Month: March 2023

We are thrilled to highlight one of our outstanding leaders at Common Impact: Christina Bryan, Chief of Staff to the CEO. Christina developed her passion for creating unique experiences, project management, and business development while working with hospitality giants such as the late Vince Steffan, Hudson Hotel, and Swank Productions.

In this role, she ensures Common Impact’s structures and policies maintain strong program quality and that organizational culture remains effective. She brings her solution-minded approach to the collective goal of fighting for social change and always encourages others with her infectious positivity.

Support a BIPOC-led organization and ask them about the challenges preventing them from effectively delivering their mission.

You have over fifteen years of experience in the consulting, event planning, and social entrepreneurship sector. Tell us about your path to leadership. What inspired you to get into this work? 

Looking back, I see a pattern of volunteerism and social impact work throughout my upbringing and career. Not knowing skills-based volunteering was the actual term for it, I had worked with various nonprofits throughout my career, helping them build capacity through crafting membership and fundraising strategies, creating execution and operational plans, or putting on galas to help them further their mission. In 2018, I no longer felt fulfilled by the events industry. I wanted to center my career on more purpose-focused work, which inspired my transition into corporate social responsibility and social impact. While going through a career transition, I brought a great deal of experience, confidence, integrity, and passion to my new role, which translated very nicely into my leadership role at Common Impact.

You describe your role as Chief of Staff as the connector of culture, operations, and strategy. How has the workplace and work culture shifted during the last few years, and what should nonprofits do to retain and motivate their talent? 

There isn’t a single driver when it comes to retaining talent. A diverse workforce means people will have different interests and motivators for what gets them out of bed in the morning, especially when so much of our work culture has shifted to remote work. So my first recommendation would be to talk with your staff about what they need to be happier at work. Notice I said “happier” and not “more effective.” A recent article from “Great Place to Work” noted that people who felt a sense of belonging at work were 5 times more likely to want to stay at their places of employment for a long time. Now more than ever, our connection to what we do and how well we do it is directly tied to how we feel at work. My second recommendation would be to take that feedback seriously. Create a culture where employees feel heard. Develop an action plan for short-term and long-term changes your organization is committed to making to achieve your employee engagement goals.

More businesses are investing in and implementing DEI practices. Still, we have a long way to go in eliminating obstacles to career development and promotion paths for BIPOC individuals. What can organizations and companies do to promote DEI and create equitable spaces and opportunities for BIPOC employees? 

We can’t talk about creating equitable paths to promotion for BIPOC employees without acknowledging places in that process where favoritism and discrimination show up. As a certified leadership coach to women of color, I’ve seen barriers like affinity bias, lack of recognition, tokenism, and exclusion, just to name a few, take a toll on them as employees and as human beings. Organizations and companies should start with an honest assessment of their current practices by asking the following questions; How many BIPOC employees have left the company in the last 18 months? How many have been promoted in that time? Is the path to promotion and raises clearly defined for everyone? What has my company done to minimize bias in the manager/direct report relationship? What kind of specialized support has my company offered BIPOC employees interested in moving up the career ladder? This is just scratching the surface, but a great place to start analyzing how best to support BIPOC employees is to be self-aware of where you might fall short.

What actions can corporate professionals, social entrepreneurs, or philanthropists take to support and amplify the work of Black-led organizations year-round? 

This is an opportune moment to promote skills-based volunteerism. Support goes beyond writing a check to BIPOC-led organizations or buying from black-owned businesses for a month. Many BIPOC-led organizations and businesses lack the basic infrastructure they need to do their work all year round. Touch base with a BIPOC-led organization and ask them about the challenges preventing them from effectively delivering their mission. This initial conversation is crucial in minimizing a savior complex or disparate power dynamic between you and the organization. The support shouldn’t depend on what you’re interested in doing but on the organization’s needs. If your skill set doesn’t align with their needs, share your networking and make connections.

About Common Impact 
Common Impact is a national nonprofit that works to build a society in which individuals and businesses invest their unique talents towards a shared purpose: strengthening the local communities in which we live and work. Founded in 2000, Common Impact has partnered with Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of the country’s leading nonprofit organizations to create transformational change through skills-based volunteering. Learn more about Common Impact’s services, impact, and clients.

Five years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, disaster recovery and rebuilding nonprofit SBP Puerto Rico celebrated a major milestone in December 2022: 250 homes were rebuilt after the severe damage done by that storm. Viatris was proud to be on the ground in Puerto Rico to help welcome Juana and Jose Reyes back to their newly rebuilt home and announce continued funding to support SBP’s volunteer efforts.

To date, Viatris has given more than $3 million to SBP to help rebuild the homes of families impacted by disaster, including the organization’s first major contribution that helped it establish itself and carry out recovery work on the island. Juana Reyes, 98, and her 72-year-old son José Reyes, a veteran, who were left homeless following Hurricane Maria, directly benefitted from the “Got Your Back Fund,” which Viatris created for SBP specifically to help veterans who have been impacted by natural disaster. An investment of approximately $65,000 fully repaired their home, which was the 250th in SBP’s local recovery.

Viatris was honored at the December ceremony with a plaque commemorating the company’s impact and enduring commitment to disaster-impacted communities on the island and around the country. Edgardo Maldonado, executive director of SBP Puerto Rico, says the newly committed $100,000 grant from Viatris will help reach SBP’s goal of repairing another 56 homes affected by hurricanes Maria and 2023’s Fiona.

Since its founding in 2006 in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, SBP has rebuilt homes for more than 3,000 families with the help of 150,000 volunteers in 14 communities across the U.S. and in the Bahamas.

CHICAGO, March 31, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) Global Board of Trustees appoints Katie Fitzgerald as President and CEO, effective March 6. In her new role, Fitzgerald will lead the strategic vision for the Charity’s long-term growth, global impact and delivery of mission at RMHC Chapters around the world. Fitzgerald succeeds former President and CEO Kelly Dolan who announced her retirement in June.

“On behalf of the RMHC Board of Trustees, we are pleased to welcome Katie Fitzgerald as President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Global,” said Ginger Hardage, Chairman of the RMHC Board of Trustees. “Katie’s leadership experience in the nonprofit sector will be critical to the organization’s continued success as we approach the 50th anniversary of RMHC and build out our strategy for our next 50 years.”

Fitzgerald brings more than 25 years of experience to the role, most recently serving as President and Chief Operating Officer at Feeding America, the nation’s largest non-profit organization working to end hunger. Prior to joining Feeding America, she held leadership positions at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Make-a-Wish Oklahoma, Center for Children and Families in Norman, Oklahoma, among other organizations.

“RMHC plays a vital role in enabling, supporting and facilitating family-centered care to provide vital resources and access to health care for families with children who are sick,” said Fitzgerald. “I’m honored to join the team and support the incredible work being done by the RMHC system to help keep families together when they need it most.”

Katie will also be a member of McDonald’s Global Impact Leadership Team, partnering with the brand’s leadership to ensure continued alignment and partnership across both organizations.

“McDonald’s ongoing support of RMHC plays an important role in delivering on our commitment to feed and foster communities all around the world,” said Jon Banner, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Impact Officer at McDonald’s. “As the Charity’s founding and forever mission partner, we are excited to welcome Katie to the McDonald’s system. Her extensive nonprofit background will undoubtedly help advance the RMHC mission and strengthen our joint efforts moving forward.”

Fitzgerald has spent her career in the nonprofit sector, working to improve outcomes for children, youth and families. She received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan. She will be based in the organization’s Chicago office.

About RMHC
Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®), is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Through a global network of over 260 Chapters in more than 60 countries and regions, RMHC enables, facilitates and supports family-centered care through three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House®, the Ronald McDonald Family Room® and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®. RMHC programs help families with ill or injured children stay together and near leading hospitals and health care services worldwide, ensuring they have access to the medical care their child needs while fully supported and actively involved in their child’s care. For more information, visit RMHC.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
media@rmhc.org

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According to GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research initiative, microbusinesses play an essential role in the U.S. economy. Areas with a higher density of microbusinesses can benefit from an increase in growth of median household income and greater job creation. The data also reveals that despite a strong desire to grow their businesses, approximately 70% of surveyed entrepreneurs are unaware of local funding and resources. Empower by GoDaddy, a global social impact program, aims to close the knowledge and resource gap for entrepreneurs, small and microbusiness owners in underserved communities through its partnerships with local and nonprofit community partners.

One of Empower by GoDaddy’s partners is the Alabama Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Alabama State University. Empower by GoDaddy and Alabama SBDC collaborate to develop customized programs that meet the unique needs of local small business entrepreneurs at every step of their journey. Alabama has over 150,000 online microbusinesses according to Venture Forward, with over four per 100 people on average. Yet, Alabama microbusiness owners are 1.5 times more likely to find access to capital challenging than entrepreneurs nationally.

In recognition of March 15 SBDC Day, which celebrates the national impact nearly 1,000 SBDCs have on the small business community, GoDaddy caught up with Andrea Rogers Mosley, Director of the Alabama SBDC Network.

Why did you decide to partner with Empower by GoDaddy?

The small business community is still in the recovery stage following COVID-19. Many small businesses were already struggling pre-pandemic to identify basic capital to support their operations, purchase a website or hire consultants and employees. When the pandemic hit, many small businesses struggled because they did not have an effective online presence.

We also work with elderly small business owners who were and are still reluctant to get online. And, while some small business owners purchased a website or were using a free website, they were not using the online tools to their maximum potential or did not have administrative rights to work on the websites they owned because they hired outside support to manage their content. We learned that many small business owners lost thousands of dollars spent on establishing an online presence because they were not left with a clear path forward or skills to see through online implementation.

Partnering with Empower by GoDaddy allows us to provide small business owners with critical resources, tips, strategies and confidence to develop an effective online presence and overall business strategy. The only cost for participants is time and effort – but it is worth it – and the entrepreneurs learn valuable skills that help them expand their customer base, identify new markets, and increase sales volume and revenue.

What makes this partnership successful?

The Alabama SBDC Empower by GoDaddy cohort is so much more than digital marketing training – the program is successful because it is built on encouragement, genuine interest and support for the small business owners who participate. We create a safe place for small business owners to share, discuss and freely talk about their business concerns and the emotional journey of business ownership so that we can better assist them.

I am truly proud of our work to empower more than 500 small businesses with the skills and knowledge to successfully and confidently create their website and develop their social media presence.

What does inclusive entrepreneurship mean to you? 

Alabama SBDC’s slogan is, “Growing Alabama’s economy one small business at a time.” Inclusive entrepreneurship is an important concept that every local, state and federal government, and financial institution should embrace. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy.

Identifying resources and creating helpful legislation and policies should be part of our government and financial institutions’ strategic plan to help create sustainable small businesses. Corporations can also play an integral role by implementing innovative programs like Empower by GoDaddy.

What are some tips you would give to people who want to start a business of their own?

Tap into local small business resources. There are many free resources available to help a small business start, grow and sustain. America’s SBDC has small business development centers in every state, with nearly 1,000 centers nationwide. Talk with an SBDC advisor – the services are free and available for anyone, at every stage of their business journey.

We love working with those in the ideation and start-up stages. It allows us to help entrepreneurs from the very beginning to create successful launch strategies and ensure long-term sustainability. And lastly, take the time to research, plan and launch. Remember that entrepreneurship is about taking a chance.

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Year-round, GoDaddy proudly supports its customers globally as part of its mission to make opportunity more inclusive for all. Learn more about how GoDaddy empowers entrepreneurs everywhere: https://www.godaddy.com/godaddy-for-good/empower

Empower by GoDaddy Spotlight Series: By partnering with diverse local nonprofits and community organizations around the world, Empower by GoDaddy aims to reach those who haven’t otherwise had access by offering skills training, resources, and mentoring to help accelerate their business journeys. This article is part of the Empower by GoDaddy spotlight series that shines a light on the individuals who make this unique initiative possible. 

Mark E. Newman, President and Chief Executive Officer at The Chemours Company

Last week I attended the 38th Annual World Petrochemical Conference in Houston, TX—the energy capital of the world. And while Houston is synonymous with oil and gas, I was excited to take part in a great conversation about another energy source that is critical to a cleaner and more sustainable future—hydrogen.

As we work to build that future, we must turn to energy solutions that fuel our planet cleanly, efficiently, and perpetually – solutions like green hydrogen, which can cleanly power everything from cars to heavy industry if harnessed effectively.

With a favorable policy environment and continued investment, we could soon make this dream our reality. In fact, earlier this year Chemours announced a $200 million investment in France to help unlock the potential of hydrogen energy in Europe and globally. We announced that investment in part because of the strong alignment between our sustainable growth vision, the French and local governments’ goals to create a reliable and strong hydrogen economy, and the EU’s ambition to deliver a clean energy transition.

Hydrogen as a fuel holds significant promise, but more work is needed to ensure that our technological capabilities meet our ambitions for the hydrogen economy.

This is where chemistry comes in – both scientific and human.

Advanced chemistries sit at the heart of critical clean energy technologies.

Green hydrogen is created when water, using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy, is split into hydrogen and oxygen through a process called water electrolysis. That green hydrogen can then be converted to electricity through fuel cells to power electric vehicles including heavy-duty and commercial passenger transport—yielding only water and heat as byproducts.

These promising clean energy technologies depend on chemistry—specifically the highly specialized ion-exchange membranes that facilitate the chemical reactions at the heart of hydrogen production and use. In recent years, some of the best minds in the field of advanced chemistry and material science have made groundbreaking advancements to make these membranes more durable, efficient, and reliable. Through their efforts, today’s membranes are merely the thickness of a human hair and yet can withstand high temperatures and pressures, keep the produced hydrogen and oxygen separated, and allow for the efficient transfer of protons through the membrane—improving efficiency and productivity.

And it’s not just the resulting green hydrogen that will help sustain the planet, but also the responsible manufacturing of the materials needed. With continued innovation in the industry, we can develop manufacturing technologies in a way that is sustainable for our environment, climate, and people.

A responsible approach – not just at Chemours but across the landscape of suppliers, customers, and regulators – is required for true environmental protection and sustained innovation.

The success of the hydrogen economy requires more than science.

We also need another kind of chemistry – the collaboration among people working together toward a shared purpose. We must encourage strategic investment across the value chain.

In Europe, we’ve already seen significant progress through policies like the European Green Deal, which embraces hydrogen energy as part of the solution to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In the U.S., meanwhile, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included research and development credits and incentives related to electrolysis and fuel cells – all of which are critical to strengthening domestic manufacturing of clean energy solutions, creating high-paying, sustainable jobs, and advancing American energy independence.

To scale our hydrogen future, government and industry should take a comprehensive view of the clean energy value chain. While incentives like those in IRA are critical, we must also have regulatory certainty that allows industry to best utilize those incentives to drive investments and growth in green jobs. We need to work together toward policies that expand domestic supply chains and advance the hydrogen economy. The same can be said for semicon, electric vehicles, and other technologies that are critical to the future economy. This requires rational, science-based regulations that protect human health and the environment and still allow for economic growth.

A sound regulatory environment includes an efficient permitting process. In the U.S., for instance, the bipartisan support for permitting reform from Senator Manchin, Senator Capito, and others is a prime example of the role government can play in enabling innovation and unlocking the potential of clean energy production. That kind of regulatory certainty can drive growth in the hydrogen economy while helping advance decarbonization efforts.

The fact is, robust public-private partnerships and sound public policy can amplify our scientific and technological know-how, make productive infrastructure investments, and build a competitive ecosystem and regulatory environment.

The psychiatrist Carl Jung once used the language of chemistry to illuminate his own science. He likened the meeting of two personalities to the contact of two substances: “if there is any reaction,” he wrote, “both are transformed.” I’ve seen this firsthand. Chemours – and the advanced chemistries we produce – have been radically transformed by partnerships with governments, other companies, and leading university researchers.

To secure our clean energy future, we must continue to pursue partnerships, investments, and regulatory certainty to unlock transformative innovation across the value chain – from a diverse array of end uses all the way back to the most basic building block of our universe: the hydrogen atom.

Mark Newman is the President and CEO of The Chemours Company, a different kind of chemistry company whose products impact every part of modern day living and enable a greener, low carbon future.

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