* Article written by Estela Damato, founder of Damato Partner Track
Courage is the first step for any company aiming to create a positive impact on its employees and everyone involved. To promote a change from the inside out is undoubtedly a significant challenge.
It requires revisiting the origins, setting clear objectives, and looking forward with practical and feasible actions, things that can only be achieved with a well-structured ESG Strategy Plan.
Positive impact is fundamentally an ethical and moral responsibility for companies, but it is also becoming increasingly critical for business prosperity and longevity.
It is recognized and valued as a corporate advantage for strengthening relationships with stakeholders, attracting investors, and ultimately reflecting in the company’s profit and value.
That’s why I always ask my clients: “Do you really want to go down this path?”.
After all, it’s necessary to be certain and purposeful to face the challenges that will arise when choosing new directions.
When I asked this question to the creators of the app JOTTO, their response was a clear and decisive “yes”.
Through this desire to make a difference, we laid out together the steps and strategies for a true transformation.
Today, I am delighted to share this partnership with JOTTO — something I celebrate as another seed of transformation that can inspire other organizations to take similar paths towards a more positive future.
JOTTO: a community engagement platform
JOTTO is a New York-based startup that is responsible for a community engagement platform that offers personalized processes to meet organizational needs, allowing for a deeper understanding of the perceptions and feelings of everyone involved, directly or indirectly, with companies.
Through the communities formed within the app, users can share video, text, or audio feedback about their experiences with company actions, events, campaigns, or activities.
Major companies like NIKE use the platform, giving people the chance to share their opinions on product launches and other company activities. Campaigns, such as those of former U.S. President Joe Biden, also used the platform to measure people’s feelings.
Based on this feedback, an automatic report is generated using artificial intelligence to guide organizations in their actions, aiding in more informed and assertive decision-making.
It is a practical example of the potential of integrating technology into the “Governance” factor of ESG, something I will discuss further in the next article.
JOTTO serves as a powerful tool to help companies better understand the impacts and perceptions they generate.
Interestingly, within the company itself, the platform’s founders were also driven by a desire to establish more solid governance processes to create a significant collective impact.
An “End-to-End” ESG Strategy Plan
ESG Strategy Plans commonly rely on a materiality matrix. However, the materiality assessment by itself it’s insufficient to achieve the necessary level of effectiveness in structural changes within an organization.
For JOTTO, I developed an original and personalized methodology, which I like to call “end-to-end”.
We started with an in-depth diagnosis, analyzing stakeholders, what the organization was already doing, and how it related to clients, employees, and suppliers.
Active listening was essential in interviews to capture all these elements. We evaluated the materiality matrix and identified activities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Together, we examined the SDG panel and prioritized what was aligned with JOTTO’s needs, objectives, and potential.
We established short, medium, and long-term objectives by defining specific indicators and assigning responsibilities for measuring each one.
JOTTO’S business model was also revised, with an eye on the company’s growth, which is inevitably tied to its capacity to generate positive impact.
Implementing an effective ESG Strategy Plan
If a Strategic ESG Plan is the roadmap for a company’s transformation, it shouldn’t be framed just to be admired, right?
To achieve solid results and make a company truly robust, strong, and prosperous, it is essential to apply focus and energy to both implementation and development.
One of the pillars of successful implementation is the adoption of this plan by employees, especially governance committees, as these will ensure the organization is well-structured to internalize the proposed activities.
The methodology I developed completes the entire ESG implementation cycle, because I believe that this is how a new culture can take root and be perpetuated within the company.
And to positively impact an internal structure, we must start with governance mechanisms — do you agree?
International Market Expansion for JOTTO
Damato Partner Track is also an official partner of JOTTO, focusing on the expansion of the app’s presence in the Brazilian market.
Through mediation between international contexts, I will work on building genuine relationships, connecting companies interested in implementing the app’s features in their business.
I also have my own community within JOTTO, which you can check out at this link.
If you are interested in learning more about an end-to-end Strategic ESG Plan or about JOTTO’s presence in Brazil and Latin America, please contact me at: [email protected].
