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Mindy Grossman pushes charity arm of HSN to help UNICEF

 
HSN CEO Mindy Grossman, left, leads a chat with UNICEF CEO Caryl Stern about a corporate partnership in which HSN will help raise funds for the UNICEF nonprofit during The Monday Night Show With Adam Freeman: HSN Cares Star Wars Edition.
HSN CEO Mindy Grossman, left, leads a chat with UNICEF CEO Caryl Stern about a corporate partnership in which HSN will help raise funds for the UNICEF nonprofit during The Monday Night Show With Adam Freeman: HSN Cares Star Wars Edition.
Published Sept. 29, 2015

Mindy Grossman says part of HSN's success comes from its charity work.

"What do we want to be known for? Having a great brand, providing a great experience, but also being a big believer in humanity," said Grossman, CEO of St. Petersburg-based HSN Inc., formerly known as Home Shopping Network. "As a company, we want to create a culture of generosity that goes beyond the usual corporate giving."

As part of the retailer's third annual national campaign supporting the humanitarian children's organization UNICEF, HSN broadcast a special, The Monday Night Show With Adam Freeman: HSN Cares Star Wars Edition. HSN will donate 20 percent of the purchase price of every item sold during the programming to UNICEF.

In seven years, HSN has raised more than $15 million for a variety of nonprofit groups through its charity arm, HSNi Cares.

"I think that is a motivating factor for employees," she said. "People say HSN can be sort of cultish, and I take that as a compliment. It shows that we've created a culture where people are proud to be here."

When Grossman came on as CEO in 2008, she implemented a program where employees receive two paid days off a year to participate in community service.

Grossman is hopeful HSN will break $2 million raised for UNICEF this year.

She sat down with the Tampa Bay Times and answered a few questions about HSN's charity work Monday.

Can you tell me more about your visit to Guatemala recently with UNICEF?

It was my second field visit to UNICEF's programs for children firsthand. I was inspired by their work to make a difference in the lives of children. I first met (U.S Fund for) UNICEF CEO (and President) Caryl Stern years ago at an event with Laura Bush. It didn't take long for Caryl to convince me to join their board.

We spent a few days in Guatemala last month and saw how malnutrition is affecting families in these rural places. The last night we ate dinner with a group of women who were 13 to 20 years old, and they were so inspiring. It was a profound moment to listen to how they want to change their country and the issue of teen pregnancy there. They're fighting to raise the age of marriage from 14 to 18.

Last year, I went to Africa and brought my daughter along. The biggest takeaway for her was seeing how you can actually save a life by donating just $1. I'm very proud of her. She's in a fantasy football league and has won the last two years in a row. Last year, she gave me half of her winnings to donate to UNICEF.

Why UNICEF?

HSNi Cares began partnering with UNICEF three years ago. The first time we promoted the launch of Caryl's book I Believe in Zero: Learning From the World's Children. Then last year we promoted Hilary Gumbel's book Unichef: Top Chefs Unite in Support of the World's Children.

HSNi Cares was launched with the mission to empower women and support children and families. About 87 percent of our customers are women, which means they're usually also mothers. They're struggling with the work and life balance like we all do. What we can do is put the issues out in front of them and pass on the values we think are important to the world.

How has HSN helped bring these issues to light?

It's a story we can tell on the air or online that puts the decision in front of our customers. It's hard to not care when these stories are played out in front of you.

A lot of what we do is to just raise awareness about it. You may have listened to our first program about it three years ago, and learned more about it last year and are now motivated to do something about it the third time. Our campaigns aren't just live-streamed or on air, we push them in catalogs — which we mail 350 million catalogs a year, — and in our packages, which we ship 60 million boxes a year.

Different audiences attract different donor bases. But it's the same kind of people who are married to the idea of changing the world.

Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8467. Follow @SunBizGriffin.