August 2021 Social Impact News Roundup: Leveling the Playing Field

How do you make social impact more accessible, equitable, and a part of our everyday lives? In August, we were inspired by the flurry of activity and reports showing how organizations across sectors are investing in solutions that level the playing field:

Investing for Equality

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group released a new report on the state of Impact Investing in 2020, which it found has matured significantly since 2019 – particularly in terms of impact measurement. The report also found that impact investing became much more popular during the pandemic due to increased awareness of climate change and social challenges, such as unequal access to healthcare and racial and gender inequality. To help close this gender gap in access to funding, ANDE also launched a Gender-Smart Capacity Building Directory to catalogue institutions and individuals that help entrepreneurs or the investors, accelerators, and incubators that support them strengthen internal or external gender practices, theses, and strategies. 

Bridging the Learning Gap with Digital Services

Studies have estimated that only 1 in 4 students in India have access to digital learning, and that COVID-19 has widened the existing gap in student learning, especially with the economically underprivileged unable to benefit from EdTech solutions. To help close this gap, Sattva Consulting partnered with GiveIndia and the Dell Foundation to launch the Bharat EdTech Initiative, which is enabling digital access for one million children from low-income communities in India and demonstrating improved learning outcomes by 2025. 

Collaborating to overcome barriers in the last-mile

Even the greatest solutions can’t realize their potential impact if they can’t get into the hands of end-users. Despite the challenges of this past year, EOS International, which empowers rural communities in Central America with safe drinking water and opportunities to generate income through simple technology solutions and education, was able to provide an additional 78,000 people with safe drinking water according to its 2020 Impact Report. Our friends at Meli Bees Network are also working to empower off-grid communities, like the Quilombola in the Amazon, by facilitating storytelling workshops that honor and preserve this traditional culture. Additionally, our friends at Privando have partnered with over 12,000 institutions from across India, sharing educational resources on gender equality to empower young women from across the country.

Social Impact Job Opportunities

• Booking.com is hiring for a Program Manager – Sustainability (based in Amsterdam, Holland)
• Common Impact is hiring for the following positions (based in New York, NY):
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Senior Consultant
  • Associate Consultant
  • Part-Time Project Consultant
• Amazon is hiring for a Finance Manager to join its Amazon in the Community Team (based in Seattle, WA)
• The Aspen Institute is hiring for an Associate Director to join its Business & Society Program Team (based in New York, NY) 
• Bombas is hiring for a Senior Vice President of Impact (based in New York, NY)
• PayPal is hiring for an Employee Giving Operations Lead (based in Dublin, Ireland)
• Raise for Good is hiring for a VP, Operations (remote)
• Mercy Corps Ventures is hiring for a Venture Studio Lead (remote)
• ANDE is hiring for the following positions:
  • Operations Coordinator (based in Kenya)
  • Senior Talent Associate (based in Washington, DC) 
• Sattva Consulting is hiring for multiple positions across its Nonprofit, Corporate, Foundations, & Government Advisory teams. See full list of openings here.
• Resonance Global is hiring for multiple positions, including:
  • Marketing Coordinator (remote within US)
  • Senior Manager, Project Operations (based in Washington, D.C.)
  • Finance Analyst, Resonance Impact Advisory (based in Burlington, VT, Washington, D.C., or Seattle, WA)
• Amazon is hiring for a Sr. Program Manager, Circular Economy (based in San Diego, CA)
• Proof of Impact is hiring for multiple positions with remote flexibility, including:
  • Growth Marketing Manager
  • Sales Development Representative
  • Operations Manager
  • Chief Technology Officer

Featured Experteering Projects

Need to build up your skills and experience more to earn your dream social impact job? Check out these experteering opportunities with our S-GRID network:

• Support Refugees with your Digital Marketing Skills: Fugeelah is a women-led conscious jewellery brand that educates, employs and empowers refugee children and youth. The team is aiming to increase its sales and scale its operations so that it can dedicate a larger profit share to its NGO Fugee School and provide more economic opportunities to the refugee community through upskilling.
• Support Sustainable Construction with Industry Connections: Arqlite is a recycling technology company serving massive industries, like building and construction, by developing highly efficient materials made 100% from discarded materials, including plastic. The team is looking to connect with sustainability leaders at medium to large corporations in precast concrete and concrete.

Upcoming Events & New Programs

• September 1: The Angel Accelerator is hosting a free workshop, “Startup Investing in Emerging Markets: Not as Scary as you Think.” Register here. 
• September 14-30: The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) will be happening in New York. 
• September 21: Deadline for U.S.-based Black and Brown business owners to apply for the Black Girl Ventures Foundation 2021 Pitch Season! Apply to pitch here for a chance to access the resources and community that you’re going to need to level up.
• September 22: SOCAP Spectrum is hosting a half-day event on the importance of finance and race, with conversations focused on the need to diversify fund managers and increase investment in Black and Brown entrepreneurs. Register here.
• September 28-29: Social Enterprise World Forum is hosting its flagship annual conference. Get your ticket to SEWF 2021 here to connect with thousands of leading social entrepreneurs, access world-class content and be part of the world’s largest social enterprise conversation.
• September 28-30: ANDE is hosting its annual conference, bringing together leaders from across the SGB sector. Learn more and register here. 
• September 30: Deadline to apply for the Youth Hub Africa COVID-19 Community Immunity Ambassadors program. Learn more and apply here.
• September 30: Deadline to apply for the October cohort of the MovingWorlds Institute Global Fellowship! Learn more and apply here.

Congratulations to….

Veo, the UK’s most sustainable online shopping destination, for being shortlisted for the Sustainability Entrepreneur category in the Regional Finals of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards! 

Auspice Social for winning the Gold Award at this year’s Stevie Awards! Auspice Social provides hands-on training and skill development to adults with autism, and was recognized for its inclusive business model and ongoing support despite the challenges of the pandemic. 

OneSeventeenMedia for being recognized by B Labs as a 2021 Best For The World B-Corp! Learn more about its innovative mental health app solution, reThinkIt, here.

A Final Bit of Inspiration

Equality isn’t a zero-sum game, but a win-win that will result in more opportunity and happiness for everybody. In this TED Talk, Michael Kimmel makes the surprising, funny, practical case for treating men and women equally in the workplace and at home: