For the next 8 months I’ll be diving deep into social impact strategy as I pursue an executive certificate at the University of Pennsylvania. I’m learning so much already! I’m inspired by the diversity of the program participants - leaders across for profit, nonprofit, government agencies, and community organizations.
I want to share some of this good stuff with my network and will plan to post an insight or ‘aha’ each week. This quote stood out from one of our readings this week - it’s from Stanford Social Innovation Review’s Fall 2008 (yes, 2008!) edition.
“The most important implication (of social innovation) is the importance of recognizing the fundamental role of cross-sector dynamics: exchanging ideas and values, shifting roles and relationships, and blending public, philanthropic, and private resources. In principle, many people accept the trend of dissolving sector boundaries; in practice, however, they continue to toil in silos.”
It’s been nearly 13 years since this article was written. Are we making progress? The view that business needs to play its role in driving societal and environmental change has gained both momentum and structure. We’re seeing this with the increased focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues and the rise of B Corps. My questions remain, however, on the day-to-day execution piece (i.e. the ‘toiling’): As businesses position themselves as a force for good, how much are they listening before they talk? And how or who in the business is doing the listening and talking? On the flip side, how much are nonprofits focused on exchanging ideas with the private sector versus funding specific programs and projects?
Coming from the private sector point of view, I’m also learning some fascinating differences in the lexicon of the social impact space. More to come on that front.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and any cool examples of cross-sector social innovation. In the meantime, the work at HH Communications & Consulting continues to grow and evolve. I invite you to follow my LinkedIn company page and learn more at https://bit.ly/3roeElO
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