Like most Americans, I enjoy watching the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen. I love a good underdog story – the kind where a team that was never expected to win comes together and defies the odds. It is why I have dedicated my life to the social sector: to shape systems so that underdogs have a fighting chance to win.
This year, we are celebrating our Sweet Sixteen (16th Anniversary) as an organization. To be honest, we have always been a bit of an underdog ourselves. From the very beginning, I knew I didn’t want fancy offices or large profit margins. I wanted to redefine social sector consulting (see my 15th anniversary blog for more on this perspective). We even called ourselves a “social change agency” and declared our intentions with the following manifesto:
The best architects do more than construct buildings – they create an experience that provokes thinking and optimizes human interactions. The same is true for building a better world. At Social Impact Architects, we are a bridge between multiple disciplines with the goal of accelerating the speed of social change. Social Impact Architects is a social change agency that provides consulting and learning experiences to changemakers working alongside them to design creative and transformative solutions to social issues.
Last year, we added a new goal: shifting from being a force for good to becoming a force multiplier by equipping everyone to be their own “social impact architect.” In true Social Impact Architects’ fashion, we are using this forum as our personal accountability check-in to share how we are bringing that goal to life in our 16th year.
1 – Writing a Book to Transform Nonprofit Sector
The nonprofit sector is stuck in an outdated paradigm. The nonprofit business model isn’t meeting current needs, and traditional ways of helping nonprofits – like academic articles and one-off workshops – aren’t moving the needle. Unfortunately, without intervention, I fear we are heading toward an industry breakdown.
When I founded Social Impact Architects as a social change engine, I was inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s quote: “We are all called to be architects of the future, not its victims.” For the past 16 years, I have been working to crack the code of what will move the nonprofit sector forward. Through my teaching, writing and consulting work, I have developed and tested frameworks on nonprofits of all shapes and sizes across the country with great success over time.
Often breakdowns can lead to the best breakthroughs. And to drive that breakthrough, I’m finally putting pen to paper. I’m working on a book – not a 300-page think piece armchair-quarterbacking the sector – but a practical, disruptive guide to reimagining the nonprofit business model.
Check-in: I am taking Mondays to write the book. Do I have an outline? Yes. Have I written a chapter yet? No. We have been busy helping clients navigate this new landscape. However, with my new commitment of saying “no” more often, I plan to make lots of progress during the dog days of summer.
2 – Teaching Executives “How to Revolutionize the Fishing Industry”
One of my favorite social entrepreneurs, Ashoka founder Bill Drayton, said: “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” Last year, we took this idea to heart. While we will always work with clients and students on their unique experience, we’ve expanded into teaching others to “revolutionize the fishing industry.”
After years of training and workshops, we have realized that one-off experiences – while helpful for building knowledge and skills – rarely spark lasting behavioral change. The social sector doesn’t have a knowledge gap – we have an action chasm. To bridge this gap, we have drawn from learning science and decades of experience to identify what helps professional development stick – individually and collectively. And, honestly, we are still learning – because learners’ needs and wants are evolving quickly.
Check-in: We are fortunate to partner with like-minded clients (e.g., ChildcareGroup, Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, AIA, Communities Foundation of Texas, Foellinger Foundation, TACA) on internal executive education efforts. And we’re expanding our partnerships with universities (e.g., Duke, SMU, UT) to build out executive education certificates for anyone in the social sector. Later in 2025, we will share more in the blog to help others learn from our experiences.
3 – Our Weekly Blog, Social TrendSpotter, Got a Facelift & Is Now on Substack
We launched Social TrendSpotter in January 2013 with a simple goal: to create bite-sized, actionable content that changemakers would actually read, enjoy and then (hopefully) use. Today, it’s recognized by the Huffington Post as a top blog in the social sector.
This year we decided – with your input – to refresh our Social Impact Architects parent brand and reimagine our Social TrendSpotter child brand. Thanks to over 100 individuals who gave feedback and voted through social media, we landed on a new visual identity that reflects where we’re going next. (See the header above for our new look).
And now we are taking our blog to Substack, the leading platform for deeper dialogue and intellectual exchange.
Check-in: Consistent with our name and ethos, we have always endeavored to synthesize the latest sector-wide thinking into a user-friendly resource where social sector professionals and students alike can draw inspiration, share ideas and develop new thinking on social sector best practices. While we will always send our blog to your inbox every Thursday, Substack’s tools allow for a much deeper engagement with features such as comments, discussion threads and chats. We will also feature exclusive content on Substack, including Q&As and hot-off-the-press tools from our latest trainings.
It is true what the ancient Greeks said – change is the only constant. And the secret to navigating change isn’t resisting the old – it’s building the new. At Social Impact Architects, we are still just as dedicated to fighting for the underdog in year 16 as we were on day one, but now we are doing it with new tools and fresh approaches.
We appreciate everyone who helped us along on this journey – you are why we keep going! As we say at the start of every learning experience: “Genius is in this room.” We are better because of each of you. We’d love to hear the most useful insights you’ve learned from us and what you’d like us to cover in the future. Let’s keep building the future together.
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