July 2022 Social Impact News Roundup: Hope for the SDGs

Every month, we share leading social impact insights, trends, job opportunities, and events to help you drive positive change from wherever you are. Here are some highlights from July 2022:

Despite a Grim ‘State of the SDGs’ Report, Social Entrepreneurs Are Giving Us Hope

If you’re looking for a light weekend read, you won’t find it in the 2022 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) report. The picture it paints is undeniably grim – its opening lines read, “The world is facing a confluence of crises that threaten the very survival of humanity.” But we’re not losing hope, and you shouldn’t either. Social entrepreneurs are lighting the way to achieving the SDGs, and modeling a new standard for today’s change leaders, businesses, and governments. Here are a few inspiring examples of social enterprises advancing the SDGs. By continuing to support social enterprises, we are investing in a future more equitable and sustainable than the status quo.

The Most Comprehensive Data Ever Gathered on the Social Enterprise Movement

A new report from the British Council and Social Enterprise UK presents the most comprehensive picture of the global state of social enterprise to date. The research found that over 11 million social enterprises are already operating worldwide, and leaving the world better than they found it wherever they are. In the report foreword, Dr. François Bonnici, director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and head of social innovation at the World Economic Forum, said: “This historic report demonstrates how social enterprise is one of the largest movements of our time.”

Decentralized Finance to Boost Climate Resilience for Smallholder Farmers

Access to financial services is key to supporting smallholder farmers, one of the most climate-vulnerable groups. But historically, microinsurance initiatives have lacked trust and uptake. Mercy Corps Ventures and its partners piloted a program using smart contracts and decentralized finance to help farmers build climate resilience. By integrating crop insurance indexed to local weather conditions with smart contracts on a blockchain, the policies could be automatically triggered during an extreme weather event — facilitating fair, transparent, and timely payouts. Learn more about the results of the pilot program and its future potential.

A Portfolio Approach to ESG and CSR: The Case for Corporate Support of Social Entrepreneurship

A new op-ed from Brigit Helms, Executive Director of the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, highlights the role that social enterprise accelerators can play in ESG and CSR for corporations. ”Whether they’re seeking to fund individual enterprises for ESG or CSR purposes, or identifying corporate-ready social enterprises to enter their supply chains, corporations often find it challenging to identify and engage with these enterprises one at a time…working with social enterprise accelerators [can help them] to better leverage their own resources by reaching and strengthening multiple enterprises at once.” 

Social Impact Job Opportunities

• ANDE is hiring for multiple positions, including:
  • Central America and Mexico Program Coordinator (based in Mexico City, Mexico)
  • Financial Analyst (based in Washington, D.C.)
• Angaza is hiring for an Analytics Engineer (based in San Francisco, CA) 
• BURN Manufacturing is hiring for multiple positions, including:
  • Business Analyst (based in Nairobi, Kenya)
  • Director of Systems Engineering (based in Nairobi, Kenya)
• First Tech Fund is hiring for a contract Part-Time Operations Coordinator (remote out of New York City, NY) 
• PepsiCo is hiring for a Global Sustainability Strategic Partnerships, Associate Manager (based in Purchase, NY)
• Principles for Responsible Investment is hiring for Senior Policy Analyst- US (based in Washington, D.C.) 
• Resonance Consulting is hiring for multiple positions, including:
  • Director, People and Organization Development (based in Burlington, VT, Washington, D.C., or remote within US)
  • Manager, Project Operations (based in Burlington, VT, Washington, D.C., or remote within US)
• Sesame Workshop is hiring for a Project Director, US Social Impact (based in New York City, NY) 
• Upaya Social Ventures is hiring for a Director, Institutional Partnerships (Virtual out of Seattle, WA)
• Uplift Agency is hiring for a Sustainability Consultant (remote within US)

Upcoming Events & New Programs

• August 16-18: Join ANDE India for the first ever ANDE South Asia Convening, a virtual conference on resilient entrepreneurship focusing on climate & environment, gender equality, and SGB ecosystem building. Register here.
• August 17: Join the TRANSFORM Support Hub for a free social enterprise growth webinar, “Using Social Impact as a Sales Advantage: Live Coaching” featuring Tim Rann from Mercy Corps Ventures. Register here.
• August 17: Join Connective Impact and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship for a “Cultivating Grant Funding Workshop.” Register here.
• August 28: Application deadline for Unity Effect’s 12-week Leadership Journey for emerging purpose-driven leaders. Learn more and apply here.
• September 13-15: ANDE will be holding their Annual Conference in Washington, DC with the theme, “Resilient Entrepreneurship.” Learn more and register here.
• September 30: Does your social enterprise operate in a place where there aren’t existing opportunities for verification and certification? Apply by September 30th to get your SEWF Verification (free of charge!) 
• September 28-29: Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) is hosting its annual conference in Australia – a hybrid event bringing together social enterprise leaders and some of the most inspiring speakers from across the globe. Get your ticket here.

Join us in welcoming the newest members of the TRANSFORM Support Hub

• Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF): SEWF was established in 2008 by national social enterprise support agencies seeking a means to advance social enterprise development globally. Since then, its annual event has quickly gained momentum and recognition as a springboard for progressing the sector and establishing global relations.

Congratulations to….

• Pete Ceglinski and the team at Seabin for being selected to present at the 7th International Marine Debris Conference in Korea! 
• Philanthrofi on winning first prize and $20,000 in the Social Impact Track of Arizona State University’s Venture Devils Demo Day competition! (Sign up as a Beta tester for its new app here to get free and discounted support)
• Wateroam on winning the 2022 Zayed Sustainability Prize for the Water category! The Prize’s support brings them closer to their goal of providing 30 million people in vulnerable communities with access to safe drinking water.
• ARED Group on being selected as a finalist in the Cisco innovation challenge of 2022! If you have a moment, help ARED win by voting for them here.
• LeadMinds Africa for being awarded $25,000 through the ‘Athletes for Good’ joint initiative between Olympic partner P&G, the IOC, and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)! 

A final bit of inspiration

“The road map laid out in the SDGs is clear. Just as the impact of crises is compounded when they are linked, so are solutions.”
Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations