Social Innovation: Stepping up from Success to Significance
Daniel Johnson
President and Co-Founder Amplified Impact
Scribe: Chuck Kimbrough Editor: Jim Kindsvater
In this Issue
Nic Wildeman introduced Daniel Johnson, President and Co-Founder of Amplified Impact Inc. Amplified Impact consults with clients to help them incorporate social innovation strategy into their business as a way to enhance business performance, people and our planet. Paul Osborn gave a beautiful 4 minute summary with a wonderful video of his wife Teresa’s Zambia and Angola trip and participation between Rotary and World Vision project to reduce malaria in Africa. Ruben Ladlad, for the Golf Committee, followed with a salute to the Major Sponsors for the BBRC Charity Golf Tournament.
Speaker Program
Nic Wildeman introduced Daniel Johnson, President and Co-Founder of Amplified Impact Inc. BBRC member Nic Wildeman and his wife Gloria are the other co-founders. Amplified Impact consults with clients to help them incorporate social innovation strategy into their business as a way to enhance business performance, people and our planet. He took the BBRC through the the path corporations can take
to go beyond mere financial success by including a social innovation component into their business model. His presentation explained how to use a different way to make your business both a financial success and significant in the community. Social innovation is a new paradigm in how to think about business and it’s potential for impacting the local and world communities social issues. It is about breakthrough ideas and strategies that create shared values and combing pursuit of profit with pursuit of social and environmental impact.
The goal is to leverage a companies capabilities, assets and technology to meet both business and social impact objectives. Social innovation done correctly positively impacts customer trust and satisfaction, brand loyalty, employee engagement, attracting talent, market share, the bottom line and our community. It’s not a philanthropy or a marketing strategy or a campaign. IT IS a reflection of what you and your company stand for, and is perpetual and transformational.
The world has changed with the Internet empowering consumers with knowledge and voices like no time in history. Consumer trust in business and government is at or near an all time low. At the same time there is a global ground swell of people looking for purpose in all aspects of their lives.
In corporate lexicon, sustainability is often used to describe companies committed to the principles of the “triple bottom line” (people, profit, planet). Does it pay off? “Companies pursuing growth in the triple bottom line tend to display superior stock market performance with favorable risk return profiles,” according to John Prestbo, President of Dow Jones Indexes.
Building on the proven sustainability foundation and super-charging it with a social innovation strategy involving an “aligned cause partner”, a company can leverage their assets (financial, human, technology, reputation, and brand) for greater positive business and social impact outcomes—profit and purpose. Most organizations are doing tremendous good through their philanthropic endeavors. Most of us understand that “doing good is good business.”
Mr. Johnson provided multiple examples, including Starbucks partnering with Conservation International, an environmental nonprofit organization, to develop C.A.F.E. Practices (Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices). The goal was to contribute to the livelihood of coffee farmers and to ensure high-quality coffee for the long term. If Starbucks were able to overcome the issues it faced with a widespread implementation of C.A.F.E., the “social initiative” would be significant in a long effort toward improving the sustainability of its coffee supply chain while at the same time improving Starbucks’ image as a socially responsible corporation. Other examples included Microsoft providing incentives for employees to volunteer and contribute financially, Boeing working in partnership with arch rival Airbus to develop bio jet fuel and Proctor & Gamble developing and distributing water purifying packets in Africa.
He also illustrated multiple areas that are used to measure the impact after a social innovation strategy has been implement in companies and how they get the word out and measure their results to their goals.
In a nutshell, Social Innovation is all about merging business performance into a broader purpose than just profit.
Amplified Impact is the first company formed under Washington State’s new Social Purpose Corporation statute. The corporate context is basically an LLC, but there is a provision that permits corporate leadership to spend or invest in purely philanthropic or humanitarian purposes.
Club Business
President Scott Sadler called the meeting to order and asked Greeters: Jim Carney to provide the Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance and Chuck Kimbrough to introduce visiting Rotarian’s and Guests. Martin Clavijo introduced Bellevue Club Rotarian Nancy Pasternak, Steve Peters introduced his daughter Sophia, who attends Interlake High and Nic Wildeman introduced his wife and business partner Gloria. Jim Carney and Chuck Kimbrough also acted as hosts, though Chuck spent most of his time “pan handling” members for the September 9th BBRC Charity Golf Tournament.
Paul Osborn gave a beautiful 4 minute summary with a wonderful video of his wife Teresa’s Zambia and Angola trip and participation in an effort between Rotary and World Vision project to reduce malaria in Africa.
Adam Mihlstin and Steve Peters reported on BBRC’s major grant to Congregations for the Homeless which went to improve the homeless men’s day center housed in the Bellevue First Congregational Church by adding another shower, more washers and dryers and other improvements. That program serves 60 homeless men with a variety of services including showers, laundry, medical &dental, training, social services and case management to build in them the skills to become productive members of society and get out of homelessness.
Ruben Ladlad, for the Golf Committee, followed with a salute to the Major Sponsors for the BBRC Charity Golf Tournament including specifically identifying each and their contribution. He then encouraged all members to reach out and thank each Sponsor and patronize their businesses. BBRC still needs a few more sponsors and 7 golf foursomes for the Sept 9th Charity Tournament at Willows Run, Redmond, WA.
Sgt. at Arms Paul Chapmen and Secretary Jim Carney followed with a game to test each members knowledge of what committees each members has signed up for this Rotary Year. It was an early morning intellectual challenge a few found daunting. However, due to a liberal reading of the game rules Only one or two tables had to contribute to the “fine” fund. They then reminded all BBRC members to go on line (www.bbrc.net) and thru DaCDb to the individual members page and make sure they are signed up for a minimum of two (2) committees.
Thought for the Week
“The highest use of capital is not to make more money but to make money do more for the betterment of life.” – Henry Ford.