Social Intrapreneurs

Member-run consulting collective helping mission-driven businesses and business-savvy organizations do well by doing good!

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TheSocialIntrapreneurs.com: As a member-run consulting collective we’re here to help other changemakers do more good. Our newest service? Product prototyping? Our next service? Manufacturing! #Makerbot #Thingiverse (at GSVlabs)

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FIVE MISTAKES THAT SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS MAKE WHEN CRAFTING THEIR BRANDS

Here are some common branding mistakes made by early-stage social entrepreneurs:

Mistake #1: Forgetting to build a solid value proposition into the brand, beyond social impact

Social entrepreneurs are often so passionate about their social and environmental impact that they forget to highlight the other value their product or service brings. This can be a risk when a competitor with the same impact goals comes along.

Mistake #2: Asking for free creative work

Instead of pro bono work, consider alternatives. Ask yourself if you really don’t have a budget, or if you are simply unwilling to allocate it at this early stage. You could find a designer whose work you respect, and build a long-term relationship where a small initial budget is offset by larger budgets down the line, or even a stake in the company. A strong relationship with a designer or agency is a great asset for any new company.

Mistake #3: Picking a name without doing research

Be wary of names that are too generic, hard to pronounce or spell, or have unfortunate alternate meanings in languages that are spoken in the markets where you are active.

Mistake #4: Only looking at your primary customer as your brand’s audience

Defining your brand’s audience is crucial, and you can define it as broadly (e.g. the press) or as narrowly (e.g. that particular New York Times columnist) as you want. Being creative about designing the experiences they all have with your brand helps you develop better relationships.

Mistake #5: Expecting people to care

Brand development should always be followed up by a good communication strategy: who do you need to reach, and how will you reach them? What do you offer them, and how do you want them to respond?

Source: Skoll World Forum

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Using Social Incubation to Drive Local Innovation

This thinking is in line with entrepreneurship that follows the effectuation model: Rather than starting with a solution in mind and determining how to develop it, effectuating entrepreneurs first think about a problem and then consider the resources they have available to craft a solution. Using that approach, social bricoleurs who are part of the community they are trying to change can cobble together different resources and people to address local needs and problems using unique expertise and resources that “outsiders” wouldn’t have.  These entrepreneurs need a sort of social incubation—a period of time to test out and adapt their ideas to solve local problems in the contexts where the problems actually occur. 

Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review

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3 Ways to Become a More Conscious Entrepreneur

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all that you “should” and could be doing as an entrepreneur (and, well, as a human), but isn’t business without purpose just busy-ness? Be honest (we’re not judging).

Does your to-do list actually matter?

Are you spinning your wheels… or spinning a better future?

Are you busy being busy… or doing your great life’s work?

So are you ready to bring back your business “soul”? Here are 3 instant consciousness shifts for what I like to call, a business “inner-vention.”

Ask Why.

A business exists to make money, yes, but

Conscious Capitalism

founders Whole Foods’ John Mackey and Raj Sisoda would say that your company exists to “serve the interests of all major stakeholders.” Which brings up the big question: why does your business matter to anyone other than you and your bank account? What impact are you making on your customers, on your employees or community, stakeholders, suppliers, your industry, and, yes, the world at large?

Make Win/Win/Wins.

The next decision you have to make, try considering all of the people who may be impacted and put yourself in their shoes. How might they feel? What ripple effects might your work make – both positive and negative?

Embody Your Values.

set a moving example,

empower others to bring out their own gifts,

collaborate as equals, and

create self-sustaining, supportive relationships, environments, and cultures.

Just remember that you’re on a mission: To create an inspiring future, to serve your community, and to be the change you wish to see.

Source: Huffington Post

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Hello world.

We're here to help you help others. It's rather simple really. Our mission is to help you invest in companies that share your values and divest from companies that don't. The problem we aim to fix is know as The Middle Green, the majority of shoppers who want to shop conscientiously but do not. To cross the chasm, we have developed a solution that informs consumers while alleviating the premium on ethical products and services, in one fell swoop.  

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Building Movements, Not Organizations

What might be possible, therefore, if socially minded organizations and businesses acted more like movements than organizations? And what might that look like in practice?

To answer those questions, consider how we might re-define the following three factors: success, leadership, and means.

Defining Success

In a movement, the mission defines the ultimate goal the group intends to achieve. When a movement achieves success—“Mission accomplished!”—everyone goes home. In organizations, however, the mission defines “what we do.” Success in an organization means that everyone gets to stick around.

Movements define success globally.

Movements seek sweeping change.

Defining Leadership

Movements begin with values. In successful movements, decisions and actions align with those values.

Leading a movement is an active role—it involves leading actual activities, most often with no official title.

Defining Means

In a movement, form follows function. As functional needs change, movements value forms that are agile and effective.

Source: SSIReview.org

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Sustainable Forest Management: Engaging Local Indigenous Communities

Sustainable management of public forests is more than just analyzing environmental impacts, protecting biodiversity and stakeholder values – it also requires consultation with indigenous communities 

Establish formal agreements: Ensure that expectations are clear by engaging in open dialogue with community representatives. 

Develop mutually beneficial business relationships: Look for solutions that will help local businesses while also meeting your company’s larger needs.

Get to know the community to build a tailored approach: A one-size-fits-all approach will not work, as each community is unique, it is important to take great care to respect and preserve local traditions and interests. Creating a customizable approach with each community will help foster a productive, working relationship.

Source: 3BL Media

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Don't Let This One Thing Sabotage Millennial Interest in Your Company's Philanthropy

When it comes to Millennials, here are six tips spelled out by the Millennial Impact Report to combat management and peer indifference and increase volunteer participation:

1. Offer episodic, short-term volunteer opportunities.

2. Leverage competitions and incentives.

3. Show how participation makes a difference. Impact is more important than ever to companies, communities and volunteers. Today's donors -- and Millennials in particular -- want to know that their involvement means something.

4. Match donations. The Millennial Impact Report has consistently found that Millennials represent an increasingly charitable generation, both at work and outside of work.

5. Identify causes that your employees care about.

6. Encourage unsanctioned giving.

Source: Huffington Post

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How to Structure Your Social Enterprise for Maximum Benefit

Forms benefiting society

There are a number of different organizational forms focused on benefitting society (or the environment) beyond the traditional charity.

1. NGOs funded by their own businesses: Some NGOs (nonprofits) have responded by creating for-profit businesses where the profits go toward charities.

2. B-Corporation: A B-Corp is one that has been certified that it provides social benefit.

3. BoP: I put Base of the Pyramid organizations in the upper right hand corner of the table because many of the largest consumer companies are experimenting with repackaging their products for the poorest of the poor.

Forms benefiting employees

The organizational forms I’ve mentioned so far are focused on benefitting society. But what about the well-being of employees?

4. Cooperatives

5. Democratic organizations: Mondragon operates in a democratic fashion, emphasizing self-management.

Source: Triple Pundit

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5 Innovations That Could Save Your Company’s Life

We are all at risk of being outdated or replaced and need to develop and implement innovation. Here’s how.

1. Know your competitors, especially the small competitors. Look for competitors outside of your industry.

2. Listen to ideas from all levels in the organization and don’t restrict ideas to certain roles.

3. Determine the trigger events or tipping points for your business that would cause you to make a change.

4. Create and review a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis on your business. How can you take more advantage of your unique strengths?

5. Imagine what the business looked like if it was 100% digital, including every customer touch point.

To embrace innovation, we must stop being frightened or offended by new ideas or processes that may disrupt our thought processes or work life.

Source: 3BL Media

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Practical Ways To Incorporate A Holistic Wellness Program into Your Organization

As a small business owner, you can easily establish your own holistic wellness program without destroying your budget with these ideas.

1. The quiet room

Choose a room in your office to be the “quiet room.” This should be a small room that employees can reserve for working on extra difficult projects, or even just to take a couple of minutes for themselves to breathe and release some stress.

2. Bring your (inner) child to work day

Sure, businesses should be professional, but that doesn’t have to translate into being uptight all the time. Taken literally, this means let your employees play!

3. Hydration oasis

Being properly hydrated can help increase focus and balance, control appetite, and even improve your employees’ moods.

4. Bike rental program

5. Volunteerism

Serving others and the environment is a major component of holistic wellness. Set aside some time for you and your employees to devote to a positive cause.

When you choose any of these ideas, you’ll be able to improve the overall wellbeing of your employees while enhancing the company’s work culture.

Source: Triple Pundit

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Impact Investing Could Help Developing Countries Tackle Food Security, Climate Change

Impact investing – investments that have a social or environmental benefit while also turning a profit – might be one of the best ways address the financing shortfalls, experts say.

The area has seen tremendous growth in the past two years. There were nearly $7tn in socially responsible investment assets in the US in 2014, a 76% increase over 2012, according to a recent report from the Washington-based nonprofit Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment.

Investments need to be pulled together to create funds that fit a theme – say, early childhood education or women’s issues, she said. This would allow individual investors to invest more easily across asset classes like stocks and bonds to impact the cause they care about.

Source: The Guardian

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Four Employee Perks that Work

“The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they’re valued. So it’s much more about creating climates,” Robinson says in his book, “Out of Our Minds.”

Here are four ways companies can foster creativity from within:

ENCOURAGE SIDE PROJECTS

The benefits of policies that allow employees to spend time at work on creative projects are twofold: Workers are generally happier, and it’s a great way to drive innovation.

PROMOTE HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, has flexible hours when the surfing conditions near its headquarters in Ventura, Calif., are optimal.

TIME OFF

World Wildlife Fund has “Panda Fridays,” where employees are allowed to take every other Friday off. 

ADULT RECESS

Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, a global design company, said in a TED talk that employees tend to take more creative risks when they work in a playful office environment that offers both flexibility and security.

Source: blueprint.cbre.com

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5 questions to enhance your next sustainability report

Both frameworks request that organizations disclose their approach to managing significant risks and opportunities through the core principles noted above. How will you know which approach is right for your organization? To begin, ask yourself five key questions:

1. What are your biggest areas of impact?

Identifying, and then prioritizing, your company's environmental and social impacts are key.

By completing an assessment of your most significant impacts, you will be able to set a guiding strategy and demonstrate your commitment to responsible business through subsequent annual reporting.

2. Have you successfully engaged stakeholders — both internally and externally?      

Stakeholder engagement is perhaps the most important element of identifying and prioritizing your significant ESG impacts. While many excellent research sources exist, these resources are no substitute for hearing directly from the individuals and organizations most crucial to your business.

3. Is sustainability overseen from top to bottom?           

4. Does your corporate culture value environmental and social impact?

5. Is sustainability part of your core strategy?

Source: Greenbiz

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The #1 Reason Two Million People are Quitting Each Month

Imagine this: one in three of your own employees are looking for a new job … every two weeks or more. So what’s driving people to quit? It all comes down to lack of professional development. The Society of Human Resources Management along with TINYpulse’s research on employee engagement and millennials discovered that:

● Career advancement is a top contributing factor to employee happiness

● 75% of millennials would consider leaving their job if they felt there were no opportunities to grow professionally

● 66% of employees reported opportunities for professional growth in their organization are limited; 66% don’t see a chance for growth

Contrary to popular belief, learning doesn’t stop after an employee starts their job. It’s ongoing. So if you’re searching for a way to retain your employees, you’ll need to offer ways to educate and develop their skills.

Source: JustMeans.com

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How to Manage Transgender Discrimination in the Workplace

Many people in America, right now, are coming into contact with new terms that they might not have heard before, and it's the manager's job to sit down and explain to the employee the nature of these changes and how they are playing out in the real world while setting office expectations. The manager shouldn't reveal any particular details about any employee, however, and he or she has to be competent enough in the language surrounding transgender people to effectively create empathy and understanding.

In class, I show documentaries in the classroom to communicate the story of transgender people. Managers could and should create strategies, perhaps recommending movies and other literature, to individual employees to help them overcome their differences by eliminating misunderstanding.

Source: Huffington Post

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The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy: Corporate Sustainability Meets Karma

In the corporate world – and even in our personal lives – “more” is frequently considered better. When a company meets its benchmarks and goals, it should set new, higher goals. When profits reach a target level, the company should adjust its strategy to increase those profits. It’s a cycle that has always been around and has only grown with the onset of a global economy.

- What if there was another way?

- The effects of the ‘more is better’ economic philosophy

- How the sufficiency economy philosophy counteracts ‘more is better’

Source: Triple Pundit