Our team had an opportunity to attend the event on April 16^th to 18th and engage in discussions on nonprofit capacity building, skills-based volunteerism, education and more.

Speaking at a plenary session on creating sustainable, systemic social change, Jean went on to state that in today’s interconnected world of shared economic downturns and civic unrest, the need to address social issues is becoming more urgent.  Social sector leaders must create a road map to disrupt old, ineffective efforts with diligent and innovative approaches that represent measureable progress.   And one cannot achieve this goal alone; effective cross-sector partnerships are critical in pushing boundaries and raising the bar on social change.  Jean asked the leaders to “be bold, and be fearless with a sense of urgency when we approach social challenges.”

Jean shared with the audience that time and time again cross-sector partnerships that buck tradition have proven this African proverb to be true … “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

While the traditional role of businesses in the social sector was through their philanthropic arm, the leaders at the BCLC conference focused on identifying and promoting innovative solutions to complex challenges that break down silos and remove barriers to sustainable change.

“Partnerships between nonprofits and corporations should not be about more money and fundraising” stated Rhonda Mims, President of ING Foundation.  In addition to the grant making and sponsorships that ING Foundation handles, Rhonda spoke about the partnership with Girls Inc., which is a multi-year innovative investment challenge for girls ages 12-18 where they learn the basics of long-term investing while managing $50,000 virtual portfolios.  Speaking about the effectiveness of such partnerships, Rhonda explained that “There’s always debate about how to measure the success of CSR. Every industry has different measurements and objectives.  At the end of the day it’s about impact, and the way social goals are structured and measured is important.  The days of just giving away money are long, long gone. Design metrics specifically for your organization.”

Opportunities for businesses to take on alternative and collaborative approaches to social change were a recurring theme from the speakers with conversations around skills-based volunteerism on a local and global level moving center-stage.  Evan Hochberg from Deloitte, Bo Miller from The Dow Chemical Company, Dale Herzog from UPS and Christine Salerno from Marsh & McLennan spoke about the intricacies of  starting a  skills-based volunteerism program in a large corporation, shared best practices, and the opportunities of using specialized expertise in addressing local and international challenges.

“Research has shown that philanthropy is flat-lining but skills-based volunteerism (SBV) has increased significantly,” stated BCLC Executive Director, Stephen Jordan.  82% of conference attendees stated to have volunteer program at their businesses, but only 38% of these programs currently have a skills-based component.  The conference discussions were a clear indication that greater emphasis will be placed in changing that statistic.

A CDC report released in April supports this trend and even showed significant growth in International Corporate Volunteering (ICV).  Companies have steadily invested in these programs and are also improving their abilities to measure the benefits they receive.  The annual growth rate of number of corporate volunteers sent on these programs increased 52% from 2006 to 2011.  Leadership skills development and staff retention are at the top of the list for the goals of the program.  And since 2006, corporate volunteers have worked in over 62 countries versus 4 countries in Africa and South America prior to that.  PepsiCo’s first-ever PepsiCorps program last year is a great example of the newer initiatives being explored by corporations towards addressing social challenges using business acumen.

It was evident that there has been a shift in the kind of partnerships formed between the business world and nonprofit community.  The relationships today are more mutually beneficial and in a lot of ways more meaningful for both parties.  This new socially responsible model and corporate culture is pivotal for nonprofits to understand so they do not go about seeking partnerships in the same manner.

Click here to view BCLC National Conference Photo Stream

ConceptLink has had great experiences on social media. Through Facebook and Twitter we are engaging with our clients and partners, and we’ve been able to help many with insights and recommendations on our blog.  We are continuing to grow our presence on LinkedIn and plan to explore other social networks in 2012, which puts us in the best strategic position to be a trusted adviser and resource for our clients.

As we were evaluating ConceptLink’s ‘social standing’ and watching our networks grow, we wanted to share this interesting infographic which is based on the Nonprofit Social Networking Benchmark Report.

Released earlier this month, the benchmark report provides nonprofits great insights and trends to monitor for their social media efforts.

Key takeaways from the survey include:

• Ninety-eight percent of nonprofits have a presence on Facebook in 2012
• While 73% of nonprofits allocate half an employee’s time to managing their social media presence, 43% do not provide any budget whatsoever
• While the acquisition of a Facebook ‘Like’ is more expensive than securing a Twitter follower, the average value of that ‘Like’ is worth $214.81 over 12 months
• The top three factors for social media success are strategy, prioritization and dedicated staff

Trends to watch include:

Source of Infographic and stats: Blackbaud, NTEN and Common Knowledge

For further reading, also check out NonProfit Quarterly’s piece on What’s a “Like” or “Follower” Worth? 

The website features a bold new design offering easy access to updated information on ConceptLink’s clients, experience, team and insights. Special features include case-studies and blog articles on a variety of topics including nonprofit fundraising, brand communications, grant-making, social entrepreneurship and much more.

“We consider ConceptLink to be a special kind of consultancy and it was important for our branding and communications to reflect our uniqueness.  In developing this website, we wanted to go beyond “design” and create a platform to showcase the work of our clients and to articulate how we have helped them achieve their long-term objectives.  Our new website makes it easy for Africa-interest organizations to understand our values, our services and how we can help them achieve greater impact in their communities.” said Jerryanne Heath, Chief Executive Officer of ConceptLink.

As a social impact strategy firm, ConceptLink is committed to delivering an unprecedented level of rigor and professionalism to Africa’s social sector.  The firm’s approach is deeply rooted in a belief that its clients are capable of creating positive change in the communities they serve – ConceptLink’s role is to help them sustain that change by taking a strategic approach to their operations.

In celebration of the new website, ConceptLink is offering a special discount of 15% on its newly released ‘Finishing Touch’ package – a service designed to put the finishing touches on fundraising and brand building events.  This service is currently available for Africa-interest organizations in the New York area and will be expanding to more cities in the near future.

Sign up via the website: www.conceptlink.com to receive news and updates from ConceptLink, and connect via social media –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConceptLink

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConceptLink

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/ConceptLink

Social Media & Communications

• Assisting with updating our social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Idealist
• Blog:  Contributing research and content to our blog
• Email marketing: Assisting with the creation and distribution of an online newsletter
• Press: Assisting with ConceptLink’s press relations, including pitching stories to the media about our team, projects and clients

Event Planning

• Scouting venues for company and client events
• Providing support for all stages of event planning (upcoming events include our fourth anniversary, upcoming Workshop series, as well as cocktail receptions and galas for non-profit clients)
• Assisting with guest lists, invitations and registration
• Managing day-of registration and on-site logistics

We have a small, close-knit team and we’re picky about who we work with.  Our colleagues treat each other with respect, regardless of title or position. We want to work with you if:

• You share our goal of empowering mission-driven organizations working in Africa
• You have experience in the non-profit sphere, strategy development, market research, or a related field
• You can demonstrate a high attention to detail and quality
• You currently have your own social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc.)
• You have experience with email marketing platforms such as MailChimp, Vertical Response, ConstantContact and MadMimi
• You have experience organizing events
• Words that others would use to describe you include go-getter, analytical, thorough, humble, creative, reliable, independent thinker
• You are enthusiastic and have a positive attitude about performing some mundane tasks
• You enjoy working with a start up company
• You have a personal laptop, cell phone and internet access

Start Date: Immediately

Location: New York

Time Commitment: 15 hours per week over a period of at least 3-6 months

Launched in 2011, this three-year, 100-city $50 million program—IBM’s single-largest philanthropic initiative— funds top IBM executives to work onsite along with local experts from the public and private sectors of the winning cities, who study and then make detailed recommendations addressing locally important urban issues.

As part of the grant, IBM will provide special assistance to each winning city on the use of City Forward, a free online site IBM created with public policy experts.  Citizens, elected officials and urban planners can use the site to explore trends and statistics in a visual and accessible way, which can be adapted for the examination of any number of urban issues—leading to better decision making.

“The cities that have been selected are all different, but they have one clear similarity: the strong personal commitment by the city’s leadership to put in place the changes needed to help the city make smarter decisions,” Stanley S. Litow, IBM vice president of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs, and president of IBM’s Foundation, said in a statement.  ”These cities demonstrated a desire to set an example for other municipalities, an eagerness to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, and a strong commitment to consider implementing recommendations the city felt would be the most feasible and beneficial to their residents.”

Over 140 applications were received by the Smarter Cities Challenge program from over 40 countries around the world.  It is indeed great to see the four African countries demonstrate a willingness to exchange ideas and data freely among citizens, elected officials, nonprofits, businesses and city agencies, to formulate strategies for improving the quality of life for their citizens, which ultimately won them the grant.

The winning cities proposed intriguing projects and areas of focus for IBM experts. They included initiatives for:

·        Economic and Workforce Development — attracting a diverse variety of jobs and industries

·        Transportation — integrating bus, rail, bicycle, car and pedestrian modes of transportation

·        Sustainability — measuring vehicle miles traveled more precisely to help lower pollution levels

·        Health — using inhaler and air quality data to identify and reduce asthma outbreaks

·        Education — applying data analytics to identify the most effective investments for improving an entire school system

·        Urban Planning- – revitalizing and redeveloping older neighborhoods

In the four African cities, officials are encouraged to see that the government is willing to engage in private-public partnerships, which in the past have yielded successful results

In Kenya, IBM East Africa General Manager Tony Mwai said that IBM executives will collaborate with civil society organizations to help identify smarter transportation solutions that could help resolve the city’s traffic gridlocks that currently cost the Kenyan economy Sh50 million daily.

The grant will enable Accra, Ghana to streamline its revenue collection channels, leveraging IBM’s expertise in developing smarter systems for emerging cities.

Leaders from Rabat, Morocco plan to tap into IBM has a long history of helping governments, industries, and business leaders take on complex problems and develop solutions that transformed the workings of societies and economies.

“The City of Tshwane, South Africa, looks forward to working with a grant-funded IBM team on exploring smarter solutions to improve the city’s operations while enhancing service delivery including Smarter Transport solutions.” says Tshwane Executive Mayor, Councillor Kgosientso Ramokgopa.

To learn more about IBM’s corporate citizenship initiatives, visit: http://www.citizenibm.com or follow on Twitter @citizenIBM

And, to find out more about IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants, please visit IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge Web site , or watch an overview of our work on YouTube

Source: IBM Web Site: http://smartercitieschallenge.org

Earlier this week, when #WhatILoveAboutAfrica became a trending topic, we thought about the African women who are helping spread the good word about the diaspora and the African social good sector.

There is a plethora of users, hashtags, and chats to keep track of on Twitterverse, and we wanted to bring together a list of passionate women who are accomplished, outspoken and a wealth of information on these topics.  Below are 20 Twitter accounts worth your follow.  To make it easy to follow them, we have created a Twitter list for you - Women-African-Diaspora

1)     Dambisa Moyo

@dambisamoyo

Economist and author of NY Times bestselling ‘Dead Aid & How The West Was Lost’

2)     Ory Okolloh

@kenyanpundit

Google Policy Manager Africa and Co-founder Ushahidi.com & Mzalendo.com

3)     Saran Kaba Jones

@sarankjones

Executive Director of FACE Africa

4)     Semhar Araia

@Semhar

Founder & Exec Director, D.A.W.N Diaspora African Women’s Network

5)     Jepchumba

@digitalafrican

Founder & Creative Director, African Digital Art Network

6)     Solome Lemma

@InnovateAfrica

Co-Founder of Hornlight

7)     Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenb

@wanjirukr

Founder & Director of Akili Dada and Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco

8)     Kathleen Bomani

@KateBomz

Contributor to Okay Africa & Pembazuka News; Event Manager, Africa Gathering

9)     Minna Salami

@MsAfropolitan

Founder of the MsAfropolitan Boutique and Huffington Post blogger

10) Phiona Okumu

@ophiona

Afripop! Editor and music marketeer

11) Dayo Olopade

@madayo

Journalist and student at Yale Law School.

12) Vickie Remoe

@VickieRemoe

Multimedia journalist and activist

13) Anne Kiguta

@AnneKiguta

Senior news anchor and editor at KTN

14) Kalkidan M

@Kalkidafrique

Co-founder and President, Rise Against Hunger

15) Nanjira Sambuli

@NiNanjira

Digital Strategist and activist

16) Ngozi Odita

@HAElifestyle

Creative Director of Society HAE

17) Kelechi Anyadiegwu

@designafriKA

Afro-cultural design enthusiast and grad student at Carnegie-Mellon

18) Zawadi Nyong’o

@Zawadin

Founder, “Zero By Zawadi” company

19) Chika Uwazie

@ChikaUwazie

Human resources professional and blogger

20) African Entrepreneur

@africatechie

African Tech Entrepreneur and blogger

Follow these amazing women on the Twitter list we created for you - Women-African-Diaspora.  Also, special thanks to Semhar for kick starting the #WhatILoveAboutAfrica topic.

Who else are we missing?  Let us know and we will be glad to share!

(Photos Courtesy: Twitter profiles of individuals.)

The 7^th annual Board of Boards CEO conference held at McGraw Hill headquarters convened the top executives from diverse businesses including pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, electronics, public affairs and communications, asset management, manufacturing, business consulting, real estate among others.  These thought leaders “are initiating partnerships across sectors to discover how the company’s products and expertise can complement and extend the important work of the nonprofit and government sectors.  They are investing in a more nuanced understanding of the complexity and interconnectedness of factors that lead to staggering high school drop-out rates or domestic violence” said Margaret Coady, Director of CECP.

At the conference, the opening remarks were made by H.E. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Former President of Brazil, and the interactive discussion panels had Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry, Shelly Lazarus, Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather, Hikmet Ersek, President & CEO, The Western Union Company and Daniel L. Doctoroff, President & CEO, Bloomberg L. P.

President Cardozo spoke about some of the societal improvements that happened during his leadership – Brazil recorded a decline in infant mortality rates, a fall in the number of child laborers and attainment of near-universal primary education.  He also spoke about the need for democratization of access and equity of outcomes in education.  He remarked that it was time for transformation of social policies, where governments compete against each other to improve their systems and services. Governments should partner with corporations and nonprofits to create win-win situations for the social good.

President Cardozo was followed by panel discussions which focused on 1) CEO leadership in educating consumers on the societal impacts of the choices they make and 2) CEO leadership in educating investors about the long-term benefits of pursuing strategies that link positive societal impact and business benefit.

With the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement and other pushback from the general public, there are observations that business’ social license to operate is in crisis. A new definition of capitalism and triple bottom line needs to be developed that does not violate the trust of its public and government.  The key takeaways from the polls and discussions were –

• The overwhelming response from an audience poll was that businesses are only somewhat successful in living up to their social contracts. While there are improvements, not much changed over the past few years.

• Agreement on businesses’ need to figure out a better way of living up to the social contract and to develop opportunities for CEOs to move the discourse in the right direction.

• A significant obstacle that businesses face in opting for socially-sustainable practices is ‘competitive pressure’ to drive down costs.  This ranked high above ‘consumer pressure’ and ‘shareholder pressure’ for business leaders.

• It was surveyed that the most significant barrier in making more socially-sustainable buying decisions is that these choices are often not as affordable or convenient for the consumer.

• CEOs also felt that most consumers have not been educated on the full negative impact of their purchasing habits.

• Leadership has noticed a slight hike in demand for greater transparency regarding company’s community practices compared to five years ago and they believe that consumers do reward CSR efforts by a corporation.

For CEOs in companies engaged in environmental and societal sustainability, bringing investors along on their journey has not been simple.

• CEO’s lamented that the demand from investors to pursue business strategies that support social good has been limited.  Angela Ahrendts, while speaking about the tremendous impact of Burberry’s philanthropic initiatives on employees and consumers, commented that not once was she asked about these initiatives by an investor.

• Many have moved towards integrated reporting, which combines financial and sustainability performance in a step forward to educate/share better information of their financial, social & environmental efforts.  Daniel Doctoroff remarked that requests coming in from investors regarding a company’s sustainability and community engagement practices are ‘modest at best’.

• There was disagreement on the quality and transparency of integrated / CSR reporting due to apparent lack of standards.  Klaus Kleinfeld, CEO of Alcoa Inc., challenged the group of elaborate reporting on philanthropic giving by a corporation when the company’s supply chain management and employee relations are completely wrong.

• Speakers and audience agreed that standardization of measurement and more comprehensive tools needs to be put in place before shareholders can be brought into closer alignment with stakeholder expectations.

The theme of the event resonated well with the audience for the ‘Next Generation Community Involvement: A Transformative Business Opportunity’.  There was a call to action made to the CEOs to take greater responsibility for their company’s actions in the social and environmental sustainability.  The leadership team agreed that businesses had a significant role in this transformation and it was up to leaders like themselves to build support of investors, consumers and other stakeholder groups along with them on this journey.

For social good advocates around the world, this is great news when CEOs are willing to put the pressure on themselves and their peers to deliver products and services in a socially-sustainable way.  If they practice what they preach, there will be much progress made in accountability from businesses and for more strategic giving which will have positive impact on communities around the world.

_______________________________

For further reading, check out posts by

Reuters

and

BCLC: Business Civic Leadership Center

We’ll look to you to Google, call, email, conduct surveys or focus groups, and otherwise sleuth through numerous information channels to gather intelligence about the Africa-interest non-profit and philanthropic sector. You r findings will help shape our business, help Africa-interest non-profits improve their operations, plus will make an impressive portfolio piece for you to show off to future potential employers.

Our Business Development Intern will uncover and present quantifiable, research-based answers to questions like:

• What are the major strategic and sustainability challenges Africa-interest, US-based non-profits face?
• How many (and which) Africa-interest non-profits are actively seeking help with fundraising, communications, and strategy development?
• How many (and which) Africa-based organizations are actively seeking access to US funding?
• How willing are Africa-interest non-profits to engage outside consultants for fundraising and communications strategy? What are they willing to pay for these services? What factors hold them back from outsourcing these types of services?
• How might ConceptLink help fill information gaps in non-profit fundraising and strategy through our workshops or service packages?
• What are ConceptLink’s competitors doing in the non-profit consulting sphere?

How We Work

We have a small, close-knit team and we’re picky about who we work with.  Our colleagues treat each other with respect, regardless of title or position. We want to work with you if:

• You share our goal of empowering mission-driven organizations working in Africa
• You have experience in the non-profit sphere, strategy development, market research, or a related field
• You possess a high attention to detail
• You enjoy working with a start up company
• You enjoy doing research and gathering information
• Words that others would use to describe you include go-getter, analytical, thorough, humble, creative, reliable, independent thinker
• You have a personal laptop, cell phone and internet access

Time Commitment: 10-15 hours per week. We anticipate this project can be completed in 3-6 months.

This is an unpaid position, but ideal for students seeking internships for academic credit.

To apply: Send a cover email and resume detailing your relevant skills to whitney@conceptlink.com.

Photo credit: http://marketingandsalesguru.com

Now in its ninth year, ICPD is observed around the country through corporate philanthropic initiatives, in-depth reports on progress from last year and newer opportunities ahead, and raising awareness of the important role of corporate philanthropy as a force for social good.  In commemoration of ICPD, the Empire State Building in New York and clock tower of the Wrigley Building in Chicago light each year in blue and green for this day.

In New York City, events such as the Board of Boards CEO conference hosted by CECP, A Billion + Change: Mobilizing Billions in Skills-Based Volunteering hosted by A Billion + Change, and several partnership events such as Breaking New Ground: Partnerships for more and better jobs for young people hosted at United Nations Headquarters took place on Monday, February 27^th.

In a two-part series, ConceptLink will share some of the highlights from the two major events in New York City that direct the course of CEO leadership in socially-sustainable businesses and skill-based volunteerism from corporate America for the coming year.

A Billion + Change held a celebratory event at Morgan Stanley to recognize its 78-company strong network, who has pledged a total of $1.6 billion in skills-based volunteer services to nonprofits.  Launched in 2008 by the Corporation for National and Community Service, A Billion + Change is a national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based volunteer service from corporate America by 2013.

Corporate volunteerism is by no means a new idea.  However, the past several years we have seen an explosion in thought leadership and the recognition of a need for a deeper relationship between the corporate and social sector.  There has been a major shift from “donate-a-day” volunteering, where a corporate team might give a few hours to read to students, build a swing set, or help at a soup kitchen, to Skills-Based-Volunteering (SBV), which enables corporate volunteers to use the skills of their vocation to assist nonprofits with more strategic, systemic needs.

A Billion + Change attendees heard from Gary Bagley from New York Cares, who described how Morgan Stanley’s Strategy Challenge team was able to save them $30,000 annually by recommending improvements to its volunteer on-boarding process.  Could the Morgan Stanley employees have painted a cafeteria or cleaned a park? Definitely, but the changes implemented as a result of their social enterprise initiative yielded infinitely higher benefits both for the nonprofit and for Morgan Stanley.

Indeed, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is now being redefined as more than just a “nice thing to do”, but as a strategic business decision with real bottom-line benefits.  As facilitator Deirdre White of CDC Development Solutions remarked, companies are starting to realize that CSR does benefit the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit.  For the employee, CSR is an opportunity for skill development and building a connection between personal values and professional work. Employees who engage in CSR activities also report an increased level of enjoyment of their work. This benefit translates to the company as well, as a happier and higher skilled workforce has been shown to increase employee retention and loyalty to the company.

CSR also gives the company access to new markets – especially opportunities to do business for those at the bottom of the pyramid – and increased opportunities to share solutions with innovators around the globe.  And, a commitment to social sustainability of their products, services and practices from corporations can have enormous benefits for the planet and its people.

And, of course, social good organizations benefit from access to highly skilled resources and new technology that would not have been financially accessible to them without reach and resources of corporate America.

The celebratory event was a great opportunity for CSR and philanthropy enthusiasts to share ideas about this fascinating and growing practice.  Are you a nonprofit or SME interested in CSR partnerships? Contact ConceptLink for more information and we can assist you.

_______

For further reading, New York Cares published a blog last year with some great statistics about the benefits of CSR to companies.  Also, check out Morgan Stanley’s strategic priorities in making a positive contribution to its stakeholders.

Images courtesy: CECP and A Billion + Change.

Social media buffs came together for the fourth installment of Social Media Week which took place simultaneously in 12 cities around the world, including New York City.  We, along with hundreds of other New Yorkers, attended some of the events held around the city to reflect on the impact of social media and to learn from leaders in the field.  The theme for SMW12 was “Empowering Change through Collaboration” and the attendees listened to experts discuss the changing world of social media and its role in driving cultural, political, economic and social change.

Three events that were of particular interest to us were –

‘Meet The Afropolitans: Digital Media + Culture in Africa’– our first event for the week hosted by SocietyHAE was a fun evening of dialogue on the African diaspora, music, drinks and African inspired eats by Panla and Divine Chocolate.

The panelists spoke about what it means to be Afropolitan, which by no means has any political connection but represents the quest for a unique identity for new generation Africans, away from the stereotypes, and captures a sense of national pride and personal interests.  The speakers of the evening –  Kathleen Bomani from Africa Gathering , Yolanda Sangwei of AfriPop! Magazine, and DJ Chief Boima of Sierra Leonean descent, and panel moderator, Society HAE founder Ngozi Odita spoke about how the digital media renaissance taking place in the continent has impacted the African diaspora, particularly the Afropolitans.

The key takeaway was the huge potential of digital technology in Africa; for the Afropolitans this presents a never before imagined opportunity to converse with their peers and audiences on any topic from politics to pop culture – that is coming out of the continent.  The exponential growth of social media users in Africa has opened up new avenues for visionaries to engage audiences in meaningful ways and bring about social change.  Read more about the highlights of the evening at Differences Magazine.  In addition, the panelists shared a wealth of information on the movers and shakers of the African diaspora and thanks to SocietyHAE, we have the listing handy as we immerse ourselves into what Afropolitans have to say about digital media and culture.

To check out Twitter conversations, follow #SMWafropolitans

The next panel ‘NGOs, Causes and the Original Interest Graphs’ hosted by Fenton, was a thought provoking session on how, for decades, nonprofits have rallied together disparate individuals around a cause or issue and thereby created communities.  In the world of social media, nonprofits are attempting to translate that passion and authentic calls for action to a virtual world and bring about social change.   Sabrina Dupre, Director of Communications from Estee Lauder, James Windon, VP of Business Development from Causes, Amanda Michel from Guardian US and moderator, John Gordon, Fenton’s SVP of Digital shared insights on how they have successfully utilized interest graph data to reach and engage people.

“You cannot have authenticity without placing value on transparency” said Sabrina Dupre, asking nonprofits to leverage their values on social media to connect and engage with their stakeholders.  While nonprofits have the expertise, data and stories to create meaningful engagement, very few are good with translating it into the social media/digital space and thereby limit the reach of their cause.  The panelists encouraged nonprofits to think creatively on how to transition from being the owner of their information to a more open sharer and aggregator of news and stories that are supportive of their mission and could be of interest to their audiences.  Check out AdCouncil’s write-up on the discussions and scope for synergy of nonprofits and corporate partnerships around social causes.

Follow this Twitter conversation at #SMWngographs

Later in the week, we caught Adam Braun, Founder of Pencils of Promise; Mike Radparvar, Co-Founder of Holstee; Susan McPherson of Fenton Communications; and Tammy Tibbetts, Founder of She’s the First at an engaging session, ‘The New Face of Social Good: How Make Your Own Social Media Magic!’ held at Thomas Reuters.  The evening was presented by She’s The First with special introductions by model Alek Wek, and moderated by Mashable’s Emily Banks.  The panelists shared stories on how seemingly innocuous messages on social media created a spark or started a ripple effect that launched successful campaigns that changed lives and created meaningful social change.  Some of the interesting quotes that we heard that evening were –

“Tweet for change, not for rubbish.” –  Alek Wek @therealalekwek

“Things go viral when they’re meaningful, never because you try to make them viral.” – Mike Radparvar @HOLSTEE

“Facebook is for lying to your friends, twitter is for telling the truth to strangers.” – Adam Braun @pencilsofpromis

“Two virtues of social media are storytelling and transparency.”-  Tammy Tibbetts @shesthefirst

Follow the Twitter conversation at #SMWmagic

The overarching themes of the discourse were the focus on transparency and authenticity of purpose and messaging.   If the purpose of engaging in social media is strategic and comes from the soul of the organization, it most likely will resonate with the target audience.  Support this with clear calls to action and you are on your way to bringing meaningful social change.

Were you at these events? We would love to hear your thoughts on these events and others that could be of relevance to nonprofit leaders.

Image Credit: Social Media Week 2012