Not every conference takes a tour of virtual reality.
But +IMPACT isn’t every conference. And that was made abundantly clear to the attendees of Causecast’s recent +IMPACT conference in San Francisco, which brought people together around the latest in employee giving and volunteering trends and technologies.
What is +IMPACT?
Much more than a transactional exchange about CSR. When we conceived of this idea, our goal was to launch a movement that would help reinvigorate and refresh corporate giving and volunteering programs and the leaders who drive them.
We wanted to acknowledge the very real -- and often far-too-big -- challenges that exist in our world today and provide real tools and support to the professionals who run programs that seek to address them. We hoped to create a safe space where some of the most innovative thinkers, experts and champions could come together to create more impact as a unified force for good. Where learning and growth can thrive. Where the biggest, riskiest issues can be brought to light. Where diverse voices can be purposefully sought out and heard. Where innovation can happen. And where all this can flourish and be cultivated throughout the year as part of an ongoing community of support.
Can a business conference be rooted in compassion, kindness and even love? Can business itself be guided by the idea that collaboration is so much more powerful than competition? And in the idea that companies -- and the employees who power those companies -- are ready and needed more than ever to bring their A-Game when it comes to community impact and social justice?
We said yes. And the results were powerful.
Much of our discussion centered around the myriad forms of storytelling as an important impact tool. But the key is to look at all the different facets of your story and the unexpected ways in which this story is revealed. Diversity of perspective, people and approach is a pathway to a more purpose-driven story, which research shows helps companies outperform competitors, as well as grow revenue, stock prices and jobs. Not to mention making a social impact, of course.
Our distinguished lineup of insightful speakers showed us that when it comes to social change, we must consider all the ways that we can tell a story - including the stories we tell through data. And even dance.
Social changemaker Nzinga Blake walked us through her experience of creating a dance challenge to support her charity End Ebola Now, and how that video became globally viral (in the good sense.) Blake found that connecting through human experience in a personal and heartwarming way is key to sparking a movement.
The data story is, of course, an elusive holy grail of corporate social responsibility. Our friends at Good Data had much to say on this topic; they believe that the “data revolution” is transforming the way we engage and activate employees. When we can tell a narrative around all forms of impact - internally, such as employee involvement, and externally, such as the effects on social causes - we fuel motivation and opportunities.
At Causecast, we know that building a story around advanced analytics deepens connections within companies and with the community, multiplies impact and ultimately, improves the business bottom line. That’s why we’re thrilled to have developed a new reporting toolkit with Good Data, which we unveiled at +IMPACT. Overheard from one customer in the audience as she listened to the details about data capture: “This is life-changing. I’m fighting back tears.” (More to report on that front soon!)
I was excited to experience one of the newest ways to draw people into impact stories: virtual reality. Gina Manis-Anderson at Savii Group walked us through compelling brand storytelling examples, including virtual reality storytelling, and showed how brands are engaging people in more personal ways than ever before and integrating social consciousness into their message. Showing consumers how they care about people and are making the world a better place is one way that brands are connecting with their audience in uniquely powerful ways, and Manis-Anderson demonstrated exactly how: the ads she played for the room had everyone crying and laughing.
Collaboration starts at home, as some speakers reminded us with an emphasis on the importance of a diverse employee base. Special attention needs to be paid around the full spectrum of diversity in recruitment - as one speaker pointed out with her hiring efforts to include introverts, not just extroverts. Other speakers addressed the significance of as well as diversity of cause interests, as one company is doing with its campaign to address the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
We designed +IMPACT to contribute to the future of global business - business that is empowered, compassionate, inclusive and a force for change. Our recent event was just the start of an ongoing opportunity to explore big issues, whether those are complex problems that people want to tackle but don’t know how, or personal, like who we are and want to be as impact leaders.
The conversation has only just begun.
We’re appreciative to all of the +IMPACT attendees and speakers who stepped in and stepped up. The more that we can all find our voices, use every resource at our disposal to understand our story, tell that story with heart and truth, and collaborate with others to amplify our impact, the more that we can design the future we all want to see.
Beyond the conference, we developed the +IMPACT monthly webinar series to continue to help you build new skills and develop enhanced programming that achieves unprecedented impact. Join us for the first in this series: "How to Activate More Employees to Volunteer Through Deep Engagement." Learn how to develop irresistible volunteer experiences that will attract and engage your employees.
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