An increasing number of businesses are looking for ways to have positive social impact in areas that mirror Jewish philanthropic efforts in Tikkun Olam. Corporations are exploring ways to use their business know-how and influence to impact issues of social and environmental sustainability world-wide. In their book, The Business of Changing the World, Marc Beinoff, Chairman and CEO of salesforce.com, and Carlye Adler interview twenty corporate leaders and demonstrate that a growing number of corporations have proven that “integrating philanthropy into business isn’t a lofty idea, but the secret weapon for twenty-first century companies to achieve success.”

How can we, through Jewish philanthropy, leverage our resources and expertise and take advantage of these corporate trends? For example, how do we ensure that the investment of our corpus is consistent with our philanthropic mission? How could we allocate a portion of our grant and program funding to support or encourage corporate participation in social and environmental issues? Through conversations, conference calls, and educational sessions, the Jewish Funders Network (JFN) has begun to explore this growing field, examining Mission Related Investments (MRI), Program Related Investments (PRI), opportunities for Social Enterprise, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Please join this on-going conversation as we think proactively about how to promote Jewish values in a 21st century context.

Over the course of the fall, JFN will present three webinars to delve deeper into some of these trends in corporate citizenship, and challenge us to think about how it may relate to Jewish philanthropy.

Webinar 1 – Corporate Social Responsibility
September 29, 2014 – 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT
Presenter: Aron Cramer, CEO and President, Business for Social Responsibility

• Corporate leaders are advocating for a transformation from responsibility of stockholders to stakeholders, which includes employees, customers, community (where a company does business or its supply chain) and the environment. Join Aron Cramer, CEO and President of Business for Social Responsibility, as we learn more about CSR and how Jewish values and philanthropy can complement sustainable business.

Register here.