Features

Paula Cizek, Chief Research Officer, NOBL
“Within organizations, employees are expecting to wield more influence due to a continued strong labor market—despite economic uncertainty.”

Kwame Rose, Social Activist
“Fighting for Black lives will always be the root of my advocacy, however, the workers movements we are seeing around the country have really been inspiring. The actors, writers, baristas, and so many other professionals have really taken a united stand to show the 1% that working-class people are the true foundation of this country. If you read about the history of social movements, solidarity was always key. The solidarity being shown, and the truth to power being spoken has really equipped those unaware and unimpacted to getting involved.“

Nadia Sarmova, Co-Founder & President, The Shift
“In the context of prioritizing wellbeing in the entertainment industry, some studios have been taking proactive steps to support their cast and crews when working on programs that involve sensitive and potentially triggering subject matter. At The Shift, we recognized the significance of this issue and took the initiative to create comprehensive guidelines and protocols to ensure the mental health and well-being of our crews and cast members, particularly when dealing with content related to youth mental health. As the industry progresses, we hope that such initiatives become the norm, reflecting a collective commitment to nurturing the wellbeing of all those who contribute to the world of entertainment.”

Noel Kinder, Chief Sustainability Officer, Nike. Inc.
“Getting out of our silos and old models for work. We need to think of ways where we can optimize each other’s work rather than competing amongst the traditional siloes of impact.” 

Alicia Eastman, President, InterContinental Energy
“Geopolitics, particularly the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine, has made countries very aware of energy security while just recovering from Covid, which exposed fragile supply chains. This has led many countries to retreat to isolationist tendencies. It has also shown, however, that renewables are more resilient, and instead of offshoring or onshoring, they should perhaps be friend-shoring. Dedication to solving climate change is bouncing back and growing. Several positive worldwide trends including IMO regulations to decarbonize shipping, the momentum for COP28 and inclusion of the Global South, and insistence on a just transition are growing stronger again. Inflation is petering in most places, and there appears to be a bounce back.”

Trisha Shetty, Founder, SheSays
“Leaving no one behind in a world grappling with multiple crises, including the crisis of failed leadership. That calls for accounting for the most vulnerable and marginalized, and protecting democratic institutions and human rights for all.”   

Nina Kossoff, Associate Director of Strategy, The Soze Agency
“I think to effectively approach social impact issues requires understanding that comes not only from a team’s research, but from direct understanding of the lived experiences of those most impacted by an issue, or those who’ve committed their own work to the issue. Whether that is hiring directly from communities and prioritizing their voices in project development, to extensive first-person research with individuals and groups, no amount of research will outweigh a lived experience.”

Katherine Miller, Founder, Table 81
“Make sure your budgets reflect more intense community organizing, invest in training the trainer models, and be sure that your creative teams (and organizers) include members of the audiences you’re trying to reach.”

ElsaMarie D’Silva, Founder, Red Dot Foundation
“Include the voices of communities and under-represented groups. Decentralize leadership and power. Make data open source and build more with the people and for the people.”

Dymphna van der Lans, CEO, Clean Cooking Alliance
“Over the next few years, leaders will increasingly view and approach social impact work with a more systemic mindset, making it a part of their organization’s DNA. This evolution is a reflection of society’s expectations, and it’s already happening with forward-thinking CEOs. To deliver on their potential, social impact programs will need to prioritize long-term sustainability, embrace cross-sector collaboration, leverage technology for scale and efficiency, and place greater emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Charles Beal, President, The Gilbert Baker Foundation
“First and foremost, making sure that local social justice movements outside of the major metropolitan areas have robust support. Also collecting data after creating programs is key. We do polling after our exhibits and conduct post-mortems after every local campaign when we are fighting to keep communities from banning the Rainbow Flag. We assess what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved upon then we implement changes.”

Ashley T Brundage, President & CEO, Empowering Differences Inc.
“I look for social impact work that generates insights for how it actually impacts people. My research showed that 85% of what [empowers] people across the world is related to them on a personal and emotional level, and 15% of what [empowers them] is the data and analytics of the business impacts. I [look] for programs that have the 85/15 split in mind.”

Ife Obi, Founder, The Fit In
“It’s important to understand in this current environment of political and economic uncertainty, ideas and thoughts can only go so far without understanding sustainability. Words and speeches don’t go as far as they used to. Follow your mission and agenda with actions that are self-sustainable and generate measurable outcomes.”

Deborah Rutter, President, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
“Campaigns that are able to bridge the gap between different organizations, issues, and generations are really powerful to me. We recently began working with an organization called ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence, which is a perfect example of this. They invite teens to submit 10-minute plays that confront the issue of gun violence. It gives teens an opportunity to address it in a way that is understandable to them, gives organizations a way to support and amplify their work, and gives the theater community fresh new voices that have something vitally important to say.  One project… multiple outcomes… all addressing the gun violence epidemic. It’s a tactic that prioritizes different aspects of cultural leadership among historically vulnerable communities. When we invest in multiple creatives that share our aspiration for a culturally equitable future—in both our local and national communities—we are able to amplify our collective impact.” 

DeNora Getachew, CEO, DoSomething
“Gen Z and Millennials will be the majority of the electorate by 2028 and the oldest members of Gen Alpha will begin to turn 18 by then. The voices of young people are increasingly shaping our democracy and the cultural conversation. Social impact leaders must intentionally engage young people as consumers, citizens, and employees to make their efforts relevant and impactful. The days of nice volunteerism or one-off action are no longer enough for the next generation of young people who are digital natives, pressing for systemic change to address the most pressing issues facing our world.”

Kwame Rose, Social Activist
“I firmly believe that the shift that is to come in social impact work, is the removal of ageism. I believe that the further we move to progressive change and the more we empower young people to be decision-makers the better society will be. Equipping young people with the necessary tools, resources, and guidance is important to change the status quo of boring old white men being the decision makers in this Country.”

Jon Huertas, Founder, WestSide Stories
“Consider your perspective. Teach yourself to look way beyond what is right in front of you and what you think you know. Leaders, advocates, and activists should always remain students. There are infinite scenarios, situations, and solutions and unless your mind is open and your vision is in wide-angle, you might miss a valuable piece of information that might make the ultimate difference in what goals you’re trying to achieve.” 

Mike Fung, Co-Founder, ABOARD
“In order to maintain the current advocacy base while inviting and bringing new generations to the work, we are exploring methodologies of helping people relate to other people to find common ground. At the core of this is the human connection… It is critical, to be honest and not hurt people.”

Anthony Two Moons, Creative Director
“Do not believe your work is so incredible that it speaks for itself. It shares the stage with thousands of others competing for the same megaphone. Create a marketing plan that’s at least as great as the message itself.”

Alicia Eastman, President, InterContinental Energy
“I think they need to constantly be in touch with the populations or environment they are seeking to help, preserve, or change and look ahead for any backlash possibilities or offense. Many issues are more emotional than technical and all the studies in the world will not change minds until you change hearts – usually with real people or populations as examples or messengers. Find ways to make problems relatable and establish goals as part of the solution. Anything that can be recorded and counted in order to establish success or provide insight into potential need for directional shift will help momentum.”

Erika Soto Lamb, Vice President, Social Impact Strategy, Showtime/MTV Entertainment at Paramount Global|“Give people real calls to action beyond ‘learn more’ or visit a website. Ask for them to do something whether it’s an action to take for their own mental health, checking their registration to vote or asking them to support an important cause with a small donation. Incentivize them if you have to by playing into their interests.”

Sam Bathe, Creative Director, Zendesk
“Brands are doing engaging, highly conceptual work to translate the big issues we face in the world—and dilute the themes down something that’s instantly understandable. Corona has been particularly effective in this space, with their now annual plastic fishing tournament, and a 900-minute football match to raise awareness of the gender pay gap in football.” 

Daniel Roeder, Chief Academic Officer, David Z Foundation
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are only ideas unless grounded in authentic community. To build community, the work is in empowering storytelling and inspiring transformation from the inside out. Community leaders who put in time to inspire authentic connections so a community can grow and nurture itself over time is critical. There is no shortage of barriers, and overcoming them takes both deep and wide connections and care.”

Brett Peters, Global Lead, TikTok for Good
“From what I’ve noticed, I think the action of ‘speaking with’ and not ‘speaking at’ has been the most influential shift. Within the social space, we are long gone from the days of static text posts telling people what they ‘should’ be doing or feeling as effective messaging. If we really want to reach people, we need to meet them where they are and understand what is blocking them from becoming advocates of the work. Someone not understanding the importance of sustainability? Rather than hammering home the negative effects of climate change, try positioning the conversation around the benefits of living a more sustainable life, like saving money or time.”

Ben Ostrower, Founder, Wide Eye
“Audiences are hyper-aware of an organization or campaign’s brand and want to be respected and trusted—being direct, plain-spoken, and authentic is the foundation of any successful tactic. Humans listen to other humans that sound like humans, not textbooks, lawyers or politicians. It’s a simple idea, but in efforts to demonstrate our knowledge and expertise, sometimes we forget this premise.”