In “Beyond the Business Case: Measuring the Business Value of Social Impact,” Jason Saul of Mission Measurement walked a packed house through his model for measuring the value of corporate citizenship in ways that make sense for a company’s business value. Read the rest of this entry »

“We are just at the beginning of realizing the reality of what is happening to our economy. There couldn’t be a more interesting time for corporate citizenship,” Center Director Bradley Googins mused at the third annual meeting of the Global Education and Research Network (GERN) meeting in San Francisco last Saturday.

With eight countries on five continents represented at the largest meeting the network has had to date, there were many challenges to discuss, yet the energy and optimism of the group was heartening. The Network, launched by the Center and supported by the UPS Foundation, was formed to share knowledge and contribute to understanding of global citizenship, and international variations, through collaborative research and education initiatives. The Network is made up of the Center’s counterparts around the world – Centers for Corporate Citizenship in Germany, South Africa, Chile, Italy, the United Kingdom, Mexico, China and the Philippines. Read the rest of this entry »

“Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.”

That little tune from my girl scouting days was running through my head Sunday night as the 2009 International Corporate Citizenship conference kicked off with a dinner reception sponsored by Intel.  Yes, the conference is about information, research, tools and new learning on corporate citizenship. But it is just as much about the people who are gathered here in San Francisco. Read the rest of this entry »

The opening dinner of the International Corporate Citizenship Conference offered a spectacularly clear view of San Francisco from the Crown Room atop the Fairmont Hotel. And speaker David Wilhelm offered his own panoramic view of how to approach corporate citizenship from the perspective of a political campaign.

Wilhelm, who managed Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and was the youngest chair ever of a political party when chosen to head the Democratic National Committee, most recently served as an informal adviser to the innovative campaign of President Barack Obama. At a time when corporate citizenship practitioners may feel they need to approach their work with the same urgency of a political campaign, Wilhelm offered 10 applicable lessons from the campaign trail. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s opening day of the conference, and I feel like it’s the proverbial calm before the storm. I’m working in the “In Good Conversation Salon,” a special meeting place sponsored by Kaiser Permanente where conference goers can meet in a more intimate setting to network and learn from peers. Read the rest of this entry »

Even with the financial crisis to handle, President Obama knows that improving our education system cannot wait until some sense of economic stability returns. On the contrary, the plight of education has reached a mission critical state and the time for corporations to step up has never been more urgent. Read the rest of this entry »

For me the most promising sign that spring has arrived is the Center’s annual conference that will be held March 29-31 in San Francisco. While the weather here in Boston is an unreliable indicator, the conference is a sure bet and is an event that never fails to exceed expectations. This year will be no different. Read the rest of this entry »

As we’re about to head off to our annual Corporate Citizenship Conference (it’s March 29-31 in San Francisco), lead sponsor Intel is inviting all conference attendees to join in the Intel Small Things Challenge (see our In Good Company story about the program). Intel created the challenge to show how even very small individual investments can collectively make a big impact in improving education and economic development around the world. Intel will make a donation of 25 cents for each click on the site. Read the rest of this entry »