APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY
Through the Dow Corning Citizen Service Corps, engineers, scientists, and business professionals will work with the Alliance partners and in the field on specific projects. Through these immersion projects, participants discover and experience first-hand the realities of life in emerging (and grossly underserved) markets, engage their global colleagues for information and assistance, use their expertise to leave a tangible contribution to the problem in place, and gain insight for innovation and further sustainable, market solutions. Dow Corning will also contribute leadership to the global effort - from a vice president to serve on the Global Alliance Advisory Board to experts and professionals to serve on various Alliance working groups (e.g. standards and testing, technology and fuels, monitoring and evaluation, reaching consumers, manufacturing issues, etc.). Finally, in terms of financial support, Dow Corning has pledged a fully funded $5,000,000 contribution in unrestricted funds to the UN Foundation, which leads the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. This will help allow the UN Foundation to serve in its role as secretariat for the Alliance.
Engage & Immerse Employees: at least one Citizen Service Corps team (about 10 people) will be embedded in a developer, manufacturer, distributor, or marketer of clean cookstoves for a specific project (usually four weeks) each year 2012-2015. Citizen Service Corps teams are charged to 'discover, serve, and innovate,' working in markets in which the company has no real experience. They engage their colleagues around the world to solve problems through e-mail, blogs, teleconference and other social media - offering all 10,000 employees a clear line of sight and an opportunity to contribute solutions to complex problems they would not otherwise understand or face. (Note: all high performing employees with requisite language skills - including non-exempt and union colleagues - are eligible for the Citizen Service Corps).
Leverage Expertise: we will seek appropriate engagement on at least 2 of the Alliance's global work groups (e.g. standards and testing, technology and fuels, monitoring and evaluation, reaching consumers, manufacturing issues, etc.) depending on the work group needs and our relevant experience including technology development, manufacturing and logistics, business processes, and commercial operations.
Provide Leadership: at least one senior executive will serve on the Advisory Board for the Global Alliance (2011-2015) to ensure business perspective and effective cross-sector collaboration towards solving this complex problem.
Make Financial Investment: we have pledged $5 million in unrestricted funds over 5 years to the UN Foundation as secretariat to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, beginning in 2011.
Encourage Others to Contribute: we will communicate our commitment broadly to the people with whom we touch in our business - suppliers, distributors, customers, communities - around the world. We hope our example will show how service can be used to make an effective contribution to complex problems and at the same time provide new insight for future innovation and sustainable business solutions.
IMPLEMENTATION, TIMELINE, AND DELIVERABLES
2011 - Make commitment; contribute $1 million to the UN Foundation; executive joins global advisory board; identify appropriate work groups and alliance partner organizations for integration; identify Citizen Service Corps potential projects; announce globally our commitment to this effort.
2012 - Contribute $1 million to the UN Foundation; provide active executive leadership to global advisory board; active participation on at least 2 work groups, while identifying other opportunities; assign and conduct at least one Citizen Service Corps project to Clean Cookstove Alliance; communicate commitment and progress broadly to stakeholders; serve as an example of a cross-sector approach (business, government, non-profit) to collaborate for solutions; report progress and impact of contributions.
2013 - Contribute $1 million to the UN Foundation; provide active executive leadership to global advisory board; active participation on at least 2 work groups, while identifying other opportunities; assign and conduct at least one Citizen Service Corps project to Clean Cookstove Alliance; communicate commitment and progress broadly to stakeholders; serve as an example of a cross-sector approach (business, government, non-profit) to collaborate for solutions; report progress and impact of contributions.
2014 - Contribute $1 million to the UN Foundation; provide active executive leadership to global advisory board; active participation on at least 2 work groups, while identifying other opportunities; assign and conduct at least one Citizen Service Corps project to Clean Cookstove Alliance; communicate commitment and progress broadly to stakeholders; serve as an example of a cross-sector approach (business, government, non-profit) to collaborate for solutions; report progress and impact of contributions.
2015 - Contribute $1 million to the UN Foundation; provide active executive leadership to global advisory board; active participation on at least two work groups, while identifying other opportunities; assign and conduct at least one Citizen Service Corps project to Clean Cookstove Alliance; communicate commitment and progress broadly to stakeholders; serve as an example of a cross-sector approach (business, government, non-profit) to collaborate for solutions; report progress and impact of contributions.