August 9, 2024
By Tessa Danelesko
The responsibility for business-led changemaking has never been greater. This year’s Edelman Trust Barometer revealed business – over government, nonprofits and the media – is “most trusted to introduce innovation to society”, meaning now more than ever it’s up to CEOs to lead their teams to take a stand on critical issues and use their influence for society’s benefit.
Every business has great potential to play a meaningful role in driving social and environmental change, though many face challenges finding the most effective way to make the biggest difference.
Impact Programming is an underutilized tool that can help businesses realize their changemaking potential. The approach involves painting a detailed picture of an organization’s network and resources through exhaustive research, and matching those assets to an issue area where they can be uniquely applied to maximally benefit the community being served.
A massive additional benefit of Impact Programming? The justice- and equity-focused approaches the practice creates are often of keen interest to a wide array of media because the tangible environmental and social impact that results makes storytelling compelling and special.
Equitably identifying and filling a changemaking niche
Impact Programming is not a new concept – it is a practice used by almost every nonprofit you know. What is unique is the adoption of Impact Programming by the business community, and Yulu exists at the leading edge of intersecting the approach into the private sector.
Activating an Impact Program means starting with a complete audit of the resources a business has to dedicate to changemaking, and the collaborators and partners available to assist in scaling an Impact Program concept. Benchmarking research is also critical for identifying existing programs and where service gaps live – it’s within these gaps where the greatest changemaking potential lies.
Most critically, engagement with the community an organization seeks to benefit through an Impact Program must begin during this initial phase. The motto “nothing about us without us” should be fully embodied, with cultural consultants and community leadership prioritized above all. Timelines and ways of working need to match those of the community, and if they don’t this is a huge red flag: the approach needs to be paused, evolved or stopped until both are possible. An Impact Program must be equitable and rooted in community to be truly effective.
Once community support has been granted and research completed, concept refinement is on deck. This is where we think creatively about how we can fill true community needs in a way no one else is. Finalizing an Impact Program is iterative, involving phases of client and community consultation until the most powerful and worthwhile idea is collaboratively derived. Now comes the real work – launching the program.
3…2…1…lift off: how an Impact Program begins
Key components to launching an Impact Program include a detailed program management plan, your one-stop-shop on the who, what, when, where, why and how of the program. Also critical is a communications plan – you can’t operate a program if no one knows about it. Give consideration to cultural moments and current events: these can significantly influence launch success. A detailed picture for how owned, earned, paid and shared channels will be engaged must be painted.
Take an agile approach to managing these two pieces and beyond: Impact Programs live in a state of continued evolution so they can best match each moment they exist in. This flexible mindset allows an initiative to incorporate important and new ideas in a way that is respectful of the community served.
Why does Yulu, a communications agency, lead Impact Programming?
Our staff team holds an incredible diversity of experience including nonprofit program management, governance expertise, social work experience and advocacy. This puts us in a unique position to work backwards from headline generation: we use our experience creating changemaking solutions to help businesses develop and execute programming that creates real environmental and social impact, the type journalists want to write about.
As a fully integrated agency, Yulu can lead the launch and operation of our client’s Impact Programs, though we’re also experienced in co-leading or playing a consultative role in how a program is managed. This flexibility in approach means our clients are able to implement fully operational Impact Programs according to their ambition and capacity.
The Impact Programs Yulu is most proud of synthesizing and leading include:
- The Audible Indigenous Writers’ Circle, a six-month mentorship and workshop program for emerging First Nations, Inuit and Métis writers in Canada looking to elevate their stories.
- The Ocean Wise Innovator Lab, a global project-based competition for youth aged 13-30 to drive new initiatives aimed at reducing plastic pollution in the ocean.
- The Impact Communications Institute, a registered nonprofit and global network of 1,200+ purpose-driven communicators on a mission to use the tools of communications to drive positive systemic change.
The immense potential of Impact Programming
The best part of Impact Programming is that it is for everyone. With the right idea and equitable community engagement, businesses can show they take their responsibility to act on our collective issues we face seriously. Impact Programming is the private sector’s untapped tool for answering the call to create scalable initiatives for a more just, equitable and healthier planet.