SOCIAL CURRENT ANNOUNCES CALL FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO APPLY TO BECOME PILOT COMMUNITIES FOR SOCIAL IMPACT CAMPAIGN INSPIRED BY THE FILM UNCHARITABLE

Campaign Aims to Unite Organizations and Communities to Shift the Narrative Around the Impact, Potential and Funding of Nonprofits Social Sector Organizations

STURTEVANT, Wis., Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In collaboration with the team of filmmakers and social innovators behind the documentary film, UnCharitable, Social Current announced a call for nonprofit organizations to apply to become pilot communities for a social impact campaign inspired by the film. The initiative is being developed in partnership with the film’s director Stephen Gyllenhaal and producer and social impact lead Meredith Blake and is organized around a bold new initiative to change the way the social sector creates impact and funds innovation.

Social Current is hosting a webinar on February 26, 2025 at 3:00-4:00pm EST to provide additional information about the initiative to interested organizations. 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 their ability to achieve meaningful outcomes for far too long. This is evidenced by the recent data from the Independent Sector and United for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), which shows that while workers within the sector comprise 9 percent of the workforce in the U.S., 22 percent 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,” noted Jody Levison-Johnson. “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 organizations are 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 3-5 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. Social Current will support the pilot communities in the establishment of 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.

The initiative will also amplify the voices and experiences of the communities most affected by social issues. The campaign will use a community-centered and participatory process that engages diverse groups, listens to their needs, and co-designs solutions that respond to their highest priorities and reflect their lived realities. The strategies developed through the pilot communities will be scaled through the development and implementation of a narrative change communications and media strategy around nonprofit impact; creation of educational resources, tools and curricula; and the development of federal, state, and local policy and advocacy strategy, tools, training, and resources.

Plans are also in the works for a television series, directed by Gyllenhaal, that follows each community’s experience as they get to work. As Gyllenhaal notes, “Storytelling serves as a powerful catalyst for driving cultural and systemic transformation. By chronicling the challenges, victories, and creative solutions of the five communities, this series aims to shine a light on the essential efforts being made to solve the most complex social problems and inspire other communities to take action.”

For more information about the initiative or to apply to serve as a pilot community, go to https://www.social-current.org/social-impact/.

Media Notes: Interviews are available with key personnel, including Dr. Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current; Stephen Gyllenhaal, director and Meredith Blake, producer of UnCharitable.

About Social Current
Social Current is the premier partner and solutions provider to a diverse network of more than 1,800 human and social service organizations. Together with our network, we are activating the power of the social sector to effect broader systemic change that is needed to achieve our vision of an equitable society where all people can thrive. We support, strengthen, and amplify the work of the social sector in six core integrated areas including brain science and trauma-informed approaches; COA Accreditation; child, family, and community well-being; government affairs and advocacy; and leadership and organizational development.

SOURCE Social Current