Features

The Anthem Awards warmly welcomes our new judge, Susan McPherson. Serial connector Susan has a high level of expertise in marketing, public relations and corporate sustainability. She has dedicated her career to empowering others by supporting and investing in women-led tech startups. Susan has also shared her advice through storytelling in her books such as The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather and The Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships. 

For those who are unfamiliar, can you tell us a bit about yourself and the work that you do?

With complete admiration and gratitude, I am fortunate to lead a team of 17 strategists at McPherson Strategies, a social impact communications boutique consultancy. We are a nine-year-old, B-Corp certified organization and proud to support Fortune 500 companies, key foundations, and NGOs. I am also the author of The Lost Art of Connecting (McGraw-Hill) and serve on the boards of USA for UNHCR and the 19th News. Additionally, I have funded 22 women-led startups.

What expertise are you bringing as a judge for The Anthem Awards? 

I have spent the last 20 years helping to amplify critical, meaningful impact across multitudes of platforms and channels. Additionally, I helped launch Giving Tuesday in 2012, a global day of giving now operating around the world.

What are you looking for in Anthem Awards entries?

An earnest and authentic commitment to driving social change with tangible and measurable impact.

What does it take for a project or campaign to cause real-world change?

Clear, actionable, and measurable goals with an inspiring engaging story that connects with the audience in a way that mobilizes action.

What social impact campaign, grassroot effort, fundraiser or project has recently inspired you?

We are currently engaging with The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI), to help them launch Give to Women and Girls Day (October 11, 2022), a national awareness campaign to increase support and funding women and girls’ organizations. WPI measures giving to women’s and girls’ organizations through its Women & Girls Index (WGI) and, while nearly 50,000 organizations are dedicated to advancing women’s and girls’ causes across the United States, the Index consistently shows that less than 2% of all philanthropic support goes to these organizations. Two percent! In partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Give to Women and Girls campaign will be an unprecedented collaborative effort bridging this funding gap by bringing together hundreds of women’s and girls’ nonprofit organizations and leading partners including Giving Tuesday, Ms. Foundation, Philanos, Philanthropy Together, Vital Voices, Women Moving Millions alongside WPI to raise awareness and galvanize philanthropic support for women’s and girls’ causes. 

Don’t miss your chance to get your work in front of Susan – enter the 2nd Annual Anthem Awards by our Extended Entry Deadline October 21 here.