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ON OUR MINDS
Brought to you this week by Social Impact Fellow Brandon Estrada, who spent the Thanksgiving weekend with close family watching the Queen’s Gambit.
Companies showed up for Giving Tuesday
In the face of national disaster, humans have historically shown proportionate generosity, opening their wallets to help those in need. This week, organizations and individuals alike turned up and turned out for a record-breaking Giving Tuesday, with donations up 25% since last year, reaching almost $2.5 billion. At a time when virtually every nonprofit has been affected by the pandemic and 26 million Americans are food-insecure, that’s $2.5 billion towards vital food, shelter, internet access and countless other needs, not to mention causes such as fighting climate change, supporting women's entrepreneurship, and achieving racial equity. And from Nordstrom’s virtual Santa visits, with proceeds going to Operation Warm and Big Brothers Big Sisters, to Away’s partnership with Global Glimpse, providing travel and leadership experiences to high school students from diverse backgrounds, brands are getting creative with how they engage in the giving season. Check out David Hessekiel’s roundup in Forbes to see how other companies are giving back this year.
What might life look like post-pandemic?
A vaccine is on the horizon, but there’s no doubt in our minds that the pandemic will change how our society operates for good. For the past nine months, we’ve been unwilling participants in an international experiment of sorts, with much of the workforce telecommuting and refraining from unnecessary travel. And though U.S. emissions are set to drop to their lowest levels in three decades, it’s cold comfort when we acknowledge the sacrifices we’ve made to get to this point. As Sarah Ladislaw, director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, puts it, “Nothing about the economic hardship coming from COVID points the way forward on climate change except that it points out how we often discount our own systemic vulnerability.” As a return to “normalcy” seems within reach, along with the chance to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, now is the time for companies to double down on efforts to build back better and think about the role they can play in a green recovery.
Be there for customers and employees this holiday season
As COVID rates continue to rise exponentially in many parts of the U.S. and the world, it behooves the private sector to encourage patience and incentivize safety practices among customers and employees over the holiday season. Airbnb is doing its part by limiting rentals around New Year’s Eve in an effort to discourage large gatherings. The retail industry adapted to a Black Friday of curbside pickup and online shopping, a 2020 trend that we should be prepared to extend well beyond this year. And while company holiday parties will undoubtedly be different this year, there are several ways employers can still spread good cheer while doing so safely, should they choose to gather.
ON OUR RADAR
Read:
- Wealthy millennials set to inherit millions of dollars are trying to give it away, vowing to use their trust funds to tear down the systems that promote the rampant inequality in our nation.
- With many women working from home, the meaning of “work clothes” has shifted. Women's clothing companies are starting to take notice.
- Get into the holiday spirit (and some deeper topics) with this profile of Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman.
- Erica Keswin's new book Rituals Roadmap:The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines Into Workplace Magic is a guide to helping your employees feel connected to purpose. With real-life company examples, stories and science, this accessible book will change the way you think about everything from meetings to milestones, even to meals.
Shop:
- Female Founder Collective’s holiday gift guide helps support fabulous women-founded and women-owned businesses.
- Are you on the hunt for the perfect foodie gift? Check out Dana Cowin’s new project, Giving Broadly — a curation of products from women-owned businesses across the country.
- Get into the holiday spirit (while supporting a good cause) with this beautiful wine tool set from client Heifer International. A portion of every purchase from the Heifer Marketplace goes towards supporting Heifer’s global programs.
- For the tweens in your life, pick up a copy of The Zee Files by Tina Wells. Tina is the founder of Elevation Tribe, a community and quarterly publication she created to help women launch, grow and lead their businesses with a focus on women of color.
- We’ve all been spending more time at home and in the kitchen this year. Check out these fun gifts for the home while supporting Black-owned businesses this season.
- Want your gift to change a life? Check out Nicholas Kristof’s annual gift guide column, and consider donating to the 2020 Holiday Impact Prize.
Watch:
- Netflix’s new limited series The Queen’s Gambit has broken the record for most streamed scripted limited series in the company’s history and chess sales have spiked in response. At one company, sales have increased by 1000%.
- Join the 2020 Forbes Power Women's Summit on December 9 to hear speakers, including Melinda Gates, Tracee Ellis Ross, 5X Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and many more trailblazing women.
- Watch the trailer for Coded Bias, a documentary film that follows MIT research, Joy Buolamwini, as she uncovers the truth behind racial bias in artificial intelligence. The film is an official selection of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Listen:
- We were saddened to learn that we lost a visionary business leader this week in Tony Hsieh. His passion for culture, people, and their overall happiness at work will not be forgotten. In remembrance, NPR’s podcast “How I Built This” recently re-released his story.
- The New York Times’ podcast “The Daily” covers how one Brooklyn food pantry, threatened by loss of funding from the city, is dealing with an increase in demand.
- With COVID making it unsafe to see our older loved ones this holiday season, NPR’s “Life Kit” put together a fantastic episode on how we can check in on elderly friends and family during this difficult time.
- “If everything around us seems new and different, let’s make the ways in which we listen new and different, too.” Thaler Pekar urges us to be open to surprise this year.
Cheer:
- Sarah Fuller made history as the first woman to kick in a Power Five football game last Saturday for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Her message to young girls, “The path to success is a lot of ups and downs.”
- Lori Leibovich is joining The New York Times as editor of “Well,” the paper’s wellness newsletter.
- Gifting platform Loop & Tie is sponsoring gifts for staff and volunteers at small to mid-sized nonprofits through their Giving Forward initiative.
- Kerry Washington, Luvvie Ajayi and Glennon Doyle are teaming up to mobilize voters in Georgia for the runoff election next month. Use these graphics and the hashtags #ThankYouGA and #WinWithBlackWomen on social media to join the movement!
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