Social Current, an association of more than 1,800 human and social service organizations, has launched a community impact campaign and is seeking nonprofits to apply to be involved. There’s also the chance the organizations will be spotlighted as part of a television series.
The initiative is being developed in partnership with the director of the film Uncharitable, Stephen Gyllenhaal, and producer and social impact lead Meredith Blake. It is part of an initiative to change the way the social sector creates impact and funds innovation, according to Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current, headquartered in Sturtevant, Wis.
Social Current will host a webinar on Feb. 26 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. (EST) to provide additional information about the initiative. A link to register for the webinar is available here.
Social sector nonprofits and those who staff them have operated under mounting financial stresses that have impeded the ability to achieve meaningful outcomes, according to Levison-Johnson. Recent data from Independent Sector and United for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), shows that while workers within the sector comprise 9% of the workforce in the U.S., 22% of those workers are living below or just above the poverty line.
“The very term ‘nonprofit’ raises a host of perceptual issues and contributes to a narrative that devalues the sector,” said Jody Levison-Johnson via a statement. “It is time to shift our narrative from one solely focused on mission and begin taking concrete steps toward ensuring widespread recognition of the inherent value of our sector, addressing chronic underfunding, and ensuring adequate resources to not only meet community need, but to also drive innovation and learning. This is how we will truly move the needle on social change.”
U.S. and Canadian nonprofits will be invited to build a team from their community to apply for a position among the five pilot communities. The collaborative cohort will take place over a three to five-year period with communities receiving access to research, technical assistance, operations support, marketing and communications support and evaluation.
The five pilot communities will work collaboratively to develop, incubate, refine, and ultimately scale innovative strategies that address the most pressing issues faced by the community and more broadly, the nonprofit sector, according to Levison-Johnson. Social Current will support the pilot communities to establish a community steering group and will assist in identifying funding and in-kind resources. Communities will work to design their plan which will include listening sessions and film screenings to serve as catalysts for their initiatives. Through these activities, each community will explore their most pressing challenges including those faced by their local nonprofit sector and identify ways to address those challenges through communications, policy and practice change, and advocacy at the local level.
Plans are also in the works for a television series, directed by Gyllenhaal, that follows each community’s experience as they get to work. For more information about the initiative or to apply to serve as a pilot community, go to https://www.social-current.org/social-impact/
