News, Updates, and Insights

The Conference Board has published a new report authored by Alex Parkinson, entitled Data-Driven Philanthropy: The Revolutionary Potential to Change Lives. The piece is available for free to members of The Conference Board.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has published a piece authored by Jason Saul, CEO of Parky Communications’ client Mission Measurement. We’re happy to have helped Jason put this piece together. Read it here: https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Why-We-Need-Better-Ways-to/249381

Parky Communications is proud to announce the launch of an audio sketch comedy show, written by and starring Alex Parkinson, available through the Atlanta Fringe Audio. Entitled Armed and Dangerish, the piece showcases Alex’s voiceover capabilities, as well as his comedic writing. Listen to it on Spotify, or by visiting the Atlanta Fringe Audio website.

Strategic partnerships with nonprofits are increasingly important to companies that understand the business case for community engagement. For Atlanta-based Novelis, the global leader in aluminum rolled products and the world’s largest recycler of aluminum, a decade-long collaboration with For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology (FIRST), an international youth organization that inspires young people to be science and technology leaders, has helped the company innovate and advance its diversity and inclusion goals in its home market and abroad.

Strap in for an economic slog through the next decade. In Global Economic Outlook 2020: Stagnating Growth amid an Uncertain Outlook, The Conference Board’s Chief Economist, Bart van Ark, announces that “we’ve arrived in a world of stagnating growth.” With corporate giving being closely tied to business performance and contributions historically dropping after difficult economic periods, a slowing economy does not bode well for the flow of corporate donations to the nonprofit community. Moreover, a potential hit to consumer confidence could magnify a funding shortfall. Fortunately, corporate foundations are built to navigate these conditions. It might be time to get ready.

A recent report from The Conference Board found that 53.7 percent of workers are satisfied with their job. Job Satisfaction 2019: Satisfaction Continues to Rapidly Increase in a Very Tight Labor Market says that these workers are “particularly content with their commute, their workmates, the work itself, the physical environment, and their perception of job security.” On the flip side, the main drivers of job satisfaction are potential for future growth, communication channels, recognition/acknowledgement, performance review process, work/life balance, and workload. There’s a notable absence in these two lists: purpose.

A new podcast from The Conference Board’s ESG Center features Alex Parkinson interviewing Elizabeth Roscoe, Global Head, Corporate Brand & Purpose and Executive Director, Western Union Foundation, about the donor’s new goal to invest $15 million within three years, with a focus on empowering displaced and marginalized youth to succeed in today’s technology driven global economy.

The business world is abuzz with the announcement from a top association of America’s chief executive officers, that it is “modernizing its principles on the role of the corporation.”

September is National Preparedness Month in the U.S., something we’re acutely reminded of after Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and the East Coast. And to that end, a recent analysis from The Conference Board maps the central role corporate philanthropy plays in dealing with such disasters.  

Artificial intelligence (AI) could help to address significant societal challenges, including those identified in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to Notes from the AI Frontier: Applying AI for Social Good, a new report from McKinsey that considers the use of AI for social good. But to scale and apply “AI for social benefit will depend on the willingness of relevant groups of stakeholders, including collectors and generators of data as well as governments and NGOs, to engage.” With technology regulation at the top of minds for many, willingness to apply AI for social good might be stemmed.

Latest research written by Alex Parkinson has been featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The news outlet has published key findings from Disaster Philanthropy Practices, a new report published by The Conference Board that details findings from a survey of council members, as well as discussions at council meetings.

Alex Parkinson, Principal of Parky Communications LLC, has authored a new report for The Conference Board entitled Disaster Philanthropy Practices. The report is available to members of The Conference Board free of charge. The below press release details the key findings of the report. Please email Alex at Alex.Parkinson@parkycommunications.com if you have any questions or would like further information about the report.

Are you using technology effectively to engage employees in community programs? A partnership between Georgia Power and Purposity is showing how disruptive technology can be used to boost the long-held practice of community engagement.

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