How Lush Became an Ally to Indigenous Peoples
Season 2, Episode 4
Guest: Tricia Stevens, Former Charitable Giving and Ethical Campaigns Manager, Lush Cosmetics North America
Wouldn’t it be nice to dig into a case study that shows how real companies — and the real people behind the scenes — have built relationships with Indigenous communities from the ground up? Enter Tricia Stevens, the former Charitable Giving and Ethical Campaigns Manager at Lush Cosmetics North America.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Tricia and her team humbly embraced the unknown, helping Lush and its people become advocates for and accomplices to Indigenous Peoples through their operations, products and social impact programs.
The Blind Spot In Philanthropy
Season 2, Episode 3
Guest: Lourdes Inga, Executive Director of International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP)
How deeply do you think about the way you give? How can we give in ways that are both impactful and respectful of Indigenous culture and experiences? Lourdes Inga, Executive Director of IFIP, helps us understand the complexities of Indigenous philanthropy.
Indigenous Peoples constitute the largest minority in the world, but the rate of giving to their causes is comparatively low. In this episode, we’ll explore solutions to this challenge as well as discuss Indigenous People’s self-determination and how it’s integral to the positive shifts we’ve seen in Indigenous philanthropy.
- International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP)
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(click PDF in your preferred language) - Canadian Charity Law Report 2019
- Indigenous Canada Course from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies
- ”Indigenous Led Funds can be a solution to philanthropy’s inequity,” by Lourdes Inga
Why Some Indigenous Leaders Don’t Trust Corporations
Season 2, Episode 2
Guest: Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary-General of AMAN (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara / Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago)
It’s no secret that relationships between Indigenous Peoples, governments and corporations all over the world are troubled — in both the past and present. How did this happen? And what does this look like today? We asked Secretary-General of AMAN, Rukka Sombolinggi to share perspectives from the communities she serves.
In this episode, you’ll hear stories of Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia, and learn why building trust, authentically and with purpose, is critical to creating and maintaining meaningful partnerships between companies and Indigenous communities. You’ll also learn how individuals and consumers can help drive companies to take ethical action, too.
- International Labour Organization – Report
- AMAN
- Watch Rukka’s TEDxJakarta talk
(enable closed captions and click settings to enable translation)
Truth Before Reconciliation
Season 2, Episode 1
Guest: Melissa K. Nelson, Ph.D., Indigenous Scholar, Professor of Sustainability, Leader at The Cultural Conservancy
How should companies and individuals begin the process of reconciliation? Indigenous Scholar, Professor of Sustainability, and Leader at The Cultural Conservancy, Melissa Nelson, takes us through past colonization and settlement, residential schools, and how history continues to shape the experiences Indigenous Peoples have today. In this episode, you’ll hear stories and gain knowledge about how understanding Indigenous issues today is part of healing for all people, and the environment. By looking at the past, educating ourselves and imagining a future of mutual respect, we can forge our own paths toward reconciliation. Let the journey begin...
Introducing Season 2
Season 2 Trailer
Host: Sona Khosla, Chief Impact Officer, Benevity
Welcome to Season 2 of Speaking of Purpose! Join host, Sona Khosla, as she gets curious about how we can do our part in driving change around the challenges Indigenous communities face across the world, and Indigenous ways of knowing. Tune in for a sneak peek of what’s to come this season as we share our learnings from speaking with four remarkable guests about exploring reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Purpose-Driven Business: A Conversation About the Movement for Democratized Goodness
Season 1, Episode 10
Guest: Bryan de Lottinville, Founder and Executive Chairperson, Benevity
Business is now our most trusted institution. Employees look to their workplaces to address social issues, and consumers increasingly support brands based on their actions as much as their products. As the role of business in society changes, it takes genuine leaders to challenge the status quo. One such leader is Benevity’s Founder, Bryan de Lottinville. On this season’s final episode, he joins us to reflect on how he developed the idea of bringing Goodness to the corporate world, and how purpose has changed from a top-down mandate to a democratized process of personal, authentic action.
Listen to Ep. 5 to learn more on ESG and the future of business.
A Conversation with Anil Soni on the Need for Vaccine Equity
Season 1, Episode 9
Guest: Anil Soni, Chief Executive Officer, The WHO Foundation
Anil Soni is passionate about vaccine equity. But as our conversation with the CEO of the WHO Foundation unfolds, we learn that vaccine equity is about much more than vaccines. The issue is a microcosm of systemic and generational injustice that continues to perpetuate today. Anil joins us to discuss why vaccinating the entire world is critical for global health and economies — and how the private sector plays a vital role in making it happen.
No Going Back: How Volunteering Has Changed Forever
Season 1, Episode 8
Guests: Allison Fary, Senior Program Manager, TELUS and Stephanie Franco, Head of Corporate Giving and Volunteerism, TELUS
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and it holds true even when the topic is the changing face of volunteering. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and in-person volunteering was no longer possible, companies were forced to rethink the way they gave back to their communities during a time of profound need. Luckily, the answer was right in front of them. Just as they introduced a hybrid approach to work — remote employees, digital communications, and more — they could also shift their programs to include virtual opportunities, and a broader, more open definition of what it means to volunteer. On this episode of Speaking with Purpose, we speak to Allison Fary and Stephanie Franco from TELUS, who tell us how they successfully pivoted during a massive upheaval, and why the new definition of volunteering is here to stay.
Behind the Boardroom Door
Season 1, Episode 7
Guest: Maya Chorengel, Co-Managing Partner, The Rise Fund
The growing importance of corporate purpose and environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies are changing the way boardrooms operate. The past year has shown just how important it is for companies to lead the way, particularly on social issues. From protecting frontline workers to striving for racial justice, companies have the reach and resources to create real change. Maya Chorengel has spent over two decades contributing to that change. As a veteran of many director positions — including a board position here at Benevity — she has seen corporate purpose and ESG transform conversations by making companies rethink their role as social actors. Maya joins us on this episode of Speaking of Purpose to discuss how systemic problems require systemic solutions, and how learning from environmental strategies can help guide our action on social issues.
Why Companies Should Get Ready to Get Canceled
Season 1, Episode 6
Guest: Whitney Dailey, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Research Insights, Porter Novelli
We know the idea that companies should address and contribute to social change has taken hold. But this responsibility has put a new kind of stress on business leaders — the threat of getting canceled. As companies uphold their values and wade into difficult conversations, they are bound to be faced with backlash from consumers, activist groups, and even their own employees. On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Whitney Dailey, who has spent years studying how brands can and should respond to being canceled, and maybe even avoid cancel culture in the first place.
Stakeholder Capitalism and the Future of Business
Season 1, Episode 5
Guest: Bruce Simpson, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Co., CEO of Stephen A. Schwarzman Foundation
Over the past few decades, we’ve seen the priorities of business shift. A company’s primary responsibility used to be the pursuit of profit. But now, in the age of stakeholder capitalism, we’re seeing a surge in corporate purpose. But what exactly is stakeholder capitalism, and what impact does it have on a company’s bottom line? Bruce Simpson has the answers. Bruce has worked with clients across the globe on integrating societal missions into their core business strategies — missions that are driven by companies’ customers, employees, suppliers, regulators, and broader society. On this episode of Speaking with Purpose, Bruce joins us to discuss stakeholder capitalism and how it’s changing environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies for the better.
DEI&B – More Than Another Corporate Acronym
Season 1, Episode 4
Guest: Aisha Thomas-Petit, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, AMC Networks
These days, more and more people are bringing their full selves — their culture, their background, and their lived experiences — with them to work. The days of living with a clear divide between personal life and work life are over. As the expectation grows for workplaces to create a culture that supports people as their full selves, the question becomes: How are businesses adjusting to the increasing call for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging? Aisha Thomas-Petit has dedicated her life to that question. In this episode, she sits down with us to talk about the importance of having DEI&B strategies ingrained into your corporate purpose, and what risks companies run when they go the other direction.
Engaging customers in your corporate purpose
Season 1, Episode 3
Guest: Altaf Gilani, Head of Product for Microsoft Rewards, Give with Bing, and Bing Rebates
Customers are demanding that companies take action on the social causes that affect our communities every day. Truly visionary companies, like Microsoft, are taking it a step further. Their giving programs are designed not only to have an impact, but to engage their customers to define where that impact is directed. Altaf Gilani spearheaded Microsoft’s Give with Bing – a rewards program that enables users to raise money for the charity of their choice every time they conduct an internet search. Learn what inspired Altaf into action, and how his past passion for giving back helped shape the ideas that formed his professional future, as well as a truly innovative program that translates customer clicks to Goodness in 8 countries.
Webinars for nonprofits:
How to Sustain a Movement After the Moment Has Passed
Season 1, Episode 2
Guests: Christina Lewis and Stephanie Ellis-Smith, Co-founders of Give Blck
In the wake of the summer of 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement became an urgent conversation around the world, donations to racial equity causes through our giving platform reached an all-time high, at $166 million. Just six months later, that momentum slowed down and donations returned to their previous levels. It was during that summer that Christina Lewis and Stephanie Ellis-Smith joined forces to create Give Blck, an organization designed to raise the visibility of Black-led causes and ensure that support for racial justice didn’t fade away with the news headlines. Join us as they share stories about their lives in fundraising and teach us how to keep the momentum going towards systemic, long-term change.
Who Is Responsible For Corporate Purpose Within a Company?
Season 1, Episode 1
Guest: François Locoh-Donou, President and CEO of F5 Networks
François Locoh-Donou is the President and CEO of F5 Networks, a company that supports 48 of the world’s Fortune 50 companies by creating apps that connect businesses with their customers and help employees do their jobs. But what makes F5 truly special is the way their corporate purpose is ignited by employees, supported by leaders, and ingrained into every aspect of the business’ DNA. In our first episode, learn from François about how F5’s leaders create space for a purpose-driven culture, and what criteria he looks for when he’s hiring leaders at F5 Networks to uphold and deepen that culture.
Intro to Speaking of Purpose…
Season 1, Trailer
Host: Sona Khosla, Chief Impact Officer, Benevity
Introducing Speaking of Purpose… by Benevity! We want you to join us as we explore purpose. What does it mean? What does it look like? Why is it critically important in today’s world? Who inspires and leads us towards change? Sona Khosla, Benevity’s Chief Impact Officer, will be our host through conversations with some of the world’s leading purpose-driven people. Join us for season one, entitled Movements, by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts.
