ESG

ASAE’s Association Insights Center (AIC) convened a thought leadership panel of association executives who identified Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives as one of their focus areas. ESG is used outside of the association space to signify looking holistically at maximizing at shareholder, versus stakeholder, value. While a newer concept within the associations space, associations have a deep history of focusing on governance and socially oriented programs—the G and S pillars of ESG.

Additionally, many associations have begun increasing their sustainability and environmentally focused efforts. To help you identify which sessions are part of our ESG-oriented educational programming, we’ve tagged each applicable session with an E, S, or G. These sessions will help you make progress on one of the core pillars of ESG. We’ve also compiled a listing of those sessions broken out by E (Environmental), S (Social), and G (Governance) below. 
 
In an effort to build a shared vocabulary, AIC defined E, S, and G as follows: 

• E-Environmental: Accounting for the resources consumed and waste/pollution generated by the association (and its profession/industry) and their impact on our natural environment.
• S-Social: Condition of relationships between the business and stakeholder groups (e.g., members, staff, customers, vendors, partners) including those which are impacted by the association but have little to no influence and how the organization treats people.
• G-Governance: Guiding principles and governing practices employed by associations to self-govern, make effective and accessible, expedient, efficient, ethical and transparent decisions, and comply with laws and regulations, while meeting stakeholder. 

ESG Overview

Sunday, August 6 | 3:00 - 3:30 PM 
Getting Started with ESG and Sustainability
This session will give actionable ideas for how your association can get started or advance on its ESG or sustainability journey. Hear from AGU’s Janice Lachance and Destination Canada Business Events’ Virginie De Visscher as they share lessons learned from their practical experiences. We’ll also give an overview of the newly developed “Getting Started with ESG and Sustainability Toolkit” which was written in collaboration with AGU and supported by Destination Canada Business Events. 

Monday, Aug 7 | 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Make an Impact and Create New Value by Engaging with ESG  
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives have long been embraced in the private sector, particularly in the context of investments, as a way of evaluating risk. Evidence suggests that intentional alignment of strategy with ESG, as well as financial investments, can support or even accelerate positive organizational outcomes. ESG offers a framework for fostering transparency that helps reduce risk and creates stakeholder value.  Leveraging research from ASAE's Association Insights Center, we will share how the broader association community is embedding ESG into organizational strategy, provide a deeper dive into how individual associations are navigating their ESG journey with their Boards, volunteer leadership and stakeholders, and help you consider where ESG can positively impact your own association. Every approach to ESG will be unique to its association’s mission, but working together collectively as a community, we can identify meaningful initiatives and best practices that will make positive impact on people, planet and profit.

E-Environmental

Accounting for the resources consumed and waste/pollution generated by the association (and its profession/industry) and their impact on our natural environment.

Sunday, Aug 6 | 12:30 - 1:00 PM
Inflation and Event Sustainability: 10 Small Changes That Will Inspire

Monday, Aug 7 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Through Association Initiatives  

S-Social

Condition of relationships between the business and stakeholder groups (e.g., members, staff, customers, vendors, partners) including those which are impacted by the association but have little to no influence and how the organization treats people.

Sunday, Aug 6 | 2:15 - 2:45 PM
The Business of Belonging

Sunday, Aug 6 | 2:30 - 3:30 PM
It’s Time to Diversify DEI

Sunday, Aug 6 | 2:30 - 3:30 PM
Purposeful Strategies to Meet the Leadership Potential of Diverse Members

Sunday, Aug 6 | 2:30 - 3:30 PM
Understanding How Assistive Technology Works: Disability Inclusion in Action

Sunday, Aug 6 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Health Equity: How Associations Are Moving the Needle

Sunday, Aug 6 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Supreme Court v Harvard: What are the Implications for DEI?

Sunday, Aug 6 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Workforce Innovation Through Modern Apprenticeship

Monday, Aug 7 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Amplify Collaboration in Your Association with Participatory Democracy

Monday, Aug 7 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Developing the Next Generation of DEI Champions

Monday, Aug 7 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Knowing When and How to Speak Out for Social Justice

Monday, Aug 7 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Reimagining Agile Marketing Communications With DEI and Accessibility

Monday, Aug 7 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM
A Mighty Mosaic: Leadership Lessons from a BIPOC Perspective

Monday, Aug 7 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Turn Content Speakers Into Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Champions

Tuesday, Aug 8 | 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
AAPI Leadership and Underrepresentation in Association Management—Make a Positive Impact

Tuesday, Aug 8 | 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
How a Traditional, Risk-Averse Association Embraced DEIA

G-Governance

Guiding principles and governing practices employed by associations to self-govern, make effective and accessible, expedient, efficient, ethical and transparent decisions, and comply with laws and regulations, while meeting stakeholder. 

Saturday, Aug 5 | 1:30 - 4:30 PM
PRECON: Building Your Anticipatory Governance Capacity: A Foresight Integration Master Class

Sunday, Aug 6 | 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Survey Says…Your Board did WHAT??

Monday, Aug 7 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM
DEI and Association Governance—An Expert Q&A Forum

Monday, Aug 7 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Navigating the Pitfalls of a Code of Ethics

Monday, Aug 7 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Applying Strategic Foresight 401

Monday, Aug 7 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM
The Pursuit of Great Financial Governance

Monday, Aug 7 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM
The Six Toughest Decisions Association Boards Must Make

Monday, Aug 7 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM
The Positive Power of Peers

Tuesday, Aug 8 | 9:00 - 10:00 AM
Reinventing Governance: Turning Failure into Transformation

Tuesday, Aug 8 | 10:30 - 11:30 AM
DEIA Starts at the Top: Building Intentionally Inclusive Boards

Tuesday, Aug 8 | 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Everyday Ethics for the Association Executive