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The ENGAGE Podcast

Subscribe to The ENGAGE Podcast to hear experts from across the social good community share best practices, tips and must-know trends that will help organizations increase their impact. Formerly called The sgENGAGE Podcast.
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Now displaying: January, 2019
Jan 31, 2019

It’s clear that social media can be a powerful tool for social good. Online campaigns like #MeToo have been greatly effective at raising awareness and sparking action. But not every campaign is so effective, and social media activism can be polarizing and difficult to manage.

This episode’s guest is Susan McPherson, founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies. She joins the podcast  to talk  about hashtag activism, why some social media campaigns are successful while others aren’t, what social good organizations can do to help ensure the success of their social media campaigns, and how to appeal to members of Generation Z.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • When social media activism is powerful and when it is not
  • How social good organizations can make their campaigns  effective and lasting
  • Hashtag campaigns that Susan has seen succeed, and why they succeeded
  • How nonprofits will need to adapt to capture the attention of the upcoming generation

 

Resources:

Follow Susan on Twitter: @susanmcp1

McPherson Strategies

GRASSROOTS GALVANIZER: A modern playbook to mobilize, organize, fundraise and influence

 

Quotes:

“Social media can be an incredible way to scale reaction, to rapidly organize a message of dissent or awareness about an issue.”

“Remember, sometimes it’s OK if every campaign isn’t about getting people to make a donation."

“The most moving social campaigns are generally not associated with specific brands or organizations. They’re typically supported with a moment, feeling, or call to action.”

Jan 17, 2019

Today’s young people know that they can have a hand in shaping a better future and solving the world’s challenges, and they’re embracing their role by engaging in causes and supporting organizations and companies that align with their values.

This episode’s guest is Meredith Ferguson, the Managing Director of DoSomething Strategic. Listen to today’s conversation to hear more about DoSomething.org and DoSomething Strategic and how they are helping engage millions of young people in social change. Learn about how Generation Z is different from previous generations when it comes to social good, how social good organizations and companies can engage with this younger generation, and what makes young people gravitate toward causes.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How young people are engaging in social change today, and the biggest driver for them to get involved
  • How Generation Z is different from other generations when it comes to engaging in social impact
  • How nonprofits and other social good organizations can get young people involved
  • Examples of organizations that do a good job of engaging the younger generation
  • Best modes of communicating with young activists
  • How young people feel about brands taking stands
  • How companies can engage young employees in CSR initiatives
  • Resources for learning more about how to engage Gen Z

Resources:

Meredith Ferguson

Learn about DoSomething Strategic and DoSomething.org

Article: What Drives Gen Z: Is It the Experience or the Cause?


Quotes:

“DoSomething.org is the largest platform for young people and social change. We have 6 million members worldwide in 121 countries between the ages of 13 and 25.”

“The interesting thing is when we ask young people who is responsible for solving the world’s most pressing problems today, they said “citizens”. A plurality of them said, “we are.”

“If you’re not communicating via text, then you’re likely not activating as highly as you should.”

Jan 10, 2019

Work doesn’t mean the same thing now that it once meant. Workers have different motivations and skills, and organizations are changing their look in order to be more diverse and inclusive. What does that mean for the future of work?

In today’s episode, you’ll hear a session from the 2018 Social Innovation Summit facilitated by Rachel Hutchisson on the topic of “Skills, Brand, and Space: The Future of Work.” Listen to the conversation with Carina Wong, Senior Advisor, Innovation & Scale at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gary Bolles, Chair for the Future of Work, Singularity University as they answer questions about purpose and passion in the workplace, the changing skills required in today’s workplaces, and how workplaces themselves are changing.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • The intersection of what the individual employee and the organization want
  • Finding purpose in the workplace
  • Skills people need to be successful today and in the future
  • How organizations have changed and need to expand
  • Diversity and inclusion in the worksplace

Resources:

Carina Wong

Gary Bolles

Social Innovation Summit 2019

Watch this session on YouTube


Quotes:

“Working at the Gates Foundation, I know that I work at one of the most purposeful places in the world, and that it’s a privilege to be able to follow your purpose and passion.” –Carina Wong

“Engagement with work sort of runs this spectrum from mild disinterest to all the way through to feeling like it’s your mission in life.” –Gary Bolles

“Inclusion is simply the inevitable result of that kind of process – of opening up your thinking and realizing that only by having a diverse set of problem solvers will you be able to solve the problems of tomorrow.” –Gary Bolles


Jan 3, 2019

Social good organizations and private companies have many differences, but they also have many things in common and can benefit from some of the same strategies. Lean principles are being used more and more often among startups and tech companies, and social good organizations are alsolso seeing the value of these principles: thinking big, starting small, and seeking impact.

In today’s episode, Steve MacLaughlin talks with our guest Ann Mei Chang, author of the book Lean Impact: HJow to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good, about how some of these lean principles are being implemented in social good organizations. Listen in to hear what she has to say about transitioning to using lean principles, getting comfortable with failures, and ensuring that a successful program can scale.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • How Ann Mei leverages her Silicon Valley background to help social good organizations achieve greater impact
  • How social good organizations can transition to using lean principles as an approach to solving problems
  • The core principles involved in lean  strategies
  • Setting big goals and getting comfortable with failure
  • Making a successful program that can scale, and learning how to iterate

Resources:

Ann Mei Chang

Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good


Quotes:

“I started to realize that while people get really excited about technology, what I think truly differentiates Silicon Valley are two things: one is the audacity of the ambitions in Silicon Valley, and the second is the pace of progress.”

“I think there are many, many organizations doing incredible work, but it’s still in the early adopter phase.”

“One of the things I like to say is it’s important to fall in love with your problem, not your solution.”

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