New on the Outside but Not on the Inside

New colors. New words. New opportunities. But what isn’t new is that people still want help each other.

This truth has been at the core of our work for more than 25 years.  We started doing what we now call social impact work in the late 1990s because we thought it was cool – and it was.  Even back when the business world was distracted by “collecting eyeballs” and Generation X was doing their best to be ironically detached, there was a hint that people wanted to help each other more.  Since then, we have gone around the world and through a couple of business models all fueled by this same, core desire of people wanting to help each other.

We have seen it in New York and London boardrooms as much as we have in Johannesburg, Caracas, Tel Aviv and Tokyo neighborhoods.  Throughout all of that work, we knew we had not truly exercised the full potential of what we now call social purpose to move people and business forward.

We might have been early, but Social Purpose and Social Impact is having its moment.  In an ‘industry’ that might be 10 years old, our 25 years of mobilizing people to meaningful, local connection is proving valuable.  We have put purpose to work for brands looking to connect to consumers, for organizations looking to attract and hold on to the right kind of talent, for artists and teams wanting a unique experience for their fans and for communities wanting to celebrate itself.

As we refine this look and feel, you will notice a couple of things quickly:

Give To Get

Yes, we are going to go ahead and spell it out for you. The war on vowels is over!  Some have said that our name is too transactional for social impact, but we just don't see it that way.  When people give, they always receive something. People getting something without having to do anything for it can account for a lot of our current issues.  The value and sustainability of social impact lies in the exchange between what you give and what you get.  Love it or hate it, we welcome a good wrestle with this core idea.  Email me with invitations to discuss it!

Purpose In Motion

It’s not enough to just have a clearly-stated purpose.  You have to do something about it.  Everything we do, from aligning to planning to doing and measuring is designed to drive repeated and ongoing action.  We aren’t just trying to be “good.”  We want to be purposeful, create impact and actually make people better, businesses better and the world better.

Social Purpose as a Catalyst

If you don't think you need a social purpose platform, we won’t try to convince you that you do. However, if you are looking to align leadership, build internal culture, drive differentiation or build reputation and growth, we will tell you that a social purpose platform is one of the best ways to do it.  We have seen the power of making the world better create more desirable workplaces and more valuable brands.

Let’s see what we can do together.

-Grady