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ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership's Global Summit on Social Responsibility Launches an Association Industry-Wide Social Responsibility MovementDavid Cooperrider Kicks Off With Building on Positive Ideas The reasons why eight hundred people from around the world decided to spend three days collaborating on a topic that is so broad it defies definition could be infinitely complex. However, history dictates that sometimes the most complex issues can be addressed by the most simple of actions. This representative collection of dedicated association, non- profit and industry professionals came together to begin a voyage for some, and continue a journey for others with a singular hope - to create a new magnitude of socially responsible leadership with associations leading the way and driving the social responsibility movement forward. The ASAE & The Center Global Summit on Social Responsibility, held April 30 – May 2, 2008 at the new Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center near Washington, DC, captured both a live and virtual flood of enthusiasm and ideas for how associations can help solve some of the world’s biggest problems. It captured the interest of some of the most notable names in any community and it galvanized the support for an issue that is clearly important to many people throughout the world. The Global Summit was designed to accomplish five goals:
“The Summit surpassed all expectations,” said Susan Sarfati, CAE, president and CEO of The Center for Association Leadership and executive vice president of ASAE, the principal architect of the event and the larger ASAE & The Center Social Responsibility Movement. “The collaboration and global connection between attendees at the Gaylord National Resort, across the United States and the world is truly extraordinary. We have launched a movement in social responsibility. I think this is only the beginning of a grand initiative.” David Cooperrider Kicks Off With Building on Positive Ideas“This is an amazing moment in history,” declared David Cooperrider, the catalyst for the event who used the “appreciative inquiry” planning process to unleash hundreds of positive ideas from participants. “I see an astonishing surge of interest in social responsibility around the world.” Cooperrider chronicled the human strengths of wisdom and courage he has seen in so many places around the world and how these have combined to make a difference in the world through social responsibility. He sees power in associations: “Associations are helping the world scale up. They are using their unique capacity to convene and connect and catalyze innovation in virtually every sphere of social, environmental, and economic change. Associations are really poised to serve as agents of world benefit.” Global EngagementDynamic attendee participation drove the Summit from start, forging hundreds of new relationships and effectively using appreciative inquiry in what Cooperrider called “a collaborative search to identify and understand our strengths, greatest opportunities, and people’s aspirations.” The Summit was a ground breaking new model for live and virtual world wide event participation, with real-time links to 19 connected sites in the United States and around the world, including Charlotte, NC; Cleveland, OH; Lakewood, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Atlanta, GA; Dublin, OH; Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; St. Paul, MN; Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Sacramento, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Brussels, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Singapore, Singapore; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Melbourne, Australia. Still other participants connected individually using virtual computer and telephone links. More than 400 on-site participants at the Gaylord Resort interacted throughout the event with an equal number of virtual participants. Before, during, and after the Summit, www.asaecenter.org/globalsummit, an interactive website platform created by iCohere (www.icohere.com), provided a collaborative work space for member comments and perspectives, speaker videos, video clips of on-site presentations, input from connected global sites, and more. The site is still active and is a resource for the ongoing ASAE & The Center social responsibility movement and Summit participants. A graphic recorder also captured the spirit of the Summit by continually drawing colorful murals throughout the event illustrating the discussion. Many participants also expressed their views about the Summit and social responsibility. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and World-renowned Economist Jeffrey Sachs: Powerful InspirationThe Summit included plenty of inspiration, including an opening call to action from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. World-renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., who serves as special advisor to the United Nations, shared his ideas on how associations can play a positive world change agent. “Inherently you have reach, scale, and expertise,” he said. “You have already made a huge difference in our economy and economies around the world. But you have an opportunity to do more.” Sachs’ passionate call to action on a wide range of issues energized the audience, drawing wide applause and shouts of agreement. He even offered his e-mail address, sachs@ei.columbia.edu, and invited people to contact him about solving world problems. His plea to the world and to associations is to act before it is too late on big issues such as worsening water shortages and development of alternative energy. David Marriott of Marriott International added, “You as associations have tremendous potential to address social responsibility issues,” Marriott said, talking about the social responsibility movement launched at the Summit. “We look forward to being your partner in this effort.” Participants Bring Social Responsibility To LifeThe enthusiasm of participants created an energy that generated hundreds of ideas and created countless new relationships through a series of small-group creative thinking sessions throughout the Summit. “SR” quickly became the shorthand reference to social responsibility as groups gave dozens of short presentations on their ideas and proposed programs for the future. Many groups of members revealed their creative sides when asked to choose a creative way to present a vision of what the ASAE & The Center’s SR program would look like in 2020. One group acted out a mock “Global Associations Idol” reality show that would recognize the best SR program. Another group staged a CNN newscast, while others used a Nobel Prize ceremony, Olympic themes, game shows, and other creative ways to envision what the future might look like. At one point, more than 100 participants lined up to take their turn at the microphone to describe their vision or idea about how associations can promote social responsibility. It was a powerful sign that SR is a topic that touches the hearts of people and can motivate them to action. Ideas included:
Advancing the Social Responsibility Movement –The Time Has Come To ActBy the end of the Summit, participants identified 23 potential action areas and prototype programs for the ASAE & The Center Social Responsibility Movement. (Login to www.asaecenter.org/globalsummit and click on Projects to review the list.) These are building the foundation for the ongoing Social Responsibility Movement that ASAE & The Center members are already driving forward with the momentum built from the Summit. Future initiatives will include spontaneous programs launched by members who see a need and creatively leverage the resources of their associations to solve problems. One such program was described by Peter Moran, executive vice president & CEO of the Society of American Florists. His business often takes him to Colombia and Ecuador – a source of many fresh cut flowers – and he saw a need to provide computers to a local library. Moran used his industry connections and collaborated with the Pan American Development Foundation to make it happen. The Summit was also a launch pad for larger programs that combine the resources of several associations, such as the idea presented by one group to draw on the expertise of associations involved in the water industry to help solve global water shortages. Individuals will also pursue their own SR initiatives, such as the International Theos Foundation, founded by Russell and Deborah McKinnon, which provides grants to the poorest of the poor around the world, including food and wheelchairs to a tribe in Tanzania, scholarships for 200 children in Papau, New Guinea, and supporting the Central Union Mission in Washington, DC. The Center for Association Leadership Chairman Mark Golden, CAE, executive director & CEO of the National Court Reporters Association, praised the group for the collective impact they made and said ASAE & The Center “will keep the effort going forward without being a gatekeeper or an obstacle. Remember that when we say ‘ASAE & The Center will do this or that,’ you are ASAE & The Center.” ASAE Chairman Tom Dolan talked about the importance of the ongoing SR movement and quoted Winston Churchill: “This is not the end; it is not even the beginning of the end. It is the end of the beginning.” “As a community we all learned that something doesn’t have to be crystal clear to take a leap,” Sarfati declared. “A lot of people asked us to say exactly what this would be. The answer is it will be whatever you want it to be. We don’t have to have all the answers. We launched a movement. It is the beginning of something very important.” ASAE President & CEO John Graham, CAE, pledged to form an SR Steering Committee and continue a “strategic conversation” about SR at the August Board meetings of ASAE and the Center for Association Leadership. “We will ask, ‘What are the elements of SR that will become part of our core purpose?’” David Cooperrider will lead an online Global Mini-Summit tentatively planned for early October 2008. Anne Bryant, Ed.D, CAE, executive director of the National School Boards Association, admitted to being a skeptic: “I came to this wondering if there would be any results. Not only were there results, but at the closing session when ASAE & The Center leaders spoke passionately about the Summit, it told me that they would own this. I say ASAE & The Center are changed organizations and I love it! For an agenda as big as that outlined during the Summit, it will take all of us working together, with ASAE & The Center leadership pointing the way, to truly advance the social responsibility movement.” For More Information For more information on social responsibility, visit www.asaecenter.org/socialresponsibility or contact Susan Sarfati, CAE, president & CEO of the Center for Association Leadership and vice president of ASAE, at ssarfati@asaecenter.org or Christopher Wood, director of social responsibility at cwood@asaecenter.org. For questions on how to login in to www.asaecenter.org/globalsummit contact the iCohere technical support team at mailsupport@iCohere.com or 925-256-4343 ext. 123. Stay tuned for more details and outcomes from the Global Summit on Social Responsibility! |
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