In 2002, the Orsa Group consisted of several business units in the pulp, paper, and packaging sector, having grossed nearly US$ 250 million that year. The Group's enterprises were: Orsa Celulose; Papel e Embalagens [Orsa Pulp, Paper and Packaging], featuring industrial plants in the states of Sao Paulo and Goias and in the Amazon; and Jari Celulose and Orsa Florestal, both located in the Jari region in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. In addition, its philosophical principle of social and environmental responsibility led the Group to create a non-profit organization, the Orsa Foundation, supported by 1% of the Group's consolidated gross sales. More than a mere social welfare action branch, the Orsa Foundation became a priority within company operations as a result of two major factors: a) Orsa was a family-owned business run by main shareholder and president Sergio Amoroso, an entrepreneur with a penchant for social issues; and b) the strategic alignment, especially at the Jari Celulose unit, between business objectives and local, sustainable development. In the light of the specific challenges faced by pulp companies and international markets in general, Amoroso, along with Orsa Group's advisors and top managers, needed to assess the impact of the Orsa Foundation's social strategy on Jari operations.

IDEC, the Brazilian Consumer Protection Institute, is a nongovernmental organization created in 1987 by a group of volunteers aiming to promote consumer rights and build consumer awareness mainly through information and education in collective action and prevention. IDEC's activities were conducted largely by volunteers. The institute prioritized a financial sustainability strategy focused on raising funds among foundations and cooperation agencies. When this system proved insufficient, the organization resorted to membership fees. It also continued to pursue funding from financing entities, enabing IDEC to develop the capability to diversify activities like comparative product tests, the publication of books and manuals, and class actions representing consumer interests. Along with the growth went an increasing formalization of IDEC's organizational structure and a rising professionalization of its team. However, IDEC failed to develop strategies and activities toward its sustainability and, thus, became overly dependent on project funds. Aiming to regain a perspective of long-term survival, in late 2003 IDEC developed a business plan, the purpose of which was to become a self-sustaining organization by increasing revenues from the sale of memberships, products, and services. The dilemma IDEC faced was whether to implement the business plan, as it could transform IDEC into a provider of services for paying customers, which clashed with its orginal objective that underlay its creation. How can IDEC balance economic and social value?

In 2002, Telemig Cellular was a mobile telephone company operating in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The company had founded its operations on the "capillarity" principle: reaching to consumers spread throughout the state to cater to their needs effectively. This principle also applied to the Telemig Institute, the company's social division, which focused on children's and teenagers' rights. To uphold this mission, the institute decided to work for the creation and strengthening of Tutoring Councils (local government bodies in charge of guaranteeing children's rights) and Municipal Councils for Children's and Youths' Rights in the Minas Gerais state. For its Pro-Council Program, the institute gathered civil society organizations from every one of the 12 regions in the state to build the so-called Volunteer Support Groups. Under the institute's leadership and counseling, these groups worked with local administrations and provided operational support for council creation.