With so many doom and gloom headlines about the credit crunch, it was encouraging to see The Boston Globe profile a new micro-lending program sponsored by Center member Boston Beer Company in partnership with the nonprofit ACCION USA. This is a great example of a company exercising creativity in addressing needs in the community. I also found it especially enjoyable for the Center because our faculty member Mark Feldman’s Cause Consulting was a big part of the design process. Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center invites you to submit your nomination for the 2009 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards. Read the rest of this entry »

Running an employee volunteer program means facing an onslaught of questions. Does my employee volunteer program have enough staff? How can I provide my CEO requested data on whether other retail companies offer release time for volunteering? Is my employee participation rate low? Is my employee volunteering and giving program any good? Now finally, relief is here in the form of a new benchmarking tool. Read the rest of this entry »

Jerry Sternin, the father of applied Positive Deviance, a hope-filled solution to creating change, passed away Thursday, Dec. 11. His presence will be missed but his impact on society will be amplified for years to come. Read the rest of this entry »

Is your company using video to tell its corporate citizenship story? Submit it to our first annual film festival, and perhaps your video will be showcased at our upcoming conference and on our web site. Read the rest of this entry »

Like so many countries around the world, China is responding to the current economic crisis by pumping up its economy with a $586 billion financial stimulus package, an investment that comes quickly on the heels of the us$41 billion China spent on the Beijing Summer Olympics. The planning and execution of both these bouts of big-time spending is very similar – and in both cases there is more at stake than gold medals. Read the rest of this entry »

As we head into an increasingly distressed economy, corporate citizenship practitioners are challenged more than ever to maintain investment in citizenship. The Center’s 2008 Profile of the Practice survey of more than 400 corporate practitioners offers insight into how to best support and illustrate the value of corporate citizenship to a company. Read the rest of this entry »

The closely-watched federal lawsuit Bowoto v. Chevron could determine if multinational companies can be held responsible for alleged human-rights violations that occur on its properties abroad. The case involves a 1998 protest by Nigerian villagers against Chevron. The protest lasted for three days, at which time Chevron called the Nigerian military to remove them; two protesters were shot and killed, and others allegedly jailed and tortured. This is the first time courts are considering whether a corporation can be held responsible for actions of local authorities it calls in for protection. Read the full Wall Street Journal article (subscription required).