Cotopaxi is a socially responsible company—a B Corp certified business—which places it with a community of companies focused on using the power of business as a force for social, environmental, and economic good. The importance of this certification is described on Cotopaxi’s website: Becoming a B Corp and a Benefit Corporation directly aligns with our business model of inspiring social and environmental change as a means to improve the human condition, increase social consciousness, and alleviate poverty. This ensures that we’re able to closely monitor our performance against our goals as the company grows and evolves.
Lindsey Kneuven, Chief Impact Officer at Cotopaxi, tells us why the company partners with grantees: “All of our grantees and partners have demonstrated outstanding impact, agility, and persistence. They are implementing solutions that are generating positive results, they execute with excellence, and they have the capacity to scale. Our partners focus on building sustainable solutions that fuel resiliency within the community.”
As to why FEN, Kneuven states: “We love FEN because the model empowers students to be active participants in their education. For over 20 years, through the model where collaborative learning is foundational, student academic achievements have been boosted, gender equity improved, civic and democratic behaviors fostered, and social and entrepreneurial skills promoted. We are thrilled to include FEN as one of our 2016 grantees.”
FEN’s alliance with Cotopaxi mutually benefits FEN and Cotopaxi. We help Cotopaxi achieve its socially responsible mission while Cotopaxi contributes to our efforts to transform education. FEN is not only featured as one of Cotopaxi’s grantee partners on their website, but the work of FEN will be promoted through Cotopaxi’s community-based activities, social media outreach, and special promotions as well as funding. Cotopaxi dedicates 10% of its profits to its grantees, in addition to promoting involvement of employees through various means. Cotopaxi’s direct funding support will help to underwrite FEN’s III International Congress of Escuela Nueva, which will take place from November 10-12 at the Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada Convention Center in Bogota.
“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to partner with Cotopaxi this year,” states Sarah Smith Orr FEN’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, who has been instrumental in coordinating this relationship. “Cotopaxi represents a growing number of businesses which are operating around the world with a commitment to help eliminate poverty, provide quality education, and promote economic development. It is our desire to build on Cotopaxi’s best-practices model, as well continue to build alliances around the world designed to expand FEN’s capacity to implement and improve its programs and to strengthen its position as a leader seeking to improve the quality of education, and thus the quality of life, for the world’s most vulnerable populations”.
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