In today's episode, you'll learn about impact investing and how it aligns a company's financial activities with their social mission. We explore real-world examples of how corporations are using things like pension funds, cash reserves, and more to drive meaningful change through their investments. Annie Seelaus, CEO of Seelaus, shares innovative ways businesses are putting impact investing on their radar, including money market funds that donate revenue to nonprofits and short-duration portfolios funding analyst training programs.

Timestamp of our discussion: 
0:44 - What is impact investing? Philosophy at Seelaus
2:27 - What are the different types of impact investing
4:38 - Is there any fallout from the polarization of ESG or DEI on impact investing?
8:06 - How would you know impact investing is actually working? 13:47 - How can a CSR team member promote impact investing and engage other departments in its exploration?
16:28 - How CSR teams can get buy-in for impact investing
18:45 - Where do you start if you want to learn more about Impact Investing?

Learn more about Seelaus Investing: https://www.rseelaus.com/investment-services/

Connect with Annie Seelaus:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-seelaus-bb042717/

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson
@iksonmusic

In today's episode, you'll learn about the current state of social impact measurement and how to connect your social impact goals with company goals. We chat with Carole Cone, who is the Founder of EpiQ and a pioneer in the social impact industry for 40 years. We explore what are employee expectation of purpose and how purpose should be measured by its impact on employees.

Timestamp of our conversation:

0:48 - Current State of Social Impact Measurement 
4:21 - How do you connect social impact goals to business goals? 11:36 - The evolution of social impact measurement 
14:11 - Set measurement at the beginning of the work 
17:47 - Reality vs expectation: Employee expectation on purpose 24:26 - How should purpose be measured as it impact employees 25:30 - EPIQ: Employee Purpose IQ 
29:08 - The Power of "And"
31:35 - EPIQ: Employee Purpose IQ

Connect with Carole Cone and learn more about EpiQ [email protected] carolconeonpurpose.com/podcast

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson @iksonmusic

In today's episode, you'll learn how to create social impact outside of the conventional means through corporate gifting. We chat with Peter Dietz, Co-founder of Unwrap It and a B Corp entrepreneur, who shares his guiding principle for creating social impact and how it can be applied in various business decisions. Peter also discusses how Unwrap It helps companies identify hidden opportunities for creating social impact and how it aids in reducing carbon emissions.

Timestamp of our discussion:
0:59 - Guiding principle that inspires social impact creation
2:27 - Bringing social impact goals and business goals together 3:20 - About Peter Dietz
4:26 - Examples of companies making decisions that are the right answer to multiple questions
6:35 - Identifying hidden opportunities for creating social impact 7:59 - About Unwrapit
11:33 - How Unwrapit helps companies expand their social impact programs outside conventional means
14:22 - Shift towards digital gifting by the current upcoming workforce
16:33 - Does Unwrapit circle back to clients to share the outcomes of digital gifts?
20:25 - Going beyond corporate giving

Connect with Peter Dietz:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterdeitz/
[email protected]

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson
@iksonmusic

In today's episode, you'll learn how video storytelling can amplify your Corporate Social Responsibility and social impact programs. We chat with Tamika Bickham, CEO and Creative Director of TB Media Group, to discuss the power of authentic storytelling and how it can foster emotional connections with your audience. We explore the types of stories that resonate most, the role of authenticity, and how to leverage video content across various platforms. We also review valuable tips on involving employees in your storytelling efforts and how to adapt your content for different audiences.

 
Timestamp of our discussion:
1:14 - What are the stories CSR leaders can tell to build more support for their social impact programs?
6:06 - How do you involve employees in your CSR storytelling? 9:07 - How can video help build support for your mission or organization?
11:20 - Hallmarks and traits of a video that produces inspired feeling in your audiences
14:57 - Vertical and user generative content style videos
17:41 - Authenticity in your CSR communications and marketing 21:45 - Trends over the next 12-18 months in video-based social impact storytelling that professionals listening to / watching this podcast should monitor closely?
26:43 - When and how can CSR leaders use video storytelling in their campaigns and communications?

 

Connect with Tamika:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamikabickham/ TBMediagroup.com

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson

@iksonmusic

In today's episode, you'll learn about the power and potential of ERG (Employee Resource Groups) discussion groups. We chat with Tiffany Huard, a leader in the ERG discussion group space, to delve into the benefits, challenges, and solutions associated with these groups. We explore how to drive engagement, prevent burnout, and create a successful ERG program.

Timestamp of our discussion:

1:28 - Who participates in these discussion groups?

1:58 - How do you get members? 

3:14 - What takes place in an ERG Discussion Group?

4:48 - What are the outcomes of discussion group? How do members use this information? 

5:56 - Most common challenges that ERG practitioners face?

 11:26 - Solutions for ERG Leaders

14:58 - How to get involved with ERG discussion groups

15:55 - ERG discussion groups in the future

Sign up for ERG Discussion Groups:
https://benevity.com/erg-discussions

Connect with Tiffany Huard:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-h-66124943/

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson

@iksonmusic

In today's video, you'll learn about the evolution and future of corporate volunteering. We chat with with Sona Khosla, Chief Impact Officer at Benevity, to discuss how the definition of volunteering has changed, especially in the wake of the pandemic. We explore how companies can leverage these changes to create more inclusive and impactful programs. We look at insights from Benevity's research on the state of corporate volunteering, revealing surprising statistics and trends that can help social impact professionals enhance their CSR strategies.

Timestamp of our conversation:

0:56 - State of corporate volunteering today and changes the last few years
5:21 - How has the definition of volunteering changed since the pandemic?
8:49 - What makes a corporate volunteering program successful? 6:11 - What features do the best volunteering programs use? 21:07 Why should companies invest in volunteering programs 25:29 - Where’s corporate volunteering headed in the next 2-5 years?
31:59 - about Benevity Impact Labs?

Read the State of Corporate Volunteering https://benevity.com/state-of-volunteering-2024

Learn more about Benevity Impact Labs:
Benevity.com/impactlabs

Connect with Sona Khosla https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonakhosla/

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson
@iksonmusic

In today’s episode, you’ll learn about the incredible work and impact of the Z Zurich Foundation. We sit down with Emelie Jutblad, the Head of Finance, Impact and Operations, and Dirk Gawronska, Digital Transformation Lead at Z Zurich Foundation. They share their journey from a local charity to a globally recognised organisation, transforming the lives of nearly 11 million people. They delve into their key focus areas - adapting to climate change, improving mental well-being, enabling social equity, and responding to crisis. They also share inspiring stories of employees making a difference and offer valuable insights into their grant-making process and the importance of measuring impact.

Timestamp of our discussions:

00:55 - From local charity to global organization
02:04 - Partnerships for impact
04:44 - Leveraging expertise and volunteerism
06:58 - Empowering community changemakers
08:53 - Collaborative partnerships to drive grantmaking decisions
11:25 - Leveraging technology for equiteable and effective grantmaking
13:27 - Measuring impact
18:22 - Key expectations for CSR and sustainability
24:27 - Scaling community impact through collaboration
28:24 - The future of philanthropyConnect with Emelie

Jutblad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emeliejutblad/
Connect with Dirk Gawronska: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-gawronska/

Music by /ikson
@iksonmusic

In today's episode, you'll learn about the pivotal role of the private sector in global disaster response and the importance of public-private collaboration. We explore how corporations provide immediate relief aid while also focusing on pre-disaster preparedness and long-term reconstruction. 

Andrew Jones, a Senior Researcher at The Conference Board, highlights that the number of natural disasters is rising globally. As climate change intensifies, over 90% of major firms expect disasters to become more frequent and extreme in the coming years. Corporations now supply around 40% of philanthropic funding for disaster response due to their financial resources and global footprint. Looking ahead, the greatest opportunity for progress lies in closer public-private collaboration. While most companies partner with NGOs, working strategically with government across all phases of disaster management is crucial yet uncommon currently.

 Timestamp of our discussions:

1:28 - Role of the private sector and corporate philanthropy in global disaster response 
3:08 - What determines whether a company's social impact program respond to disasters or not? 
5:39 - Preparing responses and activities for year-round disasters 7:03 - What about preparedness or reconstruction as disaster responses 
9:08 - Greatest opportunities for innovation in corporate disaster philanthropy
10:56 - Opportunities are there for public-private sector collaboration? 
12:52 - Improving CSR strategic planning and decision making for natural disasters 
14:36 - How important are employees in corporate disaster response efforts? 
17:14 - What about man-made disasters, such as armed conflict and war?

Connect with Andrew Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjjones1985/

Learn more about The Conference Board: 
Conference-board.org 

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson

@iksonmusic

In today's video, you'll learn about the importance and intricacies of measuring and reporting corporate citizenship. We chat with Andrew Jones, a senior researcher at the Conference Board, to discuss the challenges of quantifying philanthropic efforts, the art of societal outcome measurement, and the power of storytelling in conveying your company's social impact. We delve into the current state of corporate reporting on philanthropy and CSR, and offer practical advice on how to effectively measure outcomes and enhance your storytelling.

Timestamp of our discussion:

1:03 - What does “measuring” or “reporting on” corporate citizenship mean?

7:44 - How does corporate citizenship reporting compare with other corporate reports such as financial or ESG?

9:45 - If there are no obligations to measure or report on their corporate citizenship investments, why do it at all?

11:08 - Main challenges in measuring and quantifying philanthropic efforts?

13:17 - How can companies measure societal outcomes of their programs efficiently and effectively?

17:11 - How could you measure effectiveness if there are no measurement standards?

18:23 - What’s included when companies report on their corporate citizenship efforts? 

20:43 - How do companies improve their storytelling and what do they need to consider?

25:31 - Future trends and opportunities in corporate citizenship measurement and reporting?

Connect with Andrew Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjjones1985/

Learn more about The Conference Board: Conference-board.org

Music by https://youtube.com/ikson 
@iksonmusic

In today’s episode, you’ll learn about the compelling role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in shaping the future of the workplace. We sit down with Catherine Longhi, a renowned DEI consultant, to discuss how companies can create an inclusive work environment and drive social impact. Catherine shares her insights on the importance of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), the power of DEI in attracting and retaining talent, and how technology can help foster inclusion in a remote work setting. Tune in to discover how you can leverage DEI strategies to make your workplace a better place for everyone.

Timestamp of our discussion:

00:00 - Intro

01:32 - Defining DEI

06:49 - Measuring success in DEI

15:02 - Balancing the inner and outer work around DEI

18:00 - The ERGs as a catalyst of change

19:03 - The benefit of ERGs to leaders

21:48 - ERGs’ success stories

26:15 - Structure your ERGs

33:28 - The role of technology in connecting ERGs

36:55 - Scaling ERGs globally

Connect with Katherine Longhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinelonghi/

Music by  /ikson  

@iksonmusic