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Spring 2013
Creating Net Impact to empower undergraduates
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et Impact is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities and knowledge to make positive social and environmental change on campus, in the community, and throughout one’s career. Undergraduate chapters throughout the nation provide professional skill-building, networking, and experiential learning opportunities to empower students to use their future careers for good. Until recently, the University of Maryland did not have an undergraduate chapter. In the fall of 2012, junior finance and management major Austin Lee attended the annual Net Impact conference. “I realized that what I learned should not be limited to yearly conferences,” said Lee, now president of Net Impact. “They should be brought back to campus so students can experience the opportunities I had at the conference.” On Nov. 18, 10 people gathered to discuss the launch of the undergraduate chapter of Net Impact at the university’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. After a round of interviews and applications, the leadership team grew to 23 people, consisting of a president, executive vice president, multiple vice presidents, and committees.
The Net Impact leadership team lets loose after a productive leadership retreat on Dec. 9, 2012. Photo source: Vicky Shi The team attended a leadership retreat on Dec. 9, where they brainstormed ideas for the upcoming semester, established goals, and bonded. For one exercise, each member wrote two social and environmental issues on Post-It notes, which were then placed on a blackboard for everyone to look over. The members split up into different teams, chose three topics, and discussed how they could incorporate the topics into events for Net Impact. At the end of the retreat, the team pinpointed a major goal: to achieve gold status, the highest honor for an undergraduate chapter, within two years. (continued on page 2)
A Look Inside Launch Event.................2 Past Events.....................3 Collaborations...............3 President Q&A...............4 Get Involved...................4
2 (continued from page 1) Over winter break, the team met via Google Hangout. Although leaders were scattered in places such as Nicaragua, Australia, and India, they were able to connect across time zones to discuss expectations and logistics of the coming semester. When the semester began, the leadership team met every Thursday. The first step was to
attract new members, so the marketing committee designed and distributed flyers, managed a tabling schedule, and utilized social media. Junior supply chain major Kushaan Shah created SmithNetImpact.org as the official website for the Smith School undergraduate chapter. On Feb. 12, the leadership team held their first information session. Twenty-seven people attended and listened to the team discuss up-
coming events, the microfinance fund, membership requirements, and marketing efforts. After all of the marketing efforts, Net Impact has now grown from the initial ten people to 138 members. “We’re well on our way to achieving gold status,” said Lissa Murakami, senior finance major and executive vice president of Net Impact.
Corporate social responsibility event launches chapter
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et Impact kicked off their new undergraduate chapter at the Robert H. Smith School of Business with a corporate social responsibility event featuring John Kordsmeier, President of Northwestern Mutual Foundation. The Foundation is the charitable arm of the insurance company Northwestern Mutual Fund, based in Milwaukee, Wis. Their
John Kordmeier, President of Northwestern Mutual Foundation, spoke at Net Impact’s launch event. Photo source: Business Wire
main cause is to fight childhood cancer, and some initiatives involve partnerships with Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Starlight Childhood Foundation. The leadership team of Net Impact tabled in Van Munching Hall for over a week to market the event. The marketing committee not only created buzz through Facebook and Twitter, but also implemented a digital contest on the Net Impact website. This unique contest prompted participants to submit a response to the question, “What does corporate social responsibility mean to you?” Based on the answers, the team chose three respondents to receive prizes. The event began with Kordsmeier’s presentation at 6 p.m., where he discussed Northwestern Mutual’s strategy for corporate social responsibility. He engaged the audience by incorporating group activities and posing questions. “Complete this phrase,” Kordsmeier said. “I exist to – what? Why do you exist?” After Kordsmeier’s presentation
Lissa Murakami, Net Impact Executive Vice President, welcomes students to the event. Photo source: Vicky Shi ended in thunderous applause from an audience of more than one-hundred people, the attendees migrated to a networking reception with Northwestern Mutual Foundation representatives. “The success of our first event went above and beyond our expectations,” Vice President of Career Development Nima Farshchi said. “We hope that this event helped establish Net Impact within the Smith School and campus community.”
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Net Impact events have featured topics such as microfinance, marketing, corporate sustainability, leveraging social media, and tips for pursuing a meaningful career.
Net Impact creates powerful collaborations
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s a new organization, Social Value Creation (CSVC) at organic tea company based in Net Impact has worked the Smith School provides oppor- Bethesda, Md. Coincidentally, to establish long-term tunities for students to engage in he also serves on the board of partnerships with organizations hands-on learning experiences to the national Net Impact, which around the Robert H. Smith create a better world through busi- suits the Smith School Net School of Business, including ness principles. The CSVC plans to Impact chapter’s involvement Ashoka Changemakers, in the event. Together, the Center for Social Valthe CSVC and Net ue Creation, and terpAImpact hope to get at MA. least 400 students and Ashoka Changemakprofessionals to attend ers is a student organithe event. zation that supports so Net Impact has cial entrepreneurship on also established a partnercampus and throughout ship with terpAMA, the the community. The partUniversity of Maryland nership between Net Imchapter of the American pact and Changemakers Marketing Association. comes naturally, as both The result of the collaborganizations are invest- Members of Net Impact and Ashoka Changemak- oration was a mini case ed in spreading the move- ers form connections at the annual Social Enter- challenge that occurred prise Symposium. Photo source: Vicky Shi ment of using business in April, in which teams for social change. Net Imcompeted to brainstorm a pact plans to co-sponsor events work with Net Impact for a major marketing strategy for a start-up with Changemakers, as well as event in the fall semester of 2013 called Knotch. engage in a symbiotic relation- that will bring Honest Tea founder Through all of the upcoming ship in which one organization Seth Goldman to speak. partnerships and events, Net Immarkets the other’s events. Goldman is president and pact hopes to solidify its presence Furthermore, the Center for “TeaEO” of Honest Tea, a bottled within the Smith School.
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Q&A with Austin Lee, president of Net Impact Current Vice President of Marketing Vicky Shi interviewed Austin Lee about the future of Net Impact and his experience as president. Vicky Shi: What would you say a group effort and success – that was the proudest moment I had. your leadership style is like? Austin Lee: Delegation, democracy, and horizontal structure. Everybody is important to me. I’m not better than them in anyway, I’m just there to support them. I try to create space for people to do what they want. I don’t like micromanaging, but I do keep a pretty close pulse of how the organization is being run to make sure everyone’s engaged.
VS: What have been some of the biggest challenges?
AL: It’s a really different experience to be president, because all of the problems and challenges come back to you. For other positions, it’s about the short term - what event am I having this semester? What am I doing for this position? As president, I have to think of strategies and VS: What’s the proudest moment opportunities for everyone in the you’ve had as Net Impact presi- chapter. You have to think for the future. dent? AL: In the weeks preceding our launch event, I was pretty nervous about whether we were going to accomplish what we wanted to. But we had more than 100 people show up, and seeing the room filled up, seeing our speaker talk about something people found interesting, seeing our leadership team engaged, seeing that it was
VS: Where do you see Net Impact in five years? AL: I kid around and say that we’ll take over Smith and call it the Net Impact School of Business. In all seriousness, I want to get to a level where we’re prestigious and wellknown, like we’re the crown jewel of the Smith School of Business. I want to see Net Impact as a full
Membership Growth
Junior finance and management major Austin Lee decided to launch an undergraduate Net Impact chapter at the Smith School of Business. Photo source: Austin Lee solution, a place where your friends are, where you can find your job, where you can build your skills and apply them to your projects.
Get Involved! Sign up at SmithNetImpact.org/Join and follow us: SmithNetImpactUndergrad
Net Impact grew from 10 members to 138 in just four months. Source: Vicky Shi
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