Social Impact Consulting

Social impact consulting seeks to help organizations (nonprofits, foundations, associations, government entities), mission-driven companies, and philanthropists expand their impact by leveraging their unique position and resources (time, money, skills, relationships) for good. In larger enterprise businesses, social impact consulting services may be sought out to supplement internal efforts around corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Social impact consulting agencies may also be used by organizations of any size to clarify mission/vision statements, improve confidence as it relates to an organization’s impact approach, help build stronger networks, and improve an organization’s overall impact.

 

Two social impact consultants discuss a project outside

 

Our Focus Areas & Capabilities

Social impact consulting can span many different sectors. At Friday, we focus on three strategic areas of work that we believe are critical to shaping the future of society. We believe people discover their purpose through — and are shaped by — their education, work, and community. Evidence confirms that these three areas are critical to ensuring economic and social justice, especially for people with lower incomes and people of color. By working to improve these three critical sectors, we are creating a more equitable and dynamic social fabric. 

 

Our social impact consulting work spans three capabilities:

  • Organizational Strategy, where we support clients in defining their ambitions and developing strategies to achieve their goals.
  • Brand and Communications, where we help clients to tell their story and build their movement for good.
  • Program Design, where we work to develop new products, programs, and services for our clients in order to help them better serve their core audience.

 

Education Partnerships

Within our education work, we partner with organizations like EdTec, Silicon Valley Schools Fund, and Charter School Growth Fund. ​​By sharing strategic insights with one another, Friday and its partners combine their expertise to offer comprehensive offerings that serve schools’ unique needs.

For example, Friday and EdTec have formed a unique partnership that gives schools the opportunity to collaborate with two experienced firms: EdTec is the go-to provider for financial, data management, and compliance support; Friday leads strategy and design processes for schools, including everything from 3-5 year strategic plans, leadership-development programs, innovative school-improvement initiatives, and re-envisioned brands.

 

Democratizing Access To Social Impact Consulting

We believe that no matter an organization’s size or budget, they should have access to consulting services and tools that help turn their aspirations into action. A few initiatives we’ve created to help smaller organizations get started are: 

 

Friday Tools & Resources Library: A collection of free downloadable tools to help guide a variety of common projects and processes spanning strategic planning, branding and communications, board training best practices, and more.

 

Forward & Forward K12: An 8-week pay-what-you-can strategic planning process providing a formal structure to help you generate more ideas and judge those ideas more objectively. And with the opportunity to join a handful of folks sorting through the exact same challenges, you’ll never be alone.

 

Benefits of Hiring a Social Impact Consulting Agency

Making a difference in the world today takes a lot of effort, time, financial support, and organization. In order to utilize what your group has in the most effective way possible, an experienced and knowledgeable team of consultants can help. By working with a social impact consulting agency like Friday, your organization could benefit from the following: 

 

Get a Clear Image of Your Strengths and Weaknesses

An open and honest conversation about what skills exist and which are missing in your organization can be invaluable when creating an actionable organizational strategy. It can be difficult to remain objective about these things without outside assistance. This is one benefit of working with a dedicated consultant.

 

Understand the Viability of Your Mission and Make Sure It Works

Grand missions or vision statements may be written with the intent to inspire, but if they are not mapped to actionable and achievable goals, strategies, and tactics, you may wander off course. An agency with experience keeping organizations on track can identify weaknesses or potential roadblocks before they become true impediments to success.

 

Gain Confidence In an Actionable Approach

When staff members understand the path forward at all levels of an organization, you will naturally get to where you want to go faster, while having upfront contingency plans for unexpected events, leading to an increased sense of confidence. This can lead to increased productivity and efficiency, and supports a culture of proactivity that has the potential to connect your staff and organization more closely to your intended community.

 

Improve Results and Outpace Competitors

In the end, your goals require measurable results. It is important to remain relevant in your niche and get enough attention and support so you can increase the chance of getting funding, recruiting talented leaders, and getting local support from people who will be affected by your accomplishments.

 

Build Strong Networks and Partnerships

A consultant can facilitate networking and communication between organizations or companies that align with your overall missions and goals. This is especially important for community and educational systems that can improve more with a multi-prong approach.

 

Identify and Prepare New Leaders

When you are in the business of effecting social change, providing new opportunities for underrepresented communities, transforming education, or otherwise working toward a worthy mission, you need more than one static group of people to lead the charge. True change takes time, and preparing future leaders is an essential part of the process for long-term results.

 

With the help of a social impact consulting agency like Friday, you can achieve all these things and more. Contact us to learn how our social impact consulting services – including organizational strategy, brand and communications, and program design – can help.