Leveraging Social Media to Communicate Corporate Social Responsibility

Recently, I had the opportunity to learn from leading industry peers at the Social Media and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) conference hosted by Just Means in London, England.

It was a full day of presentations by communications execs from organizations such as Unilever, Dell, Royal Dutch Shell, and SAP. CSR strategists from agencies like Futerra communications and retailers like Marks & Spencer described their journeys from stodgy brands your parents might remember to becoming leading brands in environmental advocacy. We also heard from one of the founders of Twestival, who organized real-life events from on-line Twitter communities in order to raise money for charitable causes.

One thing I learned is that the global CSR and social media community is tight knit and in constant communication, although we’re all still learning how to best leverage social media.

Here are some of my primary takeaways from the conference:
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Cell Phone Intimacy and Other Signs of Millennial-ness

I may have been born a Boomer, but according to the folks at the Pew Research Center, I have a lot in common with the youngest generation now entering the workforce. Taking their “How Millennial Are You?“ quiz, I scored a 60. Since the average person of this up and coming generation (young adults between the ages of 18 and 29) scores a 73 (your average Boomer is an 11), I figure that simply adding a tattoo or piercing something other than my earlobe could conceivably make me more Millennial than many Millennials.

Or, I could start sleeping with my cell phone. Millennials: Confident, Connected, Open to Change, a comprehensive study just released by Pew Research, found the youngsters more attached to–and optimistic about the effects of technology–than their older counterparts. Not surprisingly, the generation that defines itself by level and type of technology use, surpasses Boomers and Gen-Xers in cell phone use (especially texting) and internet savvy (especially social networking). The younger generation is also more likely to say that technology “makes life easier” and “makes people closer to their friends and family.”

Compared to Boomers, Millennials are twice as likely to use Twitter and send four times as many text messages per day. Within the last 24 hours, they were also more likely than people of my generation to watch a video online, post a message on a social networking profile, and text while driving a car.

How Millennial are you? Take the 14-question quiz to find out, then post your score here (be sure to tell us which generation you really belong to).

Recipe of the Week from Marigold Lodge: Dark Chocolate Orange Tart

For the finishing touches on your spring holiday festivities, why not consider the delectable contrasting flavors of chocolate and orange? It’s a nice follow-up to the Steamed Halibut in Borscht and Roasted Rosemary Rack of Lamb that we offered for the first two courses in our spring recipe series.

Dark Chocolate Orange Tart
Serves 12.

Candied Orange Peel
1 orange
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. water

Crust
¼ lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup all-purpose flour

Filling
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier

For Candied Orange Peel
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only) from orange in strips. Cut strips into matchstick-size pieces and place in small saucepan. Cover with cold water; bring to boil. Cook 30 seconds; drain. Rinse saucepan; add ¼ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons water and peel. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer until peel is translucent and syrup is thick, about 20 minutes. Using tines of fork, transfer peel to plate and cool.

For the Crust
Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl until smooth. Beat in cocoa powder. Add flour and beat until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 11-inch round; peel off top sheet of paper. Invert dough over 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Gently press dough into pan. Press dough overhang to form double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake crust until sides look dry and bottom looks bubbly, about 14 minutes. Transfer crust to rack. Using back of spoon, press up sides of dough if falling. Cool completely.

For the Filling
Toss almonds, sugar, and cinnamon into a small bowl. Chop all but two strips of peel. Sprinkle chopped orange peel, then almond mixture over bottom of prepared crust. Place cream in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer; remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth; mix in Grand Marnier. Pour into crust.

Refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 3 hours. Garnish with remaining orange peel strips.