NetImpactBoston has left the building!

35 professionals and soon to be professionals from all sectors joined Thrusday 21 April from 7pm at Le Zygomates to launch Boston's professional chapter of Net Impact. We had a fine turn-out. Even the barkeep, Jason, said he welcomes us back - presumably we add style to changing the world.

I secured a handful of Steven Lydenburg's newly published book Corporations and the Public Interest : Guiding the Invisible Hand http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1576752917/qid=1114006057/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-3141046-7787355?v=glance&s=books
as a freebie and we used as a "prize" for a business card draw. The winners (Mark, Kristen & Priya) were applauded. I have tried to drive value back to Steve by having the winners comment on www.Amazon.com; I will do the same.

Steve's book looks again at the issue of power handled from the boardroom and tools that investors, large and small, may apply to keep them accountable. The recent Business Ethics article (Spring 2005, CSR in the Cross-Hairs: A broad counter-attack against corporate reform is growing.(Could that be a sign of progress?) by Tracey Ramebert) pointed to the often vociferous attacks on activist shareholders - including Tim Smith of Social Investment Forum being sued for a 2003 "slander" of a company. In a rather belated recognition of what Robert Monks had identifed in the 1980's when reflecting on the influence of pension funds, the attack by Schwarzenegger’s ally, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, made clear the attempt to break public pension funds into 401k's, is very deliberate. “Just 115 people control $1 trillion,” he said. “We want to take that power and destroy it.” Nationally in the USA, public funds control $2.7 trillion, with union-managed funds overseeing another $400 billion.

Now we try and get things solidified here in Bston. Anne, Erika and I will meet 9 May to plan the way forward. We need to sign up members in Boston, add members to the email distribution via NetImpactBoston@gmail.com and plan next steps. Our first next step is building a website and connecting to other NI professionals + final year MBA's in the Boston area.

We've opened the door for people with skills and strength to add. We could do with about 3 more to work with Anne, Erika and I to guide this ship along. The roles we may need include:
Membership
Technology
Community Outreach
Corporate Outreach
Events
Treasurer
Marketing

We really hope that this small be impactful chapter can help play a small role in fchanging the world. Maybe we can succeed in with NetImpactBoston, truly making us New Leaders for Better Business.