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Engaging Stakeholders for Lasting Solutions
Shell brought together more than 100 of its social investment partners for an interactive two-day stakeholder engagement forum in June to emphasize the importance of collaboration in meeting company business objectives and community needs.
Frazier Wilson, manager of Social InvestmentThis was an opportunity to share our business objectives and brainstorm with key organizations about the ways we can work together for the greater good. Instead of writing a check in support of a program or activity, we’re more interested in creating lasting sustainable impact.
Leaders of national, state and local agencies representing Shell’s main social investment focus areas of environment, community, and education and arts attended the forum.
Tracy Faulkner, vice president, External Affairs, Shell Oil Company, welcomed attendees and encouraged them to leverage the meeting to help tell a stronger story. “It’s critical to us as a business to understand the measure of impact of money we’re investing. We also want to learn from you.”
Dick Williams, president of Shell Wind Energy, shared Shell’s Scenario planning and how this future-forward thinking impacts the company’s investment decisions. Participants then broke into groups to discuss how they could be proactive in helping Shell solve future energy challenges by promoting innovation and technology, raising awareness of energy issues, supporting biodiversity and encouraging people to conserve.
Special guest speakers during the two-day forum included:
- Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, who shared 30 years of demographic research into the changing face of Houston. He noted that Houston is a city of immigrants and that the city is rapidly changing in demographics to a population of more African American, Asian and Hispanic and less Anglos. “Every business will have to learn to capitalize on this diversity. The new pro-growth agenda is no longer no taxes, but a major commitment to education and to making progress in building a much more environmentally and aesthetically pleasing destination. It’s about building a society where all our communities have an equal chance to participate in shaping the future.”
- Angela Blanchard, president and CEO of Neighborhood Centers, who encouraged fellow nonprofits to look for ways to partner together for lasting improvements rather than focusing on one program or outcome. “Sometimes you have to build as you go and you’re not guaranteed the funding to finish the job. But if we face the challenges that come with the complexity of integration, what we get really does bring transformation.”
- Evan Hochberg, national director, Community Involvement, for Deloitte Services LP, who discussed the importance of measurement, noting that from a funding perspective, corporations are data-driven organizations. “No matter what business you’re in, companies understand data. The chance to encourage and move a company to do more than it does today is not going to be an altruistic heartstrings approach. It’s about offering companies a chance to make investments that they know work. A strong measurement program can be a trump card for an NGO.”
- Mark Shamley, executive director, Association of Corporate Contribution Professionals, discussed strategies for developing collaborative solutions for shared impact. “This is a model where nonprofit organizations and Shell are coming together in a partnership, and managing that partnership for the long term requires expectations on everyone’s part.”
- Bob Sanborn, president and CEO, and Caroline Holcombe, research analyst for Children At Risk, who shared case studies of how social service organizations have measured their successes in meeting organizational goals, including examples from the Cleveland Orchestra, Partners in Health and The Nature Conservancy.
The two-day event included several interactive breakout sessions that encouraged collaboration and innovation to help Shell advance its social investment goals.
"Solving many of society's biggest challenges will require all of us working together. The SI Forum was an opportunity to talk with our partners about the energy industry and the initiatives that matter most to Shell, with the intention that we will better align our efforts for greater success in making lasting change" says Bruce Culpepper, executive vice president, Human Resources and Regional Coordination, Shell Americas.
In closing the event, Wilson thanked participants for their time and input. “We consider you our top partners and see you as our customers as well. We value what you do. We hope we have provided you with a better understanding of what we’re trying to achieve and help you develop ideas with us and other partners in the community,” he said. “We know the best way to do that is by working with others and broadening our opportunities. We want to continue this dialogue,” Wilson added.
Attendees appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Shell’s social investment goals, as well as to network with other social service providers.
“It was a good opportunity to network with other organizations and learn more about how to measure the impact of our work so we can better communicate with potential funders,” noted Anne Chandler, executive director, Tahirih Justice Center.
“It’s wonderful that Shell encourages open dialogue. We’re able to look at our programming and see how we can support Shell’s objectives. It’s a true partnership,” noted David Chambers, director of Institutional Giving for the Houston Grand Opera.
