The Issue
Traditional CSR and ESG models are no longer the gold standard for corporations. The incoming Gen Z, millennials, and committed activists expect companies to serve a Social Purpose - beyond creating shareholder value. They have the ability and willingness to punish companies that don’t comply.
Of worthy note, the gravitas of 183 corporate signatures on the August 2019 US Business Roundtable revised “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” changes the game! Shareholder value creation and Social Purpose appear to be at parity. U.S. Senator Warren’s 2018 Accountable Capitalism Act may be an early indicator of what is to come.
The tectonic shift to include Social Purpose is now a boardroom risk. Yesterday’s framework for boardroom governance – unquestioned shareholder pre-eminence — has become today’s emerging risk or potentially, a competitive advantage.
The Opportunity
People want to be associated with brands that stand for something or are a force for change. We are witnessing a global shift towards “Benefit Corporations” focused on solutions; where values-based decision-making overlays the entire business*.
Evidence is growing that an organization’s duty to society will become at least as important as its duty to shareholders. Relying solely on shareholder pre-eminence may inadvertently create brand risk by ignoring the societal context.
The impetus to go beyond today’s corporate sustainability benchmarks is strong (CSR – ESG – TSI – TSR).
*October 2018 Edelman study
“In the past, the most powerful people in society were in religion and government. In the last 50 years, it’s swung to business people being the most powerful and therefore I think enormous responsibility goes with this. They might think they should just carry on and make money, but they can also use their entrepreneurial skills to sort out the world’s problems.”
“To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society. Without a sense of purpose, no company can achieve its full potential.”
2018 Letter to global CEOS: A Sense of Purpose
Our Thinking
Goodman Sustainability Group has pioneered a proven framework that empowers organizations to consider a Social Purpose agenda – one that is fit for purpose, transparent and quantifiable.
Our Ethos
We help organizations understand Social Purpose as a necessary underpinning – ensuring their long-term business viability.
The Lost Opportunity, The Vicious Cycle
Old model “Corporate Social Responsibility” and the new world of Social Purpose is like buying a ticket to a play versus acting in it.
Social purpose companies take actionable overt steps to be part of the long-term solution/fix – by partnering and applying business insights to complex societal issues. As corporations consider Social Purpose, tackling the root cause of a problem rather than simply funding its symptoms – brings optimal societal benefit (and capital efficiency).
Kids in government care – a Social Policy issue exemplifying unintended consequences.
Our Mission
To help organizations consider ‘acting’ in a Social Purpose role – with a view to making meaningful and transparent progress on a societal ill. Goodman Sustainability will be the global thought leader for Social Purpose: what is it and how to measure it.
Our Vision
By 2030, all major global organizations declare their social purpose metrics alongside shareholder value creation.
Our Thinking
Our expertise in managing corporate societal challenges — as well as complex not-for-profit policy challenges — has had wide-reaching impact. Our guiding principles help define this impact.
Guiding Principles
What we do
Core Competencies:
- CSR, ESG and Social Purpose Expertise
- Global Climate Change Policy Expertise
- Government Relations (managing complex multi-Stakeholder forums)
- Indigenous Community Partner Expertise
- Boardroom Governance and Risk Management
- Social Purpose Thought Leadership (Global Social Purpose Council Founding Member)
Our Commitment to Social Purpose
Goodman Sustainability Group is the anchor partner in the “Global Social Purpose Council” – bringing together international partners who are thought leaders on Social Purpose principles, metrics, research, operations and adjudication.
Corporate sustainability
We enable organizational and board governance discussions regarding the management of societal risk.
Merging investor and societal lenses
Practical templates for understanding how your organization can think about risk and the imperative for this dual agenda consideration.
Considering a foundational guiding principle
Court a willingness to collaborate with authenticity without undermining an organizational value creation agenda — setting the tone from the top down.
Embedding the model
Encouraging organizations to embed societal purpose into their entire corporate structure and board governance model.
Stakeholder Clarity
Understanding Stakeholder complexities early on – allows for more optimal outcomes.
Single stakeholder category challenge
One issue, one line of site to advocate with government (relatively easy to resolve).
Multiple stakeholder challenge
Multiple stakeholders who don’t agree. High need to manage a consensus approach along with cohesive new metrics (complex to resolve but possible).
Extreme stakeholder challenge
One complex issue with a non-consensus future state, non-consensus solution, metric, or agreement about who the legitimate stakeholders are (no clear resolution example, although meaningful progress is possible).
Underpinning transparency
We help organizations ensure their mission, vision, and governance model all have a clear line of site to both the shareholder and societal pre-eminence lens.
Expertise
Our expertise in developing and leading diverse, multi-faceted alliances that enable consensus on key policy matters has shown success. Our governance and government policy work experience extends to advocacy and negotiations in multiple jurisdictions and with Indigenous communities. More specifically, Faith Goodman’s past work experience includes discussions in the EU, the U.S., the Canadian federal government and most Canadian provinces. In addition, Faith has travelled to over 75 countries and understands the cultural diversity elements of Social Purpose.
GOVERNMENT Relations and STAKEHOLDER Alliances
We facilitate government relations and stakeholder alliances.
Indigenous affairs
Faith Goodman has a history of building authentic and collaborative formal alliances with First Nations and Metis communities in Manitoba, Canada. As Founder of Until The Last Child, her innovation work is profiled at untilthelastchild.com
Climate policy
Canada is a world-leading climate policy jurisdiction. Each Canadian province has taken a “boutique policy approach” for energy and climate policy matters – in addition to that of the federal government. This jurisdictional complexity remains a challenge for organizations. Our well positioned expertise to navigate discussions on low carbon fuels and LFE emissions remains current.
Social impact bonds
Social Impact Bonds – an emerging field globally. This innovation allows for public/private partnerships to tackle costly and complex social policy issues by leveraging new sources of funding. Faith Goodman has been a pioneer in partnering with stakeholders on Canada’s first Social Impact Bond for child welfare.
Industry bench-marking
We have over a decade of experience with Solomon and Associates’ Complexity-Weighted Barrel benchmark model, currently used throughout Europe, California, Alberta, Ontario and the Canadian Federal Government. This model allows energy-intensive trade-exposed entities to credibly understand and measure progress against a global facility population of similar type.
Speaking Engagements
We speak to groups and present at conferences.
- Social Purpose CEO Conference, Toronto, Canada, March 2020
- Social Purpose Workshop, Toronto Board of Trade, October 2019
- Social Purpose CEO Roundtable, Toronto, Canada, November 2019
- Institute for Corporate Directors, 2018
- EcoFiscal Commission, 2016
- Ontario Chamber of Commerce, 2016
- Canada Economic Business Council, 2016
- OACAS Conference, 2015
- Hart Energy Washington DC, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, San Diego, 2008, 2010, 2012
Research & Training
We provide training – developing stakeholder relations strategy and building strong alliances. We understand the levers necessary to find common ground with diverse stakeholders.
Global Social Purpose Council
Veristell is an emerging global adjudicating entity holding organizations accountable to a transparent and quantifiable agenda of societal contribution. Any organization can apply to become a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Veristell Accredited Organization.
Memberships and Affiliations
Governance Professionals of Canada
Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Public Policy Forum
Toronto Board of Trade
Institute of Corporate Directors
Southern First Nations Network of Care.
PWC
Who We Are
Faith Goodman BSc, BEd, MBA, ICD.D is CEO of Goodman Sustainability Group and also Founder of award-winning national charity Until the Last Child.
Faith is the CEO of Goodman Sustainability Group focused on helping organizations deliver their CSR, ESG and Social Purpose strategies.
The firm is also the inaugural partner of the Global Social Purpose Council – bringing together the world’s leading voices on Social Purpose. She has 35 years of operations experience in the energy sector including 10 years of managing global climate change policy matters and government relations. In addition, as Founder of an award-winning registered pan Canadian Child Welfare Charity, Faith understands the multi-faceted CSR/ESG and Social Purpose challenges facing Boards. Faith has deftly helped Boards navigate these emerging risks (www.untilthelastchild.com). Her deep knowledge of social finance models further cements her CSR/ESG – Social Purpose credentials.
Faith’s framework for social policy innovation (government and business partnerships) has yielded instructive and positive lessons learned. Her specific expertise includes Indigenous community partnerships; provincial partnerships; energy sector commercial sales and infrastructure management (pipelines, trucking, marine, rail); futures trading; joint-venture management (bio-fuels; and transportation fuels, electricity, natural gas). In addition, Faith has also delivered presentations on low-carbon fuels, climate change policy, biofuels and Social Purpose to conferences in Canada and the US.
Faith’s track record of success in the for profit and not-for-profit sectors speaks to her confirmed status as a trusted strategic advisor and a thought leader with high integrity. Her award-winning sustainability performance and high caliber consensus building with Industry, Government and diverse Stakeholders is also recognized.
Team of Experts
Social Purpose determination for each organization is a diverse and unique exercise and “one size does not fit all” in terms of strategy and necessary third-party support to implement. Goodman Sustainability Group has proven expertise in tailoring the client organizational need with specific and relevant consulting support.
- 2017 RBC Social Finance Award: Until The Last Child
- Hart Energy Award, Washington DC
- Suncor Energy Sustainability Award
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