The 4 D’s of Creating an Impact Program
You can build a solid social impact program through the process of discovering, dreaming, designing, and deploying.
By Caroline Barlerin
After nearly 20 years working in the impact space, many spent at the intersection of purpose and profit, I’ve been fortunate to observe, participate in, and even start a variety of corporate responsibility programs. And through all that, I’ve learned there is no single, perfect way to do good. Some companies will have more resources than others, or heavier buy-in from the top, for instance. And I cheer you on however you’re making a difference!
But for those who are just getting started, thinking about getting started, or want to revamp their CSR program, I can offer a system that I’ve found to be very successful. You can build a solid social impact program through what I call “The Four Ds”: discover, dream, design, and deploy.
Let me explain…
Discover
The first stage is all about looking and listening. Gather information before you storm the castle. Start by going on a listening tour at your company and surveying employees about what social good might already be happening and what they’d like to see and do. If you have younger-generation employees, there are probably already rogue programs going on.
Next, listen to community leaders about what the community needs and think about how that overlaps with your product or service. What can the power of your product accomplish? Where are good and bad decisions already being made in your organization with regard to your product? Make sure any great impact ideas are also something your company can do authentically.
Collect data and stories from inside and out. Discover everything you can.
Dream
In this phase, expand your scope and let your imagination run wild. To broaden your ideas, research and understand areas such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Read about problems around the globe, not just in your community.
You’ll come across many organizations, large and small, that are already doing a lot of good, in both the public and private sectors. Start thinking about possible partnerships, especially cross-sector. No single sector caused today’s problems, and no single sector can fix them.
“Start thinking about possible partnerships, especially cross-sector. No single sector caused today’s problems, and no single sector can fix them.”
Now is the time to dream big! Dream about how revolutionary your company and program could be. How bold can you go? How much courage and appetite is in your organization?
Design
Bring the reins back in at this point. It’s time to decide what you’ll be doing and operationalize your ideas. Look with a realistic lens. How would your program fit into the budget cycle? What would the metrics and measurements be? How many team members would you need? Don’t be afraid to pilot, prototype, and experiment here.
Deploy
Of your experiments, which soared? Can you scale and grow it/them? Deploy what has worked best, and in a few months go back to the discovery stage to reassess what worked and didn’t work with the deployment.
The process will be a continual loop of iterating, observing, and improving. It doesn’t have to be perfect on your first try. In fact, it surely won’t be. But you’ll be on your way, and you will have made progress toward a thriving CSR program.
