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ON OUR MINDS
Brought to you this week by Isabelle Jetté, our VP, Growth and Operations, who’s looking forward to a brief respite from the City in the Hudson Valley.
Corporations stand up for racial equity
The racial reckoning that shook the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s murder made it painfully clear just how much needs to be done before we can even begin to make meaningful strides toward addressing systemic racism. New research by Candid (paywall) however shows an encouraging trend: in the latter half of 2020, $8.2 billion out of a total $12 billion in charitable gifts and pledges to support racial equity was donated by corporations. The amount is unprecedented, especially when considering that in a non-pandemic year, total corporate giving hovers around $20 billion, or roughly 5% of all annual charitable giving in the U.S. While giving to social justice causes for many businesses like Ben and Jerry’s is deeply embedded in their ethos, others that made significant commitments — including JPMorgan, Citi, PayPal, Microsoft and Mastercard (and, just this past week, Goldman Sachs) — did so in what many attribute to a sense of urgency and mounting pressure from Millennials and Gen Z. Clearly more needs to be done — but hopefully, it’s the first drop of a true watershed in the making.
Meanwhile… Will Coca-Cola, Home Depot, Delta, UPS and Aflac please stand up?
Amid widespread voter suppression efforts across the nation, Georgia has become a high-stakes focal point, as both the Republican-controlled state upper and lower chambers have recently passed their own respective bills with limits that would disproportionately harm Black voters. With Democrats sidelined, civil liberties groups are appealing to Georgia’s corporate community to step up. Like the electorate, businesses have much to lose should these laws be enacted — an inclusive, accessible electoral system is at the heart of a thriving democracy and fundamental to the health of America’s economy and markets. While the Georgia Chamber of Commerce has expressed “concern and opposition” over the proposed restrictions, and Salesforce has also put forward a strong statement, Georgia’s major employers have yet to speak out against the bills (Coca-Cola and Home Depot representatives initially voiced their alignment with the Chamber before demurring). Stacey Abrams, meanwhile, isn’t mincing words.
Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiine….
No less than three of my colleagues will have been vaccinated by the time this edition of the McPherson Memo runs, all in the past 24 hours, thanks to a surplus of doses. Supply is indeed growing exponentially, and today, it’s expected that the Biden Administration will reach its goal of administering 100 million shots, well ahead of schedule. (As a Canadian expat I was also heartened to read this story — thank you, Joe!). But to effectively build herd immunity and beat the virus for good, we need as many to receive the vaccine as possible, as quickly as possible, particularly as our schools, restaurants, movie theaters and more reopen for business. Vaccine hesitancy abounds amid confusing accounts or downright nefarious disinformation campaigns. We can all do our part to expedite a return to normalcy: 1) inform yourself and others about the vaccine, 2) protect yourself, loved ones and colleagues from misinformation, 3) find out when and where you can get vaccinated, and 4) stay vigilant and don’t succumb to pandemic fatigue.
ON OUR RADAR
Read:
- The Cut’s new Editor-In-Chief Lindsey Peoples Wagner shares a moving tribute and interview with Breonna Taylor’s mother and sister, one year after Breonna’s tragic and brutal death at the hands of police officers.
- Fortune spoke with Susan and Noreena Hertz about the power of meaningful conversation and vulnerability in the context of the other pandemic that doesn’t get talked about enough: loneliness.
- Starbucks’ new chairwoman, Mellody Hobson, is the only Black woman to hold that distinction in the S&P 500 — and she has a lot to say about that.
- McP client Heifer International’s Pierre Ferrari penned an op-ed for Fast Company that proposes how we should rethink our ethical standards across meat supply chains.
- Amber Venz Box aka The Harvard of Influence is here to help give your socials a glow-up.
Learn:
- Social impact and ESG reporting is evolving, and this primer by GreenBiz will help you understand why and how.
- The Future Today Institute just released its annual Tech Trends Report themed, “The New World Disorder.” Check out its whopping 500 science and tech trends here!
- Our client, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, announced this week the launch of Women Give 2021: How Households Make Giving Decisions. The report analyzes the first new data in 15 years on household charitable decision-making and uncovers some surprising results.
Watch/Listen:
- Our ode to Susan for generously imparting her wisdom with us. Pre-order your copy of Susan’s new book, The Lost Art of Connecting, which officially launches March 23rd.
- McP client Megha Desai with the Desai Foundation delivers the bloody truth about period poverty during her recent interview on “Sincerely Hueman.”
- It’s a Sin — set against the backdrop of the AIDS pandemic in 1980s London, HBO Max’s poignant mini-series is full of life, love and humanity.
- All hail to Queen Bey — forever may she reign.
Cheer:
- The Card by Seneca Women, a new credit card and McP client that incentivizes consumers to shop at women-owned businesses, was recently featured by CBS Moneywatch and highlighted in Fortune’s Broadsheet.
- Fast Company just unveiled its top ten innovative companies in media, several of which are creative manifestations of our current zeitgeist. View them all here.
- Dreamers rejoice as the House passes an immigration bill that would set millions of undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship.
- The first gay Captain America is a fun road trip that’s 80 years in the making.
- The Oscars nominations are out, and they are record-shattering.
Subscribe:
- Sign up for TMV’s new newsletter to learn the ropes of purposeful startup investing, and start reimagining the future today.
Go:
- Generation W is celebrating 10 years of building women and girls’ leadership, and they want you to join their festivities April 16! A stellar lineup of speakers will feature tennis icon Billie Jean King — click here for more details and to purchase tickets. BONUS: check out Susan’s recent interview with Generation W’s Donna Orender.
Apply:
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