What We’re Up To

Our New Podcast: Unlocking Value

In the first episode of our podcast, Unlocking Value, we sat down with Catherine Goetz, Global Head of Inclusion Strategy at Live Person, to discuss the benefits of completing a Social Return on Investment of their DEI initiatives. 

SVT worked with Live Person to calculate both the SROI and business value of Live Person’s DEI programs. This approach makes the value created or lost to all the affected parties tangible. It enables a measured, broader discussion than “the usual” about both business benefits and costs to the business in the short and long term, and the potential benefits or costs for employees in various seats, customers and community members. The analysis enables internal champions like Catherine to demonstrate the blended value of these programs to the business and build the case to meaningfully incorporate diversity into core company strategy and operations. 

If you would like to learn more about translating the impact of your corporate programs into language that not only your board speaks, but that your people can relate to - get in touch with us. 

 

Impact + The Metaverse

SVT’s Sara Olsen led an exciting workshop at Shift 2022 on the intersection of web 3.0 and the global goals. The participants explored ways gamification can enable massive, decentralized communities with a shared mission to get paid to accelerate the solving of problems such as marine ecosystem die-off, racial inequity, ESG-washing and more. Participants left energized with the potential to engage their audiences more deeply in their work.

 

“The Era of Cause Marketing is Over”

The creatives that manage a company’s branding are critical in bringing the firm into the new sustainability paradigm. But business-as-usual marketing isn’t enough to tackle the wicked problems posed by understanding and managing the ways a company affects the environment and society. Enter Impact Strategists, experts in impact management best practices. With their powers combined, these teams create impact strategies and systems that go beyond ‘greenwash-y’ stories to capture market share, attract talent, drive real impact, and de-risk the turbulent future ahead of every business. Check out this discussion with SVT Group, Ecotone, Mess Hill, Little & Co., that was hosted by the American Sustainable Business Network.

 

How to do Judo on Capitalism

Pioneering sustainable investing champion Robert Rubinstein of TBLI Group hosted a conversation with Sara Olsen on the state of agreement in the impact management industry about what matters to measure, and how the global capital markets are beginning to see what matters to people beyond shareholders. The takeaway? We’re closer than it seems to the transformation of the capital markets.

 

Shift 2021

Shift 2021 was the impact event of the season, building cutting edge skills and networking with some 1000 professionals. As a core content partner to the event, SVT hosted three sessions with amazing co-presenters:

  • Rediscovering the Why: Staying true to impact in a world that doesn't always embrace your reality, with Teju Ravilochan

  • Scenario Modeling for Impact and Risk: A 2-hour workshop in which we’ll get our hands dirty and show how you can respond to the growing numbers of investors who are asking for this, with Timothy Roman and Chris Motley

  • From Voluntary to Required: ESG and impact reporting trends, and how we as a movement can shape them, with John Sherman and Eric Israel

    The organizers also offered group passes and heavily discounted Equity Passes, so that everyone had the chance to attend. Find out more about the Shift Equity Pass program here.

 

Does Impact Data Help Your Case?

It’s 2021: what has been learned about how SROI data helps or hurts when you’re trying to make the case for system change? We asked some of the folks with the most experience using SROI to inform decisions, in this case about ensuring that everyone has a home. This video of our session with The Case Made, Just Tati, Enterprise Community and Ecotone Analytics summarizes those key takeaways.

We’d love to talk with you about how this applies in your work.