Overview: 7 steps to setting up your social impact programs

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Congratulations! Your company has taken the pledge and is ready to realize its vision for impact. It’s exciting, but also can feel daunting, especially if driving social impact is not your day job. We want to assure you that no matter your size, stage, location, or capacity—we are here to help you.

This Get Started learning path is intended to be a resource to help you launch your impact efforts. You’ll find suggested actions to get started and some benchmarks, goals, and priorities to set for your early days. We’ve also included some tips directly from our members and experts who have walked this road before.

There are typically two types of people responsible for starting impact programs at companies: the Executive Sponsor, or executive who took the pledge, and the person or team assigned to run the impact program, often known as the Social Impact Lead. In some instances, this is the same person. For many early stage companies with lean teams, this role may not be a full time position. We share information for people in both roles, but it is optimized for the early-stage social impact leader to get their strategy off the ground.

Finally, keep in mind that no single method, strategy, and roadmap will not (and should not!) work for all. While we offer a few different ideas and solutions to help you navigate this time, be sure to focus on what’s most applicable to your company.

Also, if your company is small or in the early stages of growth, consider a phased approach. Launch one program (like volunteering) with a simple mission and 1-2 core objectives. You can always evolve and add on to your programs as your capacity allows. 

“One of the best ways to get started in your impact strategy is to just get started. Don’t wait until you grow to a certain size or hit certain revenue targets. Your plan can evolve as you scale, and your focus can change along the way. It also gives your company a set of guiding principles and values that show your employees and community what matters most to you as an organization.”

Laura Galbraith Director of Community Impact

7 Steps to Setting Up your Social Impact Programs

In the following articles in this learning path, we dig deeper into each of these areas. But if you want to get a sense of what lies ahead, or, if you want to get moving with some simple programming, check out these 7 steps to setting up your social impact program: 

1. Engage executives early.

Meet with your executive team and other key stakeholders to better understand their motivations, listen to their concerns, and plant seeds for your long-term success. Set regular meetings to present updates alongside other departments and in the same format as other leaders across the business.

2. Determine your structure.

Define an Executive Sponsor and a Social Impact Lead. Establish a reporting structure that will position your social impact leader to achieve cross-functional alignment and ensure representation in critical business decisions and resource allocation.

3. Define your impact mission, vision and values

Create an engaging program vision that aligns social and environmental efforts with your company’s business purpose.

 

4. Choose your initial impact focus and nonprofit partners.

Build a list of organizations whose focus and impact intersect with your employees interests, your strategic issue areas, and your unique assets. Consider having an employee vote! If you’re small, don’t worry about being super strategic. Just pick an organization you're passionate about and get started

5. Set your impact objectives and integrate with company goals.

Align your social impact principles with your company’s core values. The strongest and most sustaining impact models are usually directly connected to the core product, services, and goals of a company.

 

6. Announce your pledge.

Celebrate your Pledge 1% membership to rally your team and other stakeholders and to build excitement for next steps.

 

7. Build momentum with a quick win.

Kick off your program by executing a quick win to establish a starting point and initial benchmark to grow. Many Pledge members start with time as a way to get initial engagement, and then add pledge types and grow their program from there. 

Photo credit: Atlassian Foundation.

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Next: Engage executives early