Emily Kane Miller

Tracking is critical, and you can’t improve what isn’t measured. But - that said - the work must be solid to begin with. Measuring something that’s average won’t make it amazing. Is your philanthropic worked tied to a broader Social Impact North Star that is connected to your company/brand? Are you breathing life into this work in a robust way across the organization? Cutting a check is a start, but when it’s not backed up by the business of the business - or worse, negated by it - the strategy is off. Great impact work is a series of daily decisions across the organization to do better that stream into to clear KPIs and build up toward ambitious AND achievable work.

Transparency is key, and you can't get there without leaning into data and impact measurement. Ultimately, data can become an NPO's superpower, yielding more strategic and effective work and - once that work is dialed in - stronger donor engagement, too. That said, getting more comprehensive data and better analysis can be hard, especially for busy teams that already have too much on their plate, which is precisely why we created www.ethostracking.com. It's a comprehensive impact management tool that supports easier record keeping and impact measurement, which results in greater transparency and more effective partnerships.

First, ask two questions. 1) Do we believe this product, program, etc. is ripe for a youth perspective? 2) Presuming that it is, do we have a clear pathway to ensure their POV is represented in the end product? If the answer is not yes to both questions, it's not fair to ask young people to co-create with you. If they spend time and energy providing support and feedback, and none of it is reflected in the end, it's disempowering, you've likely burned a channel for future collaboration, and you may have created a broader communications or PR issue depending on how poorly the partnership unravels. If you do engage youth, and their expertise results in commercial value for your organization, make sure they are properly compensated.

The number one piece of advice I give to people looking to enter the field of social impact is this: Don’t worry about your title. Focus more on the cause areas you are passionate about and find the right business, nonprofit, or governmental agency that does meaningful work in this domain. It’s less important whether you have "CSR," "ESG," or "Impact" in your job title. What matters most is the substance of the work you are committing to. If you have clarity on which issues you’d like to focus on, the title, sector and company become less rigid. I get this question so much, I even filmed a video about it here: https://bit.ly/3SmCY8g

As somebody who sat in a government relations role, I understand how clunky the available software tool are. This is exactly why when I developed my own social impact tracking software, I included a robust tool that helps teams measure and manage government and regulatory affairs. The importance of having concrete data to demonstrate social impact efficacy is imperative. Companies that go beyond writing a check to a nonprofit and engage in meatier impact opportunities like advocacy and lobbying need a better way to showcase the resources they’ve dedicated to causes. Without hard and fast evidence of a company's #advocacy and #lobbying efforts, they won’t be able to cultivate deeper customer loyalty based on its #CSR values.