How Cross-Sector Collaboration Is Driving the Future of Impact
Born This Way Foundation’s VP of Content & Brand shares the strategies that are moving the needle in today’s impact landscape—and why the best campaigns are never built in isolation.
From mental health advocacy to digital storytelling, Mitu Yilma has spent her career at the intersection of purpose and creativity. As VP of Content & Brand at Born This Way Foundation—and a longtime Anthem judge—she’s seen firsthand how the impact industry has evolved since 2021.
One theme she keeps coming back to? Collaboration. In our second edition of Judge Reflections, Yilma shares what continues to surprise her about today’s most compelling campaigns, how judging has made her better at her own work, and why the next era of impact depends on showing up together with layered stories.
How has the impact space evolved since you first joined Anthem’s Judging Academy in 2021?
One big lesson we’re continuing to learn is the importance of cross-sector collaboration. I love seeing an increase in creative partnerships for layered campaigns in order to reach communities with helpful resources and information.
Was there anything that surprised you in the past five years of reviewing leading campaigns and initiatives?
One surprise is how much I’ve learned as a judge that I can apply to my own work and point to as a resource for others in the social impact space. A wonderful byproduct of getting to review social impact work is getting to see the creative, innovative approaches people and organizations are taking.
If anyone knows what works in the impact space, it’s you. What strategy do you think is key for not only raising awareness but also driving action in today’s landscape?
One key strategy is that social impact cannot be effective in silos. That’s why I’m excited by the projects I see through Anthem, showing cross-organization and sector collaboration, layered campaigns involving multiple digital and in-person platforms, and creative storytelling to reach people where they are with messages that move.
What are some of your all-time favorite projects that left you feeling inspired and hopeful?
I am of course biased, but I am very proud of Born This Way Foundation’s Anthem Awards shared with Jack.org for the free online mental health course, the Be There Certificate, which teaches young people (and anyone!) how to understand the signs of someone struggling with their mental health and safely offer support. I am also always impressed by layered, hopeful campaigns that inspire action, like UNDP’s Weather Kids.
Put Your Work in Front of the People Who Get It
Whether you’re a grassroots disruptor or global powerhouse, if your work is moving the needle—on mental health, LGBTQIA+ rights, equity, sustainability, and more—now’s the time to amplify it at the 5th Annual Anthem Awards. Enter before the Final Entry Deadline on Friday, August 1.
