Opinion
Corporate Social Responsibility isn't dead – it's just getting started
Has corporate social responsibility been killed by the social enterprise model? Not so, says Step Changers general manager Rosie Collins, as not all businesses can operate under this model. Instead, she says it's about finding where companies fit on a spectrum of giving back.
The power of giving
The gift of kindness: How Good Bitches Baking is transforming prisoners' lives with an act as simple as baking
Making baked goods for those in need sounds like a simple task rather than a revolution, but sometimes small acts of kindness can also be the most transformative. This is what’s seen the charity Good Bitches Baking grow from humble beginnings in Wellington into a nationwide movement. Now, it’s turning its hand to helping rehabilitate prisoners through the therapeutic act of baking, with the goods then given to women’s refuge – giving two of the groups in our society that are most in need of some love a helping hand.
Give a little
One Percent Collective shows how easy it is to give up some of your income
Mike's put almost nothing into everything he's ever done, but, when he meets Mandy, he finds out that almost nothing can mean everything to someone else – just like the minimal effort it takes to be part of the One Percent Collective.
Doing good
The Idealog guide to things you can do with your money to reduce social inequality (even if we're unqualified to give financial advice)
You want to make a positive difference in the world. You have some money. So, how do you do the greatest amount of good with the money you have? Here are some options, even if we're about as qualified for giving financial advice as an actual kākāpō would be for coaching the All Blacks.
Surf's up
Riding the wave: Tauranga-based Safe Surfer crowned ‘Tech Innovator of the Year’
A charity that helps filter harmful online content from children has won Tech Innovator of the Year at the 2018 NZ Charities Technology Awards. Safe Surfer, which was developed in the Bay of Plenty, is now being used by more than 300,000 individuals in over 120 countries.
Meeting your match
Collaborate helps you swipe right on your favourite charity or social cause
How do you break the stereotype of the younger generation that’s been labelled lazy, self-entitled and reckless with money (hello, $15 smashed avocado on toast) and help them do some social good? You create an app akin to the world’s most popular dating platform, Tinder, that connects volunteers with charities and social causes. Collaborate co-founder Holly Norton explains her app, how it’s smashing Millennial stereotypes and how people actually do want to do volunteer work, it’s just the process that’s hard.
Good cause
Blunt Umbrellas, Oxfam NZ and Flox make limited edition umbrellas for charity
Oxfam New Zealand, Blunt Umbrellas and Kiwi artist Flox have collaborated on a limited-edition ‘Flox for Blunt’ umbrella to help raise interest in, and funds, for Oxfam NZ’s climate change initiatives in the Pacific region.
Power of the people
Inspiring individuals: How Take My Hands founder Janette Searle gets medical supplies to those in need
Take My Hands is a not-for-profit organisation that redistributes prosthetic, orthotic and medical equipment to those in need. The idea came from Searle noting that freight carriers and warehouses are usually only partly full, and thought that spare capacity could be used to send medical equipment to those in need. Here, she shares the story behind it.
Drawn to a good cause
Artists raise cash for fire-affected Canterbury
The February blaze in Christchurch's Port Hills saw the community rope together to support families who suffered loss from the fire. But one group of artists are pushing their talent to the next level to support a family in need.
