.A.s who promise to do the right thing. Rather, as educators we must assume more responsibility by providing better, not less, leadership development. Only then might our graduates take an oath they can actually live up to.”

Compare this to another recent WSJ article covering “The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility”. Very interesting debates here.

"I want to support the organization that’s going for scale, not the one that’s stuck..."

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:41:44 -0500

“I want to support the organization that’s going for scale, not the one that’s stuck where it is. Why would I support a cancer organization promoting its low fundraising investment while cancer remains uncured? We have the whole reward system backwards.”

- Fundraising and social innovation guru Dan Pallotta in “We Need to Rethink Fundraising”. Excellent arguments for why donors shouldn’t expect charities not to spend on fundraising.

Recently, the Unreasonable Institute fellows gave their final...

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:34:14 -0500

Recently, the Unreasonable Institute fellows gave their final business pitches at the 2010 Global Summit. Luckily, they captured these all on film and posted all the presentations on their website.

Above is just a sample, which came from Who Gives a Crap, a group that will make “environmentally sustainable toilet paper and donate profits to water sanitation projects in the developing world”. Fun and fascinating.

As Businesses Grow, Can They Keep Their Environmental Promises?

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:51:00 -0500

This question is at the center of two recent articles: “A Coffee Conundrum” about Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (New York Times) and “Start Here. Change Everything.” about Justin’s Nut Butters (Ad Age).

Good reading about the challenges and opportunities that face environmentally-friendly companies as they scale up.

Timberland's Stakeholder Engagement Calls

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:42:06 -0500

Timberland's Stakeholder Engagement Calls:

Timberland’s CEO Jeff Swartz regularly hosts stakeholder engagement calls to “inform, inspire, and engage others about Timberland’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.”

Last week, he hosted one with Mountain Equipment Co-op CEO David Labistour. They discussed “the need for comparability of products’ environmental impacts to inform consumers’ responsible purchasing decisions.”

You can listen to a podcast of the call (and past calls) at the link above.

Hands That Feed—“a documentary film exploring the agricultural ...

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:35:00 -0500

Hands That Feed—“a documentary film exploring the agricultural collapse in Haiti, its role in the post-earthquake food crisis, and the emerging grassroots development models that seek to restore Haiti’s food supply and environment”—is looking for a few more hundred dollars in donations through their KickStarter page.

Amazingly, they’ve already reached their initial goal of $15,000 of seed funding, but are now aiming for $16,130 since 7% of their total amount will be taken away for processing fees (hence, $16130 will provide them a true $15,000 operating budget).

I also encourage you to check out Good Eater Collaborative, a sustainable food website where Hands That Feed Producer Joshua Levin writes.

"There’s a misfit in each of us [entrepreneurs], and it’s the most delicate, precious..."

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:08:48 -0500

“There’s a misfit in each of us [entrepreneurs], and it’s the most delicate, precious thing that we have.”

- Dan Pallotta in “Misfit Entrepreneurs” on his Harvard Business Review blog. What a wise, compassionate thinker this man is. His book, Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential, is also now available in paperback!

Work as a charity: water Development Intern

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:00:00 -0500

Work as a charity: water Development Intern:

In under 4 years, supporters of charity: water have funded 2600+ projects in 17 countries that bring clean water to over 1.2 million people. If you’re a graduate student in New York City with experience in fundraising, apply for this internship immediately.

"If every charity was run with more of a business focus, the world would be a better place. ..."

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:56:55 -0500

““If every charity was run with more of a business focus, the world would be a better place. We’ve created what I consider to be a hybrid organization—the best of charity merged with the best of business.””

- John Wood, a former senior executive at Microsoft before founding Room to Read in 2000. Find out more about the organization’s model in Fortune Tech’s “How technology can help spread literacy”.

What is Summer Like for a Climate Corps Fellow?

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:58:32 -0500

Now in its third year, the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps—in partnership with Net Impact—has matched 51 students from leading business schools with companies looking to develop actionable energy efficiency plans.

Last year, Climate Corps identified $54 million in energy savings at leading corporations.

While the results of this year’s have yet to be seen, I recommend following the progress of the fellows on the EDF blog. Some very interesting reads.

Thanks to EDF and Net Impact for actively sharing this knowledge. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing this program continue to grow over the next few years.

A Test to Identify Entrepreneurs

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:39:27 -0500

A Test to Identify Entrepreneurs:

“The Entrepreneurial Finance Lab, a branch of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for International Development, has devised a psychometric test to help banks in emerging markets easily screen loan applicants. The goal is to spur lending to small and midsize companies, a vital sector often underfunded in the developing world.”

Interesting initiative coming from The Blind Project called...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:22:48 -0500

Interesting initiative coming from The Blind Project called Biographe, a new sustainable style brand that helps victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade in Southeast Asia.

They’re holding a design contest that runs until September 15, 2010. You read stories of victims on their website, choose the story you want to represent, become their “biographer” by telling their story through design, and submit your entry.

Winning designs will then be turned into t-shirts and sold, with profits being reinvested into the victims’ communities. Check it out!

"The best way to combat poverty is to help each person make money and stand on their own."

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:41:14 -0500

“The best way to combat poverty is to help each person make money and stand on their own.”

- Tadashi Yanai, Chairman and President of Fast Retailing, which owns the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo.

“Japan’s casual clothing brand Uniqlo and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said Tuesday they would create a textiles company in Bangladesh to help poor women gain financial independence.

Fast Retailing, which owns Uniqlo, plans to invest some 100,000 dollars to set up Grameen Uniqlo Ltd in October.

The new company will source materials and make garments in Bangladesh—including women’s underwear, school uniforms and blankets.

It plans to hire up to 2,000 local people within three years, drawn mainly from the eight million borrowers of Yunus’ ‘microcredit’ Grameen Bank, and train them to become financially independent by selling clothes.”

Read the official press release here.