“There is tremendous opportunity in the economy right now to do the right thing.” Yvon Chouinard Yvon Chouinard - Founder of Patagonia 2007 Net Impact Conference Keynote address

NASHVILLE 2007 “I am bragging about the incredible speeches by Yvon Chouinard and Chad Holliday. I am bragging because the social entrepreneurship panel with Sarah Endline and Jon Carson gave me inspiration and information…I am forever grateful!” Jason Packer Student Kogod School of Business American University By all accounts, the 2007 Net Impact conference in Nashville was a huge success. More than 1900 people attended the conference. Students and professionals came from 39 states; 38 members came from Canada; and 19 other international members traveled to the Owen Graduate School of Management. The 2007 conference was our most successful ever, with an 18% increase in attendance from 2006!

Yale University led the collegiate pack, sending 65 Net Impact chapter members to the beautiful, tree-lined Vanderbilt campus. UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business were a close second, with both sending 63 members. Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School both had 52 attendees. The hosts of the 2008 Net Impact conference, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, sent 43 members.


“The US has to lead the movement, not India, China, or Japan. The movement will only be achieved through multiple avenues of exploration and innovation.”

Chad Holliday – DuPont CEO
2007 Net Impact Conference Keynote address


“It was a pleasure to moderate. Congratulations on such a great conference. I look forward to next year!”

Scott Walsh
Environment Defense
Session moderator

Photos courtesy of Patricia Nason

Net Impact expects to see an increase in the numbers of students and professionals attending the 2008 annual conference at The Wharton School, in Philadelphia, PA, from November 13 – 15. And for the first time, Net Impact will host a European Conference, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 12 – 14, 2008.


"It would have been my big mistake in my life if I had missed the conference this year. It was a truly wonderful experience.”

Yun Seonghye
Student
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington


“What do you call 1,000 business hippies line dancing? Awesome.”

Tim Woodall
Chapter leader
Zicklin School of Business
Baruch College

“My husband and I keep a spreadsheet of organizations we are continually inspired to help, as well as a shortlist of about 10 organizations we consistently donate to. Net Impact is at the top of our shortlist!” Lila Preston Associate Generation Investment Management  London, UK

Net Impact member Lila Preston

At Net Impact, our greatest assets are our motivated and engaged members. Their time, energy and ideas are what make Net Impact a one-of-a-kind organization working to achieve a vital mission.

Our members - business students and professionals - demand that we are a well-organized and efficiently run nonprofit. As a 501(c)3 organization, Net Impact applies solid business principles to operating one of the most cost-effective, sustainable nonprofits anywhere.

Foundation support and our Corporate Annual Sponsorship contributions cover much of the basic programming and services Net Impact provides. But membership dues and individual giving help make exciting, additional resources available for exciting initiatives and the ongoing expansion of the Net Impact network.

“I support Net Impact because it is a powerful tool for a whole new generation of business leaders to change the way they do business. And I know part of the equation is funding from individuals," says Lila Preston, an Associate with Generation Investment Management in London, UK.

Lila is well-acquainted with what Net Impact offers both members and the business community. At London Business School, Preston co-founded the Net Impact student chapter. In 2005 she began the London professional chapter. We are always looking to increase our support from individuals like Preston, who are passionate about sustainability issues.

An individual donation to Net Impact goes a long way. Join Lila Preston and others and magnify your impact by considering a gift. Your contribution will help Net Impact facilitate the growth of socially and environmentally responsible business leaders, both today and in the future!

Net Impact is getting younger! In the fall of 2007, we launched a pilot program targeting undergraduate students across the United States and Canada. “As awareness of business as a tool for social change spreads, we realize it is crucial to involve undergraduates who want their work to have greater meaning,” says Alejandra Villalobos, Net Impact’s Strategic Project Manager.

For the pilot year, we looked for a diverse range of programs across North America, and we targeted all years and majors. Net Impact currently has undergraduate Net Impact chapters at California State University, Chico; Cornell University; Gustavus Adolphus College; Middlebury College; Princeton University; Queen's University; Simon Fraser University; University of Michigan; University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business; Vanderbilt University; and York University, Schulich School of Business.


“Net Impact Undergrad is filling an important educational need for students interested in sustainable business, and the formation of a national network would not be possible without you.”

Allison Lake Silverstein
Net Impact Undergrad Chapter Leader
Cornell University


Student events have included the University of Michigan undergrad chapter's “Corporate Social Responsibility 101” and a Microfinance roundtable. The Vanderbilt chapter organized a workshop to raise awareness about genocide; and the Middlebury chapter ran a speaker series on CSR with faculty members from the environmental studies, economics, and the international studies departments.  

In summer 2008, the team will evaluate the success of the pilot and decide on scope of our growth into this exciting new market. For more information, contact Alejandra Villalobos.

Catarina Soares European Director

She has always had a strong interest in nonprofit management, having volunteered at Habitat for Humanity in Brazil and having organized a session at INSEAD on the theme “Management in the Humanitarian, Development and Aid fields”. She holds a BA in Economics from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and an MBA from INSEAD. She is Portuguese and is currently based in Lisbon, Portugal.

Soares sees European chapters, “resulting from the desire of students and professionals to learn and discuss ways to make the world a better place through business.” Such groups started developing spontaneously in Europe. She adds, “we now have 17 school chapters in Europe and we’re growing fast.”

Increasing requests from the growing number of European chapters illustrated the need for regional support, and led to Net Impact’s hiring of Soares.

“European Net Impact members want to learn from one another so they can impact their communities and businesses in the best way possible. I have been facilitating this process by sharing with our members some great tools such as Net Impact’s online member community and sharing exciting events like our Green Challenge,” says Soares.

As membership keeps growing in Europe, Soares expects to play an important role connecting European chapters with other organizations that share Net Impact’s belief in improving the world through business. She points out that “there are many organizations and businesses in Europe that claim this belief, and it’s important to Net Impact and our members that we only associate with the ones that act accordingly.”

On the funding front, Soares has two main goals: to cover European staff expenses and to ensure an affordable 2008 Europen Net Impact Conference which will be held in Geneva June 12-14, 2008.

“For 15 years Net Impact has held conferences in the US in partnership with business schools,” she says, “and we are now in a position to do the same in Europe, in partnership with top European business schools.” The event, co-organized by IOMBA HEC Geneve, INSEAD and Nottingham University Business School, will be an opportunity for responsible businesses and organizations to interact directly with MBA students who will shape and lead future European businesses.

"Net Impact truly empowers business schools and business professionals in providing them with the tools and the network to magnify their impact in making the world a better place,” Soares says. “In the short time I have been with Net Impact, I have been able to witness this great organization in action and I am humbled and proud to be part of its global expansion.”