Pickles and Persimmons

My wonderful friend Becca Stahl works for Ad Council, a leading producer of public service ads since the 1940’s. In addition to being great at her job, full of energy and incredibly philanthropic, Becca also is a talented writer. She recently wrote a piece for Adlibbing, the official blog for Ad Council, about her interview with Olivia Kahlili who currently is part of the Ashoka Changemakers and runs the blog Cause Capitalism. I really enjoyed Becca’s piece and what Ms. Kahlili had to say about her experience in the non-profit communication industry. I’m posting the interview here as well as links to the original blog because I think it’s a great read.

Best, Lauren

by Becca Stahl

The success of a business has been measured in many ways throughout history—the number of employees in a company, annual company income or overall organizational growth. Olivia Khalili uses a different metric to measure success: by the amount of positive change a company imparts on society. The currency of “good” has become a currency of great value, and if you want to learn how to leverage that value, Khalili is your go-to girl.

Khalili has an impressive resume that I can’t do justice here, but her current ventures include her blog, Cause Capitalism and working for Ashoka Changemakers. If you work in the social marketing field, you need to visit her blog immediately (seriously, I don’t mind if you don’t finish reading this post, it’s that good).  The blog highlights Khalili’s experience, advice, and interviews with leaders in both the corporate and development worlds.  Khalili currently works for Ashoka Changemakers, an organization that sources and helps grow innovators and communities of social practice.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Khalili to get some key takeaways about how an organization can successfully join with a corporate partner to achieve outcomes that will lead to positive social change. Although we had spoken via phone and email numerous times, Khalili’s vibrant and passionate personality truly came through during our in-person interview. As she approached me on the street, a petite blond in heels and a J. Crew red dress I’ve secretly been coveting all summer, I knew right away that this was the type of person I want to be when I grow up: smart, confident, and ready to change the world.

 Here are some highlights from our interview:

Q: What are the top five “truisms” in Social Marketing?

A:  

1)     The partnership is critical. It’s important to establish objectives up front and develop trust between corporate and non-profit partners. Often the best cause marketing campaigns don’t reach their full potential until their second or third year, so creating an open relationship is key to maximizing impact and benefits.

2)     Align your ideals. Be sure that the causes of the organization align with the goals of the company to make the partnership meaningful and sustainable.

3)     Be transparent about the campaign. Consumers care about the details of the campaign—how much who is giving to whom, when and why.

4)     Engage the consumer. Offer a way for consumers to get directly involved in the cause and be a part of solving the problem. Teach them about the issue at hand. Give them a way to take action.

5)     Involve everyone. Don’t just run a partnership out of the communications/marketing/development departments. Encourage involvement from management and employees on the corporate and non-profit sides.

Q: What are the most common potential pitfalls to avoid?

A:

1)     Lack of communication/transparency between partners and with consumers.

2)     Choosing a partner whose objectives (and potentially issue area and size) don’t align with yours.

3)     Crossing the line of promotion versus exploitation.

Q: What is the best way for programs to work in tandem with communications and outreach?

A: The ideal situation is that the communication drives consumer engagement, so that advertising and awareness lead to impact. One strong example is TOMS shoes. TOMS brought a fresh concept (for every pair of shoes bought, the company will donate a pair) in which the experience drives you to action through a unique and enjoyable initial engagement (the act of buying shoes). 

To learn more about Khalili, visit her blog: www.causecapitalism.com

Or vote for her panels at South By Southwest (Voting ends Friday 9/2 so VOTE SOON!):

*image comes from Adlibbing site

Okay, so I know it’s technically Tuesday, but I’ve decided to do a post on this in hopes that you can give it some thought throughout the week and possibly decide to take on this challenge with me. As those of you who read this blog regularly know, I’m a big supporter of being conscious of the things we eat and do everyday that effect the bodies of water around us. I’ve written posts in the past that discuss really easy ways to change your daily activities and decrease your impact. 

However, after talking to a friend and re-watching the documentary Food Inc., I realized that there are some scary facts that apply to eating meat as well that can just as easily be combated on an individual level starting with your Mondays. To begin with, I’m going to throw some knowledge at you:

• An estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to farm animals.
• The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide … far more than transportation.
• The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef.
• On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S. Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein. Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.

As a society, we’re fatter than ever and less healthy than ever. Now, I love meat just as much as the next person. In retrospect, I rarely go a day without it and I truly cannot imagine foregoing cheeseburgers for the rest of my life. So, the idea of going fully vegetarian is just not in my cards. Hence, Meatless Mondays. The power of Mondays as a change-making, goal oriented day of the week is proven by The Monday Campaigns. I fully believe that making a change just one day a week is truly achievable. So, from here on out, my Mondays shall be meatless and I will hopefully provide you with stories of my experience and recipes that I’m testing out to help me on my way.

For more information on the Meatless Monday campaign head to the official site (also where I gathered all the information for this post). I’ve already acknowledged that today is Tuesday but I’m starting none-the-less. Wish me luck!

Best, Lauren

I have to admit, I squealed with delight this morning when I read about the recent announcement that OPI has teamed up with Disney’s Muppets for a new line of polishes. The folks at OPI never fail to kill me with their nail polish names, and believe me when I say, they have done it again! I absolutely cannot wait for these shades to hit the shelves. Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It definitely has a future on my toes.

You can check out the story on Refinery 29 here.

Best, Lauren

It seems that everytime I visit Los Angeles I seem to have the most incredible food experiences. I can attribute this to a few factors: firstly, my brother is an enormous foodthusiast (new word, copyright, done) and is constantly taking me to wonderful places to eat delicious and new things. Secondly, I was on vacay, you best believe I was stuffing my face with mindblowingly amazing food because when you’re on holiday all food has negative caloric content. Thirdly, LA has some just insanely great places to eat, and, let’s face it, I’d like to visit each and every one of them.

Enough babbling, lets get down to biiiiiizness. Not only did my brother and I go to some wonderful eateries this weekend, we also cooked one of the more slap-up brunches of, possibly, my entire existence.

Enjoy the pictures that follow and I dare you not to book the next flight to LAX to nom your face off.

I dread holidays, birthdays, housewarming parties, or any other occasion that requires gift giving, simply because I’ve never truly been able to wrap a gift. Write you a thesis on Impressionism, check. Master at-home hair coloring, check. Move across the country twice in one year, check. But, the thought of wrapping presents makes me sweat. Yes, I am that girl who pays the store extra money to wrap my holiday presents and I practically promise my sister the world to help me out when it’s someone’s birthday. So, I figured it might just be high time to change this and really sit down and learn to properly wrap a present.

I recently found Sugar Paper, a papery in LA and online that is “renowned for its design aesthetic, unparalleled taste and perfectionism. Having been featured in publications including Martha Stewart Weddings, VOGUE, InStyle Weddings, Lucky, Vanity Fair and Domino, Sugar Paper is a trusted resource for their upscale, stylish and celebrity clientele.” In July, Sugar Paper’s blog featured this step-by-step guide to wrapping gifts and it piqued my interest.

Real Simple also has a great guide and video with greater detail in case the above instructions are not in-depth enough (they weren’t for me).

Only four months till Christmas!

Best, Lauren