September 2023 Social Impact News Roundup: An Ecosystem Approach to Systems Change

UNGA 78: The Good, The Bad, and Why We Still Have Hope

We are officially halfway to the deadline for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but the latest SDG Progress Report shows we’re falling significantly behind. The 78th annual United Nations General Assembly in September was an important flashpoint for getting the goals back on track: despite the excuse-making by certain corporations and policy makers, the overarching tone was one of inspiration and energy as forward-thinking corporations, social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and accelerators stepped up to find innovative new ways of working together to rescue the SDGs. We still have hope that we can deliver on the promises that the SDGs embody by 2030 – here are 51 examples of why you should, too. 

Realizing the Potential of Social Procurement

Social and inclusive procurement help corporations meet their own CSR, ESG, and DEI targets, and this approach is becoming increasingly valued and demanded by customers, shareholders, and other stakeholders. It’s a tremendous opportunity for social enterprises to scale their revenues and impact – and programs like the TRANSFORM Support Hub and recently launched Yunus Social Business B2B Network exist to help them take advantage of it. To tease out the opportunities and challenges for both corporates and social enterprises, our partners at Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship recently convened an online “Social Entrepreneurship & Corporate Supply Chain Panel” that included representatives from Chevron, SAP, and three alumni of Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship programs. Find key highlights from that discussion here.

Strengthening the Social Enterprise Support Ecosystem

It takes an ecosystem to affect change on a systemic level, and the more we can amplify each other’s work, the more entrepreneurs we can reach with the support they deserve. Our friends at NextBillion recently launched a new free service — its Business Development (BizDev) page — to aggregate business development opportunities like competitions, funding opportunities, training, and more specifically for enterprises working in low- and middle-income countries. We encourage you to check it out and submit any offerings you’re aware of, and you can also submit opportunities for social entrepreneurs anywhere in the world directly to the MovingWorlds team here for inclusion in our next monthly social impact news roundup!

Social Impact Job Openings

• Acre is hiring for a Sustainability Communications Manager (based in Milton Keynes, UK)
• Ashaya is hiring for a Content Creator (based in Pune, India)
• ChangemakerXChange is hiring for a Project Lead for its “Changemakers for Democracy” Program (hybrid out of Berlin, Germany)
• Echoing Green is hiring for multiple positions, including:
  • Senior Associate, Events & Engagements (based in New York, NY)
  • Specialist, Executive Office Operations (based in Washington, D.C.)
• Kelp Blue is hiring for two positions:
  • Marine Monitoring Data Engineer (based in Luderitz, Namibia)
  • Quality Control Specialist (based in Luderitz, Namibia)
• Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship is hiring for a Sr. Manager, Impact Investing (based in Santa Clara, CA)
• Spring Impact is hiring for multiple positions, including:
  • Consultant (based in London, UK)
  • Senior Consultant (hybrid out of London, UK)
  • Managing Consultant (based in London, UK)
• Stand Together is hiring for a Director of Marketing, Social Impact Programs (based in Arlington, VA)
• Tamarack Institute is hiring for two positions:
  • Associate Director, Communities Building Belonging (based in Canada)
  • Manager of Communities, Vibrant Communities (based in Canada)
• United Nations Foundation is hiring for a Director, Partnerships, Advocacy, & Communications, Data2X (hybrid out of Washington, D.C.)
• World Economic Forum is hiring for an Internal Communications Lead (based in Geneva, Switzerland)

Upcoming Events & New Programs

• October 4: If you’re a social innovator in Mexico City, join Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship for its “Impulsar el crecimiento de las empresas de impacto en LATAM” event. Register here.
• October 5: Join Supply Change for a social procurement webinar on the topic of “Selling to the Built Environment.” Register here. Note: There is a €10 euro fee to participate.
• October 12: Join Global Distributors Collective for a webinar on “Making e-Commerce Inclusive in Low and Middle Income Countries.” Learn more and register here.
• October 17: Join Echoing Green for an informational session about the Echoing Green Fellowship, which is accepting applications through November 2nd. Register here.
• October 18: Join Duke’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship for an information session to find out if the F.M. Kirby Prize of $150,000 in unrestricted funding is a good fit for your enterprise. Register here. 
• October 18: Deadline to express interest in funding from Bayer Foundation in collaboration with the Million Lives Collective, open to innovators with the potential to increase incomes for women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn more here.
• October 19: Join Social Enterprise Alliance for its next coffee chat on the topic of “Employee Wellness in the Workplace,” where you’ll learn from author David Gaines and each other about employee wellness initiatives that work, and their importance to a workplace culture. Register here.
• October 24: Join Tamarack Institute for a virtual half-day workshop, “From Idea to Impact.” Learn more and register here. Note: this workshop requires a fee to participate.
• November 5: Deadline to apply for the D-Prize Global Competition, open to problem solvers and aspiring social entrepreneurs with promising ideas to address global poverty. Learn more here.
• November 14-15: Join Tamarack Institute for its annual conference, focused this year on the theme “Communities Taking Climate Action: Leading Courageously.” Learn more and register here.

Congratulations to…

• Ashaya on securing funding from TRANSFORM!
• Aqua Clara Kenya on winning the second place prize at the Gender4Climate challenge powered by KawiSafi Ventures, Dalberg, and AECF!
• EOS International on the publication of its latest annual impact report!
• Good to be Good on the publication of its impact report for the 4th cohort of its Change Make-Her program!
• Humans in the Loop on winning the SDG Digital GameChanger Award in the Pioneer category, and earning official B-Corp status! 
• Kelp Blue on being selected as one of the three finalists in the “Climate Action” category for the Zayed Sustainability Prize!
• Lasso Loop Recycling on earning a spot on the GreenBiz 35 Climate Tech Startups to Watch list, and being named as one of the 25 GreenBiz finalists to present at Verge23!
• Our partners at TRANSFORM on achieving the milestone of impacting 10 MILLION lives across Asia and Africa! 
• Tamarack Institute on the publication of its Communities Ending Poverty (CEP) impact report!
• Young Africa on celebrating 25 years of youth empowerment!

A Final Bit of Inspiration

“We are a profoundly interconnected species, as the global economic and ecological crises reveal in vivid and frightening detail. We must embrace the simple fact that we are dependent on and accountable to one another.”

-Parker Palmer