Reflections from the 2016 Net Impact Conference
By Paul Collier, 2014 Bay Area ProInspire Fellow
Earlier this month I attended my fourth Net Impact Conference, one of the country’s largest annual gatherings of professionals dedicated to making a social and environmental impact through business. This year’s conference was hosted in Philadelphia and was organized around the theme, “Make History.” Compared to prior years, I noticed an increased willingness – even a sense of urgency – to talk about politics and reflect on the importance of the 2016 election. Beyond politics, three additional trends stood out to me as common threads among the hundreds of speakers and attendees at NI16:
- Increased recognition of the business sector’s role in advancing social justice
- Acknowledgement that a sense of purpose comes from one’s cause, relationships, and opportunities to learn
- The need for authenticity in and outside of work
I could only experience a small slice of Net Impact 2016, but to give you a taste here is a three-sentence summary of each of the sessions I attended.
Make History: Reinvent an Industry
Featuring: Jaime Bonini, VP Toyota Production System Support Center; Chad Dickerson, CEO of Etsy; Meika Hollander, Co-Founder of Sustain Natural; Katherine Klein, Vice-Dean Wharton Social Impact Initiative
Our election reminds us of the history we live with every day, and the impact our election choices will have on the next generation. Consumer products brands have an opportunity to empower their customers to discuss without shame topics that some might consider taboo, like women’s reproductive health. Technology platforms can support an ecosystem of small-scale creators and, even if they’re large and publicly traded, give equal priority to their social missions and their profit margins.
The Power of Movements
Featuring: Liz Maw, CEO of Net Impact; Alicia Garza, Co-Founder of #BlackLivesMatter; Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-Founder B Lab
Our modern-day movements are extensions and evolutions of those that have existed in society for centuries. The Black Lives Matter movement shows us that by educating ourselves on the dynamics of privilege and supporting equitable reforms, we can make our society more inclusive. Businesses that succeed in the 21st century are driven by stakeholder value, not just shareholder value, so business leaders must address social justice and inclusion to create resilient companies.
The Key Ingredient in High Performing and High Purpose Organizations
Featuring: Aaron Hurst, CEO & Co-Founder of Imperative
Too many professionals are dissatisfied with work because of a crisis of purpose. Purpose in work doesn’t come from serving an impactful mission or cause alone; even more important are our relationships with colleagues and opportunities to grow, stretch, or develop. A sense of purpose isn’t a revelation – it’s cultivated over time through working around others driven by purpose and bringing our whole, authentic selves to work.
For the History Books: Cross-Sector Partnerships Making an Impact
Featuring: Nick Aster, Founder of TriplePundit; Andrei Sentalo, Special Projects Lead at LinkedIn for Good; Jade Shipman, Director of Research and Innovation at EARN; Tyler Spalding, Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs at PayPal
Corporations can have sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with nonprofits and social enterprises if their missions are aligned. Partnerships demand both clear expectations (memorandums of understanding are helpful) and a willingness on both sides to engage more deeply as the relationship becomes stronger. Companies that give dollars and business assets such as staff time, product, or data to a social sector organization get in return a boost in staff satisfaction and an increased sense of meaning.
Tiffany Tran (used with permission)
Storytelling for Impact: Poetry, Visual Art & Writing for Social Change
Featuring: Gregory Corbin, Founder of the Philly Youth Poetry Movement; Jane Golden, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program; Jen Simmons, Multimedia Artist, Storyteller, and Creative Consultant
Artists and social entrepreneurs are cut from the same cloth, despite the often touted difference between the worlds of business and creative disciplines. Artistic self-expression can bring dignity to a person, and public art can bring pride to communities (Philadelphia is a good example of this). Bringing art into traditional workplaces, or allowing all employees to engage in artistic expression, creates space for creative thinking and deeper, more thoughtful conversations.
You can learn more about Net Impact and the conference by visiting their web site: www.netimpact.org
Paul Collier helps organizations leverage data to understand their clients and make a difference in their lives. Paul was a 2014 ProInspire Fellow at the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center, a mid-sized nonprofit dedicated to preventing child abuse and reducing its impact. There, he optimized the organization’s impact database, simplified data collection processes, and helped managers use this evidence to make decisions. Prior to the Fellowship, Paul was a Senior Consultant with Protiviti, where he was a core member of the firm’s bay area nonprofit consulting team. Paul graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Business Management and Arts Administration. Outside of work, Paul is an avid hiker and enjoys listening to all genres of music. He lives with his wife in Gilbert, Arizona.