Over the last two decades, the emergence of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) strategies and practices as a way of evaluating corporations and businesses has largely influenced the way companies approach their investments. Now, with the increasing awareness of the need for capital to drive social change, many businesses are realizing that they can do good and do well at the same time. As highlighted in Orr Group’s article, “The ESG Opportunity for Nonprofits: It Starts with Looking in the Mirror”, an unprecedented opportunity for sustainable, authentic, and meaningful partnerships between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors have emerged as business and investment leaders incorporate ESG into their worldviews – and their philanthropy.

Jean Case, Chair of National Geographic and CEO of the Case Impact Network, is a businesswoman, investor, philanthropist and impact investing pioneer who is a passionate believer in the power of business and capital to be powerful forces for good. With a focus on ushering in a new era of more inclusive capitalism, Jean founded For What It’s Worth (FWIW) in 2021, the go-to source for new investors looking to confidently invest for both profit and purpose. A long-time investor and champion of investing for impact, Jean joins Orr Group TALKS to discuss ESG and its intersection with philanthropy, as well as explore how nonprofit organizations can adopt these principles to achieve greater impact.

KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Understanding the fundamentals of ESG and its intersection with the nonprofit sector
• How nonprofits can adopt the principles of ESG to increase impact
• Creating a culture around ESG

WHO SHOULD WATCH:

• Nonprofit executives and senior staff
• Current nonprofit board members
• Donors and investors considering impact investing and/or expanding their philanthropy strategies

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Jean Case, Chair of National Geographic and CEO of the Case Impact Network

Jean Case, Chair of National Geographic and CEO of the Case Impact Network, is a businesswoman, investor, philanthropist and impact investing pioneer who believes in the power of business to do good, advocating for the embrace of a Be Fearless approach to innovate and bring about transformational breakthroughs. Her career in the private sector, including as a senior executive at AOL, spanned nearly two decades before co-founding the Case Foundation in 1997.

Jean founded the Case Impact Network in 2020 to usher in a new era of more inclusive capitalism and launched For What It’s Worth (FWIW) in 2021 creating the go-to source for new investors looking to confidently invest for both profit and purpose. Jean, who serves on the boards of National Geographic Partners and the White House Historical Association among others, authored the national bestseller Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose.

Steve Orr, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Orr Group

As co-founder and Managing Partner of Orr Group, Steve has facilitated the growth and evolution of the firm to its current position as a national leader in the nonprofit consulting sector. Drawing on his investment banking and finance background, Steve brings a problem-solving approach, a focus on metrics, and an outcomes-driven perspective to the nonprofit sector. Steve is committed to enhancing philanthropy using innovative technologies and approaches developed in the business world to disrupt the established ways of working and encourage experimentation.

As co-founder and Managing Partner of Orr Group, Steve has facilitated the growth and evolution of the firm to its current position as a national leader in the nonprofit consulting sector. Drawing on his investment banking and finance background, Steve brings a problem-solving approach, a focus on metrics, and an outcomes-driven perspective to the nonprofit sector.  Steve is committed to enhancing philanthropy using innovative technologies and approaches developed in the business world to disrupt the established ways of working and encourage experimentation. Further, Steve leads the firm’s effort to bring ESG to the forefront of our own business methodologies at Orr Group, as well as in the context of how nonprofits can adopt and manage these principles at their organizations to increase impact.