FEATURES | MANAGEMENT Photo courtesy of Nick Bornheimer
Be Social Change: An Interview with CoreNet Global’s Jenn Lishansky By Nick Bornheimer, Director of Sales and Strategy, Union Square FC In a society that celebrates career growth and achievement as a major pillar of success and prosperity, it can often be challenging to put all of the pieces together. Maybe you have an ostensibly deep and true understanding of yourself but no idea how to translate that into a fulfilling occupation. Or your success is not commensurate with your happiness, despite being at the top of your craft. It’s fair to assume that you (or someone close to you) have experienced a form of “career crisis” throughout your professional journey. Work is such a huge percentage of our daily existence that it’s difficult to divorce that from one’s personal life. And it makes sense that you want to feel good about what you’re pouring all of these hours into. Be Social Change probably does not have the silver bullet, but there’s a good chance one or more of its tools will provide some clarity. And it can say with certainty that doing good is going to set you down the right path. Founded in New York, Be Social Change operates at the intersection of education, networking and community building, with the goal of creating a vibrant community where professionals can connect, collaborate and inspire one another. By focusing on career growth and providing continuous support, Be Social Change helps individuals transition into and thrive within social impact careers, whether that’s within someone’s current role or down a totally new path. CoreNet Global member Jenn Lishansky, chief engagement officer at Be Social Change, focuses on leveraging her organization’s resources and community, helping individuals connect with their greatest talents and pursue meaningful work. How did you get started in this space? I’m on a mission to make every job a social impact job and every career a social impact career. I believe that there is an incredible amount of power that comes from purposefully helping and contributing to one another’s lives in our society. I’ve always sort of felt that way; I was a kiddo who knew that I wanted to work in nonprofits and do good in the world. During college, and right after, I was working in many different nonprofits, and I kept finding that there were similar issues, related to the nonprofit structure, that kept arising. I thought, “Well, I want to do something to help support nonprofits and important and valuable
52 MANN REPORT | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2024
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