A Manifesto for Today’s Social Impact Leader. This manifesto is a call to action to future-thinking social impact leaders who see the information era as an opportunity for a once-in-a-generation transformation — and are bold enough to actually lead it.
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The world is changing. The social impact sector must too.
We are living through a paradigm shift into the information era. Technology — specifically the internet — has fundamentally changed our culture and society at large. Today, we find ourselves in a rapidly evolving world shaped by the benefits and unintended consequences of technological innovation and global connectivity.
No aspect of society is untouched by this transformation, from how we connect and communicate with friends and family, to how we shop for goods and services, consume entertainment, meet potential partners, and perform our daily work.
Through this shift, the information era also democratizes knowledge, distributing control from information monopolies to the individual. It’s easier to create a platform, publish ideas, and reach other people across the globe more quickly and efficiently than ever before.
What a powerful opportunity for those of us working to create positive social change: fighting for the underserved and underrepresented, creating more equitable structures for our citizens, protecting and preserving our environment, educating our children, and striving to create a world that works better for more of us.
But the information era is a double-edged sword. As knowledge becomes more freely distributed and accessible, attention grows more scarce and difficult to capture and maintain.
Ideas and opinions spread through algorithm-powered digital platforms analyze your behavior and social connections, learn your beliefs and biases, and feed you a carefully curated onslaught of news, opinions, truths, and falsehoods that shape your perception of reality — all irresistibly delivered through palm-sized digital devices.
And despite the promise of democratized information, those in power can still buy more influence and spread ideas and misinformation constructed to shape opinion, affect policy, and further divide us across issues and identities.
The internet isn’t going away. And new media channels — social platforms, email inboxes, websites, and digital experiences — will only grow in adoption and influence. Thus, as a social impact leader, it is your duty and your mandate to embrace and leverage our digital-first culture as a force for good or be outplayed by those using it for other purposes.
To do this, you must learn to think and act like a digital media company rather than a pre-information-era charity.
Once embraced, thinking like a digital media company can help you build brand awareness, organize a coalition of deeply impassioned supporters, and lead the conversation around the issues you care about most. A digital-first model also allows you to build organizational capacity, break the starvation cycle, and create a sustainable revenue stream.
This approach is not just for the global, advocacy-focused nonprofit. It is also for the social enterprise, the philanthropist, the impact investment firm, and the scrappy nonprofit doing good behind the scenes. In each of these cases, creating change requires spreading an idea about the future and convincing more of the right people that your vision is possible.
What follows is a manifesto for the social impact leader who is ready to embrace this paradigm shift. Those of us who are fighting to help create a better future — and who are bold enough to actually do it. Many will read these principles and cast them aside as optimistic, naive, or impractical. This path is not for them. It is for future-thinking leaders who see the opportunity for a once-in-a-generation transformation, get inspired, and know it must be done. Here’s to hoping you are one of them.
The world is changing. The social impact sector must too.
We are living through a paradigm shift into the information era. Technology — specifically the internet — has fundamentally changed our culture and society at large. Today, we find ourselves in a rapidly evolving world shaped by the benefits and unintended consequences of technological innovation and global connectivity.
No aspect of society is untouched by this transformation, from how we connect and communicate with friends and family, to how we shop for goods and services, consume entertainment, meet potential partners, and perform our daily work.
Through this shift, the information era also democratizes knowledge, distributing control from information monopolies to the individual. It’s easier to create a platform, publish ideas, and reach other people across the globe more quickly and efficiently than ever before.
What a powerful opportunity for those of us working to create positive social change: fighting for the underserved and underrepresented, creating more equitable structures for our citizens, protecting and preserving our environment, educating our children, and striving to create a world that works better for more of us.
But the information era is a double-edged sword. As knowledge becomes more freely distributed and accessible, attention grows more scarce and difficult to capture and maintain.
Ideas and opinions spread through algorithm-powered digital platforms analyze your behavior and social connections, learn your beliefs and biases, and feed you a carefully curated onslaught of news, opinions, truths, and falsehoods that shape your perception of reality — all irresistibly delivered through palm-sized digital devices.
And despite the promise of democratized information, those in power can still buy more influence and spread ideas and misinformation constructed to shape opinion, affect policy, and further divide us across issues and identities.
The internet isn’t going away. And new media channels — social platforms, email inboxes, websites, and digital experiences — will only grow in adoption and influence. Thus, as a social impact leader, it is your duty and your mandate to embrace and leverage our digital-first culture as a force for good or be outplayed by those using it for other purposes.
To do this, you must learn to think and act like a digital media company rather than a pre-information-era charity.
Once embraced, thinking like a digital media company can help you build brand awareness, organize a coalition of deeply impassioned supporters, and lead the conversation around the issues you care about most. A digital-first model also allows you to build organizational capacity, break the starvation cycle, and create a sustainable revenue stream.
This approach is not just for the global, advocacy-focused nonprofit. It is also for the social enterprise, the philanthropist, the impact investment firm, and the scrappy nonprofit doing good behind the scenes. In each of these cases, creating change requires spreading an idea about the future and convincing more of the right people that your vision is possible.
What follows is a manifesto for the social impact leader who is ready to embrace this paradigm shift. Those of us who are fighting to help create a better future — and who are bold enough to actually do it. Many will read these principles and cast them aside as optimistic, naive, or impractical. This path is not for them. It is for future-thinking leaders who see the opportunity for a once-in-a-generation transformation, get inspired, and know it must be done. Here’s to hoping you are one of them.
As information and knowledge sharing have become democratized in the information era, a new form of scarcity has emerged: attention. Our always connected, constantly interrupted, ever more mobile and convenient digital lives allow us access to more opportunities for information, entertainment, social connection, and digital transactions of all shapes and sizes.
As a social impact leader, this means you have a signal-to-noise problem. How can you boost your signal, cut through the noise, and resonate with your audience?
First, you must understand that you are not competing with other social causes (at least not primarily). You are competing with Netflix. You are competing with Instagram. You are competing with Twitter. How does your brand and digital footprint stack up against the competition?
Is your social impact story and message engaging, emotional, compelling, timely, interactive, and clear? Are you building an audience of loyal supporters who are willing to donate, volunteer, advocate, spread the word, and take action?
Boosting your signal and cutting through the noise is no small feat. And there’s no silver bullet to ensure a successful outcome. It starts by understanding how the game of the attention economy is played and developing a strategy to win. The philosophies and strategies laid out in this manifesto point to a different mindset for running a modern social impact organization. Once followed, you will have the knowledge and tools in place to create a signal worth tuning in to.
The pre-information-era charity doesn’t understand or accept that they are playing in the attention economy — whether they want to or not. The future-thinking social impact leader understands that half the battle is capturing and sustaining attention in our complex, global culture and acts accordingly.
The social impact sector is a complex ecosystem of funders, philanthropists, nonprofits, government agencies and programs, social entrepreneurs, individual influencers, and activists. The space is tangled, messy, and imperfect. What worked yesterday may not work today or tomorrow. It is sometimes unfairly scrutinized or criticized. Other times, meager results are offset by good intentions. And the sector struggles with some of the same structural inequities that exist in the rest of our society.
This messiness can lead your social impact organization to fall into the traps of mission creep, reactionary thinking, and lackluster progress towards reaching your mission and vision. The root cause of this is a lack of clarity, focus, and diligence in staying true to your path, preventing you from owning your unique perspective, approach, and strengths. While you do not need to make it your mission to fix philanthropy (unless that’s your thing), you must carve out a niche within the ecosystem.
As a nonprofit, will your focus be regional or global? Is your approach based on advocacy, policy-making, direct relief, or some combination of all three?
As a funder, will you stay behind the scenes and write checks, or will you use your unique knowledge and perspective to help convene, build consensus, and guide the organizations that you support?
As a social enterprise or entrepreneur, how can your market-based approach not only create an impact but also drive innovation in sustainability or lead to new models or technologies that can be used as a force for good?
Until your core model, theory of change, and approach to creating a positive social impact is defined and distinct from other players in the space, you will always struggle to stand out, attract support, and make a meaningful difference.
As our society evolves, social impact organizations must become more specialized in their focus. Lean into what makes you different — your unique perspective — and find ways to partner with other value-aligned players to fill any gaps in your niche of the larger impact ecosystem.
The pre-information-era charity is pulled in too many directions, loses sight of their mission or approach, and strays from the path. The future-thinking social impact leader knows that it is only through focused discipline and owning a niche that true progress is realized.
Brand building is core to your success in the information era. The word “brand” might feel awkward or dissonant with how you think about your organization. Aren’t brands for consumer companies driven by profits?
Building a brand is more than just having a name, logo, and colors that you apply to physical and digital applications (although that part is important, too). As described in the second proclamation, brand building starts with finding your niche, but it also means having a strong mission, vision, and values that guide your strategy and decisions from the highest level down to the details.
Building a brand also means crafting a narrative that articulates your higher purpose, establishes your voice, and invites value-aligned people to join the conversation. Then your brand becomes a vessel for all future interactions with your audience, your stakeholders, and your internal team. Every choice you make, every action you take, and every interaction with your organization either reinforces or contradicts your brand.
Smart organizations know that building and protecting their brand and reputation with their community is critical to their success. People ignore or forget organizations all the time. They become die-hard supporters of the brands they believe in. And they will share and advocate for your brand — but only if you build one that’s worth their time and attention.
The pre-information-era charity undervalues the importance of brand building. Future-thinking social impact leaders know that their brand is a living entity formed by a clear mission and distinct values, which must be nurtured and protected through clear and consistent choices and actions in the real world.
The modern social impact organization knows that in order to reach its full impact potential, it must enact a digital-first strategy and platform. Navigating the information era requires a multi-faceted strategy, but your digital footprint is the chassis that connects all of the other important components.
The difference between a modern digital media platform and a typical website with a donate button is the difference between the eagle and the vulture. The eagle takes control of its future by actively searching for and capturing what it needs to thrive. The vulture waits for the scraps from others’ successes, relying on chance and luck to scrape by.
How much time, staff, budget, and resources are dedicated to your core program work? How does this compare to the time and effort spent building your brand, honing your message, activating and nurturing your supporters , and building a digital-first culture?
To assume one should take precedence over the other is to misunderstand the importance of your digital platform, which — more and more — is your primary engagement channel with your supporters. Undervaluing your digital platform is to be out of touch with our modern culture and will only hamper your ability to create real-world impact.
To use a sailboat analogy, think of your mission and vision as the rudder, your core program work as the hull, and your digital media platform as the sail itself, allowing you to turn chaotic energy into forward momentum, navigate rough seas, and make progress towards your destination. Without embracing a digital-first strategy, your organization is at the mercy of the chaotic conditions of the seas, pushed around by torrents of energy outside your control and fighting to stay true to course.
The pre-information-era charity sees their digital platform as a burden that distracts their team and drains resources from their core work. The future-thinking social impact leader understands that their digital platform is the linchpin of their organization’s operations which multiplies their impact and grows their influence within the ecosystem.
The days of the printed digital annual report, schematic-style theory of change documents, and whitepaper wall-of-text content are behind us. Driven by mobile-first experiences and advances in media and technology, our digital-first culture demands interesting, engaging, and accessible content.
The presentation and framing of your content is just as important as the ideas themselves. If you settle for mundane content, it will prevent the entire system from functioning at its full potential.
Besides the fundamentals of good design and frictionless user experiences, the content you publish must stand out and stand up against everything else competing for your audiences’ attention in their social feeds, their inbox, and ultimately their mindshare.
Is the creative quality of your content representative of your organization’s commitment to its cause? Your audience, consciously or subconsciously, assesses the effectiveness and caliber of your organization based on each interaction with your brand, content, and digital experiences.
The pre-information-era charity looks at this high bar and thinks, “I could never produce content that competes with the likes of Netflix.” The future-thinking social impact leader looks at this challenge as a creative opportunity and understands it is a prerequisite to attracting and sustaining engagement.
Whether you are focused on advocacy, direct relief, systems change, education, conservation, or behavior change, you must build an audience of engaged supporters. Over time — and with proper nurturing — you will build a thriving community of donors, volunteers, advocates, and staff who share your vision and align with your values.
It’s often incorrectly assumed that building a coalition of supporters is a tactic best fit for grassroots advocacy organizations and political campaigns. And, of course, it is crucial in both of these scenarios. But every cause requires activating supporters, and the social impact space is ripe with opportunities to do so even outside of traditional use cases.
Ultimately, you are planting the seed for your vision of a better future and working to create positive change. Change — especially transformational change — does not occur in a silo. Your coalition may be a small group of policymakers, a broad group of citizens who believe in your cause, or a combination of both. Building stronger support, both broadly and pointedly, will strengthen your seat at the table within your niche.
Any functional community maintains an equal exchange of energy where no side gives more than it takes. Once equilibrium is established, a harmonious relationship then allows for a sustainable, thriving community. You must ask your community to take actions: to share your ideas for a better future, to advocate on your behalf, to join and shape the conversation, and yes, to volunteer, donate, or become a member.
But you must also reciprocate this investment of time and energy by transforming it into impact and progress towards your mission. And most importantly, you must ensure that you consistently share your progress and success to reassure your community that their efforts have paid off. This is your supporters’ return on investment, the product that they purchase, the realization of mutualistic symbiosis between your organization and its supporters.
A comprehensive digital media strategy and platform enables you to reach your supporters where they spend their time: their inbox, their social channels, and other digital experiences.
The pre-information-era charity sees their audience as a group of people they must appeal to for support. The future-thinking social impact leader knows that building a coalition means building a community, and that a community requires shared values, clear and consistent communication, and an equal exchange of energy.
Understanding the attention economy, finding your niche in the ecosystem, building a strong brand, rethinking your digital media platform, and producing scroll-stopping content will set the stage for an audience. But if you do not create a strategy and system for the distribution of your content, your hard work will never fully connect with the people you want and need to reach.
The best approach differs from organization to organization. Social channels are highly effective if your cause intersects with timely cultural conversations or issues already circulating. Email still works effectively across the board, but especially for highly-targeted and niche audiences. Publishing regularly to your website will attract traffic through organic discovery via Google search and referral links.
You must experiment with a mix of owned, earned, and paid media channels to see which formats and platforms prove most effective for your organization’s unique community and niche. This is a long game, and finding what works best for you can take months of iteration before strong patterns of success begin to emerge. And consistent tracking and iteration should be expected for a successful distribution strategy.
The pre-information-era charity undervalues and ignores the importance of crafting a solid distribution strategy and gives up when it gets difficult or doesn’t work immediately. The future-thinking social impact leader persists in building this flywheel and knows that once it begins to spin it will catalyze the connections required to propel their organization forward.
The difficult truth is that the social impact sector is under-resourced across the board. Grants and budgets rarely reflect the true cost of work and overhead needed to build and run sustainable programs and operations. Social impact organizations are forced to settle for unsustainable resources and do their best with what they have, overburden their team, and piecemeal their efforts — which only holds back their ability to create an impact and realize their mission.
Although we live in a global society of tremendous wealth and prosperity, it’s more clear than ever that the distribution of this wealth is tragically unequal across our population. Wealth is accumulated and reinvested for personal gain rather than social progress — often in the very corporations and industries wreaking havoc on our environment and reinforcing the structures that prevent the underserved and underrepresented from attaining equity and upward mobility. You may even be directly or indirectly working to address some of these important issues.
But by understanding the attention economy and building a solid digital strategy and platform, you can break free of the typical starvation cycle that many social impact organizations fail to escape. You can advocate for your true costs and demonstrate to your network that your cause is worth their time, attention, and resources. And you can build the opportunities, the coalition, and the infrastructure needed to redirect the flow of funding to your organization.
This model opens new pathways for diversifying your revenue sources and multiplies the effectiveness of any existing streams already in place. This is truly a case where a rising tide lifts all boats.
Once this begins to coalesce, a path forms for creating or growing a membership program or recurring contributions. Major funders and institutional foundations accept introductions and remove barriers to entry that seemed insurmountable before.
Revenue from your products or services grows month over month. The large gala or major capital campaign becomes less critical for reaching and expanding your annual operating budget because revenue flows and grows steadily throughout the fiscal year.
The pre-information-era charity believes that the starvation cycle is unavoidable and sacrifices their focus and values only to settle for unsustainable funding. The future-thinking social impact leader knows that they can use their platform to build a sustainable, consistent stream of revenue to power their organization.
Once you begin to experience the benefits of this methodology for your organization, don’t just declare victory and call it a day. You must use your new influence in your ecosystem — backed by your reputation, your unique perspectives, and your coalition of passionate advocates — to create a ripple effect of positive change.
You now have the platform in place to educate and advocate for your cause, build consensus among other players in the ecosystem to drive collective action, and influence those in positions of power who can affect the systems that shape our world.
The true power of building a platform is that important conversations can reach new audiences and expand cultural awareness. Important conversations should not happen behind closed doors, but out in the open to invite public discourse and contribution. Civic engagement is a prerequisite to fundamental change and social progress.
Leading the conversation does not mean dominating the conversation. Like any good conversationalist, you must leave room for other voices. Speak your mind, make your case, share your perspectives, but do not forget to listen.
Leverage your platform to amplify the voices of others who share your values and deserve a seat at the table. Educate and inspire those who are unaware of the issues you are working to address. Challenge others in your space to think bigger, aim higher, and forge a new path forward.
The pre-information-era charity’s voice is lost in the crosstalk of noisy conversations. The future-thinking social impact leader’s voice and story is too compelling, credible, and distinct to go unnoticed, and leads conversations that change the core structures of society and culture.
The social impact sector is charged with solving the world’s most pressing, intractable problems — problems unsolved by our governments, institutions, capitalism, and the existing systems that control the order of our society.
Complex problems require savvy and creative thinking. The path to success may feel like an uphill battle, and there will be times when it feels hopeless, broken, and downright disheartening. But we must look at the challenge and see not only the forces working against us, but also the untapped potential for a path that leads to a more just and equitable world.
The world has never been more ripe for revolutionary change. People are awakening to the injustices that have been swept under the rug for far too long and are eager to act. Our global, connected culture allows us to get organized, mobilize, and create change more rapidly and impactfully than ever before. Do not get left behind by a rapidly changing world. Instead, leverage these opportunities to scale your impact and watch the seeds you plant grow and flourish.
Our call to action for you is to set aside your reservations, constraints, and excuses for why this seems impossible to achieve along with all that you already do. Let your higher purpose inspire you to take a leap of faith. Join us in the bold yet attainable pursuit to ensure that as society advances, the arc of the moral universe may indeed bend towards justice.
Remember this: Transformative change starts as a wild idea about what could be. It starts by envisioning a better version of society, unobscured by the roadblocks and constraints that might make the journey difficult. Most look at a sheer granite cliff and see only an impenetrable wall. But a select few stare in awe and begin to connect dots and draw lines toward an unconquered route to the summit.
We look forward to learning with you along the way and hope to one day join you at the top.
This manifesto is written and read by Eric Ressler, the founder and creative director of Cosmic. Cosmic is a creative agency that empowers social impact organizations to catalyze real world change by helping them nail their impact story, build brand awareness, and inspire action.
Are you committed to using the philosophies outlined in this manifesto to create a positive impact? Visit our website at designbycosmic.com, where you can read more of our free insights, see examples of these ideas in practice, and connect with us if you need a partner to help you get started down this path.