Blog Archives
May 2011: President’s Corner
I had the opportunity to meet with two key members of Net Impact last week — Mark Albion and Liz Maw. Mark is the Founder of Net Impact, and Liz is the Executive Director of the Net Impact Organization. We spoke about what Net Impact is up to globally and nationally, but importantly, spent time talking about the local chapters and what the professional chapters are doing. One of the most important things that I took away from this conversation was that Net Impact chapters, regardless of type (professional, MBA or undergrad), size, or city have one thing in common: community. Community is the resounding and lasting “benefit” of being an active member of this group. A place for like-minded individuals to share and test ideas, grow together and support each other in making a positive impact in businesses of all shapes and sizes.
With community top of mind, I’d like to share with you an opportunity to join your community for an amazing event this month and to highlight the great, good work of a member of Net Impact Boston. But first, I want to share some news.
Emile Chin-Dickey, a staple on the Net Impact Boston Team over the years and our most dedicated Director of the Board Fellows Program has moved on. He is off to Cornell to complete his MBA after spending a summer in France with family and friends. I want to thank Emile so very much for his commitment to the program he developed, for being a trusted partner on the team and for sharing his gifts, generosity and laughter with the overall NIB community. Emile has been grooming his successors for some months, and I am very happy to announce that Maura Hodge and Kevin Greer will be spearheading this program going forward. Thanks Guys!
On May 12th, our chapter will be co-hosting an event, “A Conversation with Bill Drayton” with the Simmons MBA chapter. Bill is a pioneer and industry leader in the field of Social Enterprise. Not coincidentally, this month I would also like to highlight the work of one of our members, Siiri Morley of the social enterprise Prosperity Candle. Siiri was generous enough to allow me to interview her for a brief Q & A to share with you. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
Q: We have an event coming up in May where Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton is speaking. What do you know of him and his work?
I respect him deeply and see him as one of the people making social enterprise a field of its own. When I first started learning about the field, I didn’t think I was a social entrepreneur. I think this is really interesting. Before Bill’s work, people like me felt they didn’t belong, like they didn’t have a field. We weren’t exactly doing for-profit or non-profit work, but were using business tools and creating social/societal impact.
When I was younger I was often critiqued because my interests were so broad. I’d love to go back to those people now and show them how these diverse interests of mine have
come together in an important way. Leaders like Bill Drayton have helped me recognize that there’s a community focused on social enterprise – a community to identify with and get help and resources from. Social enterprise goes beyond the immediate impact in one community.
Bill Drayton leads the field. Our team fantasizes about being one of the Ashoka Fellows. That would be incredible to be a part of. And I’ve seen him speak, he’s fantastic.
Q: Can you define the field of social enterprise?
Fascinating question because every group has a different definition. Social Enterprise is an approach to creating social change by applying business tools and perspectives. There’s a focus on financial sustainability — more on generating impact and less on fundraising. The field addresses needs that have existed for long time, but does so in a more sustainable and replicable way. I like the way Bill has framed it — this is about sharing ideas so that social entrepreneurs can address immediate needs, but can do so with replication and scale.
Please click here to read the full interview with Siiri and join us on May 12th to meet Siiri in person and learn more about Social Enterprise.
Enjoy May.
Monica Sullivan
2011 Net Impact Boston President
Sep 16: Green Innovation in Business Network (GIBN) 2010 Boston Solutions Lab
For a complete list of Net Impact Boston events and regional events of interest, please visit our community site.
Looking for strategies and solutions for energy efficiency? Join Net Impact Boston at Solutions Lab 2010!
Microsoft, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Environmental Defense Fund, and Ashoka invite you to participate in the Green Innovation in Business Network (GIBN) 2010 Boston Solutions Lab. This event will provide you with the opportunity to learn from and with your colleagues about how to advance environmentally sound practices in your business while saving money and increasing profits.
Outlined below is an introduction to a variety of energy efficiency and business topics to be discussed:
-Making the business case for energy efficiency in a way that will resonate with senior management.
-Creative financing of energy efficiency investments.
-Improving energy efficiency in leased office spaces.
-Positioning staff resources to implement energy efficiency strategies.
-Alignment of energy efficiency incentives across departments.
-Developing effective cross-cutting energy efficiency teams.
-Leveraging partnerships with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, trade associations and other companies.
-Uncovering the connections between water conservation and energy efficiency and strategies advancing the dual goals of saving water and energy.
-Innovative ways to work with suppliers on energy efficiency.
-Next practices for employee engagement around energy efficiency efforts.
*** Net Impact members receive a 30% admission discount by using the code: NETIMPACT when registering at http://gibn2010boston.eventbrite.com/ ***
When: Sep 16 from 8:30am to 6pm
Where: Microsoft New England Research & Development Center, Cambridge
More Info: http://greenbusinessinnovators.wetpaint.com/page/Boston+2010+GIBN+Solutions+Lab
Register: http://gibn2010boston.eventbrite.com/ (and remember to use code NETIMPACT)
Funding Opportunity for Community Projects
For a complete list of opportunities for Net Impact Boston members, please visit our community site.
Know an organization or project making an innovative impact in the community?
Ashoka’s Changemakers and CommunityMatters are looking for ideas for how citizens can connect, collaborate, and build vital, enduring places in their competition “Strong Communities: Engaging Citizens, Strengthening Place, Inspiring Change”. Eight finalists will be invited to attend the CommunityMatters ’10 Conference to scale-up their work and collaborate with other leaders in the field, and three winners will receive $5000 USD each. For complete eligibility information and to enter the competition by August 11, please visit http://www.changemakers.com/strongcommunities
President’s Corner: July 2009
My First Unconference
“Innovation: Inventiveness of people coming together across companies, sectors, communities, entities to share ideas and come up with something new.” – GIBU Participant
All too often, we are drawn to the negative. This is especially true as relates to the issues of sustainability. Many CSR professionals, including me, struggle between conveying the grim facts of climate change as a means to evoke a sense of urgency in an audience and the alternative of offering a more optimistic outlook. If it’s a lost cause, why try to do anything, and if it’s not so bad, then does everyone really have to do something to make it better?
This dilemma gives way to another tension, which is the one between complexity and simplification. How do we respect the matrix of relationships that comprise the natural balance of a sustainable system and yet make participation in change accessible to all? How do we prevent the greatest challenge of our commons from becoming an issue of the elite? How do we shift the perception of sustainability away from “costly” and “exclusive”? Can we consider ROI rather than up-front costs and make decisions that deliver the most value over time to the most people? Can we get everyone to understand and on board or to we retreat to army of a few?
These are just some of the discussions and debates that were exchanged as part of the recent Green Innovation for Business Unconference (GIBU) held in Boston. This event, organized by EDF and Ashoka, with support of many organizations, including Net Impact Boston, was an innovation in itself. The entire day was an extended conversation of our Boston CSR community and a welcome example of the power of partnerships and positive progress. The questions were tough and yet many simple solutions emerged – and by simple, I mean effective and accessible. Some might say innovative.
Certainly, the magnitude of major global problems we face coupled with twenty straight days of rain can make the negative that much more tempting, but don’t give in to it. As you read through this month’s newsletter, instead think about the myriad of opportunity that exists. Rather than focus on how depressing the situation might seem, consider that at least we are having the conversation. And if you want to learn more about how you and others can move the conversation to action, check out the GIBU wiki and come to a Net Impact Boston event! I’ll be the optimistic one, waiting to meet you and to discuss what we’re going to do together to make a difference.
Kind regards,
Holly
