Visualizing The World We Want
Resources from Net Impact's Reimagining Capitalism virtual event series, connecting you with thought leaders and visionaries from various fields of work.
Reimagining Community Partnerships: How Microsoft Builds Relationships Rooted in Trust
May 13th, 2021
What becomes possible when partnerships are rooted in trust? What can partnerships between funders and nonprofit organizations create in communities if there is a shared commitment to building relationships based on transparency, dialogue, and mutual learning? We dove into these questions with Dennis Ellis, who leads Microsoft's TechSpark program in Cheyenne, along with Eric Trowbridge, the co-founder of both Array School of Technology and Design and Wyoming Technology Coronavirus Coalition (WTCC), and also Robin Bocanegra, the Executive Director of COMEA Shelter. Together, they looked back at 2020 and explored how their trust-based relationships created an opportunity to respond to the challenges of COVID with creative care and innovation.
Moderator:
Jay Banfield, Chief Officer of Economic Mobility at All Home
Speakers:
- Dennis Ellis, Microsoft TechSpark Manager, Wyoming
- Eric "E.T." Trowbridge, Co-Founder and CEO of Array School of Technology and Design; Co-Founder of Wyoming Technology Coronavirus Coalition
- Robin Bocanegra, Executive Director, COMEA Shelter
Resources
Good Work: Designing a Career for a Just and Sustainable World
March 13th, 2021
We hosted a free half-day conference for our innovative partners and talented network of emerging social impact leaders. This conference exposed participants to the changing landscape within environmental, social, and governance (ESG) areas, and also provided valuable insight into the key skills and experiences needed to effectively work on these issues. Through a variety of content and formats were opportunities for engaging conversation, career skills-building, and networking with industry leaders, and connecting with chapter members.
Resources
The New American Dream: Exploring How NextGen Leaders are Reshaping the Vision
February 24th, 2021
For many, the old American dream evokes an image of a white picket fence, a neatly manicured green lawn, a two-door garage, and a happy family of four sitting together around the dinner table. Given the enormous challenges confronting our society and our planet, this image hardly feels relevant anymore, even if attainable. The mindset of Millennials and Gen Z, their values, and their choices may be reshaping the American dream for the better so that it's a positive and constructive response to our society and our planet's needs. Produced in collaboration with the Walton Family Foundation.
Speakers:
- Emma Pengelly, Deputy Director for the Home Region Program at Walton Family Foundation
- Kristen Soltis Anderson, Co-Founder of Echelon Insights
- Nayancie Matthews, Undergrad Student, International Business and Finance, Baruch College
- Elizabeth John, MBA NYU Stern, Sustainable Business, Innovation, and Marketing
Resources
Creating Value in a Changing World
January 28th, 2021
Can business as a force for good, drive tangible change? In her recent book, The Six New Rules of Business: Creating Value in a Changing World, Judy Samuelson explains that we are sitting at a critical juncture in history where "business as usual" is no longer a viable option and the rules are dramatically changing. In our sixth Reimagining Capitalism event, we featured Judy Samuelson, vice president at the Aspen Institute, and founder and executive director of The Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program, and Yusuf George, Managing Director for Corporate Engagement at JUST Capital. Together Judy and Yusuf explored how shifts in attitudes and mindsets are redefining our notions of what constitutes business success and how a new set of rules are enabling executives and leaders to think and manage differently.
Speakers
- Judy Samuelson, Vice President at the Aspen Institute, and founder and executive director of The Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program. Author of the book, The Six New Rules of Business: Creating Value in a Changing World
- Yusuf George, Managing Director for Corporate Engagement at JUST Capital
Resources
From Farmers Markets to Carbon Markets: What is the future of zero carbon agriculture?
November 12th, 2020
If anyone has a vested interest in being part of the solution to climate change, it's farmers. Their lives and businesses depend on the weather, making them highly affected by drought, flooding, and extreme conditions, especially in developing nations. Sustainable agriculture, through techniques such as cover cropping and grazing management, may have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering carbon in the soil. That's why the agriculture industry is reimagining climate-smart business models that reward farmers for capturing carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing biodiversity.
Calls to Action:
- Vote with your money
- As advocates for sustainable practice, vote with your money to companies that are making commitments to carbon technology as a solution for climate change.
- Get on to a farm!
- Visit a farm and understand modern-day farming
- Source your own food
- Source your food from farmers that are using sustainable agricultural practices
Speakers
- Cintia Ribeiro, Digital Business Insights Lead, Crop Science, Bayer
- Michelle Lancaster, Director, Sustainability Engagement and Partnerships, Microsoft
- Logan Yonavjak, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Provenance Capital Group
- Mark Heckman, President, Main Street Ag and Heckman Properties
Resources
Designing for All: Bridging the Digital Divide
October 8th, 2020
The social and economic gap is growing between the privileged and the marginalized especially the poor, rural, elderly, and handicapped portions of the population who do not have or have limited access to computers or the Internet. How might our current global crisis create the impetus for businesses, nonprofits, community-based organizations, government, and academia to develop innovative solutions to Bridge the Digital Divides, and in so doing, reduce the also growing wealth gap? Is it possible that designing for inclusivity can create a win-win for businesses and for people? Joined in conversation with the Walton Family Foundation and Cox Communications to understand how trust-based philanthropy and designing for all can work together to bridge the socio-economic gap created by the digital divide.
Calls to Action:
- Truth Telling and Awareness Building
- Leverage your social media platforms to share what's going on about the impact of the digital divide on widening the learning gap and wealth gap.
- Join the National Digital Inclusion
- A unified voice for digital inclusion policies and programs
- Cox Connect2Compete Program
- Share Connect2Compete with your networks and on social
- Awareness-raising toolkits: cox.com/residential/internet/connect2compete/program-toolkits
Speakers
- Ebonee Younger, Product Manager, Cox Communications
- Romy Drucker, K-12 Education Program Deputy Director, Walton Family Foundation
- Mohan Sivaloganathan, Net Impact Board Member and CEO, Our Turn
Resources
The Color of Law, The Color of Money: Restorative Solutions to Redress the Racial Wealth Gap
August 27th, 2020
COVID has laid bare the inadequacies of capitalism dealing with large-scale problems impacting marginalized people. For Black communities in particular, the impact of historic racial inequality has widened gaps in healthcare, adequate housing and education. But the most challenging issue is the racial wealth gap. Capitalism must be reimagined to work for all.
Calls to Action:
- UnderSTAND the gaps - familiarize yourself with the racial wealth gap and the effect it has on your fellow Americans
- STAND in YOUR gaps - understand how you've benefitted from and/or been challenged by the racial wealth gap
- STAND in THE gaps - focus on the aspect of the racial wealth gap that aligns with your learning journey
Speakers
- Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, Founder and CEO of CapEQ
- Darrick Hamilton, Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
- Cecily Joseph, Net Impact Board Chair
Resources
Profitability with Principles: Reimagining the Chocolate Industry
July 29th, 2020
A Case Study in Bitter to Better Chocolate. Two chocolate companies, Theo Chocolate and Tony’s Chocolonely, are revolutionizing the chocolate industry and are working to accomplish this goal by hardwiring their values into business objectives. The chocolate and cocoa sectors haven’t always (and most still don’t) work this way. We explored their strategies for creating a living wage for smallholder farmers, eliminating child labor in the production of chocolate, minimizing environmental impact, and growing their business at the same time.
Speakers
- Joe Whinney, Theo Chocolate
- Paul Schoenmakers, Tony's Chocolonely
- Stephanie Westhelle, Fairtrade America
Resources
Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire
July 9th, 2020
Capitalism is starting to be reimagined. A generation of business owners and operators, students and educators, employees, community, consumers, even some legislators, are beginning to question the longer-term harm that may be a consequence of the objective to maximize profits today, with little regard for the people and planet of the future. The flaws in capitalism may be reparable, and perhaps evolve to be a better, more equitable version. Net Impact is proud to participate in Reimagining Capitalism via the curation and hosting of a series of conversations, workshops, and events bringing together world-class leaders, thinkers, iconoclasts, companies, asset owners, and our broader impact-focused community.
Speakers
- Rebecca Henderson, Professor at Harvard Business School, and author of the just-released book “Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire”
- Paul Solman, PBS News Anchor
Resources