Partners
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Three Benefits of Partnering with a B Corp
B corporations are businesses that are run with the good of the community in mind. For these businesses, it is about profit — but not only about profit. B corporations are only certified as such if their business practices can be held accountable to a high set of standards. This means that they are transparent and also have a strong dedication to social and environmental awareness. At the end of the day, B corps “redefine success in business.” B corps don’t just make for better businesses, they make for better partners! Take a look at how your company or nonprofit would benefit from a partnership with a B corp. ... -
ASBC Gathering at New Resource Bank
BetterWorld was happy to speak last week at ASBC’s outreach event about the important role that businesses can play to support a just and sustainable economy. Sponsored by BetterWorld, CAMEO, AquaBella, and the Green Chamber of Commerce at New Resource Bank, the gathering attracted many Bay Area sustainable leaders, including many BetterWorld customers and partners.... -
Market Street Forum with David Chiu
BetterWorld recently co-hosted the first Market Street Forum, a new quarterly gathering of Bay Area leaders, with a focus towards the intersection of the broadband economy + future of work + the resulting benefits for our society and environment. In collaboration with Varsity Technologies and the American Sustainable Business Council, BetterWorld launched Market Street Forum with featured guest speaker, President of the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, David Chiu. ... -
BetterWorld TechSoup Global Program Case Study
We were thrilled to receive this review from one of our newest TechSoup Global nonprofit customers, FishWise: FishWise provides innovative market-based tools to the seafood industry, enabling consumers and grocery retailers to support marine conservation through their seafood purchasing decisions. Letter from Fishwise: I was hired to organize a growing non-profit office of eight. ... -
California Teleconnect Fund
(This posting was originally a guest blog for TechSoup Global) If you work for a nonprofit or library in California, your organization might be eligible to reduce your telecom expenses by half. Thousands of eligible organizations in California are not aware of the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) and missing out on this great benefit available to them. BetterWorld Telecom is one of only a select few telecom providers certified and approved to provide services eligible for reimbursement through the CTF program. We also have a donation program with the non-profit TechSoup Global, providing access to discounted telecommunications service. When combined with the California Teleconnect Fund discount, this offering creates an amazing opportunity for eligible nonprofits. ... -
San Francisco Steps up Big for B Corps – Board of Supervisors President, David Chiu, Proposes Incentives for CA B Corps
San Francisco Board of Supervisors President and SF Mayoral Candidate, David Chiu, today held a press conference at the Hub SoMa and laid out his plan for San Francisco to become the beacon and capital of Social Entrepreneurialism, starting with a plan for the City to provide contract bid preferences to CA B Corps or Benefit Corporations. BetterWorld has stood by Supervisor Chiu through this process, which began at a Silicon Valley Leadership Group event a few months ago and culminating recently in a roundtable with Supervisor Chiu with many SF Access Economy and B Corps leaders, including Jeff Marcous of Dharma Merchant Services, Brian Back of Sustainable Industries, David Brodwin from the American Sustainable Business Council, Alex Michel from the 5M Project and others.... -
A Week of Inspiration
The BetterWorld team was fortunate to attend two very different events this week that both shed a great deal of hope and inspiration on our short and long term future. With nothing but bad news coming out of the mainstream media, no solutions coming from Capitol Hill and Wall Street clinging mightily to its profits, it is the story of the millennials, the Access Economy, and the Shared Economy that help paint a pathway towards a more socially and environmentally sustainable The 12th Annual Brower Youth Awards: Not a dry eye in the house as a packed house at the beautiful Herbst Theatre across from City Hall in downtown San Francisco listened for almost two hours to the stories of 7 incredible, young changemakers. The recipients hailed from places as diverse as the Bronx, Santa Cruz all the way to Appalachian West Virginia. Their stories held a common bond of both frustration with the current system, and their own beautiful answers for helping to change things in their communities and beyond. This year’s Brower Youth Award recipients are: ... -
B Corporations
In a huge stride forward for business and communities alike, Governor Brown signed into law the historic Assembly Bill 361, creating a new class of corporation, a benefit corporation. The legislation, introduced by Assembly member Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) legally requires benefit corporations to prioritize positive impact on society and the environment, while meeting higher standards of accountability and transparency. Current law requires corporations to prioritize the financial interests of shareholder over the interests of workers, communities, and the environment. The California legislation is unique, providing the strongest consumer and investor protection, with more rigorous transparency provisions than the states that have so far enacted benefit corporation legislation. California is the sixth and largest state to enact benefit corporation legislation and has a strong existing base of entrepreneurs connected to sustainability. ... -
American Sustainable Business Council 2nd Annual Conference
Dozens of sustainable business and organizational leaders descended on Washington, D.C. this week for the 2nd Annual American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) Conference. The myriad of member organizations and business members that make up ASBC, now include and represent over 100,000 businesses across America. We discussed sustainable policies from the Jobs Act to Toxic Chemical Legislation with members of the EPA, representatives of the Obama Administration, and over 30 congressional and senate offices, many times with the members themselves.... -
Investors' Circle Venture Forum in San Francisco
The BetterWorld Team was out at the Investors' Circle Spring Venture Fair and Forum in San Francisco yesterday and today. Investors' Circle is a network of over 150 angel investors, professional venture capitalists, foundations and family offices who are using private capital to promote the transition to a sustainable economy. Since 1992, Investors' Circle has facilitated the flow of over $145 million into more than 220 companies and small funds addressing social and environmental issues.... -
William James Foundation Biz Plan Winners Announced!
How do we create social change and speed up innovation and at the same time, provide access and mentoring for young business minds with great ideas? William James Foundation tackles both of these challenges with an annual business competition for the world’s young sustainable entrepreneurs. BetterWorld Telecom is proud to support this project and serve as a reading judge this year for the William James Foundation Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition.... -
TechSoup Global Contributors Summit
BetterWorld was honored to be a part of a convening of funders, corporate donors, social media experts, capacity-building organizations and the fulcrum of all of these amazing networks, TechSoup Global. The summit has focused on how BetterWorld and other participants can create greater impact through the extraordinary network of partners that comprise TechSoup’s global contributors.... -
B Corps Gain Momentum in 2011
Some great news out of the gates for B Corps in 2011: BetterWorld helped launch B Corps for Non Profits in January, a group of companies that dedicated much or all of their time and energy towards helping to enable and strengthen non-profits around the country and world – here’s a great article on Guidestar about the group – http://trust.... -
BetterWorld Telecom 2010 Signpost
As is our annual BetterBlog tradition, we mark the passing of each January 1st with some reflection and highlights of the previous year. As we make the turn into 2011, the BetterWorld team is excited as 2010, on almost every front, was our best to date – from new partnerships, to customers, expanding our mission and furthering our efforts to provide a concrete example and direction for how the telecoms industry can be a social and environmental leader, our pathway has never been more clear.... -
SEA – BetterWorld Partnership To Benefit Social Entrepreneurs Across North America
Our team is abuzz this week with the news of our new partnership with the Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA). SEA represents the largest network of social enterprises in North America and the leading membership organization in North America for social enterprises, service providers, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and venture capitalists that is actively building the field of social enterprise through networking opportunities, educational forums, strategic partnerships, and impact legislation.... -
TechSoup and BetterWorld Launch National Donation Program
This past week, the excitement ran high at BetterWorld as we launched our national national donation program alongside partners TechSoup Global and Aptela. The TechSoup+BetterWorld+Aptela partnership creates a unique bundle of telecommunications services that are now available to nonprofit organizations and public libraries as a combination of donated equipment and discounted rates.... -
BetterWorld Awarded $2.5M Grant From U.S. Commerce Department/NTIA
We try not to toot our own horn much in the BetterBlog and keep the focus on our customers and partners, but hard to resist here as we got a great affirmation in last week on the BetterWork front. As part of the National Telecommunications Information Administration’s (NTIA) stimulus program, BetterWorld was awarded a $2.... -
BetterWork, NetImpact and the Future
Last week we had the fortune of presenting the BetterWork framework to most of the staff at NetImpact in San Francisco. We had a great discussion about the nature of work and changing how we work can cut the carbon output of America by 50% in the coming decades. With NetImpact really serving as the training ground for our next generation of sustainable leaders and hopefully helping to produce the first generation that elevates environmental and social responsibility to the top of our list of priorities, we were so encouraged by the amazing questions and dialogue that ensued during our time with the NetImpact staff.... -
California Teleconnect Fund – Great Opportunity for Non-Profits
BetterWorld Telecom is fortunate to now be an approved carrier for the California Teleconnect Fund. This amazing program offers qualifying non-profits essentially a 50% discount on many commercial telecommunications service such as DSL, T1s, PRIs, VoIP, Unified Communications, IP Trunking and many more. The California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) Program was established by Decision 96-10-066 on October 25, 1996.... -
BetterWork Customers Events Green Festivals Green Telecom Partners Social Venture Network Uncategorized Volunteering
Case Study: Oregon 211info H1N1 Hotline
This week we had the pleasure of presenting our case study with Oregon 211_info_ – how 211_info_ and the Oregon Department of Health quickly and efficiently created a call center in response to the H1N1 influenza epidemic, creating a model for other quick-response, temporary hotlines. In the fall of 2009, 211info and the Oregon Department of Human Services, working with BetterWorld Telecom, created a comprehensive hotline with a supervisor, a staff of 20 temporary information and referral agents, continually updated information, partners in nurse triage and clinic support offices, and administrative help from 211info.... -
NISH 2010 Conference: Where Opportunity Meets Reality
We were fortunate and privileged to attend and participate in the NISH Annual Conference this past week in Anaheim. Over 2,000 folk from all over the country were on hand for what was a truly inspirational and uplifting program, all dedicated to helping people with disabilities to find more meaningful lives through meaningful work.... -
BALLE 2010 National Conference
If you have been following the BetterBlog over time, you know of our total commitment to helping build local living economies, especially through the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). As a number of the BetterWorld contingent were in attendance at the BALLE national conference last week in Charleston, SC, and our unified opinion is that BALLE is truly a force to be reckoned with in North America and the world – the conference was truly amazing and all the local and national staff, volunteers and .... -
Everything Comes Full Circle
One of the best decisions we have made since starting BetterWorld has been to join the Full Circle Fund in San Francisco – Matt and I were at the annual FCF retreat this past weekend in Monterrey, seeing lots of old friends and making many new ones. The one standout for us is how this organization, which is approaching 10 years own has grown its impact and reach every year....
