Transitions. Reflections from (what I hope is) a Social Impact Thoughtful Mentor. Part XIV
My purpose is to support people and organizations through transitions, especially as they seek to do good, better. Please reach out if you need support in these areas.
Dear friends, ?
In February of this year, I started to write these LinkedIn posts as something I hoped might be helpful to my peers and community.?
I wanted the posts to be useful, accessible (I know how busy you all are), and, as the title indicates, thoughtful. The posts generally contain three items, with a bonus one related to a chart or photo that means something to me and that I want to share with you.?
Looking back, as it has been about six months since I started doing this, and because September is, as we all know, the actual start of the year, I thought I would summarize what I’ve shared and get your advice.?
Here are my questions, which I’m hoping you will answer in the comments and/or poll in a subsequent post?
Do you find these posts useful, accessible and thoughtful – as intended??YES/ NO
Would you prefer to have these emailed directly to you – they would come every other week or so? YES/ NO If yes, please Message me with your email and I’ll add you to the list. I will also be exploring the newsletter function in LinkedIn?
Are there other types of content you would prefer? If so, what might that be?
Thank you!?
Summary of the XIII post so far, so if you missed any post, and you are interested in checking out any of these articles, you can do so.
Given the number of people who reach out to me to seek social impact career advice, these posts always include an interesting job opportunity. I have focused in these areas:?
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My first post (Part I – February 27/24) featured information on three areas of passion for me (1) how to help people move from transactional to transformational impact (infographic); (2) the opportunities and challenges of AI for those engaged in social impact work; and (3) advancing the purpose economy – this time profiling the work of the Canadian Purpose Economy Project (CPEP).?
MaRS Discovery District Social Innovation Canada AIforGood.io Canadian Purpose Economy Project Coro Strandberg Mike Rowlands Maureen Young Mary Ellen Schaafsma George Irish
In Part II – March 5/24 I share another infographic, this one on the work we did to better understand and map the Business for Purpose Network (now part of the CPEP work outlined above) and how we would advance this work with the identified stakeholders; we talk about a course on the Digital Economy at The Dias based out of Toronto Metropolitan University; and shared some new data on the business case for purpose from the Conspiracy of Love.?
I got a bit more personal in Part III – March 30/24 as I truly believe in bringing our whole selves to our work. I shared information about the 24th anniversary of losing our daughter Sydney to cancer at the age of four and the value of self-care and friends; the importance of journalling and an app to help with that and a valued resource called Weekend Briefings.?
Events that I think are really important to the social impact sector were profiled in Part IV – April 7/24. They included the Skoll World Forum, and how you can join online (instead of travelling to Oxford) and a summary of a webinar by Social Innovation Exchange (SIX) on Purpose. ?
Skoll Foundation Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship Social Innovation Exchange (SIX) Louise Pulford So Jung Rim
High Park was featured in Part V – April 16/24 which also talks about the value of walking and connecting to nature; celebrating National Volunteer Week; and highlights and opportunities for the sector in?the 2024 Federal Budget.?
When organizations advance the purpose economy they should be celebrated and therefore this post (Part VI – April 22/24) commends the Toronto Region Board of Trade for offering an Executive Certificate in Purpose-Driven Leadership. For those of you who were unable to attend this event last May, I’m really pleased to announce the next session will be held on September 26, 2024 – you can register here. We mourned the closing of Participant Media and dove deep to understand ACTUAL use cases for AI in the social impact sector. ?
Toronto Region Board of Trade World Trade Centre Toronto Jon E Worren Mary-Anne Laguna Meerasabeer Jeffrey Skoll
Recognizing how many people, particularly women, have spoken to me about their “Imposters Syndrome”, this post (Part VII – April 29/24) featured a new take on that concept; and the post also featured one of my favourite programs where I am honoured to be on faculty – Wavemakers. If you are a post-secondary student, or someone interested in mentoring them, you have to check this out!?
Introducing you to new thought leaders, rethinking the diversification of income sources and rethinking institutions are all profiled in Part VIII – May 28/24. I’m hoping these posts will encourage us to think a bit differently about what we assume is sacred.?
MaRS, not as an institution but as an Alumni Association, was profiled in Part IX – June 10/24 along with promotion of the Social Finance Forum by Future of Good and an opportunity to advance the purpose economy through proposed legislation.?
The Partnership Conference is a great event that does something we are not great at, bringing?together corporates and nonprofits who are all interested in advancing social impact; it also features a deconstruction of the impact investing levers that can be used to advance systems change and in addition, in Part X – July 3/24 we celebrate the work of Kids Help Phone in advancing Tech for Good.?
Part XI - July 15/24 features a memory and a tool to help recognize our colleagues; shares the work of a colleague, Ben Weinlick, on Nudge Science; and promotes the home grown Elevate Festival.?
I’m a keen observer of Trends in the Social Impact space and in Part XII – August 1/24 I noted the trend to using Fractional Employees (I’m thrilled to be operating as a fractional Social Innovator in Residence for a few organizations that I value); and a summary of nonprofit trends from Salesforce, including the notation that managing workload has surpassed fundraising as the most pressing challenge. I also include a photo from one of my favourite places to tackle social innovation challenges – Wasan Island.?
Most recently (Part XIII – August 26/24) I shared some of the work I’m currently deeply engaged in advancing – the How Change Happens Initiative with the Centre for Social Innovation. This work is being designed to give all Canadians, but especially those committed to social change, the hope and agency to do good, better! We will do this by profiling, deconstructing and sharing how some of our most transformational change efforts happened. Please reach out if you think this work may be of interest to you! This post also featured an innovation in net-zero housing and a personal story about participating in research to better understand and hopefully delay the onset of dementia – once again, bringing my whole self to this work!?
So that’s it. Please do offer your feedback, I’m extremely interested in your opinion on this work; and of course, I’m always up for a walk and talk, especially as we head into the Fall – my favourite season.?
Kindest,?
Allyson?
Innovative Leader & Ecosystem Builder | CEO-in-Residence and Managing Partner, Regenerative Capital Group
2 个月Thanks for your updates Allyson Hewitt! I find these very useful, and I’d love to be added to your email newsletter if you end up shifting to email. ??
Helping Companies Grow in the Climate Future | B Corp CEO | Impact and ESG Strategist | Lecturer | Podcast Host
2 个月So good. It’s so true these are massive transitions for organizations but more importantly for the people that are part of them! Thank you for all of your work!
Pioneer, thought leader and expert in business models and strategies for a sustainable future.
2 个月Informative spotlights on important ideas and initiatives. Appreciate your allyship @allysonhewitt
I love your posts Allyson! They are informative and inspiring! I always look forward to reading them.