From Scarcity to Abundance
Woke capitalism! Greenwashing! Weaponized ESG! Performative DEI!
The cultural backlash to the trend toward corporate and institutional support for sustainability and social impact has arrived. The “DEI Rollback ,” as scholar John Sailer puts it, is both the result of conservative pushback to preserve the status quo as well as liberal critique against brands and institutions whose claims simply haven’t matched their deeds. And while Sailer writes about how this is manifesting in higher education, we’re also seeing it in corporate America and in the philanthropic sector .
Some communications executives are inclined to hush up under these understandably tense circumstances. But we believe – as the saying goes – the only way out is through. Finding our way through the divisiveness means facing brave truths, taking responsibility for outcomes, and creating a story of the future in which everyone can see themselves.
Recently we had a beautiful conversation with our client Mayra Peters-Quintero of the Abundant Futures Fund , a philanthropic collaborative focused on one of the most divisive of divisive-y issues – immigration reform – about how proximity, relationship, and shared narrative have been essential to helping them shift donors’ mindsets and investments from a place of scarcity to mutual abundance. Check out our interview with Mayra plus our recent work with Arthur M Blank Family Foundation for inspiration on how transformative change is possible when we navigate the culture war with humility, respect, and appreciation for our interdependent, common future.
Rock on,
the BBMG Team
“Our fates are all intertwined. We sink or swim together.”
Mayra Peters-Quintero, Executive Director, Abundant Futures Fund
New Podcast Episode
To build on our vision for how philanthropy can play a regenerative role in our culture and society, Hannah Thomas , Strategy Director at BBMG, speaks with Mayra Peters-Quintero , Executive Director at the Abundant Futures Fund, a new donor collaborative that was co-founded by Emerson Collective, Ford Foundation, and the JPB Foundation with the mission of igniting progress on immigration in the US.?
BBMG had the great honor of partnering with Mayra and her colleagues and the funding partners to create the name and brand position and story for Abundant Futures Fund, which in just its first two years has already raised $60 million dollars to help fund immigrant justice.?
Be inspired by what it means to place humble, brave, and mutual relationships at the center of philanthropy.
CLIENT NEWS
How to make reuse a long-term habit
Our “Beyond the Bag” collaborators at Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy have released a new report detailing U.S. consumers’ sentiments toward reusable and refillable packaging solutions.
TRENDS
Leading a Regenerative Brand in 2024
Our peers in the Purpose Collaborative asked us to weigh in for a new piece in Fast Company on business leadership. BBMG’s take? To overcome the ESG backlash, we need to connect to people’s values and reframe issues so everyone can see themselves in a shared story where everyone benefits regardless of ideologies, age, race, or any other perceived differences.
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CAREERS
BBMG’s hiring in NYC: Design Director
How to Embody Regenerative Philanthropy: 9 Human Questions
Whether you’re working within philanthropic giving or simply navigating organizational development, our piece, “Why the World Needs Regenerative Philanthropy,” includes nine regenerative thinking questions to guide the way forward.
More Ideas on The Future We Want...
How corporate giving can apply deep community listening and shared power: Airbnb donates $10 million to 120 nonprofits on 6 continents through its unusual community fund >>
How to drop the jargon and be a responsible brand in 2024: Book Bans and ESG Backlash: Top Issues Brands Must Address in 2024 >>
How we’ll be adapting to climate change this year: 24 Predictions for 2024: Plastics, taxes, and expensive desserts >>
How we’re learning to not tell people’s stories for them, but with them: Leading Museums Remove Native Displays Amid New Federal Rules >>
What buying a cow can teach us about change and resilience: Microcosm of Transition >>
How a learner-centered, ecosystem approach can fix public education: Too Essential to Fail: Why Our Big Bet on Public Education Needs a Bold National Response >> (News from our partners at Education Reimagined !)
How good design can deliver health, environmental and cost benefits: A Sustainable Skyscraper Grows In Brooklyn Thanks To Alloy >>? (News from our Brooklyn neighbors at Alloy Development !)
What We’re Reading, Watching, and Listening To
With movement builders and social impact funders in mind, here’s three recommendations to inspire your work:
?? Amy just finished reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, a modern take on Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield set in the American South. For us to address addiction, institutional poverty and its damaging effects on children, a narrative like this helps unlock empathy and understanding.
?? Hannah recommends listening to Between the Covers Podcast’s episode, Crafting with Ursula : Lidia Yuknavitch on The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction which interrogates the notion of a “hero’s journey” and looks at the power of story, both to tell and to silence.
?? Raphael finds so many lessons in leadership from Jürgen Klopp who's leaving Liverpool Football Club at the end of this season. A manager with true passion and humanity, this quote says it all: “If life should be judged at the end, when we stand in front of the (heavenly) door, they ask, ‘Did you win something or not?’ That would be really strange. They should ask, ‘Did you try everything to improve the place you have been, the house you have lived in, the mood, the love?’ And I will say, ‘Yes, I tried it everyday.’”
BBMG is a branding and social impact consultancy that works with leaders who won’t wait on things that can’t wait. Learn more, see our work, and get in touch at bbmg.com