All posts by christengraham

christengraham

About christengraham

President of Giving Strong, Inc. Christen advises businesses, foundations and families for how to make a greater social impact.

Investing now for college: A Q&A with FAME on NextGen grants

Maine is one of 30 states collaborating with the College Savings Plans Network to declare May 29th “529 Day” in an effort to encourage families to start preparing for college costs early. I spoke with the Finance Authority of Maine’s (FAME) Elizabeth Vanderweide about Maine’s NextGen College Investing Plan® and the thousands of dollars in […]

Attention Maine! Over $1,000 in NextGen Grants for Maine Children

Did you know that the NextGen College Investing Plan® (NextGen) offers over $1,000 in matching grants for eligible Maine accounts? During May the Change Up blog will publish a series of interviews with financial advisors and college counselors and get their advice on getting started with college savings. Columns will feature the Finance Authority of […]

Manufacturers and Retailers: Did you know Dodd-Frank may apply to you? How to prepare for upcoming conflict mineral rules

When the Dodd-Frank Act became law in 2010 most considered it as regulations exclusive to the financial services industry- regulating financial markets, instituting consumer protections and realigning federal agencies. So, many in the manufacturing and retail space are surprised to learn that Dodd-Frank applies to them too, with a ban on using Conflict Minerals. They […]

Great news from shoes

On occasion, business competitors will transcend their rivalries to unite for a common purpose and Corporate Social Responsibility is elevated to an industry standard. Coming up in April, the footwear industry will mark such an effort with Footwear Cares®, an industry‐wide community service program led by the Two Ten Footwear Foundation and the event’s title […]

What’s Impact Investing? Good question.

I’ll bet you don’t know about Impact Investing. That’s ok. According to a recent poll conducted by the CFA Institute not even financial advisors are clear on what it is – only 14 percent said hey know. That jibes with the audience that attended the Impact Investing conference in Boston this fall, part of a […]

In managing a workplace crisis, the best defense is a strong offense

When something goes wrong in business, by accident or by design, a company will have a better chance to positively emerge from crisis if it has the benefit of the doubt from its stakeholders. If a company is recognized as an upstanding corporate citizen because of how it treats its employees, contributes to the community […]

Are you a “talker” or a “walker?” Corporate Social Responsibility in 2014

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is the recently published by KPMG Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2013 shows that CSR (also known as Sustainability) reporting is now a mainstream business activity all over the world practiced by 71 percent of the 4,100 companies studied across 41 countries. To […]

Are you a cause marketer? Good for you! Here are some important legal updates to know

As businesses from the National Football League to the corner store to your neighborhood dry cleaner paint their products pink to support breast cancer awareness this month, states continue to update and refine the rules and regulations surrounding the cause marketing campaigns where businesses pledge donations to charities based on consumer purchases. Not all cause […]

A Prescription for New Moms and Socially Minded Businesses

A joint statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) just published in the journals Fertility and Sterility calls for doctors to help patients reduce their exposure to chemicals. “Reducing exposure to toxic environmental agents is a critical area of intervention for obstetricians, gynecologists, and […]

Buy low, sell high. Fear? That’s the other guy’s problem…

It’s the 30th anniversary of that classic Eddie Murphy – Dan Ackroyd – Jamie Lee Curtis movie Trading Places where that quote was first spoken, and the Duke brothers’ progeny are still making BLT’s and using insider information to cheat the public. Here are just a couple of headlines this summer: JPMorgan Chase to pay […]