Seeing Social Impact Differently

There’s this book on my nightstand: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. There are 78 “areas of thought” in this book. One area that stood out to me was Point of Reference. Let me share with you an excerpt from this chapter:

"When a beloved artist thwarts our expectations or a new artist defies known precedents, it can be confusing. Initially, the work may feel unsatisfying or of no interest whatsoever. once we get over the hump of adapting ourselves to the new palette, these can end up being our favorite works. Conversely, works we like immediately might not have that same power down the road.

“The very same phenomenon can happen while making our own work.

“If you're looking for solutions to a problem, or a new project to begin, you may react in a strongly negative way to an option that springs forth. This can be when the idea is so new that you don't have any concern for it. When we don't have context, new ideas appear foreign or awkward.

“Sometimes the ideas that least match our expectations are the most innovative. By definition, revolutionary ideas have no context. They invent their own.

When we initially experience the radically new, our first instinct might be to push it away and think, this isn't for me. And sometimes it may not be. Other times it could lead to our most enduring, important work.

“Be aware of strong responses. If you're immediately turned off by an experience, it's worth examining why. Powerful reactions often indicate deeper wells of meaning. And perhaps by exploring them, you'll be led to the next step on your creative path.”

You know what I thought about after reading this chapter? Our work in social impact. It made me wonder: Are we too comfortable with the status quo? Too drained to dream up revolutionary ideas?

How can we best support nonprofits to innovate without fear in this current environment? How can we encourage funders to toss out the 5% payout mindset, embrace collaborative giving, or let go of exhaustive grant applications?

How can we do this work radically differently?

I have three small ideas that I’ve put into practice this year, and I’ll share them with you:

1. Seek out different voices and perspectives to widen your frame of reference

2. Make sure there’s at least one part of your work that feels uncomfortable — that’s where the growth happens

3. Give yourself permission to tap into your own creativity, even (or especially) outside of work

I so welcome your thoughts and ideas. What possibilities do you see?

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

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🔧 TOOLS FOR BETTER THINKING

I recently came across Untools — and I’m into it. Untools is a collection of thinking tools and frameworks to help you (us) solve problems, make decisions, and understand systems.

As someone who can be too quick to make decisions without thinking through all orientations or consequences, I am for sure bookmarking this site (give me all the tools!).

You can also sign up for the Untools newsletter here.

✨ SOCIAL IMPACT PODCASTS, THOUGHT LEADERS, AND MORE

Looking for that next podcast to get you thinking differently about social impact? Or wondering who to follow on LinkedIn to stay inspired and informed?

Check out this curated guide from MovingWorlds. It gathers podcasts, influential voices, newsletters, and more — all focused on social impact and systems change.

🎤 SPEAKING OF PODCASTS, HERE’S A REALLY, REALLY GOOD ONE

Earlier this week, I listened — for the first time — to Good Hang with Amy Poehler. Specifically, I listened to the episode with Zarna Garg. And it was SO good. It was such a palate cleanser from the news podcasts I’ve been listening to…and I am literally in awe of Zarna.

Zarna shares her (stunning) life story on this podcast, and, as you might imagine, her conversation with Amy is just so dang funny.

I’ve since listened to a couple other Good Hang episodes and it feels so good to laugh, hard. 10 out of 10, highly recommend.

💘 NONPROFIT LOVE

Founded in 2008, the nonprofit/social enterprise Micromentor was originally part of Mercy Corps, a global development organization. Just this past April, Micromentor transitioned to operate under Capital for Good, a part of Global Impact Ventures.

Micromentor’s mission is to help small businesses grow faster and employ more people by making it easy to find a mentor, be a mentor, and build a business. Micromentor offers a free virtual mentoring platform (yes, you can volunteer from home!) connecting entrepreneurs — especially from under-resourced or underserved communities — with volunteer mentors from around the world.

To date, Micromentor has engaged ~500,000 entrepreneurs and volunteer mentors worldwide, operating in 180+ countries and in six languages. The organization is looking to scale its impact to reach over 1M entrepreneurs by 2027.

You can play a part. Consider signing up as a mentor here. Better yet, get your workplace involved. 😉