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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: Becoming a Social Intrapreneur
By Ashley Jablow, Guest Blogger
“How many of you would call yourself a social intrapreneur?”
This was the question that Mark Feldman, managing director of Cause Consulting posed to the fifty attendees at this morning’s BCCCC breakout session, “The Business of Corporate Citizenship: Creating New Social Ventures within Your Company.”
A quick glance around the room showed only a handful would give themselves this title.
Yet, as Mark and his panelists, Amy Skeeters-Behrens (head of Global Citizenship Marketing, eBay) and Nancy Mahon (Executive Director of MAC AIDS Fund), made it clear to all attendees, anyone considering creating a “social corporate enterprise” within their company is exactly that. Perhaps, Mark suggested, after this session, “you’ll consider yourselves a little bit differently.”
But first: what is a social intrapreneur? According to Amy, a social intrapreneur focuses on “building and developing new ventures within a company, designed to generate large-scale social impact”. For eBay, this means creating a wide array of ventures – from the eBay Green Team to World of Good by eBay – that enable their buyers, sellers, employees and larger community connect to causes they care about. At MAC AIDS Fund, social intrapreneurship takes the form of the MAC Viva Glam line of lipsticks and lip glosses whose sales support HIV/AIDS initiatives globally.
Throughout the panel I was struck by a handful of ideas and themes that kept cropping up – what I’d call best practices for any social intrapreneur:
- Alignment of core competencies and the social venture you’re creating: As Amy stressed, and Nancy reiterated, building these social venture opportunities means taking a long, hard look at what your company does well – and what it might not be as successful with. Not only does this ensure your venture will be aligned with what you do best, but it forces you to partner with authentic, credible leaders in the space you want to play in. In eBay’s case, they are great at building shopper marketplaces and providing a trusted space to transact, but they’re not as knowledgeable or skilled in other crucial areas necessary to build World of Good. This led them to partner with social entrepreneurs and industry leaders to help build their model – and their credibility.
- Creation of a point of view for your venture: Nancy repeatedly brought up the idea that the Viva Glam line of products has been successful because it represents a connection to a singular point of view (HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and support). The great thing about having a point of view, rather than simply a portfolio of smaller causes grouped together, is that this can clearly support the business’s point of view and brand meanings.
- CSR needs to be about making money: Both panelists agreed that “profit isn’t a dirty word” and that “you can make money and do good in the world.” This idea is especially crucial for developing the business case for CSR – until you come to terms with the fact that CSR must directly tie to financial outcomes, you won’t be able to create and identify the data you need in order to make a compelling business case for your work.
In all it was a terrific first breakout session, with great ideas and inspiration flowing throughout the room. I can’t wait to see how the next session goes!
April 12th, 2010 at 10:49 PM
Thanks for the great post. I was very interested in hearing about ebay’s World of Good and their challenges in being authentic, knowledgeable and willingness to ask for input. Their mission for World of Good is a balancing act between profits and sustainability. I’m going to be curious to follow their journey,
April 13th, 2010 at 2:54 AM
Great summary! I missed the panel, and appreciate you capturing key points AND the spirit of the session.
April 13th, 2010 at 3:20 PM
Hi Glenn and Janice, thanks for your comments. It was an inspiring and engaging session – and, like Janice said, a great reminder that CSR and social innovation within companies is a journey more than a destination.