Each session is hosted by Mark Randall, chair of Impact! Design for Social Change and principal of Worldstudio, in conversation with business leaders, creative professionals and influencers working in the area of social change. Click on the title below to watch the Impact! Sessions in Adobe Connect.

We are planning a new series for the fall of 2013. If you would like to know when these will be launched click here to join the Impact! mailing list.

1. THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
with Michael Blakeney, Good Profit

Cultivating and maintaining a wide range of relationships is critical to the success of any social venture. In many cases individuals are not even aware of the powerful connections they already have which can help them turn their project, program or business into a success.

2. FUNDING SOCIAL CHANGE
with Andréa Pellegrino, Pellegrino Collaborative

For many creative professionals, the thought of having to figure out the funding of a social change project is daunting and prevents great ideas from getting off the ground. This session will introduce various funding models to help de-mystify the process.

3. THINKING LIKE A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR
with Shana Dressler, Social Innovators Collective

The creative professions have traditionally been a service industry, a client drives the inception and development of a project. What about self-driven projects? This session will introduce you to the concept of the social entrepreneur and what to consider to successfully launch your own ideas.

4. WHY WE CARE:  USING THE POWER OF EMPATHY TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO YOUR CAUSE
with Bob McKinnon, GALEWill

When you have a deep understanding of the goals, desires and needs of the audience you are trying to reach, you can create powerful and innovative solutions for the challenges they face. This is is why empathy is such a critical component when tackling social issues.

5. DESIGNING WITH COMMUNITIES
with Anne Frederick, Hester Street Collaborative

How do you work closely with a community to provide them with the tools and resources they need to have a direct impact on shaping their world? In this session we talk about how to engage communities in a collaborative, inclusive and meaningful way to produce equitable, sustainable and long-term results.

6. IMPACT MEASUREMENT: HOW TO MEASURE WHAT MATTERS
with Kyla Fullenwider, Imperative

Measuring the impact of a project, program or business is critical to it’s long-term success and yet it is rarely prioritized and often ignored. This session will introduce you to new ways of thinking about impact measurement and how it can be your greatest asset in creating meaningful, sustainable, and effective projects.

Martin has been one of Impact’s core faculty members from the beginning of the program. He was a true inspiration to the students. His generosity, enthusiasm and unending support will greatly be missed.

We will provide more information on this post as it becomes available.

Martin front and center with Impact! participants in 2010.

Impact! Design for Social Change the School of Visual Arts and Design Ignites Change present a series of free 30-minute webinars that explore how design-driven ideas for social good are launched.

Each session is hosted by Mark Randall, chair of Impact! Design for Social Change and principal of Worldstudio, in conversation with business leaders, creative professionals and influencers working in the area of social change. There will be a 15-minute introduction of the topic and a 15-minute question and answer period.

You only need to sign up once and you will be sent a link the day before each session. If you miss a session it is archived below, just click on the link and it will take you to the page which is in Adobe Connect.

Click here to sign up.

———————————————————————
UPCOMING SESSIONS
———————————————————————
Friday, April 19, 2013

12:30pm GMT-0500 – Eastern Standard Time

DESIGNING WITH COMMUNITIES 
Anne Frederick
Hester Street Collaborative

How do you work closely with a community to provide them with the tools and resources they need to have a direct impact on shaping their world? In this session we will talk about how to engage communities in a collaborative, inclusive and meaningful way to produce equitable, sustainable and long-term results. 

———————————————————————
Monday, May 6, 2013 – note new time!
12:30pm GMT-0500 – Eastern Standard Time

IMPACT MEASUREMENT: HOW TO MEASURE WHAT MATTERS
Kyla Fullenwider
Imperative

Measuring the impact of a project, program or business is critical to it’s long-term success and yet it is rarely prioritized and often ignored. This session will introduce you to new ways of thinking about impact measurement and how it can be your greatest asset in creating meaningful, sustainable, and effective projects.

———————————————————————
ARCHIVED SESSIONS 
———————————————————————

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS - click here to view this session
Michael Blakeney
Good Profit

Cultivating and maintaining a wide range of relationships is critical to the success of any social venture. In many cases individuals are not even aware of the powerful connections they already have which can help them turn their project, program or business into a success.
———————————————————————

FUNDING SOCIAL CHANGE - click here to view this session
Andréa Pellegrino
Pellegrino Collaborative

For many creative professionals, the thought of having to figure out the funding of a social change project is daunting and prevents great ideas from getting off the ground. This session will introduce various funding models to help de-mystify the process.
———————————————————————

THINKING LIKE A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR - click here to view this session
Shana Dressler
Social Innovators Collective

The creative professions have traditionally been a service industry where a client drives the inception and development of a project. What about self-driven, non-client based projects? This session will introduce you to the concept of the social entrepreneur and what to consider to successfully launch your own ideas.

———————————————————————

WHY WE CARE: USING THE POWER OF EMPATHY TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO YOUR CAUSE - click here to view this session
Bob McKinnon
GALEWill

When you have a deep understanding of the goals, desires and needs of the audience you are trying to reach, you can create powerful and innovative solutions for the challenges they face. This is is why empathy is such a critical component when tackling social issues.

———————————————————————

This series is in partnership with Design Ignites Change a collaboration between Adobe Foundation and Worldstudio.

Visit Design Ignites Change to learn more about awards, scholarships, workshops and other activities for architects and designers interested in social change.
———————————————————————
Note: Program subject to change.

Can design change the world? We think so; five minutes with the summer 2012 session of Impact! Design for Social Change at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Impact! 2012 from Worldstudio on Vimeo.

Advisor is important. Not only a nice one who give you useful advise and point you a right way to follow, but also a tough one who give you pressure and make you think your idea is nothing but a trash.

Data is important. Not only help you illustrate your idea, but also help you finding a way to develop your idea.

Relationship is important. Not only who directly help you achieving a success, but also someone you meet everyday, you will never know which sentences they are saying now will give you an insight in the future.

Last but not least, you are important. Never stop ask yourself what is really important for you, what are you really caring about, you will find an answer sooner or later.

Quote by Allen “Do a project ONLY YOU could do”.

• 3 out of 4 women are in shorts!
• There is an average of 4 dogs for every person.
• 4 out of 5 people always have a drink in the hand, in the streets, the subway, taking the bus and even when removing their dogs’ poop.
• 2 out of 3 men are holding hands and kissing in the street.
• Taxi drivers are not that nice!

Once you start feeling comfortable, there are a number of things that you need to have:

• At least one pair of Toms shoes, so you will be contributing in something good in this world.
• You have to absolutely get your hands on Karim Rashid’s Bobble bottle that gives you pure H2O on the run.
• Get yourself a heavy-duty umbrella because this is the weirdest weather you can ever experience in your life! From steaming hot to getting you bruised by showers of hail!
• You also need to get yourself a bag that should fit all the above plus your lunch, some snacks, your Mac, ipad, books, notebooks and lots of pens!

Now that you are familiar with everybody, you discover the addictions and favorite things among your fellow students:

• You find out that Fernanda has an addiction on post-it and she has transmitted the virus to quite few of us.
• You find out that Kelsey likes Moustaches, Kacia adores Bunnies and Septums and Jenny is obsessed with Hello Kitty

You also come to know that:

• Mariana is getting married and got herself a fancy wedding dress (won’t disclose the Designer’s name)
• The 3 men around us are the sweetest ever, Jason, Carlos and Mark!
• Cecil is not that introvert.
• Laura always cooks her meals.
• Micheline is super cool and very helpful.
• Britt has a different New Big Idea every minute.
• Zen is in a continuous enviable Zen state of mind.
• Nina knows everything and everybody.

My final BIG Idea is that we have a great TEAM and we are heading for some really interesting Projects!

Cheers

Elise

As my pen ran out of ink today, I realized how much content we have been exposed to during our classes and lectures. We are constantly trying to get all of the information we are give down on paper. So, my advice is; if you are thinking about designing for social change, you’d better get yourself a bunch of pens first.

We have been hearing a lot about nonprofits and social entrepreneurs, which I think is awesome, since so far in my career I’ve only worked for large corporations. It’s been great for me to learn first hand how smaller companies and non-profit organizations develop their business plans, raise funds and set goals for the social impact work they want to execute. I am touched by the people we have met who live up to their mission and purpose in life. This is something that I can definitely relate to.

One thing I have come to learn is that companies are usually motivated by PR to do social good. It seems that companies not rarely are trying to buy forgiveness when they engage in addressing social issues. Moreover, it’s also said that companies’  main concern is to generate as much profit as they can, because they are shareholder driven, right?

Right.

Or maybe not right.

Let me share with you a several random thoughts on this issue:

It’s an often unspoken yet well-known truth that companies often engage in doing good because they think it will give them a facelift. Companies often work with social issues which aren’t related to their business at all. They’ll invest in a social cause using a filter of criteria like “what kind of a campaign can I create around it?” or “will my customer like it?” or “is it fashionable?” At the end of day, it’s all about promotion.

For many companies CSR comes from a marketing budget. My experience from working in the corporate world has taught me that most of the time you can tell a company’s intention based on where the money comes from. Still it seems to me like a very fragile investment. It’s hard to measure return on social related investment and most companies can only guess that it does good for it’s image. If business is bad one quarter and they have to cut expenses, it seems to me that a company will close the faucet where it’s draining money usually on a return they can’t measure.

I care about people, and as an individual working within a big company (in Brazil), I never think of giving up my urge to make a difference in people’s lives. I’ve never doubted the power of for-profit organizations to support solutions to social issues. They have the resources and I don’t just mean money, they have people power and knowledge.

I’m very interested in finding a way to combine social needs with business needs, so that both can benefit in a meaningful way. So, my question is this: what if companies could make more money by doing good? What if addressing social issues could help them bring competitiveness to their businesses? When societal issues become business issues, it’s not about promotion and reputation anymore. It’s about what companies do for a living.

If we criticize business, it’s because it’s plain to see that it’s not as good as it could be. I believe that in every problem resides an opportunity. There is nothing wrong with working for profit. Profit is not the purpose of any business, profit is the result and it keeps the machine running. One may criticize a company’s operations and business strategies, profit alone does not make a company bad.

What makes a company bad is not being accountable for the externalities of its business, is it being short-sighted or even blind when it comes to the responsibility they have on the network of stakeholders involved in its operation. In order to engage companies in doing social good we should meet them where they are. Denying profit won’t lead us very far, since it’s the fuel companies need to keep on going, it’s a condition for their existence.

It seems more effective to me to encourage them to consider a different approach. Making them aware that not all profit is equal. And that a profit that generates social good can actually help them be more sustainable way.

If any of this makes any sense to you take a look at this great article “Creating Shared Value” by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer.  They say it’s a new business approach. I say it’s my new religion.

Mariana Ribeiro

Last Friday afternoon we wrapped on the first three weeks of this amazing experience with Jason Rzepka, VP public affairs, at MTV.

During our visit, Jason shared insightful perspective on the millennial generation before offering us a sneak-peek of MTV’s forthcoming Power of Twelve campaign. Created for the upcoming presidential election, the concept and execution of their “fantasy election” is nothing short of brilliant. The campaign functions not only as a call to action but also as a metaphor for the exponential power of today’s youth.

Jason’s inspiring presentation lead me to contemplate the exponential power of all that has culminated during our first three weeks here at SVA. A plethora of invaluable information has passed through our heads and hearts during the last 30,240 minutes of our lives. Things like:

Start a movement. Start a business. Start a non-profit. Start a project. Start a group.

- Mark Randall

Always meet them – where they live.

Start with me. Not with we.

- Steven Heller

Narrative drives you.

Brand is experience. Product is souvenir.

Awareness: a step. Not a Destination.

Broaden it out. Bring it in.

Control your mind.

Never over promise.

Framing is groundwork.

Create a stake.

- Martin Kace

Strategy vs. Tactics.

Find leverage points.

Have systems perspective.

Always evaluate externalities.

Complicated is better.

Don’t map alone.

Embrace the complexity. Then clarify it.

Audience is hero.

What’s my archetype?

- John Bruce

Fear doesn’t serve.

Follow your bliss (Joseph Cambell)

- Shana Dressler

Change not charity.

Fund the operation. Not the program.

- Lara Galinsky

Find one point. One simple behavior.

Do one thing.

Design a choice.

- Bob Mckinnon

Utilize local resources.

Give communities ownership.

- Andrew Shea

Create your opportunities.

- Cheryl Heller

What is development?

What is fundraising?

Make something beautiful.

The possibility of joy!

- Michael Blakney

Hale didn’t change!

- Ansley Whipple

Millennials are pragmatic. And clear eyed.

- Jason Rzepka

It is possible!

- Noah Scalin

And as Bob would put it – this is only but the tip of the iceberg.

At face value, three simple words seem to not carry much impact. Yet, as we all reflect back on the last three weeks, I am certain that we could agree that our heads, hearts, goals, passions, and possibilities have swelled exponentially – or to the third power at least!

As my pen ran out of ink today, I realized how much content we have been exposed to during our classes and lectures. We are constantly trying to get all of the information we are give down on paper. So, my advice is; if you are thinking about designing for social change, you’d better get yourself a bunch of pens first.

We have been hearing a lot about nonprofits and social entrepreneurs, which I think is awesome, since so far in my career I’ve only worked for large corporations. It’s been great for me to learn first hand how smaller companies and non-profit organizations develop their business plans, raise funds and set goals for the social impact work they want to execute. I am touched by the people we have met who live up to their mission and purpose in life. This is something that I can definitely relate to.

One thing I have come to learn is that companies are usually motivated by PR to do social good. It seems to me that companies are trying to buy forgiveness when they engage in addressing social issues. Moreover, it’s also said that companies’  main concern is to generate as much profit as they can, because they are shareholder driven, right?

Right.

Or maybe not right.

Let me share with you a several random thoughts on this issue:

It’s an often unspoken yet well-known truth that companies often engage in doing good because they think it will give them a facelift. Companies often work with social issues which aren’t related to their business at all. They’ll invest in a social cause using a filter of criteria like “what kind of a campaign can I create around it?” or “will my customer like it?” or “is it fashionable?” At the end of day, it’s all about promotion.

For many companies CSR comes from a marketing budget. My experience from working in the corporate world has taught me that most of the time you can tell a company’s intention based on where the money comes from. Still it seems to me like a very fragile investment. It’s hard to measure return on social related investment and most companies can only guess that it does good for it’s image. If business is bad one quarter and they have to cut expenses, it seems to me that a company will close the faucet where it’s draining money usually on a return they can’t measure.

I care about people, and as an individual working within a big company (in Brazil), I never think of giving up my urge to make a difference in people’s lives. I’ve never doubted the power of for-profit organizations to support solutions to social issues. They have the resources and I don’t just mean money, they have people power and knowledge.

I’m very interested in finding a way to combine social needs with business needs, so that both can benefit in a meaningful way. So, my question is this: what if companies could make more money by doing good? What if addressing social issues could help them bring competitiveness to their businesses? When societal issues become business issues, it’s not about promotion and reputation anymore. It’s about what companies do for a living.

If we criticize business, it’s because it’s not as good as it could be. I believe that in every problem resides an opportunity. There is nothing wrong with working for profit. Profit is not just the purpose of any business, profit is the result and it keeps the machine running. One may criticize a company’s operations and business strategies, profit alone does not make a company bad.

What makes a company bad is not being accountable for the externalities of its business, is it being short-sighted or even blind when it comes to the responsibility they have on the network of stakeholders involved in its operation. In order to engage companies in doing social good we should meet them where they are. Denying profit won’t lead us very far, since it’s the fuel companies need to keep on going, it’s a condition for their existence.

It seems more effective to me to encourage them to consider a different approach. Making them aware that not all profit is equal. And that a profit that generates social good can actually help them be more sustainable way.

If any of this makes any sense to you take a look at this great article “Creating Shared Value” by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer.  They say it’s a new business approach. I say it’s my new religion.

Mariana Ribero

The first week of the Impact! program went by amazingly fast!

I can’t believe that it’s been only a week since I arrived in New York, after flying all the way from Brazil. Something about this city and the people you meet in the Impact! program makes you feel at home. And, I must say, I do think the weather plays a great role here too, summer in NYC is awesome and it invites everyone to be in a good mood.

Looking back, I can still recall how excited I felt on my way to school the first day. I was about to meet a group of people that I’ll be spending the next six weeks with. Not only that, people I’ll be sharing and working with on projects. Individuals that are brave enough to want to make a positive impact in other people’s lives. Dreamers that want to accomplish big things, just like you.

If I close my eyes for a moment, I still can remember everyone stepping into the classroom at SVA for the first time. Some were more talkative, some would go in and try to find a seat without saying a word. My first impression of the group was that everyone – no matter how shy or outgoing – was very open to this new experience. As we all started talking and sharing our personal stories, you could see there was a great sense of interest and curiosity in each one of us.

We are a group of 14 individuals from the US, the Philippines, Lebanon, China, Mexico, Indonesia, Canada and Brazil. We even have authentic New Yorkers with us! Although we come from very different backgrounds, you can actually feel that we are not that different at all. Each one of us is here to leverage our skills and abilities to make this world a better place.

This first week was all about us. Instead of having our questions answered, we were asked questions most of the time. Tough questions, I must say. Why are you here? What do you care about? What’s your purpose in life? How does it connect to your work?

In our daily lives, we most likely spend time doing things rather than thinking about them. And, once you stop and take time to look deeper, it’s an interesting and at the same time overwhelming exercise.

If I had to sum up what this first week has been about, I would say: in order to give answers to a world that is in serious need of change, one must be very aware of their personal reasons for engaging in it. It takes a strong personal narrative. People relate to stories that come from inside you. If you can answer the question “why is it important to you?,”  you are a step away from  getting people to think about why it’s important for them too. And, it’s more work than you imagine it will be and takes not only “go-getter-ness,” since we’ll probably not accomplish much working solely on our own. Collaboration with others is critical.

Mariana Riberio