Great ways to give back

So you’re a small to medium-sized business that’s chugging along, except you want to do more — more as in being more community enriching, more giving, more socially responsible. But short of buying two more cases of Girl Scout cookies, your ideas for contributing, for doing something meaningful as a business, are in short supply.

The answer to that dilemma unfolds next week. Core Thought, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) consulting and training firm (www.core-thought.com) holds its inaugural STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT beginning Monday, Feb. 27, and it could well be the ticket necessary for educating and energizing businesses looking to broaden their contribution and philanthropic efforts.

The STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT is a free, five-day tele-summit that celebrates International Corporate Philanthropy Day. The SUMMIT brings together leading business thought leaders committed to the social good and corporate philanthropy to share their insights, tips and strategies with other business leaders interested in strengthening their own give-back efforts.

“No business is too small to make a difference,” says Sue Hyatt, founder and CEO of Core Thought and the STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT Host. “There are many ways to give that draw on a company’s unique skills and resources – it’s not just about dollars.”

The tele-summit is open to anyone interested in learning about how to make their company’s community engagement more impactful and can be accessed, free, at www.strategyforgoodsummit.com from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, Feb. 27 through March 2.

“The STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT is exciting not just because it’s the first business tele-summit of its kind,” Hyatt says. “It’s exciting because it gives attendees access to 30 of the very best thinkers about the role of business in society — people and organizations most people would never have access to and from whom they can learn of this kind of expert information.”

Participating speakers represent a range of perspectives and approaches to giving back. Fortune 500 companies and experts in corporate social responsibility, cause marketing, employee volunteering, and grant-making will participate, as will independent, ‘cause committed’ companies whose business models have social good built into their operations.

“Leaders from Ford, Motorola, Barefoot Wine, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea, and craigslist are among those who will participate and share insights with SUMMIT attendees,” Hyatt says. “The tele-summit is designed to inspire companies to get more strategically involved in their communities and to demonstrate the many options available to businesses determined to give back. Zhena’s Gypsy Tea, once small, is now a thriving and growing entity because of its great product and its commitment to Fair Trade and the social good.”

Anyone with internet access and a telephone can participate during live broadcasts. The SUMMIT recordings will be available for free for 48 hours after the live broadcast, and packages of all recordings will be available for purchase after March 5.

The line-up of speakers showcases more than 30 business leaders, and will include: Margaret Coady, Director, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy; Alison DaSilva, Executive Vice President, Research & Insights, Cone Communication, Inc.; Mark Kramer, co-founder and Managing Director, FSG; Ruth Jones, CEO, Social Venture Partners International; Cindy Hallberlin, President & CEO, Good360; Eileen Sweeney, Motorola Mobility Foundation; Zhena Muzyka, Founder and Mistress of Tea, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea; and Michael Houihan and Bonnie Harvey, founders of Barefoot Wine.         

For further information and for free registration for the inaugural STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT, visit www.strategyforgoodsummit.com. Susan Hyatt can be reached at: [email protected] or 303.512.0808.