A "Good for Development" Company Mark: A Good Idea?
The Overseas Development Institute has proposed a new “Good for Development” (GfD) Mark that recognises companies that are delivering development gains through their core business: creating jobs, bringing investment capital, training workers, using local suppliers and fostering small and medium enterprises. The idea is summarised here, and elaborated here (including the indicators upon which the […]
A “Good for Development” Company Mark: A Good Idea?
The Overseas Development Institute has proposed a new “Good for Development” (GfD) Mark that recognises companies that are delivering development gains through their core business: creating jobs, bringing investment capital, training workers, using local suppliers and fostering small and medium enterprises. The idea is summarised here, and elaborated here (including the indicators upon which the […]
Volunteering and Service in America: Four National Themes
Realized Worth was unable to make it to the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco last week, and for awhile we were seriously bummed about missing out on one of the most important volunteerism conferences happening this year. But then, we realized that given the live webcasts, blogs, and twitter it […]
Six Essential Strengths Of An Employee Volunteer Program: An Interview With Shannon Schuyler of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Looking for some insight on how to create an outstanding Employee Volunteer Program? Shannon Schuyler of PricewaterhouseCoopers offers six essential strengths to ensure success. Its the “world’s largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders from the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors” and it’s happening at a pivotal point in history. The 2009 National Conference on […]
2009 Series: Assessing impacts of business on development: what do alternative frameworks offer?
On 12 May 2009, Business Action for Africa convened an event with the Overseas Development Institute and the UK Department for International entitled. “Assessing impacts of business on development: what do alternative frameworks offer?” The event was moderated by Simon Maxwell, Senior Research, Overseas Development Institute. The event was hosted by Anglo American. Below is […]
Canada: Conflicted On Volunteering?
Having won the Oval Office, the Obama volunteer revolution is just picking up speed. Due to financial constraints, Corporate America intends to grow their volunteer efforts by a whopping 45%. From Washington DC to Mumbai; London to Dubai, volunteer activity is on the rise. Communities endorse it. Companies infuse it. Governments champion it….Except Canada. With […]
Social Media and Volunteering: Blessing or Curse?
I write this blog with three groups in mind; volunteers, non profits, and companies with volunteer programs. For these three audiences, social media continues to expand its importance, taking a central role in the success of any volunteer endeavor. I blogged about this last month – How Barack Obama is Using Facebook To Change America. […]
Is Your Corporate Volunteering Program a Success? Find Out Here
Ever find yourself wondering how your corporate volunteering program is really going? How does it compare to other programs? Are participation rates where they should be? Is your program….good? Effective? Worth it? Now there’s a tool that makes answering these (and a whole range of assessment questions) unbelievably easy. It’s user-friendly. It’s interesting to explore. […]
Business and philanthropy: The blurring of boundaries
The latest publication from the World Bank Institute’s Business and Development Discussion Papers discusses the overlaps on business and philanthropy. Michael Jarvis and Jeremy Goldberg provide a briefing allows readers to get quickly caught up to speed on developments and consider the implications for both the business and development communities. “Recent years have witnessed a […]
Start a Corporate Volunteering Program Where You Work (part 2)
Corporate Volunteer programs, also known as Employee Volunteer Programs are a key component to Corporate Social Responsibility strategies. In this second part of our discussion, we’ll tell you how to pull your Corporate Volunteering program together including the components needed to properly execute and measure for success. First, Let’s Think Things Through What’s your first […]
Start a Corporate Volunteering Program Where You Work
Corporate Volunteer programs, also known as Employee Volunteer Programs are a key component to Corporate Social Responsibility strategies. We’ll tell you how to start one where you work, or how to improve the one you have. One Step Forward, Three Steps Back The discussion: How to start a Corporate Volunteering program. Here at Realized Worth, […]
Guy Sebban, Secretary General International Chamber of Commerce: Business plays a key role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals
This year marks the midpoint in one of the most ambitious poverty-elimination efforts ever undertaken – the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG). In this pivotal year, when the objectives are being reassessed and strategies retooled to achieve these objectives, the biennial World Business and Development Awards (WBDA) in support of the goals, to be unveiled […]
Business and Poverty: Opening Markets to the Poor
FROM THE WORLD BANK INSTITUTE: How can the private sector help transform the lives of the poor? Can poor producers and consumers in turn transform business models and shape new opportunities for companies? These are two of the key questions addressed in the forthcoming issue of the World Bank’s flagship publication Development Outreach, which examines […]
Crossing the Atlantic: American vs European Approaches to the Role of Business
Having spent my career in the UK, I have been carried along with the current of change in how British businesses see their role in development, and how the UK aid agency, DFID, sees the role of business. From business’ perspective, the action has moved well beyond philanthropy. The focus now is on how businesses […]
Growth, The Private Sector And The Path To Ending Poverty
Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, set a fresh, bold direction for the UK’s aid agency, the Department for International Development, on Monday. In a speech at an event co-hosted by Business Action for Africa and the Overseas Development Institute, he pointed out that economic growth has accounted for 80% of poverty reduction […]
Finding Volunteer Opportunities for Your Company: The Quick and Dirty Answers
Finding volunteer opportunities for your company can be tougher than expected. Here are some reasons why, and what you can do about it. Trends come and go. Skinny jeans, Emo and blogging are trendy. Webkinz, Facebook, and Crocs are trendy. Corporate Social Responsibility, however, is better than trendy. Right up there with eating organic and […]