The Social Purpose Innovator Award is open to business leaders, community leaders, and those in the research and scientific community who have significantly contributed to protecting the environment and/or enriching society.
Innovational social purpose strategies are those that dictate, create, communicate, and deliver value in order to influence target audience behaviours – with the added dimension that such behaviour should benefit society.
Those who can be nominated for the social purpose business leadership, award are those who have recognised that consumers increasingly expect brands to have not just functional benefits but also a social purpose. Brands increasingly use a social purpose to guide marketing communications, inform product innovation, and steer investments towards social cause programmes.
Individuals who are eligible to be nominated for this award are those who have had a social purpose from the inception of their business model – rather than those running more established companies that are now realising that being seen as socially and environmentally conscious can boost profitability as it draws new customers that otherwise may not have been interested in their products or services.
Those who can be nominated for the social purpose community leadership award are those who demonstrate courage, creativity, and capacity to inspire participation, development, and sustainability in strong communities.
Communities will live up to their function and purpose when leaders not only understand it but also build the life of the community in line with the function and purpose. There is no greater purpose than impacting other people and enriching their lives. A good community social purpose leader will ensure interactions within their communities that help people connect and exchange skills and ideas to enrich each other. They will help people develop a sense of community and social responsibility that results in strong social ties.
Those who can be nominated for the social purpose research leadership award are those who understand, influence, and transform systems to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their region by collaborating with government, industry, academic, and civil society partners in building knowledge and capacity, and driving practical change.
Such individuals combine rigour with relevance, and have demonstrated the ability to establish transdisciplinary teams, co-produce knowledge, and identify pathways and innovative solutions in the environment, society, and governance (ESG) spheres.
The Social Purpose Innovator Hall of Fame ® is an award open to individuals in business, community service, and/or research who have demonstrated a significant social purpose in their endeavours.