Numbers are a great asset to any piece of communication because they lend validity to your claims. By their nature, numbers and data are straightforward. One is always one; two is always two. One plus two is always three. Right? Well… that depends. As with the written or spoken word, data can be interpreted differently by different people. Without context, insight, proper analysis and/or deconstruction into what...
Market and Competitive Intelligence (M&CI) are pivotal to business strategy. Knowing what other companies are up to—whether that means investigating their wins or avoiding their losses—is the best way to remain at the top of any industry. With a constantly evolving world, it’s more important than ever to use M&CI. While businesses have implemented M&CI data into their strategies for ages...
Social media statistics are one of the most underrated areas of insight when it comes to marketing and public relations. Because this medium is one of the easiest ways to interact with fan bases, it holds countless pieces of information that can be used across a business to help understand audiences. When it comes to public relations for sports teams, social media is extra helpful. Tracking fan sentiment, user-generated...
Media monitoring is the key to seeing the clearest picture of how your company is functioning. Yet, it can feel like a monumental task to manage all the available information, while also making sure your data is current, comprehensive, and correct. The more you can discover about which data is most integral for your company to thrive, the more you can refine your needs, filter out unimportant data, and create a long-term...
All modern-day businesses interface with metadata, whether they know it or not. Any time a company engages with digital information, they have engaged with metadata. But, what exactly is metadata? And, wouldn’t it be more useful if you could readily identify it, understand its specific strengths and then use it to its greatest extent in your media monitoring? From internal documents to public social media content...
In the quest to achieve unrivaled business growth, organizations show increasing interest in Decision Intelligence (DI) . Whether you use DI to augment, recommend, or automate decisions, the effectiveness of your DI endeavors heavily depends on the quality of data that powers it. As financial services and global businesses alike expand the use of DI, weeding out poor quality—within both internal and alternative...
In today’s fast-paced world, the ability to make highly informed decisions in a timely manner can be the difference between the success or failure of your business. Particularly during times of uncertainty or market volatility, doubt can hold organizations back. And data overload can contribute to this doubt. So how do businesses ensure they do not fall behind the competition or consumer values? Increasingly,...
With today’s 24/7, digital connectedness, keeping up with your company’s media exposure is an ever-evolving challenge. It can be impossible to track every traditional news mention as sources proliferate—not to mention keeping up with public sentiment on social media. Then, when you need show results from your efforts, it’s difficult to know where to start. Zeroing in on the right data, not just...
It’s a fact of doing business that your organization will face communications crises--no matter the size, type, or mission of your organization. From natural disasters to public opinion on social media, there are factors that you simply cannot control or even fully anticipate. And, while we’d all like to think we react appropriately and quickly when fielding these moments, the only way to ensure it is to...
No institution wants to be embroiled in a scandal—especially when it could have been prevented. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Tufts University when it was revealed that when one of their long-standing donors, the Sackler family, was tied to the opioid crisis. Over a period of nearly 40 years, the university received around $15 million from the Sacklers, who own the pharmaceutical company Purdue...
Companies operating in today’s global business environment must navigate ever-strengthening anti-bribery and corruption regulations. Some of the most significant recent enforcement actions against companies arose from alleged due diligence failures, leading to fines, legal action, strategic risks and reputational damage. Meanwhile, there are growing expectations around companies’ understanding of their Environmental...
Organizations like nonprofits and academic institutions that rely on donations need to be hyper aware of the importance of due diligence. Screening current and potential donors for political and financial vetting is a crucial step in any donor-funded company, but even the most extensive checks can sometimes have pitfalls. If a team accepts money from an organization or individual that ultimately backfires and garners...
We are already more than halfway through 2023, so if your business isn’t up to date on all the newest trends and shortcuts in the realm of risk mitigation and compliance, suffice it to say you’re falling behind. This year, there is an even greater push on ESG compliance, protection from rising technology like AI and Crypto, and the general need for due diligence to avoid working with sanctioned third parties...
It goes without saying that for nonprofit organizations, fundraising is a massive component of labor. And while anyone can imagine that the organization of galas, coordination of annual drives, and communication with regular donors are all key parts of the job, there are still many aspects that go overlooked—like donor due diligence. In this blog post, we will explore what it means to go beyond recruitment and...
Sanctions are often hot topics of international news reports, especially as they relate to foreign governments and international relations. But, you may not realize that sanctions can be levied to any entity that violates regulations. Sanctions are also important to businesses, and working with those who have been sanctioned can have serious consequences. As such, monitoring and understanding sanction lists is a key...
Alleged compliance breaches have led to combined fines and settlements worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Q2 of 2023. Regulators have taken enforcement action against companies over their activities in jurisdictions spanning four continents. In this blog, we look at some of the most significant regulatory interventions in recent months and suggest how companies should retool their compliance approach to mitigate...
These days, nearly every company must have a social media presence to survive and thrive in this market. The prioritization of digital footprints comes at a high cost, though, as there are plenty of potential errors related to posting content, engaging with consumers, and even simply managing public relations (PR). Fortunately, most of the potential pitfalls for PR and social media crises fall into similar categories...
When you think of fundraising, you probably think of fancy galas, charity 5Ks, or cocktail parties with the board. But in the past ten years, crowdfunding has changed the fundraising game. It’s extremely popular with Gen Z and Millennial donors , who are quickly becoming a majority of the donorbase, by offering transparency and immediate solutions. But nonprofits who’ve traditionally raised money with events...
The Federal Corruptions Policy Act was established to address and end corruption and bribery in US business dealings with foreign officials. The FCPA seeks to keep legitimate businesses from losing contracts to companies engaged in corruption and bribery. The act does not solely speak to first tier businesses—it further requires all businesses have a process of due diligence to assure corruption and bribery is not...
ESG screening, or environmental, social and governance screening, is becoming an increasingly important part of due diligence for companies around the world. Legislation mandating ESG due diligence is being introduced in many countries, and even where it is not yet required, consumers, investors, and employees are demanding ethical practices from companies. Improving ESG due diligence processes is essential for companies...
If you work in the nonprofit sector, you’re probably already familiar with the term “CSR,” or “Corporate Social Responsibility,” which often describes how companies incorporate social and environmental concerns into their business. As SEC regulations change, CSR (which is an internal process) is being replaced by ESG, or “Environmental Social Governance.” This is a framework...
As nonprofit organizations aim to increase their funding and support during a time of economic uncertainty, it is c rucial to pay attention to the emerging donor demographic: Generation Z (better known as Gen-Z) . Gen-Z is the largest generation in the world and is set to have a significant impact on the future of charitable giving, especially as they are known for their active push for change. Like Millennials, Gen...
With the rise of mandatory due diligence legislation, it is no longer sufficient for compliance officers to screen a third party for indicators of bribery and corruption alone. Effective due diligence in the modern business environment should also encompass Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors like a company’s human rights record and environmental impact. More countries have adopted—or are...
Wealth screening is the practice of gathering financial data on potential donors to find hidden wealth and donation opportunities . This is a crucial step in raising funds, as it often helps an organization prioritize and craft more effective outreach strategies. All of that important data is hard to find unless you’re working with a third-party vendor, though. Not only do wealth screening tools offer large databases...
Undoubtedly, COVID-19 significantly catalyzed a technological shift at universities worldwide. Today, academia and education are undergoing one of their most substantial transformations. Millions of students, tutors, and professors have had to adapt to online classes to continue their research and studies. Nevertheless, research suggests technological transformation was already underway in academia before the global...