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About Shared Purpose
Shared Purpose is a forum to think about, discuss, and predict what’s next for business and society.
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Contributors
Leela StakeLeela is a director who helps businesses innovate, collaborate and communicate to be more successful. She’s based in San Francisco, has worked in six Asian countries and is interested in the relationship between long-term business success and community prosperity.
Laura PalantoneLaura is a member of our corporate communications team and is based in New York.
James RobinsonJames is a director who brings ten years of experience working on CR strategy and communications in New York, Beijing, and Jakarta. He looks at how CR is employed as part of broader business strategy and has a particular interest in the evolving role of technology and innovation in managing social and environmental issues.
Julie JackA director in APCO's New York office, Julie works on corporate responsibility with a focus on business strategy and emerging issues and trends. Her currents interests and work focus on sustainable agriculture and supply chain management, the integration of CR and financial communications, and CR in the consumer goods space.
Ellen MignoniEllen is a senior director and helped build APCO’s global corporate responsibility practice. She works primarily with APCO’s corporate clients on business alignment and corporate responsibility, stakeholder engagement and partnership development, and communication and outreach.APCOForum.com
Visit APCOForum.com, the home blog of APCO Worldwide. Contributors include APCO's consultants around the world.
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History & Categories
Click to unfold.Recent Posts
- What’s behind the gender wage gap in Seattle?
- iCrisis, version 2.0
- Takeaways From New Renewable Energy Proposals in Washington State
- The Red Equal Signs: Top Takeaways for Cause-Conscious Companies
- Women Helping Women
- Meet the Aspirationals: Three Findings from Regeneration Roadmap
- As Same-Sex Marriage Reaches the Supreme Court, So Does Support from Corporate America
- Shareholders of the World, Unite!? (Part II)
- Mandatorily Philanthropic?
- The Word from Seattle: U.S. Needs Sustained Clean Tech Movement
Categories
- Business Alignment/Integration (69)
- Philanthropy (65)
- Volunteerism & Service (56)
- Community Engagement (50)
- What's Next for CR (50)
- Communicating CR (48)
- Nonprofit Operations and Communications (35)
- CR in North America (33)
- Cause Marketing (23)
- Health (23)
Archives by Month
- May 2013 (2)
- April 2013 (1)
- March 2013 (3)
- February 2013 (5)
- January 2013 (5)
- December 2012 (2)
- October 2012 (11)
- September 2012 (5)
- August 2012 (9)
- July 2012 (1)
Blogroll
- Alice Korngold on Fast Company
- Armchair Advocates
- Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship’s In Good Company
- Case Foundation Blog
- CECP Blog
- Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Give and Take
- CSRwire Talkback
- Ethical Corporation's Reflection on Ethical Business
- Hands On Network Blog
- Marc Gunther's Blog
- Points of Light Institute’s Blog
- Taproot Foundation's Pro Bono Junkie's Blog
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center Blog
Category Archives: Economic Development
Non-Medal Victories to Celebrate in London
As the Olympics kick off, here are some non-sports-related London Games victories to celebrate:
Organizers are calling these the “greenest” Games yet, having put sustainability at the heart of the project. Cyclists will race around a track made from sustainably-sourced Siberian pine at the velodrome, which also uses a fully natural ventilation system (i.e., no air conditioning) and collects rainwater from its sloped roof for its main water usage.
Posted on Friday, July 27th, 2012
Also posted in Community Engagement Tagged games, London, olympics Leave a comment
Also posted in Community Engagement Tagged games, London, olympics Leave a comment
Making History: Pursuing Paradigm Shifts in Women’s Economic Participation
The APEC Women and the Economy Summit ended Friday with the adoption of the San Francisco Declaration, which Secretary Clinton promised “just might make history books” if it moves from rhetoric to action. The Summit, organized through a partnership of the Bay Area Council and the U.S. State Department and, was part of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials Meeting, the largest diplomatic gathering in San Francisco since the UN founding 66 years ago.
APEC has tremendous clout – it is comprised of 21 nations that collectively represent nearly 40 percent of the world's population, 54 percent of the global economy and 44 percent of world trade. This was the first time that APEC affirmed the organization’s and member economies’ commitment to improving women’s access to capital and markets, building their capacities and skills and supporting the rise of women leaders in the public and private sectors.
Posted on Monday, September 19th, 2011
Also posted in Women and Girls Tagged APEC WES, San Francisco, San Francisco Declaration, Secretary Clinton, WES, women, Women and the Economy Summit Leave a comment
Also posted in Women and Girls Tagged APEC WES, San Francisco, San Francisco Declaration, Secretary Clinton, WES, women, Women and the Economy Summit Leave a comment
Raising Girls’ Voices
The 600 million girls who live in the developing world have started to get the attention they deserve on the world stage. A prime example is “Girls and Women: Scaling What Works,” a featured topic at the upcoming Clinton Global Initiative* Annual Meeting. In a series of plenary and breakout sessions, corporate, government and NGO leaders will take a deeper look at proven initiatives to improve the lives of girls in developing countries. One of the most exciting aspects of the program is that CGI plans to promote ideas and innovations coming directly from girls in the developing world, who seldom have the platform that CGI provides.
Abundant data support CGI’s emphasis on investing in girls in the developing world. To cite just one powerful statistic: when 10 percent more girls go to school, a country’s GDP increases on average by 3 percent. Yet less than two cents of every international development dollar is directed specifically to girls. Clearly, there’s still a compelling need to bridge the gap between the strong case for investing in girls and reality.
Posted on Thursday, September 1st, 2011
Also posted in Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Women and Girls Tagged 10x10, documentary, GDP, girls, school Leave a comment
Also posted in Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Women and Girls Tagged 10x10, documentary, GDP, girls, school Leave a comment
A Year of Awakenings
When you celebrate a birthday or an anniversary, it normally doesn’t pass without a fair amount of emotion, and one year of Shared Purpose is no different! This was a huge year of awakenings – either slow dawnings or lightning-bolt revelations – for many of us in the business and extended CSR/sustainability communities. The breadth and depth of the issues continue to challenge us all. The spectrum of CSR/sustainability activities is at its richest, and it just keeps expanding, like the Shared Purpose word cloud above. Where to begin?
Right now, Asia is officially experiencing another food crisis. According to the World Bank and ADB, residents of this region are looking at “fast and persistent increases in the cost of many
Posted on Friday, April 29th, 2011
Also posted in CR in Asia, Environment Tagged Asian Development Bank, food crisis, food production, Kitty Potter, Millenium Development Goals, population increase, SME, World Bank Leave a comment
Also posted in CR in Asia, Environment Tagged Asian Development Bank, food crisis, food production, Kitty Potter, Millenium Development Goals, population increase, SME, World Bank Leave a comment
Not Just Today: Every Day
Following our colleague Emily’s earlier round-up of coverage of International Women’s Day in the leading U.S. social media and traditional media, I wanted to share some perspectives from Europe and Afghanistan.Last evening in London, I had the opportunity to meet and listen to some remarkable women from Afghanistan: Dr Habiba Sarabi, the Governor of Bamyan [...]
Posted on Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Also posted in Women and Girls Tagged ActionAid, Afghan parliament, Asila Wardak, Elay Ershad, gender violence, Get Lippy, Habiba Sarabi, International Women's Day, IWD, Shinkai Karokhail Leave a comment
Also posted in Women and Girls Tagged ActionAid, Afghan parliament, Asila Wardak, Elay Ershad, gender violence, Get Lippy, Habiba Sarabi, International Women's Day, IWD, Shinkai Karokhail Leave a comment
Do I Have a Deal for You!
Were you turned off by Groupon’s Super Bowl ad like Aman and I were?
Well, I have an alternative Daily Deal site for you to consider…Philanthroper.
Just keep in mind that it’s not a deal where you get something, it’s a deal where you give something.
Posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2011
Also posted in Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Philanthropy, Technology and CR, What's Next for CR Tagged collective philanthropy, crowdsourcing, Philanthoper 2 Comments
Also posted in Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Philanthropy, Technology and CR, What's Next for CR Tagged collective philanthropy, crowdsourcing, Philanthoper 2 Comments
CGI 2010: Highlights From Day One
It was a packed first day at CGI 2010. In contrast to last year's meeting, which took place at the depths of the global recession, there was tremendous, positive, forward-looking energy among commitment-makers who are looking beyond the immediate economic challenge to long-term opportunities to create solutions to the world's toughest challenges.Here are some highlights [...]
Posted on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Also posted in Community Engagement, Environment, Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Philanthropy Leave a comment
Also posted in Community Engagement, Environment, Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Philanthropy Leave a comment
Gearing Up For “UN Week” And The Clinton Global Initiative
New Yorkers grudgingly refer to the third week of September as “UN Week,” when world leaders descend on the city for the opening session of the UN General Assembly, creating gridlocked streets across Manhattan in the wake of their motorcades. Over the past six years, however, it’s the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) that has anchored [...]
Posted on Friday, August 27th, 2010
Also posted in Business Alignment/Integration, Community Engagement, Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Philanthropy, Women and Girls Tagged CGI, Clinton Global Initiative, UN General Assembly Leave a comment
Also posted in Business Alignment/Integration, Community Engagement, Nonprofit Operations and Communications, Philanthropy, Women and Girls Tagged CGI, Clinton Global Initiative, UN General Assembly Leave a comment
What’s the Return for Being Responsible?
A company’s strategy and approach to corporate responsibility has a huge impact on its reputation. Both minor and major adjustments in programs, partnerships and processes can net in a shift—up or down—of a company’s reputation in the eyes of its stakeholders. APCO’s research group, APCO Insight, recently conducted some research for the retail industry to [...]
Posted on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Also posted in Business Alignment/Integration, Measurement & Evaluation, What's Next for CR Tagged Bryan Dumont, reputation, return on reputation Leave a comment
Also posted in Business Alignment/Integration, Measurement & Evaluation, What's Next for CR Tagged Bryan Dumont, reputation, return on reputation Leave a comment

Trailblazing at the Clinton Global Initiative
Also posted in What's Next for CR, Women and Girls | Tagged CGI, Clinton Global Initiative, Leela Stake | Leave a comment