Why? Funds are tighter; companies want more accountability, focus and clarity. 

 I strongly believe in corporations’ role in society to help alleviate ills and innovate to improve the lives of others through a combination of donations, volunteerism, corporate strategy and more. I also believe that we need to think and talk about relationships and two-way partnerships as opposed to the one-way model of communications from yester-years. I’m a “relationship believer” because I’ve witnessed and know the power of connection.

I don’t see value in having the name of a company or sponsor on a banner, mention in a newsletter (that is sent to an audience that doesn’t have a direct impact on a company) in exchange for $100 or $500 or $1000 or whatever. (By saying this I don’t think sponsorships – private or public – will go away soon, there are also some exceptions).

The importance of value exchange in corporate and non-profit partnerships is real and here to stay. Having worked in the non-profit sector I understand the development strategy of the organizations and reliance on corporate funds however I’d encourage non-profits to think about how they engage with corporations since they’re moving away from traditional philanthropy.

Why does a corporation care or would like to gain value from a sponsorship? The first thing I would think about is content. Understanding the impact that a financial contribution affords a non-profit or society is compelling. For example, if I sponsor a child who attends a workshop on healthy living skills I’m interested to know the difference that the experience has had in the student’s life and secondly I’m genuinely interested in the experience that the sponsorship has helped create for the student. This is far more interesting and appealing than a name on a banner, pen or newsletter! The biggest challenge for a non-profit is how they can keep up with the demand for ‘tailored’ sponsorships. This shift in how we look at the value exchange proposition requires thoughtfulness and time investment – on behalf of the non-profit; it cannot be mass produced (like a name on the banner or a pen). I know time is precious and someone could argue that non-profits should be focused on the social impact and delivering on its mission. I agree that the mission should be the focus of a non-profit but the hand that feeds it cannot be separated from the way it operates and being invested in relationship is as important to non-profits as every entity. This is part of the wave of change.

 Tryon Creek State Park is a 670-acre forest located on the boundaries of Portland and Lake Oswego. Lu Beck was the most remarkable award recipient, she received a ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award. Lu was one of the most fascinating characters to me because she was one of the forty champions that helped bring the park into being in 1970, she took the idea to Glen Jackson who sealed the deal forty years ago when the state was incorporated as a State Park.

Award from the Friends of Tryon Creek on behalf of my employer Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. The acknowledgement belongs with the employees who’ve worked hard outdoors pulling ivy and the like over the past years. I wish more of them could have joined me. A great part of my job.

I really, really enjoyed the talk and the breakfast was tasty. Doug was fantastic!  I don’t want to dissect the colorful content and stories that Doug shared but a couple his comments struck me as interesting (ok, I have one comment to add about the last note).

• Fred Meyer was truly a visionary for his time. There’s no spend-down at the Meyer Memorial Trust; i.e. it is set up to operate in perpetuity unlike most Foundations AND there isn’t a limitation to where and how the money can be spent, this decision is left to the discretion of the trustees. In Stamm’s words, “Fred Meyer was everything in his industry, that Phil Knight is to Nike”  
• Stamm doesn’t believe in working with consultants, well, didn’t used to believe in working with them until he worked with FSG. Hear, Hear – a great resource, love their content. They’re a good friend of the social innovation practice at Waggener Edstrom too (my employer)
• Similar to the message I heard from Julia Novy-Hildesley, the previous executive director at The Lemelson Foundation who I heard speak earlier this month about providing “philanthropic capital”, funding social enterprises, NGO’s and for-profits in some instances.  Stamm is a believer in innovation. He believes in funding foundational investments like operational support to those non-profits with solid strategic business plans and business case. This isn’t traditionally something foundations do.
• Meyer Memorial Trust lives and breathes transparency in a genuine way. Music to my ears! I believe he said Marie Etheridge is behind the communications at the Foundation, a quick search didn’t show any results so I can’t confirm. Anyway, Meyer Memorial recently received a “Glass Pockets” award (love that name!)  Tactical Philanthropy has a good post about this topic.  Made me laugh when Stamm said, that sometimes his staff feel like they’re walking around the office naked because they’re such a transparent organization.
• There are between 14-18k non-profits in Oregon. While Stamm used to believe that the state didn’t need this many NGO’s. The fact that small businesses are the backbone of the economy, has made him back down from this point of view.
• Stamm talked at the end of the conversation about his intense passion for “Impact Investment”. This is an important issue and one of those issues I consider part of the journey of change as transparency increases, social business grows, and the world changes and adapts to tackle these big issues. He used the example of the story published in the Los Angeles Times in 2007 about the Gates Foundation as an example to explain why this is important. I bet this story wasn’t the envy of any foundation and Meyer, Collins and every other foundations were glad they were not the focus of the story. However reputable, strong and game-changing foundations/companies and non-profits learn from mistakes. Impact investment is a huge arena for collaboration, learning and sharing.  I think Gates took this one for the team and are learning from the experience.  

p.s. Doug was asked about participating in the Oregon Environmental Council’s Pollution in People Report http://www.oeconline.org/our-work/kidshealth/pollutioninpeople, the results were a surprise to him, he recommended skimming the book “Slow Death by Rubber Duck” – apparently it is not a vacation read!

Last week, I went to the Corporate Volunteer Council Winter Social, it was great fun. I went bowling for the first time in years. (I still can’t believe I had a strike or two!, the shoes are still pretty gross). While it was less about official business , even in the most informal situations, I find that I learn something. I really enjoyed meeting Claudia Knotek, New Seasons market. The company has a magnificant community and sustainability philosophy, generous program that’s focused on “organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry, educating our youth and improving our environment” . I bet Claudia is full of wisdom, she was a genuine person and wonderful to meet (along with the rest of the crew). Think of New Seasons as a competitor to Whole Foods, but its only in Portland, Oregon. This is one of the things I learned, I was always convinced that it had a network of stores in at least Oregon, Washington and California. This awareness issue is usually the opposite situation that a brand faces. I’m curious to learn more about the company, especially as I’m working to further define our corporate causes and set social impact goals this year.

Responding to the requests of nations in the light of a Global Humanatarian crisis is an important part of my job; we’ve traditionally given fairly generous funds at times of need. I believe we will continue to do this and support corporations who believe this. As Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR or Corporate Citizenship becomes more aligned with business strategy (rightly so!), we can’t loose sight of our understanding of the crisis that need our attention even when they’re not part of the days’ main headlines. Thus, when deciding on how we want to have an impact, it is important to look beyond the ‘photo de jour’ of tragedy and instead look at the larger context for the ‘hot spots’, trends, needs and organizations that can and will have an impact.

Its been a week since I started subscribing to Reuters Alertnet (Thompson Reuters Net Foundation); granted it is not the most upbeat of alerts I receive or read on a daily basis but its very humbling.

I’m not a dedicated foodie but since Whole Foods moved into the Hollywood neighborhood this year I’ve taken a fancy to shopping at the store because I can walk there and it serves most of my needs in one location <I won’t go on about how I’ve always been baffled by the fact that no single store really ‘gets’ my grocery needs but this one comes close. I digress…>. I like Whole Foods because the food is fresh, healthy (AND still tastes good), displays are educational, I like their 365 brand, esp. the seasoned croutons J and the vibe in the store isn’t as stuffy and expensive as it used to be. The premium for healthy food feels affordable and shopping experience is fun!

So you may be wondering what did Walter say at the breakfast, to convince me that Whole Foods has the chemistry for success?

• WholeFoods’ Leadership Understands Its Success Hinges on Tackling Issues: When Walter was asked whether price is the biggest pain point for customers in purchasing organic and healthy food, he said yes, BUT closely behind, he stated that people don’t know how to cook! Secondly, if Walter talked about Healthcare once during the Q&A, he mentioned the topic a dozen times because the company believes that the Food Supply Chain and Nutrition is one of the root causes of the Healthcare debate that the Obama administration is currently tackling. Whether talking about industrial agriculture, subsidies, lack of cooking skills and education, it is evident that Whole Foods is built on an understanding of the issues and industries that surrounds its business.

p.s. Whole Foods position on healthcare is not news, especially for readers familiar with the op-ed Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare written by John Mackey in the Wall Street Journal last August which inspired a firestorm of debate, as well as calls for boycotts and a Facebook page dedicated to the boycott.

• Whole Foods Understands Its Competition and Importance of Collaboration: Robb spoke about the tenet of actively engaging and “behaving responsibly to all stakeholders” – this was very evident throughout the session. In acknowledging that healthy food is a lifestyle movement and matter of education and awareness, Robb credited some competitors such as Market Choice  for “good retailing”. He mentioned how powerful and influential Walmart is to the food industry. He stated how “Walmart makes a move and the industry needle moves” and underscored this by saying that in the future $1 in every $4 spent on food will be spent at Walmart. He didn’t talk about his relationship with Walmart however he led me to believe that they’re not a traditional competitor. Another example: a naturopathic physician from the School of Oriental Medicine in the audience publicly asked Robb about Whole Foods’ partnership with her profession to supply nutritional supplements and educate citizens. In front of the 300-person audience; a potential partnership blossomed when Robb agreed to a meeting between her and Regional President Bob Silverman, after the session.

• Ambition, Dedication and Unconventional Thinking: Robb talked about the only strategy in business is to evolve faster than competitors. This implies risk and thinking differently. He shared examples of how this translates into their business and operations. For example, Whole Foods hosts farmers markets in their parking lots,  when speaking about equality and fairness for employees, he stated that the management board has decided that no executive at Whole Foods will ever earn more than 19 times the salary of an average employee and this is calculated annually. Lastly, he spoke about the power of culture, (referred to as “the Petri dish where the business unfolds”) as a key component of the company and the value of tapping into employees’ creativity. The topic is clearly dear to him, he will be publishing a book on the topic soon.

And if you’re curious, the picture Robb painted was not all rosy. As with any company it is clear that they have made mistakes and business is not all plain sailing. For example, Walter spoke about the challenge they faced in 1997 when they strayed too far away from their values and became expensive and niche.

Plenty of food for thought.

If you’re not familiar, The Reporter is a feature documentary about Nick Kristof and his work in raising awareness about world crisis, particularly the issues in the Congo, he takes two lay-people on the trip with him to report and serve as storytellers back in the US (think of it as activating the influencers). Simultaneously, the documentary paints the truthful picture about the tumultuous state  of investigative journalism. Indeed, the dual agenda in the documentary was somewhat confusing.

The movie was informative, interesting from the perspective of how Nick covers stories, the lengths he goes to tap into the local communities etc., the risks he takes and how he has developed a thick skin in dealing with emotional topics of corruption, rape and murder etc. It is evident from the documentary that he has a deep understanding of the complexity in helping developing countries flourish, the challenge of  corruption and security. 

From my professional perspective, the documentary felt quite self-promotional (the way he and his ‘fans’ e.g. Mia Farrow talked about how he single-handedly puts crisis on the world map, Darfur and other places – this was hard to believe).

It was also surprising to me that the story in the documentary did not follow traditional journalistic formulas e.g. I felt it would have been a lot more credible for Nick, if someone like Ban Ki-Moon could have spoken about the impact of his writings in the regions or on policy.

While the documentary lacked some dimension and lacked, in my point of view, a fair and holistic picture of the intricacies of partnerships for engaging with the developing world – the documentary was informative and is worth watching. Truthfully, I know the documentary was about advancing a very specific agenda. As far as Kristof is concerned, the man’s influence, intellect and passion remains undisputed in my mind. That said, I left the theater cautious and curious about how he works with other stakeholders (outside of journalism) in advancing the causes he is passionate about and also how he sees his role as a facilitator of dialogue and democracy within an ecosystem of influence. Also, I recognize that he is a journalist with an agenda, but in the developing world, I walked away questioning the role of US journalists in the developing world (how do they work with local reporters? Does their role differ to that of their local counterparts?). The following scene was a trigger for these question: There is a scene in the documentary where Kristof drives into a village, where genocide has apparently been reported and he is looking for the story of a raped victim – he arrives in a UN vehicle, greeted with joy, laughter, clapping and waving. He finds the victim, ends up helping her although I don’t think the village expected this, I had the impression that they thought he was bringing hope or food. In his eyes, he viewed the fact that he was going to tell their story, as a way to bring hope whereas, in the moment, this was irrelevant to the people. Thought-provoking.