2021 Q2 IMPACT REPORT APRIL 202 1-J U NE 202 1
INSPIRE. EQUIP. ACTIVATE. Net impact is a grassroots, global movement of students and emerging impact leaders committed to using their skills to make a positive impact for people and planet.
LETTER FROM THE CEO Never has it been more clear that the climate crisis is
and equip, we’ve added “activate,” as both our member
upon us. Never has it been more evident that under-
network and corporate partners are inspired, are increasingly
represented people globally are given short shrift in access
sophisticated and equipped, but seek demonstrable
to our collective abundance and resources. Social injustice
activations to hasten change for the better. Structuring
abounds and is frequently reinforced by our systems and
our work around key themes, allows us to develop internal
lawmakers. It can feel daunting. It can feel hopeless, even
heightened issue expertise amongst a coming cohort
to be committedly on the side of ‘good’ or ‘moral’. People
of Fellows and our own Program Managers. We’ll offer
feel anxiety, even if in general agreement, as they feel that
activations within these verticals in the forms of programs:
they lack say or input in direction. With a mission to inspire,
case competitions and challenges, entrepreneurial incubators,
equip and activate emerging leaders to foment a just and
fellowships, credentialing/training and other events.
sustainable world, this is our time. The work we do is now shaped by an annual theme. For the As we look ahead to achieving our ambitious goals in the new
end of our fiscal year in June, we wound down Reimagining
fiscal year and beyond, our two key stakeholders —
Capitalism, which manifested in 10 virtual events and
Net Impact’s network of emerging leaders and our business
reached more people than we’ve ever attracted to physical
partners — are leaning in on how they can hasten change
conferences in the ‘before times’. Challenged by you, our
— sometimes together, sometimes at odds. Ours is the
friends of the organization, to continue the coherence of
challenge to harmonize these constituencies, both on their
this framing, we announced our fiscal year 2022 theme,
respective journeys toward ‘good’, into a powerful collective
The Regenerative Economy: Reimagined Capitalism for
force that hastens the trajectory toward a more just and
People and Planet. The series’s upcoming events will infuse
sustainable planet.
learnings around this theme within our other activities and social messaging as well.
We must forge alliances, and the most functional and influential ones presently are all people and business.
It is the obligation of Net Impact to be at the frontier of the
Business is not anthropomorphic, prone to human failings
movement toward business as a force for positive change. It
and frailties. I’ve written that “business is a mirror” —
is the objective of our engaged community to hasten change
their movement in the direction of good, embracing all
while building lives that harmonize their values with the
stakeholders is because it is in their interest to do so (and less
work they do, how they consume, how they invest. Together,
cynically, business is run and operated by people who want
we can seek exponential outcomes to foment a just and
this too) and their current and future employees, consumers,
sustainable world.
communities where they operate and shareholders all want it. Nothing about us without us. We at Net Impact hold up two mirrors we seek to harmonize: one to our largely next-gen member network and the other to our corporate funding partners. We see a growing intersection between them, particularly around Climate; Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and Responsible Finance and Investing. As part of our mission to inspire
PETER M. LUPOFF CEO, Net Impact
“Net Impact allowed my zeal for sustainability and social responsibility to not be a mumble. I left feeling inspired and empowered to make improvements in my own community.” LUKE G Net Impact Event Attendee
POWER IN NUMBERS Our Chapters are the drivers of our mission and, each year, our community of more than 100,000 people, including our 300+ chapters create 4000+ projects and events in support of a more just and sustainable world. Featured insights from our Chapters in 2020-2021 include:
TOP ISSUES CHAPTERS ENGAGED IN PROGRAMMING, EVENTS, AND PROJECTS
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY/ RESPONSIBILITY
CLIMATE CHANGE
CAREER SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT
JUSTIC, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
HOW CHAPTERS PROVIDE VALUE TO MEMBERS
85%
say members felt inspired to create a more just and sustainable world
86%
say members expanded their knowledge of social and environmental issues
79%
say members built their network of individuals oriented toward making social or environmental change
Like-minded communities committed to making a difference in the world As we reach the close of our 2020-2021 Fiscal Year, we reflect on the many different accomplishments of our community of social impact and sustainability leaders. From July 2020 to June 2021, Net Impact’s community and initiatives achieved milestones such as:
100+ solutions,
actions plans, and ventures were created by participants in our programs
40k+
90%
92%
across all of our
inspired to take
their experience with
programs and
further action based
Net Impact’s programs
events, live and
on their experience
expanded their
digitally
with Net Impact’s
knowledge of critical
programs and events
social and environmental
people engaged
of participants were
of participants said
impact issue
2020-2021 CHAPTER DEMOGRAPHICS
29%
23%
Breakdown by chapter type Undergraduate
13%
Graduate Hybrid (Graduate and Undergraduate)
35%
Professional
5%
3% 5%
63%
Other
Europe Canada United States
2%
Asia
22% Africa
CHAPTERS BY GEOGRAPHY
2020-2021 CHAPTER OF THE YEAR WINNERS In recognition of the leadership and innovation of our chapters, Net Impact selects five winners from our network annually from the following categories: Undergraduate, Graduate, International Student, Professional, and International Professional. These chapters demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to making a positive impact on their communities and the world. Our volunteer global chapter community uses their collaborative skills and resources to support an array of social impact and sustainability efforts in their cities, communities, and on college campuses. In the face of challenges and hardships presented by the pandemic, this year’s winners demonstrated resilience and a steadfast commitment to driving meaningful change on today’s most pressing issues.
Highlights from this year’s winners include: UNDERGRADUATE CHAPTER WINNER:
GRADUATE CHAPTER WINNER:
Mesa Community College
Northwestern University–
Partnered with the nonprofit Feed My
Kellogg Graduate School of Management
Starving Children to host the largest service
Hosted Social Impact Week on their
day event in the college’s history, engaging
campus and partnered with ten on-campus
180 volunteers.
organizations to deliver sixteen events
Collaborated with the City of Mesa in Arizona to educate students and community
focused on how individual actions can lead to collective change.
members about the 2020 Census. Students
Engaged over 75% of all Kellogg students in
served 1000 hours and engaged 1500 to
24 events throughout the year.
pledge to take the census.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL
CHAPTER WINNER:
CHAPTER WINNER:
The Indian School of Business Chapter
The Amsterdam Professional Chapter
Engaged with large-scale organizations
Created the “Impact From Home”
such as Goonj, India Welfare, and GiveIndia
lunchtime learning sessions to connect with
to assist with initiatives, including COVID-19
members and drive sustainable change.
relief operations and funding.
Launched the Net Impact Amsterdam
Collaborated with over 75 social
Mentorship Program, which matched
organizations, including NGOs, philanthropy
25 young professionals with mid-to
groups, Corporate Social Responsibility
senior-level sustainability, impact, and
groups, and development consulting firms.
ESG leaders.
PROFESSIONAL CHAPTER WINNER: The New York City Professional Chapter Hosted 11 virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic. Connected with over 150 volunteers on successful consulting projects for 18 local non-profit and social enterprise clients.
Chapter of the Year Winners 2020-2021
“Chapter of the Year is a testament to the strength and widely shared commitment to social impact shared by so many in our community.” N O R T H W E S T E R N U N I V E R S I T Y C H A PT E R , 2 0 2 1 C H A PT E R O F T H E Y E A R W I N N E R
THE STAKES ARE HIGH, BUT THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHANGE ARE GREAT Celebrating a Successful Reimagining Capitalism Series In May, Net Impact hosted the final event in our Reimagining Capitalism series, concluding a year-long examination of how we,
10 Events
as a global society, can and must repair the flaws of capitalism and envision a more evolved economic system that can drive better, more inclusive outcomes for shareholders, employees, consumers, suppliers, communities and the planet. Throughout the series, our events engaged our community in an array of topics including, reimagining business and community partnerships; business’s role in creating value; bridging the socio-economic gap in the digital divide; and addressing the racial wealth gap, among others. Highlights from this series included:
86%
said their knowledge expanded on how the companies and organizations involved in the series are addressing social and environmental issues
40+
expert speakers from the social impact and sustainability sector
2,429 Attendees
Reimagining Capitalism Event Member Demographics
33%
STUDENTS
67%
PROFESSIONAL
What Attendees Said... “I really enjoyed hearing from professionals on the ground working on sustainability efforts.”
“It was very interesting to hear different perspectives on how capitalism could be used to create positive change, not just generate profits.”
“The best part was hearing and learning from different and new perspectives that I would otherwise have likely not been exposed to.”
INTRODUCING THE REGENERATIVE ECONOMY In 2021-2022, we are building on the critical
regenerative principles in business, social
dialogues ignited by our previous theme,
innovation, and fundamentally, in our way of
Reimagining Capitalism, in our new event series,
living, to consider what we value, how we work,
The Regenerative Economy. This new series will
and what change we are working to enact. The
examine and explore how we, as a people and
first two events of The Regenerative Economy
humanity, can shift the priorities of business
series will be:
and capitalism by acknowledging the boundaries of planetary resources and harnessing our interconnectedness to uplift economic systems that steward humanity and our shared environment. Through this series of interactive events and opportunities, Net Impact will lead conversations and offer opportunities to learn and apply
Building a Regenerative Economy: How Green Swans Can Achieve Impact at Scale with John Elkington and Gary Sheng Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, featuring Paul Hawken
UP TO US CELEBRATES THE
2020-2021 CAMPUS COMPETITION WINNER OF
“There are no sides, only solutions in the Up to Us Movement” In June, Net Impact’s Up to Us program
As a result of their campaign, the team hosted
announced that the Baruch College team from
32 events with 21 different on-and off-campus
New York City had won the 2020-2021 Up to
organizations and submitted over 1500 signed
Us Campus Competition, a national campaign
Up to Us pledges to 75 elected officials and city
focused on empowering students to build a
representatives.
sustainable economic and fiscal future. Through targeted events, classroom presentations, campus partnerships, and creative social media content, the Baruch team, led by Nayancie Matthews with Tasnia Hussain, engaged 5,000 of their peers across the City of New York in conversations around sustainable fiscal and economic policy.
Tasnia Hussain
Nayancie Matthews
In addition to Baruch College, the top 20 finalists, all of which executed campaigns during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, included: Central Texas College
Stony Brook University
Earlham College
SUNY College at Old Westbury
Florida International University
University of Delaware
Howard University
University of California, Irvine
Independence Community College
University of Florida
Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus (Fall 2020)
University of Miami
Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus (Spring 2021)
University of Wisconsin-Oskosh
Mount Mary University
Wayne State University
Northwestern University
West Liberty University
Oakland Community College
With over 1,800 unique campuses reached, nearly 500,000 students engaged, and 10 years of advocacy, Up to Us looks forward to continuing to uplift the voices of emerging fiscal thinkers and civic engagement leaders and equip them with the skills and resources needed to advocate for a more prosperous economic future.
A MORE JUST AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD IN 2021-2022 As we enter the 2021-2022 fiscal year, Net Impact knows that the world can longer wait for change. We are prepared to answer that call and will catalyze our community of social impact and sustainability leader to drive: Climate Action
STEM for Good
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)
And more!
Responsible Finance
CHALLENGES
FELLOWSHIPS
Curated challenges and competitions tap into
In 2021-2022, Net Impact will establish dedicated
the interdisciplinary network of Net Impact
Fellows focused on targeted thematic areas such as
to develop innovative and actionable ideas,
Climate and JEDI to drive engagement, learning, and
solutions, and market-ready enterprises.
thought leadership focused on issue areas that matter.
EVENTS
CHAPTERS
Through our world-class events and
Our global community of chapters is at the heart
series, including The Regenerative
of what we do at Net Impact. Chapter executes
Economy series, curated to engage and
thousands of events and impact projects annually.
empower our global community. Net
We are excited about continuing to support
Impact to continue bringing critical
the growth of our Chapter community and
voices and thought-leaders together to
provide new and exciting opportunities, through
discuss and develop calls to action that
competitions programs, events, film screenings,
make a difference.
and more, to support their impact work.
INSPIRE COLLECTIVE ACTION Forward-thinking companies from across sectors partner with Net Impact to foster meaningful dialogue and help solve real-world sustainability challenges with next-generation leaders.
OUR PARTNERS