<![CDATA[Voices of ESG Supplier Diversity + Inclusion]]>https://www.voicesofesg.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Owjc!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6ee64c0f-fc03-48c9-bfd9-73b56ec6fe2b_256x256.pngVoices of ESG Supplier Diversity + Inclusionhttps://www.voicesofesg.comSubstackMon, 18 May 2026 04:11:10 GMT<![CDATA[🤑 Time Sensitive Tip and Overcoming Supplier Diversity Challenges]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/time-sensitive-tip-and-overcominghttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/time-sensitive-tip-and-overcomingSun, 26 Nov 2023 01:10:00 GMTBlack Friday

Small Business Saturday

Cyber Monday

Giving Tuesday

I wonder who’s going to claim Sunday.

I was recently reminded about an app marketplace that has AMAZING Black Friday deals that you may want to get in on during this shopping frenzy weekend.

AppSumo.com

You can search the marketplace for apps of interest. What may be $200 per month on their site …

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]]><![CDATA[Sustainability 101 for Supplier Diversity Professionals]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/sustainability-101-for-supplier-diversityhttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/sustainability-101-for-supplier-diversitySun, 19 Nov 2023 02:28:38 GMTIn some corporate circles, supplier diversity is moving its desk away from procurement and hanging out with the ESG department.

ESG. It’s a name that replaces Corporate Responsibility as participating companies strive to be a force for good in the communities that support it.

Environmental.

Social.

Governance.

Overall it feels very nebulous. Just about every…

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]]><![CDATA[PREMIUM: Business Matchmaking Tradeshow || Capturing Vendors' Data]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-business-matchmaking-tradeshowhttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-business-matchmaking-tradeshowThu, 09 Nov 2023 17:42:10 GMTRound up of supplier diversity outreach tools at NMSDC 2023 in Baltimore, MD

Apple Supplier Diversity

The team utilizes a virtual interviewer to capture information from vendor. A vendor stands in front of a camera and mic and is prompted to answer questions that presumably converts their recording into searchable text along with a more personal introduction to the vendor.

Benefits:

  • Automates data capture by having a virtual personality ask the questions that the team wants to know.

  • Creates intrigue on the tradeshow floor as vendors look like newscasters and wait in line to be interviewed.

Photo from NSMSDC 2022

General Motors Supplier Diversity

They made it so simple by asking vendors to complete a short form as the vendor stood at the booth with the intention of sending a longer form later. This made it easy to communicate and categorize the vendor for future outreach.

Benefits:

  • Saves time writing notes about vendors they were most interested in — the information is instantly easily accessible.

  • Gives vendors a heads-up to expect a longer form to fill out asap.

In a previous Voices of ESG Supplier Diversity + Inclusion post I shared a best practice about using forms to capture basic data at the booth instead of waiting for vendors to complete a lengthy one after the event. – click here to view post

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]]><![CDATA[Standing Tall with OPPORTUNITY GLADIATORS: The Fight for Supplier Diversity]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/standing-tall-with-opportunity-gladiatorshttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/standing-tall-with-opportunity-gladiatorsTue, 31 Oct 2023 20:48:11 GMTWritten by Daniel Ellis

1. What is the Point?

In the robust and ever-changing field of commerce, Supplier Diversity (SD) emerges not merely as a strategy but as an arena of opportunity, challenge, and inclusivity.

This arena, etched with the indelible marks of battles won and lost, has been shaped by the relentless efforts of the Opportunity Gladiators (O…

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]]><![CDATA[67.8% Diverse Spend...watch how it's done!]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/678-diverse-spendwatch-how-its-donehttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/678-diverse-spendwatch-how-its-doneFri, 20 Oct 2023 16:15:47 GMTWe caught up with Lauren James who is the Director, Communications at Suburban Water Systems. Watch as she describes how to #makeithappen. She is responsible for marketing/communication, conservation/community outreach and supplier diversity.

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]]><![CDATA[Best Practice 04. Find Vendor Lookouts]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/best-practice-04-find-vendor-lookoutshttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/best-practice-04-find-vendor-lookoutsTue, 26 Sep 2023 17:43:26 GMTThe daily To-Do list for Supplier Diversity professionals is massive. One of the ever-present duties is finding diverse and highly-valuable vendors to introduce to decision makers.

There are only so many events, virtual and in-person, that one can attend in a given week. This Best Practice is about having others “lookout” for vendors and taking it a step…

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]]><![CDATA[PREMIUM: Expanding and Contracting Budgets -- Advice from the Other Side]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-expanding-and-contractinghttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-expanding-and-contractingSat, 23 Sep 2023 20:52:04 GMTLast week I shared a YouTube link featuring a panel of global certifying councils. The topic was global supplier diversity expansion. This week let’s talk about national supplier diversity contraction. Is this a thing that’s going on?

I hear anecdotes of friends who say their supplier diversity budgets have been cut. I also see more brands who were not t…

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]]><![CDATA[PREMIUM: Global Supplier Inclusion anchored by Accenture (Amsterdam)]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-global-supplier-inclusionhttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-global-supplier-inclusionFri, 15 Sep 2023 22:49:30 GMTVIDEO REPLAY

Supplier Diversity Panel - CAMSC, NGLCC, SASDC, MSDUK, EGLCC, NMSDC

I was checking out the NMSDC 2023 (National Minority Supplier Development Council) agenda today. Once I read about the work session featuring global supplier diversity leaders, I mentally added it to my calendar as a MUST ATTEND.

Hours later, I came across a video featuring ma…

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]]><![CDATA[Best Practice 03. Filter your conversations at outreach events]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/best-practice-03-filter-your-conversationshttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/best-practice-03-filter-your-conversationsTue, 12 Sep 2023 18:24:04 GMTLet’s say Business Outreach speaks to 200 vendors at a business matchmaking event. They’re interested in about 25 of them but they have to invite all to register in their vendor database.

Now Business Outreach is…

…hoping the 25 will register immediately so they can continue the process

…sifting through business cards to find any of the 25 so they can fol…

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]]><![CDATA[PREMIUM: The "Brand of You" and AI]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/the-brand-of-you-and-aihttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/the-brand-of-you-and-aiSat, 09 Sep 2023 20:19:19 GMTLast week I mentioned the “Brand of You” in regard to employees who transition to start their own consulting company. So many of the Supplier Diversity practitioners I speak to have tremendous knowledge about how to succeed in procurement. That’s what they were hired for. Part vendor talent scout for their employer. Part hall monitor checking that their…

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]]><![CDATA[PREMIUM: Setting Up Your “Slide Out” Strategy]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-setting-up-your-slide-outhttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-setting-up-your-slide-outSat, 02 Sep 2023 01:08:42 GMTWelcome!

It’s exciting to see Voices of ESG Supplier Diversity + Inclusion take shape. I started it by recording Best Practices gleaned from conversations over the years, but THEN the idea came to offer a premium weekly version for those in the supplier diversity industry who are all-in.

To offer a discussion forum that not only propels their impact as th…

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]]><![CDATA[Best Practice 02. Manage post-conference RESPONSE overwhelm]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/best-practice-02-manage-post-conferencehttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/best-practice-02-manage-post-conferenceTue, 29 Aug 2023 16:49:44 GMTImprove your Supplier Diversity “brand” by responding faster.

More discussions are popping up about vendors feeling disgruntled with their Supplier Diversity/Business Outreach contact who expressed sincere interest but has not responded to the emails and call combo for months.

If you’re in this position, you know your inbox is overflowing with follow-ups …

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]]><![CDATA[PREMIUM: Resources for Supplier Diversity Practitioners]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-resources-for-supplier-diversityhttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/premium-resources-for-supplier-diversityWed, 23 Aug 2023 21:28:03 GMTOne of the ways to start conversations regarding Supplier Diversity is to know who the industry influencers are.

We curated videos for a one-stop access to known and not-as-known experts speaking on topics ranging from starting a Supplier Diversity program to Global Supplier Diversity.

Click here to access the resource library.

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]]><![CDATA[01. Hi…we all need to talk ]]>https://www.voicesofesg.com/p/01-hiwe-all-need-to-talkhttps://www.voicesofesg.com/p/01-hiwe-all-need-to-talkTue, 15 Aug 2023 16:42:05 GMT

Welcome to a new voice in the Universe.

Hello.

Earlier this year I recorded a series of best practices to share with supplier diversity and inclusion professionals.

That was…

»BEFORE the increasing legislation to eradicate race based admissions.

»BEFORE the deepening sentiment of “do we really need diversity programs?”

Given the rate of change and the immens…

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