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Kathy Bushkin Calvin

Editors’ Note

Kathy Bushkin Calvin had a career in politics, journalism, and public relations before joining America Online in 1997. She was President of the AOL Time Warner Foundation prior to joining the UN Foundation in 2003.

Organization Brief

The United Nations Foundation (www.unfoundation.org) was created in 1998 following Ted Turner’s historic gift to support UN causes. The Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems.

What is the UN Foundation’s current focus?

One of Ted Turner’s goals when he donated $1 billion to start this foundation was to activate others’ support. So from day one, we have been building platforms for others to engage the UN and its work. Because we work with the UN, we have the benefit of engaging with phenomenal programs that are well-delivered, well-documented, and trusted on the ground.

How helpful has it been to have NBA players participating in the Nothing But Nets campaign?

It has been indispensable. NBA players are authentic in their enthusiasm. They’ve gone to the countries to see the nets being delivered, and when they’ve come back, they’ve said it has been a life-changing experience. And they’re even more compelling in their arguments for why this work is important. The players are role models in the best sense of the word, and I really admire the NBA for encouraging and supporting their athletes in this way. I was at the NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas, and I saw the players working with kids. And to see their commitment to the next generation, their values, and their willingness to give us the space to make children’s issues one of the key messages during that period was really special. We’ve really developed a model campaign. But it wouldn’t be a model campaign, frankly, without the participation of a group like the NBA.

How focused are you on measuring the results of your initiatives?

We are absolutely focused on metrics. I believe this is one reason why health is such a popular area of support. You can measure vaccinations, you can measure delivery of bed nets, and you can take people to see very clearly the problems. I think metrics are very important for corporate comfort, and fortunately at the UN, there are tremendous systems for measuring, monitoring, and reporting back.

In your opinion, what is the future of corporate social responsibility?

While CSR is crucial now because it is driving the philanthropy sector to become much more responsive, I think we’re going to move beyond CSR eventually. It’s going to be part of what companies do every day. For me, that’s what makes this job so exciting. And the fact that NBA Cares is as big a deal as it is and that David Stern takes this so seriously, and wants this to be as critical to the brand as other aspects of the players’ talent and celebrity, is very telling. So I think we’re in an interesting era, and organizations like ours, and the NBA, are right at that leading edge.