7 Secrets of Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators

Social impact communication is quickly become a mandatory skill for leaders of modern businesses and nonprofits, at all levels of an organization. Yet using strategy, language and influence to advance game-changing societal breakthroughs isn’t something most people learn in college. This book provides a pathway for empathy, clarity and persuasive communication to advance the social impact work that can help people, their families and society.

Too often, workplaces leave these essential capabilities to chance or trust osmosis to do the work. These aren’t skills you can learn in a classroom. They must be learned while actively engaged in the work of social impact leadership. Too many organizations treat social impact communication and programmatic leadership as “just another marketing project.” It’s a tremendous missed opportunity for businesses seeking to add value to society and deepen their client/customer relationships. What’s more, it directly damages other aspects of organizations’ ESG priorities— specifically, their cultivation of a healthy, safe and engaged workplace with team members whose personal values and professional activities are in harmony.

Journalist and social impact business executive Nate Birt walks you through the essential mindset shifts and principles needed perform the social impact work that matters and have confidence your headed toward true north. The book includes firsthand insights, how-to strategies and social impact leadership anecdotes, along with insights and tips from dozens of social impact communicators whose perspective will provide you with real-world validation, strategies and encouragement. 

Each chapter includes a call for personal reflection or action that features a series of question-based prompts to encourage further introspection and journaling. At the end of the book, you'll get access to other resources to continue the conversation and professional development in the area of social impactcommunication.

What You'll Learn

• Understand what makes social impact communication fundamentally different from conventional advertising, journalism or marketing
• See why social impact communication requires translational communication capabilities within an organization, across partner stakeholders, and with external audiences, clients and customers.
• Examine how social impact communication cultivates more engaged leaders and teams by unlocking the power of team members’ individual values and personal purpose

Who This Book Is For

Social-impact executives and their teams in corporate or non-profit settings; non-ESG-focused executives seeking to better understand social impact and associated leadership/management strategies; college or university students seeking to specialize in social impact leadership; think-tank leaders, policymakers or others whose work intersects with social impactdisciplines and decision-making.

Nate Birt is a nationally published author, speaker, and founder of Silver Maple Strategies, a social impact communications consulting company. Nate is also senior adviser to Trust In Food, the sustainable agriculture division of Farm Journal. He has helped organizations build and implement multi-million-dollar climate change programs across Fortune 500 companies, global nonprofits and government agencies. Nate holds a master’s in journalism from the University of Missouri and his writing has appeared in the Detroit Free Press, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and The Washington Post.