In this episode of Community Voices of Change, Daniel Horgan interviews Common Impact CEO, Danielle Holly about Common Impact's work with companies designing and implementing skill-based volunteering initiatives, her insights on nonprofit capacity building and pro tips on project management.

Imagine the world around you in darkness. For millions of people this darkness is a reality. Blindness takes away so much more than vision. It can impede your ability to gain an education. It can prevent you from finding employment. It can lead you and your family into a life of poverty.

Orbis is working toward solving this problem by providing access to quality eye care in the developing world. Providing access to eye care is one of the most effective and cost-efficient paths for reversing the cycle of poverty. Preventing and treating visual impairment gives people their independence back. It allows them to become more active in their community and to contribute more to their family and their society.

What is sustainability? For businesses and consumers alike, it means finding cleaner, renewable sources of energy like solar panels and wind turbines, and reducing waste using the three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle. Companies like Walmart and our suppliers can go one step further by setting a goal to sell products that are sourced and produced with people and the environment in mind.

“The fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which continues, has implications beyond the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. It is a fight for everyone who wants clean air, clean water, and gender equality. As governments increasingly prove incapable or unwilling to protect these things, citizens are turning to the market and the market is responding.”

Changing patterns of waste disposal are making many conventional landfills obsolete, and, in turn, municipalities are repurposing these facilities as green spaces, at once removing public eyesores and adding new amenities for their residents.

“Circumstances can change quickly and sometimes you can find yourself needing help to afford healthcare treatments, including prescriptions or immunizations. The last thing patients need during this stressful time is to navigate a complicated and bureaucratic system. Over the last year, we simplified the GSK Patient Assistance Program and consolidated information under one website so patients can more easily navigate our programs, determine eligibility and access their treatments at no cost.” (Emily, Sr. Director, Public Policy and Patient Assistance)

The media mogul says most of his fortune will go to his foundation – viewing personal philanthropy not as a threat to democracy, but a way to get things done

With Earth Day on April 22, Consumers Energy employees showed their commitment to “leaving it better than they found it,” with volunteers fanning out across Michigan to tackle community projects.

For companies looking for simple, cost-effective ways to give back to the community, it’s hard to beat a donation program. Providing products or gift cards to local community groups is often the first step a company takes in launching a corporate giving program.