How the e-newsletter company Constant Contact works with their nonprofit bookstore neighbor More Than Words

By: Bob Nicoson and Sue LaChance*

More than Words provides empowering leadership and supportive employment opportunities for youth who are in foster care, court-involved, homeless, or out of school to prepare them for self-sufficiency as they transition to adulthood. Waltham-based Constant Contact, a leading provider of email marketing and online surveys for small organizations, has a long-standing relationship with More than Words, both as a service provider and as an ardent supporter.

While More than Words is a customer of Constant Contact’s email marketing tools, the relationship between the two organizations extends much deeper:

·       Constant Contact has hosted More than Words youth at its the Waltham headquarters to give them a glimpse of what a “day in the life” of the company, featuring some of the real world attributes of life in the corporate workforce. 

·       The company has initiated book drives and holiday-themed giving trees with donated items to benefit youth members in the More than Words program.

·       Most recently, the company participated in a day-long offsite for its leadership team who helped to put together office furniture for the second More Than Words bookstore slated to open in October.

Details on the leadership team service initiative:

In an effort to ensure that Constant Contact remains a great place to work, the leadership team is guided by two principles: developing and nurturing great managers and giving back to the communities in which it does business. The leadership team, which includes anyone who manages at least one staffer, has grown to more than 100 people. When searching for options for this particular leadership offsite, the human resources team organizing the offsite eliminated most of the traditional “team building” exercises and looked instead for something more meaningful. The goals of the offsite were to get leaders thinking about what skills, experiences, attributes and outlooks they could bring to the company table and how to leverage those for the greater good through an unusual team building exercise.

The company team asked More than Words what they needed most, which turned out to be office furniture for the new storefront. A team from the company and a group of More Than Words kids rented a large truck, gathered their lists, and went to the local IKEA to purchase the required items.  They also ferried the unassembled furniture to the offsite location where the leadership team was tasked with assembling all of the furniture, as a team and with the participation of every company leader from CEO Gail Goodman to the greenest manager. The goal was to get people to focus on their strengths and apply them in a team setting.

In the middle of the day the bookstore’s founder and Teen LEEP director Jodi Rosenbaum Tillinger came to speak, alongside Rolgems Alphonse, one of the More than Words success stories. Both Jodi and Rolgems told their stories of leadership, followed by an appreciation of the organization by Gail Goodman. All of the speakers focused on the questions “What can you be the best at?” “What are you passionate about?” and “What drives your economic engine?” By sharing their individual stories, they encouraged others to think about their own strengths and ambitions.

The value from the offsite was both individual and collective. More than one-third of the Constant Contact participants signed up to do additional work with More than Words on an individual basis and the company has offered to continue working with the organization to address its needs. When the furniture was delivered at the More than Words location, the program participants were thrilled to see its arrival and begin to feel the unfolding reality of the second bookstore. For Constant Contact the satisfaction of accomplishing its goals for the offsite meeting was as palpable as the energy generated by giving back to a great community organization.

* Bob Nicoson, is Chief Human Resources Officer and Sue LaChance is Director, Organizational and Leadership Development at Constant Contact.

Empty docks:  Wheels of justice are grinding awfully slow

How many financiers do you think ended up in jail after America’s Savings and Loans scandals? The answer can be found in a fascinating, old report from the US Department of Justice.

According to some of its records, between 1990 and 1995 no less than 1,852 S&L officials were prosecuted, and 1,072 placed behind bars. Another 2,558 bankers were also jailed, often for offenses, which were S&L-linked too.

Those are thought-provoking numbers. These days the Western world is reeling from another massive financial crisis that eclipses the S&L debacle in terms of wealth destruction.

Insight: A matter of retribution

By Gillian Tett Published: September 3 2009 on FT.com

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f197ed60-98a5-11de-aa1b-00144feabdc0.html

$350,000 grant to produce comprehensive strategy for reducing hunger and malnutrition

PITTSBURGH – The H. J. Heinz Company Foundation announced today that it will sponsor a nutrition-mapping project conducted by the World Food Program (WFP) in Bangladesh, which will result in a comprehensive strategy for addressing that country’s nutritional deficiencies in an efficient and sustainable manner.

The H. J. Heinz Company Foundation is supporting the project in the first year with a grant of $350,000, as well as in-kind technical assistance.

Although significant progress has been made in recent years, under nutrition remains one of the most chronic and pressing public health issues in Bangladesh. Young children and women are particularly at-risk, as nearly 40 percent of both groups are underweight, and almost half of children under five suffer from stunted growth.

According to multiple data sources, most Bangladeshis are also deficient in vitamins and minerals, especially iron, vitamin A and zinc, resulting in cognitive impairment, anemia and blindness, among other conditions.

“In Bangladesh, Heinz is helping WFP identify the most vulnerable populations and formulate strategies to improve their access to food and their nutritional intake. The goal is to create a model for helping to build a healthier, more productive and self-reliant society from the ground up,” said Tammy Aupperle, Director of the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, fighting hunger worldwide both through emergency response and long-term projects, which improve people’s lives.

This year, WFP was aiming to feed 5 million hungry people in Bangladesh, who have been seriously affected by high food prices and the downturn in the global economy – including many who were affected by last year’s Cyclone Sidr.  Due to major funding shortfalls, however, WFP can now only reach 1.4 million – or around one quarter of the original caseload. In Bangladesh, WFP distributes wheat flour, biscuits and blended food, all fortified with essential micronutrients. It also distributes micronutrient powders, which can be added to food, to targeted groups.

“The World Food Program is thrilled to be partnering with the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation on a unique project to comprehensively map the nutritional status and needs of Bangladesh, and then develop with other key stakeholders a sustainable strategy for eradicating hunger and micronutrient malnutrition in this nation,” said John Aylieff, WFP Bangladesh Representative.

The H. J. Heinz Company Foundation is dedicated to helping reduce global malnutrition through its signature program, the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign (HMC).

Through its sponsorships, the HMC has pioneered the development of micronutrient powders that can be added to staple foods in the developing world to combat anemia and other disorders related to micronutrient malnutrition.

“As one of the world’s leading producers of nutritious foods for infants and children, Heinz is dedicated to reaching those people who cannot access or afford our products with a low-cost solution to the serious global health challenge of micronutrient deficiency,” said William R. Johnson, Heinz Chairman, President and CEO.

To date, the HMC has reached approximately 3 million children with single-serve micronutrient sachets containing a culturally appropriate mix of vitamins and minerals, including iron, vitamin A, folic acid, zinc and other essential nutrients tailored to the needs of a specific population.

A regimen of 60 sachets administered over two months can meet the micronutrient needs of a child over the course of a year for a cost of about $1.50.

The HMC is currently sponsoring with the Chinese Ministry of Health a pilot program in China’s northern and western provinces aimed at reaching 500,000 children. Other projects are under development in Tanzania, India, the Philippines and Cambodia.

About the Nutrition Mapping Project for Bangladesh

For every project WFP undertakes it must first establish what type and quantity of food is needed to address the problem at hand, considering the local population’s cooking and eating habits.

WFP is working with corporate partners, universities, UN agencies and NGOs to develop and assess the effectiveness of innovative products, such as micronutrient powders, in preventing and treating malnutrition.

With this data in hand, a comprehensive strategy can then be devised to determine what nutritional support tools to utilize, with a focus on optimizing use of local ingredients and delivery mechanisms.

The project will produce a summary of what is known about the nutritional status and needs of different target groups based on age, sex, disease prevalence (i.e. malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS), urban vs. rural areas, and regional differences related to climate and local food production.

An assessment will also be conducted of existing programs, policies and structures that target nutrition and food security. This assessment will identify the main stakeholders for nutrition in government and the private sector.

Once this is complete a proposed country nutrition strategy will be created with a timeline for implementing short, medium and long-range goals. The strategy document will recommend the most suitable stakeholders from both the public, academic, NGO and private sectors for carrying out the strategy’s different elements.

About the World Food Programme

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide.  In 2009, WFP aims to feed 108 million people in 74 countries. Some 10,200 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.  For more information, please visit www.wfp.org.

About the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation The H. J. Heinz Company Foundation was established in 1951 to make contributions to further the public welfare.  Funded each year by the H. J. Heinz Company, the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation is committed to promoting the health and nutritional needs of children and families, with priority given to programs in communities where Heinz operates.  The Foundation proactively donates funds to develop and strengthen organizations that are dedicated to nutrition and alleviating under nutrition, diversity, and fostering healthy communities.  The Foundation supports socially responsible endeavors and encourages Heinz employees to participate in voluntary activities in support of charitable organizations.

GIIRS Will Make More Money Flow to Good by Kevin Jones - Huffington Post

A bridge is about to open up that will make things easier but safer for people who want make their investments consistent with their values. Just like a bridge makes traveling between two islands easier, the new rating system to be unveiled at Socap09 will be like taking a train instead of having to paddle through choppy waters.

The bridge, called GIIRS, is being built for people who are trying to make sure their investments have a positive social and environmental impact while they also try to earn a financial return. It’s a tool that makes it easier, safer and clearer for those investors who want to make a difference.

GIIRS (for Global Impact Investing Rating System) is not for everybody; the vast majority of investors are still only about making money, so this tool will likely have no interest for them, except as a curiosity. Not everybody understands the new kind of investing for impact, and some people have more trouble understanding it than others. Investors, who are still loyal to traditional Wall Street finance- first, financial return without active concern about environmental or social impact, seem to find this new way of thinking most troubling.

- Huffington Post -

RIM Is Fastest-Growing U.S.-Listed Company, Fortune Says

The iPhone may have all the buzz, but BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion is growing at a much faster clip. In fact, RIM’s growth rates are the fastest of any U.S.-listed company according to Fortune Magazine. Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is well down the list, at No. 39. The magazine ranked companies based on a combination of their revenue growth, earnings-per-share growth and a three-year annualized return to investors.

By Tricia Duryee of PaidContent.org

The growing popularity of private-label media is one of the more provocative developments in today’s marketing and media ecosystem. Every marketer, advertising agency, and media company needs to know its benefits, and, just as important, its implications for the industry.

Just about every company has a Web site. But today, many marketers are going further. They are transforming their digital presence into powerful media channels, direct to consumers. The practice is prevalent enough that, as the research firm Outsell Inc. reported in July 2008, about 62 percent of marketers’ online advertising and marketing budgets are spent on their own digital media, up from 58 percent in 2007.

These marketers recognize that with the right mix of content, utility, community, and product, they can create compelling premium experiences for consumers. And they see that these efforts deliver powerful benefits in branding, relationship building, and lead generation.

The growing popularity of “private-label media,” as we call it, is one of the more provocative — and potentially disruptive — developments occurring in today’s marketing and media ecosystem.

To read the full report by Booz & Co consultants Matthew Egol, Leslie H. Moeller, and Christopher Vollmer
See: http://www.strategy-business.com/resilience/rr00072

Back in March the FT reported that Jack Welch, the former chief of General Electric and champion of shareholder value since the 1980s, had declared the idea that company managers should concentrate on it to be ‘dumb’. His apparent conversion prompts one to ask how different interpretations of shareholder value might influence business behavior, and what might be the economic, social and political implications of that.

Now, ‘value’ can mean several different things. It may refer to an absolute quantity, or a difference between two quantities, or a ratio of two quantities. Examples might be, respectively, a utility, a profit, and a rate of return. An enterprise may therefore aim to pursue a number of non-financial utilities, to achieve revenue or gross margin or profit targets, to produce a given rate of return on investment (“ROI”), and perhaps also to control risk. It may seek a blend of these, perhaps through a process to reach agreement between many stakeholders. Notions of value are held by many people and we cannot assume that they all think about it in the same way, or even that they agree about the nature of the thing being valued. And one could think of kinds of value that cannot be maximized or set off against others because they don’t vary along any kind of scale. Establishing exactly who your constituencies are and what they think and want may turn out to be rather complicated.

Peter Johnson on Open Democracy:

Read more »

Peter Johnson, trained as an accountant, is head of finance at technology company Artihmatica . He has spent his career in various finance roles in the City of London.

No one should be surprised that Goldman Sachs has been asked by regulators for information regarding its compensation practices and its derivatives practices. Chances are that all banks have been asked for similar information. Goldman Sachs’ said it is cooperating with regulators, which were not specifically named, in a recent SEC filing, according to the AP.

The issue for Goldman Sachs is whether this investigation explodes into yet another PR fiasco. The company has some obvious image problems right now. One could argue that these are good problems to have, as they are borne of the company’s extreme success, but they are certainly not to be taken lightly. Well see where all this leads, but the firm’s image will have to play a role in its decision-making. I’m not sure it did before.

By Jim Kim at FierceFinance 

For more:
- here’s the article

In the just published 2009 BBMG Conscious Consumer Report, the researchers asked 2,000 U.S. consumers to name the most and least socially responsible company in the nation – and Walmart topped both lists. A company so large will always have its fans and its critics, but what’s really going on? For a more in-depth analysis of what they call they Walmart Paradox, please see their inaugural blog post for Triple Pundit.

Jim Kim of FierceMarkets asks:

Is there any resentment simmering out in the public over Wall Street’s return to big earnings and big bonuses?

Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News commentator, likened Goldman Sachs bankers to pigs during a segment on his TV show. “You’ve got to make an example of the big boy,” he said. “And this is the big boy.”

Jon Stewart said this: “Goldman Sachs makes $3.4 billion in profit from April to June. I guess the bailouts are working, for Goldman Sachs.”

So there you have it: Criticism from the right and the left. But is this really a populist issue? I’m not so sure. It may be that most people are glad that the big banks are no longer draining taxpayer funds. But there’s still plenty of time for some big banks to really tank. The PR disaster and public anger will come if the bailouts of some big banks appear to be failing. There is time for that still.

For more:
- here’s a New York Times article on class resentment