Corporate pulling power to push sustainable development
Around the world many communities are distressed and in turmoil. The re-emergence of right wing political parties as credible electoral options, riots in European capitals, deterioration of living conditions and the development of movements (like ‘occupy’ and the ‘tea party’) are all part of a continuum of discontent. What all of these phenomena share in […]
The key to inclusive business- Getting better at partnering
“Partnering with other sectors is a bit like being a parent. Until you’ve experienced it for yourself, you really can’t appreciate what it’s like” – head of education partnerships of a multinational bank. Inclusive business (IB) projects, by definition, tend to sit in areas outside of companies’ traditional comfort zones. Whether providing incomes to disadvantaged […]
Building Inclusive Markets: Impact through Financial and Enterprise Solutions
“Building Inclusive Markets: Impact through Financial and Enterprise Solutions”: this is the theme of this year’s SEEP Annual Conference – and you are invited! I have been attending SEEP conferences for over ten years, and this will be my second year as Executive Director. It is always inspiring to see the new relationships and projects […]
The key to inclusive business: Getting better at partnering
“Partnering with other sectors is a bit like being a parent. Until you’ve experienced it for yourself, you really can’t appreciate what it’s like” – head of education partnerships of a multinational bank. Inclusive business (IB) projects, by definition, tend to sit in areas outside of companies’ traditional comfort zones. Whether providing incomes to disadvantaged […]
Interview: Chantal Sheehan, President, iOnPoverty
What compelled you to start iOnPoverty? I didn’t actually start it – Jonathan Lewis did. (But I’ve been around virtually since day 1.) I immediately could see the genius in it when Jonathan first told me about the idea. He was searching for a way to fill the knowledge gap that college students have about […]
Grassroots Business Fund Invests in Jaipur Rugs to Drive Economic Development in India
The Grassroots Business Fund (GBF), a global impact investing organization, is proud to announce a $1 million investment in Jaipur Rugs, one of the largest manufacturers of hand-knotted carpets in India. Jaipur Rugs uses a decentralized rug production system, centered on a network of 7,000 low-income home-based weavers and an additional 3,000 wool spinners. Looms […]
Businesses Backing Vets: Skills-Based Volunteering Helps Wounded Warriors
Part of Causecast’s Memorial Day series examining how Corporate America is finding innovative ways to help veterans through its employee engagement programs. This blog originally appeared in The Huffington Post. If you want to get your blood boiling, consider this: many of our country’s servicemen and women who have bravely fought for us in Iraq […]
Charting the Change from BPO to BoP: Training the Next Generation of Skilled Labor in India
Before the services industry boom, the choice for a young graduate in India was very limited. You had to be an engineer or doctor to even think of getting into decent salary league, let alone high-paying salary league. No one can deny the business process outsourcing (BPO) boom was the ultimate game changer, as the […]
When Volunteers Become Voluntold
This blog originally appeared in The Huffington Post. Corporate volunteer programs offer such a multitude of benefits that they sometimes seem beyond reproach. When these programs are executed well, employees get to participate in meaningful work outside of the office that is recognized and supported by their employers; companies earn the appreciation of their employees […]
The 3 C’s of Successful Non-Profit Relationships
Like any healthy coupling, the recipe to a happy, long term business relationship between a non-profit organization and its corporate volunteers and donorsis commitment, communication and compromise, with a large dose of appreciation sprinkled on top. As the Manager of Volunteer Services at Family Centers, Jennifer Flatow has discovered that applying these ingredients to her […]
5 Tips for Creating Corporate Volunteer Programs
Corporate volunteer programs provide excellent opportunities for businesses to create a positive corporate image, establish friendly relations among staff members and, most importantly, do something good for the community. In a corporate volunteer program, a company partners with a nonprofit organization, encouraging its staff to become advocates of a cause. The program can range from […]
The Business Case for Employee Volunteering – Case #2
Many companies have employee volunteer programs, but for many companies in Europe, Canada and the US these programs are underfunded, underdeveloped and underutilized. This blog series is meant to offer a number of compelling reasons why your business needs to invest (a bit more) in employee volunteering. Finding New Talent “Firms are also facing strong […]
Employee Retention and Corporate Volunteering: 5 Facts For Human Resources Professionals
For those searching for employee engagement ideas, corporate volunteering has become an extremely hot topic. The Volunteer IMPACT Survey that Deloitte released last year further validated what had been increasingly acknowledged amongst corporate social responsibilityexperts for some time; employees who participate in corporate volunteering are more strongly engaged with their companies…and more likely to stay […]
The Fairest Olympics the World has Ever Seen
Last Friday, London, the largest Fairtrade City in the World, welcomed the London 2012 Olympic Games that are the Fairest Olympics the World has ever seen. During the Games, an estimated 10 million Fairtrade bananas from the Windward Islands and South America will be eaten, 7.5 million cups of Fairtrade tea served, 14 million cups […]
Creating Shared Value in the World’sToughest Places
Over the past few years, for-profit and non-profit partners have been experimenting with new ways of working together, creating what’s often now referred to as ‘shared value’. At its heart this concept is about bringing companies and NGOs together and leveraging the expertise of both, in order to achieve the greatest possible social and economic […]
Kourage: The Power of Sport to Fight Poverty
I’m Chris Markl an economics professor and an expert on foreign investment and job creation. I’m also the founder of Kourage Athletics. Kourage Athletics is Kenya’s running brand. Our mission is to leverage the tradition of Kenyan runners to create authentically kenyan running apparel. In addition Kourage seeks to become the first African brand that […]
A Skills-Based Revolutionary: Taproot’s Aaron Hurst
A taproot is the core root of a plant that gathers nutrients from lateral roots and delivers them to the plant so it can flourish. Which makes it the perfect name for an organization that sees itself as a taproot for the nonprofit sector, drawing nutrients from the business community and delivering them to nonprofits […]
Moving Capital- Are you investment ready?
Finding the right people and resources can be tough in a climate of austerity, especially if you are a social entrepreneur. However, there are great opportunities in the sector for those willing to put in the hard work. Andrew Stunell, Communities Minister, has recently announced that £30 million in grants will be available for local […]
Why Is Digital Communication Increasingly Important For Marketing At The Bop?
Prahalad’s BoP concept has become well known by now among scholars and practitioners. Co-creation with poor people as active consumers, producers, and innovators are central to the concept. It envisions social development through market growth. In order to discuss why digital communication is increasingly important for marketing at the BoP, two perspectives are key: Firstly, […]
Corporate Responsibilities in Times of Civil Unrest: the Case of Egypt and Vodafone
In January 2011 Egypt experienced one of its largest civil revolutions in recent history. Influenced by the example of the ousting of the unpopular Tunisian president via mass civilian protests, unrest in Egypt grew, with mass protests erupting on 25th January (25th January Revolution). This initiated a chain of events leading to the ousting of […]