It was great to see Chris Abraham, Director of Social Media at Unison Agency, Cori Lathan, Board Chair and CEO of AnthroTronix, and Courtney Maloney, Program/Project Development Officer at USAID.

It is always a pleasure to gather together with old friends while making new connections. Stay tuned for a SWAY event near you!

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Kari Hayden

Thursday, April 4, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT)

SWAY – the social gathering exploring social good – is coming back to the Capitol! Join m.o. Partners founder Kari Hayden for an informal no-host cocktail hour!

SWAY, which stands for SocialWAY, brings together like-minded individuals that have attended events like TED, Davos, SXSW, RenWkd, etc. to share ideas, find support for new projects/ideas, and inspire each other.  SWAY quarterly series explores the inspirational work being done in different industries.

Together we will sway companies, sway causes, and sway culture toward positive change.

If you can’t make the event, contact Kari to set up coffee or join her with Professor Muhammad Yunus at the World Health Congress on April 8th.

View the event on EVENTBRITE

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You’re invited…

to attend the World Health Care Congress conference and special sessions with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Health staff in the US and Bangladesh.

Dates: April 8 – April 10, 2013

What: 2013 World Health Care Congress: Innovating to Improve Care – Delivering Better, More Effective, and More Efficient Health Care

Monday, April 8th      Health Care Sessions With Professor Muhammad Yunus

1:15pm – 2:45pm:            Panel: “The Rise of Social Business Models in Global Health Care”

5:05pm – 5:45pm:            Keynote Panel: “Meet the Global Challenge of Developing Sustainable, Affordable Health Care Systems”

6:05pm – 6:55pm:            Executive Networking Reception

7:05pm – 8:30pm:            Informal dinner discussing ”Grameen Health Innovations in the US and best practices learned from Bangladesh”

Questions? Contact Kari Hayden for more information.

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The Center for Socially Responsible Business at Mills College

Friday, March 15, 2013

m.o. Partners founder, Kari Hayden, recently had the opportunity to work with The Center for Socially Responsible Business at Mills College to design their annual conference in Oakland, CA. This year’s conference title was “Creating Shared Value and Evaluating Social Impact.”

Faculty, students, and industry experts gathered to discuss “how organizations of any size and profit orientation can find new growth by adopting the idea of shared values and evaluating social impact in innovative ways.”

Conference attendees were privileged to hear from the event’s keynote speaker, Leila Janah, Founder and CEO of Samasource. Since 2008, Samasource has functioned as a social business which serves to connect “women and youth living in poverty to dignified work via the Internet.” Their goal is to reduce poverty among the world’s population.

Conference sessions explored various aspects of the conference theme. One session, moderated by Chad Bolick, Associate Director of Partnerships at FSG, discussed the concept of “shared value” and what “creating shared value” means for traditional companies. Another, hosted by Dermot Hikisch, Director of Business Development at B Lab, discussed “unique business models and strategies that earn financial returns and social impact.” Diane Johnson, Ph.D., Mmapeu Management Consulting, led a panel which explored “different ways to design, capture, and communicate impact.” Robin Pendoley, Founder & CEO of Thinking Beyond Borders, directed discussion on the impact of the educational system.

Additional topics of conference discussion included identifying social impact goals, evaluating social impact differently, learning from social venture funders, and the revitalization of Oakland. Other conference attendees and participants included, Rob Meloche, Business Leader of Corporate Responsibility at Visa, Kathy Mulvany, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at Cisco, and Angela Leung Wasmer, Director of Global Public Affairs, Gap, Inc. As well as Bill Peterson, Chief Credit Officer at New Resource Bank, Rana DiOrio, Founder of Little Pickle Press, and Elana Metz and Lacy Aspill, Founding Directors of Moving Forward Education

Kari was thrilled to take part in the event for the second year in a row, and she is pleased to share some of her photos from the conference.

The post Mills College Annual Conference 2013 appeared first on m.o. Partners.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Julia Morgan Ballroom, 465 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94104

m.o. Partners founder, Kari Hayden, recently had the opportunity to attend the Third Annual Women Changing the World Luncheon hosted by The San Francisco Foundation in San Francisco, CA. Kari would like to thank Host Committee member, Jamie Gardner, principal at JH Gardner Consulting and O-H Community Partners, Ltd., for inviting her to attend.

Other Host Committee members included:

• Katie Albright, executive director of San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center
• Deborah Santana, author, founder and CEO of Do A Little, and vice chair board of trustees, Museum of African Diaspora
• Sarah Stein, president of Hall Capital Partners LLC, and board member, The San Francisco Foundation
• Grace Won, partner at Farella Braun + Martel, and board member, Children Now.

The event sought to highlight “the incredible leadership of Bay Area women who are making communities healthier and stronger by increasing access to healthy food.” Topics of discussion ranged from talk of health food to food justice. Guest speakers included Kirsten Saenz Tobey, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Revolution Foods, and Nikki Henderson, executive director of People’s Grocery.

Kari was privileged to sit next to Allison Kate Kim of Goody Foods. Goody Foods is “a healthy snack box service based in San Francisco. [They] personally hand-make delicious snacks with the healthiest of ingredients. [Their] snacks are free of preservatives, processing and wasteful packaging, and are designed to grab-and-go.” They made all of the cookies for the event with gluten-free, nutrient dense ingredients, free of white flour and white sugar.

The centerpieces were made of fresh fruit and guests were given goodie bags to take home with them. As a thank you gift, there were also over 200 food related books and cookbooks to choose from. Kari selected one containing 500 Vegan recipes, which she can’t wait to start making.

Kari was thrilled to attend the event and is pleased to share some of her photos from the luncheon.

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Westin Long Beach in Melbourne Room, 33 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA

Grameen Research, Inc. recently offered an exclusive Grameen Luncheon at TED in Long Beach, CA. The event offered attendees the opportunity to witness an engaging discussion on what’s new with Professor Muhammad Yunus‘ Grameen microfinance and healthcare models globally & in the US.

Kari Hayden, m.o. Partners founder and SVP of Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships of Grameen Research & Grameen Health Innovations (GHI), had the opportunity to lead table discussions during the event. Hayden was accompanied by Vidar Jorgensen, Founder & President of Grameen America, Grameen Research & Grameen Health Innovations, and Badi-Ul Alam, Los Angeles Branch Manager of Grameen America. John Megrue, Jr., CEO at Apax Partners LP & Grameen America Board Member, was also invited to particpate.

The event included a discussion of both the past and present status of Grameen Research, Inc. They discussed the US Launch of Grameen America Los Angeles and other aspects of Grameen expansion, as well as Grameen Health and Grameen Health Innovations. Talk expanded to include a general discussion of the evolution of microfinance, low-cost health solutions, and the impact on low-income communities.

Attendees were also given the opportunity to watch a short screener from the documentary film on the launching of Grameen America – To Catch A Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America.

Kari was thrilled to take part in the event and is pleased to share some of photos from the evening.

Vidar Jorgensen and LA manager Badi-Ul Alam wowing 30+ guests at the Grameen Health luncheon.

Vidar Jorgensen and Badi-Ul Alam at the Grameen Health luncheon.

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January 2013

m.o. Partners founder, Kari Hayden, recently had the opportunity to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting for 2013 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland (find out about her experience here). While there, Kari had an exciting Wonderbag Dinner with Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Team.

What is a Wonderbag, you ask?

A Wonderbag [by Natural Balance] is an insulated bag in which people can cook anything from meaty stews or vegetable curries to simple rice and soups. You heat up your pot of food on the stove, kick-starting the cooking process, and then place it in the Wonderbag.

Wonderbag’s clever insulating properties allow food that has been brought to the boil to finish cooking while in the bag without the use of additional energy. So, families can cook appetising hot meals, while saving energy – and money. It also means less time tending cooking food – time that can be better spent looking after children, earning an income or doing essential chores.

Wonderbags are more than just a means of cooking. Wonderbags contribute to positive change around the world. Focused in South Africa, Wonderbags help protect the environment, reduce poverty, and ease unemployment. “Research shows that when families use a Wonderbag regularly, it can reduce CO2 emissions by 0.5 carbon tonnes per home, per year.” Additionally, Wonderbags can save families up to 30% on fuel per family, and their production and dispersion have the potential to create thousands of jobs.

Kari was able to experience Wonderbag cooking first hand while in Davos for the World Economic Forum Annual Conference. She and the Grameen Team had the chance to see it in action.

Here are some photos from the dinner:

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January 23 – 27, 2013

m.o. Partners founder, Kari Hayden, recently had the opportunity to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting for 2013 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

The Annual Meeting serves as a venue for “engaging leaders in collaborative activities focused on shaping the global, regional and industry agendas.” The event features over 3,000 participants “representing all sectors of global society, from business and government to civil society, spiritual and media leaders.”

Some of the 2013 speakers included Kofi Annan (Chairman, Kofi Annan Foundation, Switzerland, and Secretary-General of the United Nations, 1997-2006), David Cameron (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom), Charlize Theron (Actress and Founder, Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project) and Muhammad Yunus (Chairman, Yunus Centre, Bangladesh).

For this year’s conference, Kari stayed in the Grameen House, and throughout the course of her time in Davos, participated in an array of receptions and discussions. Kari kicked off the conference by attending an evening event sponsored by PepsiCo at Schneider’s Cafe. PepsiCo CEO, Indra K. Nooyi, was in attendance. Conversations with staff surrounded how they are positioning their work in CSR and shared-values by providing products and services that are nutrition focused.

Walking with Grameen Team and Muhammad Yunus

She had the opportunity to attend a Yale University reception with Henry A. Kissinger (Chairman, Kissinger Associates), a World Food Programme breakfast with Nicholas D. Kristof (Columnist, The New York Times), and the 9th Davos Ukrainian lunch hosted by EastOne and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. She also attended a Fenton Communications breakfast with Lisa Witter (Partner and Chief Change Officer, Fenton), the 6th Davos Philanthropic Roundtable, and the Open Forum Davos 2013 lecture on obesity.

World Food Programme breakfast with Nicholas D. Kristof

She attended several events surrounding the topic of online learning. The first was an MIT learning event moderated by Thomas L. Friedman (Columnist, Foreign Affairs, The New York Times). The Presidents of MIT and Harvard, among others, attended to discuss the benefits and challenges surrounding online education. She also attended a lecture featuring William H. Gates III (Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Peter A. Thiel (Partner, Founders Fund), and Lawrence H. Summers (Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University).

Kari also had the opportunity to meet with PWC, Cisco, Intel, Dalio, the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland, and Bain Capitol. Additional event participations included the Unilever Reception: A Billion Better Lives, SkyBridge Capital Wine Forum, and the Bank of America Reception.

Kari is grateful for the opportunity she had to participate in this annual meeting. Here are some of her behind the scenes photos:

Want more behind the scenes excitement? Check out Kari’s video blogs, taken while in Davos:

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It was great to see Divya Kapasi, Founder and CEO of GoodList, working on a new start-up. It was also wonderful to see Billie Hughes, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations & Career Services at NYU, as well as NYU grad classmate Theresa Chinte, Operations & Finance Manager at The White House Project.

And now, a story of SWAY connections:

David Hessekiel, President and Founder of Cause Marketing Forum, Inc., met my former NYU colleague, Robin Deutsch Edwards, at a SWAY in NYC in May. Robin had recently made the decision to branch out as an individual consultant, and David was looking for support for his Run, Walk, Ride conferences. I learned from David, who once again came to SWAY, that he had hired Robin and their consulting relationship was working out great.

This is the exciting news we love to hear. This is what SWAY is about, getting people together so they can work together. Keep an eye out for upcoming events near you.

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We were joined by Kate Byrne, Chief Brand Officer, and Anthony Jewett, Director of Strategic Initiatives, from the Tides Foundation. They shared some insights on Social Media on Purpose, the event they hosted earlier that day at Stanford University.

Social Media on Purpose was “developed for executives at nonprofits and other social mission organizations who are responsible for their organization’s social media strategy.” The one-day conference provided sessions offering information pertaining to social media strategy development (including goal development and strategy implementation), discussions of various platforms (both current, major platforms, as well as new tools, particularly those relating to crowdfunding and photo sharing), and case study discussion. The event also provided valuable networking opportunities to discuss current social media challenges.

Kate sparked the conversation, and the SWAY group continued to discuss how new online models will continue to challenge the sectors of nonprofit and corporate philanthropy. Talks evolved to a discussion of effective online communication and fundraising tactics. We also discussed current crowdfunding models, with discussions of which site could out-pace the others.

It was great to see Sunil Nagaraj, from Bessemer Venture Partners as well as a former client, Dave Boyce, CEO of Fundly.

As a result of SWAY, new personal and professional connections are born and cultivated. Here is just one example:

Noelle Filippenko met Bill Sautter, a private equity investment banker for Galaxy Ventures, at a SWAY last summer. Noelle has been inviting Bill, and others, to attend astronomy events with her and her husband, Alex Filippenko (a well-known astrophysicist and professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley) as part of a local club. Alex and Bill are now great friends and enjoy sharing their love of astronomy with others.

This is what SWAY is all about. Keep an eye out for upcoming events and join us!

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