Creative Action的动态

I had a great time hosting a NeuGroup DEI session last week to celebrate Juneteenth with not-for-profit CDFI Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and four of their corporate investor partners. LISC's Michelle Spivak and I facilitated a robust roundtable talk with several corporate leaders on their company's efforts to fund initiatives with real impact in underserved communities, including: - DuPont Treasurer Mike Heffernan, CFA - Wayfair Head of IR and Treasury James Lamb, CFA - DICK'S Sporting Goods Director of Treasury Joshua Conklin, CTP and - Costco Wholesale Chief Diversity Officer Alison Francis Takeaways for corporate treasury leaders: - Your childhood zip code still significantly impacts your life and finances - Partnering with experienced organizations like LISC on impactful initiatives in underserved communities can make a tremendous difference. - You can get involved with impact investing through several avenues, including donations, impact bonds, impact funds, and volunteer activities. - The long-term trend is clear: Corporate America plays a crucial role in promoting inclusivity and leveling the playing field. - The earlier you jump in, the earlier you can be a part of the solution. Stay tuned for more discussions and corporate case studies in the coming months. Joseph Neu Greg Manko

In an elevator speech, How quickly & accurately could you explain your purpose in business or non-profit or sports while holding a burning match between your two fingers? It is too easy to drift with too much information that somebody doesn't want to hear and we don't even recognize the signals. but if you can cover your point with the least number of words and then let your listener ask for more information, now you've engaged at least their interest and maybe also their imagination.

We envision a future where every young person, in every community, has the opportunity to discover their passion and purpose through service. A future where schools, nonprofits, businesses, and governments work together to create a vibrant ecosystem of youth service opportunities. A future where service is celebrated as a path to leadership, innovation, and social change. This is the future we're working towards at Service Academy. Will you join us in making it a reality? - Ryan & Thomas Growney #NewServiceAcademy Image description: Over a black and white photograph of two teenagers, the words “A future where...” are displayed running vertically from bottom to top of the image.

“Know the difference between partners who simply want to be seen with you vs the ones who want to see you win.” — My friend Stephen Green recently shared this in response to the wave of DEI rollbacks, and I couldn’t agree more. In 2020, many organizations, who had never shown interest in building equitable systems, launched DEI programs because it was the popular thing to do. They fundraised under the DEI umbrella without any true commitment to equity. The larger the organization or ‘brand’, the more funding they received—often at the expense of smaller, grassroots organizations that had been doing the real work for years. Many of these big players not only hoarded resources but also outright stole programming ideas, funding, and credit from the very organizations they claimed to support. Fast forward to today, and as the spotlight dims and the environment is challenging, those same organizations are walking back their commitments. That’s what we call performative allyship—and it’s a massive part of the problem. I don’t just blame those organizations though. The funders and investors who chased the shiny, performative initiatives instead of investing in authentic, grassroots efforts are part of the problem. I say this not to judge, but to encourage us to do better. When we know better, we do better — allegedly.

In 1999, the Founder of Women Leading Kentucky saw a critical gap: women weren’t given the same opportunities to advance their careers, often excluded from male-dominated networks and overlooked as leaders. That frustration sparked the creation of Women Leading Kentucky—a space where women could find the support, mentorship, and visibility they deserved. Fast forward to today, and Women Leading Kentucky has hosted 24 statewide leadership conferences, provided women with platforms to speak on prominent stages, and consistently advocated for women at all stages of their careers—whether they’re just starting out, mid-career, or near retirement. WLK has also awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to high school and college women, helping to shape the next generation of leaders. But the work isn’t done. The gender pay gap is still a reality, and women continue to face barriers in many areas of life and work. This Giving Tuesday, as Women Leading Kentucky celebrates 25 years of empowering women, we’re asking for your help. A donation of just $25 can help support the next generation of female leaders and extend WLK’s reach across the state. Countless women have shared stories about landing their dream jobs or being inspired to pursue bold new ideas after attending a WLK event. These spaces are essential, and we need your support to keep them thriving. Donate $25 tomorrow to help Women Leading Kentucky continue to elevate women and shape the future of leadership in our state. #25for25WLK #GivingTuesday #womenleadky

Some volunteer programs make an impact – others create lasting impact. At West Monroe, their Day of Service has been doing both for?nearly a?decade. During my CSR fellowship, I had the chance to dig into what makes this initiative so impactful – and find ways to make it even better. Here’s?what I focused on: 1. Talking with employees, leaders, and nonprofit partners?to gather their perspectives 2. Taking a closer look at competitor practices and industry trends 3. Sharing fresh ideas to build on the Day of Service team’s success One moment that really stuck with me was hearing from a nonprofit partner who shared how working with West Monroe transformed their organization. The team helped them think differently about growth and strategy, creating a lasting impact far beyond the day itself. It was a great reminder of the power these initiatives can have – not just for the organizations?and communities?they support but for the employees who show up with their time, energy, and?expertise. Have you ever been part of a company volunteer program that stood out? I’d love to hear what made it memorable for you! (Pictures: Highlights from West Monroe’s Day of Service 2024. Shout out to Lauren (Rooney) Duer for her leadership in making this initiative so impactful!) #SocialResponsibility #Volunteerism #EmployeeEngagement #SocialImpact #DayofService #WestMonroe #HOHFellow?

[MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR ANOTHER GREAT CONVERSATION...] A Smart Approach to Nonprofit Board Service | NOV 20, 2024 | 12 - 1 ET | You’ve got smart people on your team. Community organizations need their knowledge. But ensuring nonprofit board engagements live up to their potential requires planning, preparation, and ongoing support. How do you generate optimal results for the nonprofit, for your #leaders and #managers,?and?for future relationships with external partners? Together with Michael A. Ticzon, CFRE, Senior Coordinator, Impact & Inclusion, at?Comcast and Rhonda Staley-Brooks, Director, Community Relations, Outreach & Support, at?SMUD, we’ll break down all these questions. Hear how your peers are seeing success in the #recruitment and prep of board #volunteers. We’ll also cover #strategies for maintaining focus and positive ties as time goes on. Bring your questions and examples to share! Members, save your spot here: https://lnkd.in/deqNNEy If your company is NOT yet a member of Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, now is a great time to change that! Ask us about year-end membership deals and bundles (e.g. adding a discounted course or a certificate program to your membership...) Reach us at [email protected]! #nonprofits #board #boardservice #leadership #employees #employeevolunteers #communityinvolvement #communitypartners #socialimpact #csr #esg #business #trends

?? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) isn’t just a trend—it's a transformative way to drive meaningful impact. Yet, many nonprofits and social impact organizations struggle to move beyond “checkbox” DEI efforts. Here are 3 key insights to guide you on the path to fully integrated DEI: ?? DEI as Strategy, Not Initiative: Integrating DEI requires seeing it as a fundamental part of your organization’s strategy and mission. Embedding DEI into every decision—from hiring to program design—fosters alignment and drives sustainable change. ?? Leadership Is Key: Transformational leaders set the standard for inclusivity. By actively engaging diverse voices and championing DEI, leaders foster a culture of belonging that reaches every corner of the organization. ?? Use the AAA Roadmap: Awareness, Assessment, Action: This step-by-step framework helps organizations to embed DEI authentically. Awareness uncovers hidden biases, Assessment sets benchmarks, and Action translates those insights into tangible practices that promote a more inclusive culture. For a deeper dive into these steps, download your free guide to embedding DEI into your nonprofit or social impact organization. ?? Access the guide here: https://lnkd.in/ennsW63t

Elevating & celebrating Sarah Fanslau who CoLabL engaged this week in a professional development session we facilitated with the Taco Bell Foundation team focused on impact evaluation. I met Sarah many years ago in our work together at Points of Light and have always been impressed by her drive to advance effective nonprofit research and evaluation practices. Some key takeaways... ???? Balance a focus on identifying what specifically drives impact and how we can do no harm in our programming as well. ???? When we co-create strategic plans including goals and KPIs with key stakeholders including program participants, we cultivate buy in and engagement that is more sustainable. We create less bookshelf ornaments and more relevant roadmaps. Theories of change and logic models clarify the North Star including short and longer term desired outcomes. ???? Programs and organizations can not and should not try to do it all -- when we say no, we give power to our yes?? ???? Commit to always be learning from quantitative and qualitative data and make continuous improvements in our programs, operations, development, and partnerships. ???? Regardless of resources available, get started -- observations, focus groups, surveys, existing research and evaluations outside of our programs -- challenge our assumptions while practicing empathy and seeking to understand what is happening at the micro and macro levels. Grateful for your partnership and expertise, Sarah ???? #nonprofit #CSR #philanthropy #socialimpact #change #research #evaluation #youthdevelopment #scholarship #highered

Mirroring & Magnifying 5/16: I’m grateful to NPQ for lifting up a conversation on Black women’s leadership in the social sector, and loved reading each of the pieces in the latest magazine. James Baldwin said: “The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other's light.” Here’s to #mirroringandmagnifying the light of all the authors in this issue. To Dr. Yanique Redwood: I deeply appreciate your call for restorative/transformative justice practices in the third sector. People have trauma from the workplace just like they have trauma from their childhoods and relationships — and yet we never talk about it, and as you said, don’t have the interventions and infrastructure to help us repair that kind of harm. I love the way our pieces are in conversation with each other on that front. Curious for others out there: what infrastructure have you seen or used that has helped repair harm in the workplace? https://lnkd.in/eSem5D5m