We’re excited to announce the launch of the #InclusiveImpact campaign, a new digital dialogue series from New Profit and our network of social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and other changemakers committed to driving equity in America. The series is aimed at expanding on, and creating dialogue around, the concepts that are core to our Inclusive Impact strategy, which will drive unprecedented capital and support to Black, Indigenous, and Latino/a/x social entrepreneurs.

In February, we launched the strategy at the Inclusive Impact Action Summit, where a group of leaders from across America’s broad racial, ethnic, and experiential spectrum gathered for candid dialogue and collective learning about how barriers and disparities in the social sector are holding back progress on social problem solving across the board. Soon after the summit, the intertwining and inequitable systems, from health and education to legal and democracy and beyond, in this country were laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and the renewed and growing call for Black liberation and justice.

If we hope to uproot those systems and re-architect a more equitable America we are going to have to continue the learning journey that was activated at the summit. As a way to connect conversations we had in February to how we are each navigating this new reality, we’re excited to share content in five core thematic areas as we move forward:

Grappling with History: As a community, we have to continue to grapple with, interrogate, and share the lessons of history that we know to be true—that injustice and inequity have been woven into the fabric of America by design, not by happenstance. For that reason, we also know that, despite the challenges, it is possible to create new systems built on a foundation of equity. For every person who speaks up about this, there may be ten who seek to shame or silence them, but we have to push forward unbowed by fear or skepticism. As Wiliam Lund once said, “We study the past to understand the present; we understand the present to guide the future.”

Asset Mindsets: Throughout American history, communities of color have been viewed through a deficit lens and falsely characterized as broken, struggling, and less-than.The deficit lens and single-note narrative of struggle have promoted falsehoods and enabled the social sector to focus on “fixing” people defined as broken rather than addressing systemic barriers and structural inequalities. In order to create real, sustainable change in our country we must learn to acknowledge, invest in and learn from the communities we seek to support and serve. We need systems that recognize and bolster the abundant talent, innovation and skill within communities. People who are proximate to communities and systemic challenges have the expertise needed to uproot and redesign. As one participant at the summit said, “Investing in proximate leaders is inherently *less* risky than not doing so,” because of their experience, insights, and trusting relationships. One of the most important things we can do to shift mindsets and drive behavior change across the social sector is to use the asset lens and keep reinforcing these truths in everything we do.

Speaking Truth: Nothing changes without people being able to honestly speak about their experiences and challenges, and we all have to support each other in the hard work of truth-telling. For those who continue to reveal your truth, thank you. We stand with you. For those hearing others’ truths, we stand with you, too! We invite you to learn from it and receive it in ways that place understanding and progress beyond comfort and fear. In doing so, we create a brave space for the work we can do together to change our world.

Coalition of the Willing: It is hard to overstate the power and potential of a group of willing participants – a multi-racial, multi-sector, multi-talented coalition that philanthropy has never had at scale – to transform the way philanthropy works and drive breakthrough progress against entrenched inequities. Only through building, growing, and learning as a community can we make the groundbreaking impact that we seek.

Caring for Ourselves: For all of us, self-care needs to continue to be a priority, even when it feels impossible. This work is hard, but necessary and we must care for ourselves in order to sustain it. We must not only focus on where we are going, but how we treat ourselves and one another on the journey there.

Each of these themes and the dialogue we will build around them is about driving action. As Michelle Molitor, Executive Director of The Equity Lab, noted in episode four of “Say More”—a new Instagram live series produced and hosted by Tulaine Montgomery, a New Profit Managing Partner and lead of Inclusive Impact— “Talking isn’t the work. The work is the work.” Conversation is a necessary stepping stone to shift mindsets and increase our numbers in this coalition of the willing, but we must always set our sights on the action we can take to turn our dialogue and learning into impact.

Are you interested in contributing to the #InclusiveImpact digital campaign? Here are a few ways you can participate:

• Speaking Truth Tuesdays: Highlights of “truth sayers” past and present. Through audience and network nominations we will spotlight a person who has been a beacon of speaking truth to power. This will take on the form of quote graphics highlighting the words of the selected leader and/or short written pieces for NPGO. Do you have a “truth sayer” you’d like to highlight? Click here to tell us about the “truth sayer” who is inspiring you.
• Resource Guide: We are curating a list of resources (books, articles, movies, documentaries, podcasts, etc.) for community members to engage with on their equity journey. Do you have any suggested materials? Each month we will select a resource from this list and host a virtual book club (more details to come later). Click here to send us your suggestions!
• Handwritten Notes: We want to hear what our community is grappling with. Each month we will be selecting a prompt to collect thoughts and musings from you all. This month we want to hear “What questions are keeping you up at night?” Please write your response on a piece of paper and send us a photo. If selected, we will share the photo across social media and open your questions up for dialogue. Please send your submission to communications@newprofit.org.

We’re so excited to engage, learn, and grow with you all throughout this campaign! Be sure to sign-up for our newsletter and follow us on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram) to stay up to date with the conversation!