A Look Back at Our Most Popular Blog Posts of 2020

Happy New Year!

We’ve got lots of great content in store for you in 2021, but first, here’s a look back to our most popular articles from 2020 that are still relevant as we continue to build back better in the New Year.

January: 51 Best Places to Look for Social Impact Jobs in 2020

It’s earned the nickname of “job search January” for good reason! This month’s top post was our list of the 51 best places to look for social impact jobs, which has continued to top the charts as the crises that came to a head in 2020 renewed interest in socially impactful work.

February: 34 Best Books to Learn Behavioral Economics

In February, we launched our #SocentReadingList series, with book recommendations for career changers, scaling entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs making their companies more socially responsible, and books to learn behavioral economics. Behavioral economics have become increasingly popular in the social sector, and for good reason: to design programs that have the intended impact, you first need to understand how people actually behave. 

March: Going Virtual Because of COVID-19? You’re Thinking About Your Corporate Volunteering Programs All Wrong

The COVID crisis began to tip around this time, forcing companies large and small to rapidly adapt to a newly virtual world. In this month’s top post, our CEO shares 7 steps to help you take your corporate programs virtual without sacrificing impact. 

April: Volunteering Online During COVID: How To Support Social Impact Virtually

By April, COVID-19 was a full-blown crisis and had changed life as we knew it. Many quarantined at home watching the news with dismay were moved to do something, and in this month’s top post we share virtual volunteering best practices as well as a list of places to find virtual volunteer opportunities.

May: How to Advance Your Career While Working Remotely During COVID-19

By May, the pandemic had changed the nature of what work looked like across industries and sectors. In this month’s top post, we shared seven best practices to help you use this extra time to invest in your own personal and professional growth.

June: From Individual Action to System Change: Anti-Racism Resources To Help You Make a Meaningful Impact

In June, we, like the rest of the world, were still processing feelings of anger, outrage, and grief after the murder of George Floyd by police in the USA. In this month’s top post, we compiled a list of the best resources and influencers our team and community have seen, categorized within the eight stages of systems change.

July: Growing Your Social Enterprise Through Corporate Partnerships

In July we partnered with SAP, leading impact investors, and social enterprise thought-leaders to launch S-GRID — the Sustainable Growth of Revenues for International Development program — to help social enterprises build revenue partnerships with the corporate sector to become more integrated into global value chains. This month’s top post shares how corporate partnerships can help social enterprises grow revenue, impact, and create more world-positive jobs.

August: 5 Things Impactful CSR Programs Have in 2020

As the pandemic raged on, consumers and employees were increasingly demanding more responsible business practices from the private sector. In our work helping some of the world’s most respected brands design, launch, and scale social impact programs, we’ve found that the most successful programs incorporate the 5 characteristics shared in this month’s top post.

September: How to Change Careers to Social Impact: Step 1 – Audit Your Strengths

In September, we saw interest in purposeful work continue to grow as the crisis dragged on. To support professionals who are ready to make the transition but not sure where to start, we launched our #SocialImpactCareerGuide series based on our popular 11-step guide. In it, we guide you through each step with templates and examples, starting with this month’s top post, Step 1: how to uncover your unique strengths.

October: 30 Social Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Advice for Scaling Your Social-Good Business

In October, we saw actors across sectors betting on social enterprises for a more sustainable future. Experience is a master teacher, and for those early on in their social entrepreneurship journey, one of the best ways to learn is from the experiences of others. To support our global network social enterprise network, we asked 30 successful social entrepreneurs for the best piece of advice they received on their journey to scaling their business and shared their answers in this month’s top post.

November: How to Pitch Corporate Clients as a Social Enterprise — Behind the Scenes with Microsoft Philanthropies

Now more than ever, we’re seeing global corporations investing in social impact initiatives to drive systemic change. In November, we had the opportunity to go behind the scenes with leaders from Microsoft Philanthropies to learn best practices for social entrepreneurs to use when pitching corporate clients, which we shared in this month’s top post.

December: An Email Template to Help You Network Virtually

The end of the year is a natural opportunity to pause and reflect on progress made and goals for the New Year. Whether you’re looking for a mentor, a new job, life advice, or suggestions on how to do better in your job, networking can help you get there. Our top post this month was about how to network virtually, including an email template to help you leverage LinkedIn for second-degree connections. 

To see the best of our upcoming 2021 content, subscribe to our monthly content roundup featuring the best insights, research, and articles from us and our partners, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.