This handbook was based of the proceedings of a shareholder activist training held in June 1999 by Friends of the Earth (FoE), The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), and the Social Investment Forum (SIF).
This handbook was substantially supplemented
and edited by Michelle Chan-Fishel,
of FoE. FoE remains responsible for the content of this handbook.
Introduction
to Shareholder Activism
The section on "Shareholder
Activism as a Tool for Corporate Transparency and Democracy"
was based off of a presentation by Bob Massie of CERES
and Ariane van Buren of ICCR. "Potential
and Limitations of Shareholder Activism" is taken from a presentation
by Ariane van Buren.
Shareholder Activism
in a Campaign Context
"Characteristics
of a Successful Shareholder Campaign" was based off of presentation
by Russ Gaskin of SIF; "Shareholder
Activism and Issue Campaigns" is taken from a presentation by
Chris Ball of Ozone Action. "Shareholder
Activism and Community Campaigns Abroad" was written by Michelle
Chan-Fishel. "Shareholder
Activism and Community Campaigns in the U.S." was written by
Steve Viederman and taken from the 1997 Annual Report of the Jessie Smith
Noyes Foundation.
Shareholder Dialogues
"Shareholder
Dialogue: The Goal of Shareholder Resolutions" relied on the
contributions of Brad Sperber of CERES and Ariane van Buren of ICCR. "Monitoring
Commitments Resulting from Shareholder Dialogues" was based
off of workshop discussions.
How to Draft
and Defend Shareholder Resolutions
"Official
SEC Rules Governing Shareholder Resolutions" section is taken
from original SEC rules. "Tips
on Drafting, Submitting, and Defending resolutions" is based
off of a presentation by Cornish Hitchcock, esq. The Dillard's and Walmart
case studies were also provided by Cornish Hitchcock, and the Freeport
case study was provided by Michelle Chan-Fishel.
Proxy Solicitation
"From
Identifying Shareholders to Raising Awareness" was based on
many people's contributions, including Simon Billenness of Franklin Research
and Development, Conrad McKerron of As You Sow Foundation, Ariane van Buren
of ICCR, and Michelle Chan-Fishel.
Presenting the
Resolution, and Annual Meetings
This section was based off of a presentation
by Brad Sperber of CERES and Sarah Newport of FoE.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Brandi Clark, of CoOp America, who served as a rapporteur for the majority of this training session; and to the Rose Foundation, who provided many of the illustrative documents and articles associated with the Maxxam shareholder resolution. Many thanks to Steve Viederman, Conrad McKerron, Cornish Hitchcock, and Carla Din who reviewed this handbook. Also, thanks to Stephanie Hayes and Dominique Baron for editing assistance.