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In 2007 Booz Allen Hamilton set out to help small nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. area gain access to expert advice and guidance on management and fundraising that was otherwise unattainable for them due to cost. In the four years since, the Booz Allen Hamilton Nonprofit Development Conference Series has grown exponentially and now successfully serves more than 400 unique nonprofit organizations with top tier guest speakers from around the metropolitan area who provide the sorely needed advice and guidance.
2010 Conference: The business of corporate citizenship – Creating new social ventures within your company
At the Boston College Center’s conference, two companies – eBay and MAC Cosmetics are showcasing their innovative corporate social ventures. eBay presented its innovative World of Good and MAC Cosmetics – its MAC AIDS Fund.
Amy Skeeters-Behrens, head of eBay’s Global Citizenship Marketing, considers World of Good a successful entreprise created by eBay’s intrapreneurs. The venture is alligned with Pierre Omidyar’s vision of a ecommerce place where everyone will feel trust and confidence in the fact that their purchases make a contribution to a more equitable and just world.
Diana Echevarria, executive director of MAC Cosmetics’ North American Programs talked about the success of the VIVAGLAM campaign which in partly was due to the enourmously influential pop star of today, Lady Gaga’s involvement as a spokesmodel. Another factor of success is MAC Cosmetics’ heavy focus on a couple of related issues such as AIDS, women’s health and sex. In addition to being smart and sexy, the marketing strategy behind the VIVAGLAM campaign has tremendously benefit the overall sales and ultimately the company’s bottom line, which Diana pinpointed as one of the two most important challenges. The other challenge is how to allign customers’ values with the specific community/culture. American consumers might be OK with the proceeds from the VIVAGLAM campaign going to support drug-users and sex workers, but in France this is not as acceptable because of the availability of a broad government-funded assistance net. Similarly, Lady Gaga’s exuberance might not be the best fit with the Middle Eastern culture and values.
