Professional certification in

Social Impact strategies

Your journey starts here

Here at the National Institute for Social Impact our mission is to assist you in expanding both your impact and your profitability. Whether you have a new idea for a Social Impact business model, or you’ve been running your own organization for decades, this Certification will change your future.

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A program unlike any other

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, intrapreneur, nonprofit leader, conscious consumer, funder, or business owner, the National Institute for Social Impact Certification in Social Impact Strategies is designed to teach you to implement practices no matter the size of your organization or your role within it.

In this program, you will experience how and why consumers, businesses, and communities worldwide are embracing organizations that merge mission and margin, purpose and profit. We will focus on where to start your Social Impact business and then how to build a plan and market that idea.

So, come meet our Social Impact experts with 40 years of combined experience across various industries. From your house to the White House, we have experience building ideas, educational programs, and businesses of all sizes and scale.

Learn how to launch, grow, or convert your business model with Social Impact

No matter what stage your organization is in–from ideation to mature and growing–we are here to help. The Social Impact Strategies certification covers the basics as well as offers one-on-one attention and support that your model deserves.

The most helpful part of the certification program for me was the different media types used through the training. They really helped me digest the information and ignited ideas for how I could incorporate what I had learned at my own organization.
Marla Korpar
Development Director at Solar Energy International
The classes were just excellent, including the order of the classes. They build very well on concepts learned and discussed.
Shelley Jensen
Founder of Kairos Project 17
I got my degree in Social Entrepreneurship, and I learned more in these three days than I did in my entire undergraduate program.
Greg Hahn
IT Hands

Benefits

Join the community

By attending the Certification, you will join the community of those to come before you and those yet to attend. This offers you a group of individuals that use the same Social Impact language you learned to gain support and get feedback!

Keep learning

We will offer ongoing education opportunities to our Certification alumni to ensure that you have current statistics on trends in the 4th Sector and are up to date on recent events!

2 free hours one-on-one

Two free hours of consultation with NI4SI experts after the class is over to support the implementation of ideas from the program ($400 value)

What's included

Your guides to social certification

Jonathan Liebert
CoFounder and CEO
I have spent 20 years helping people build new strategies and bring new solutions to their communities.
Stacey Burns
CoFounder and Chief Impact Officer
Throughout my career, my absolute favorite part of any opportunity is to develop mutually beneficial partnerships and to help people find their potential.

Certification is the start of your journey

Certification is a three day intensive program, where we workshop your innovative business model.  We will determine your social or environmental mission, how you will measure your impact and how to market and tell your story. But the process doesn’t end there. You will learn how extensive this community is and become a part of it.

You will network with like-minded individuals that want to positively impact the world.  You will learn how to keep refining your Social Impact business strategy as your business model evolves. We look forward to helping you make the world a better place with your business!

Our syllabus

Simon Sinek says to start with your “Why”, but how do you find your why, or more specifically your higher purpose? Social Impact is about finding your higher purpose and how business can be key to solving social issues. What is your higher purpose statement? How do you share your higher purpose with others? How do you lead with your higher purpose? And why does Social Impact make sense for you?

Every business needs a business plan and Social Impact Businesses are no different. It doesn’t have to be rocket science but it does need to exist. We will share great starter examples and talk about the key elements that will get you ready for financing and marketing strategies.

So you’ve decided to measure your impact but now what? This course will help you understand what you need in place to ask great questions and get great data in return. We will reinforce the importance of letting your “reason for being” drive your metrics. 

So many great things come from making a Social Impact, and even more things come with good intentions. But what happens when those intentions don’t turn out as expected? In this course, we will discuss some of the cautionary tales associated with operating a Social Impact Business. We will explore how to avoid certain pitfalls in addition to how to pivot to keep your business model and the mission it supports strong and headed in the right direction.

Take marketing to the next level as we discuss in detail how to make your Social Impact stand out in your messaging! There is a fine balance between selling your product or service and selling your mission. We will cover the intricacies of focusing on your business to stay competitive and letting the dedication to your purpose come through in your quality!

This sector is changing quickly, with more resources and discussions than ever before. We will bring you up to speed with the most up to date topics and the most helpful sources on making your Social Impact ideas truly impactful!

Course pricing

Select the 2-Day Certification or the 3-Day Course which includes a deeper dive into building a Social Impact Business Plan and how to market and pitch your Social Impact Business.

2-Day Course

Best for Funders and Consumers
$ 1,500
  • Spend 18 hours with 4th Sector experts
  • Deep dive into relevant topics and robust discussion
  • Interactive site visits to Social Impact Businesses
  • Activities to make your Social Impact concepts come to life​
  • Courses designed to give you an in-depth understanding of what the Social Impact Sector is and how it changes product and service offerings

3-Day Course

Best for Anyone Looking to start a Social Impact Model
$ 2,000
  • Spend 27 hours with 4th Sector experts
  • Deep dive into relevant topics and robust discussion
  • Interactive site visits to Social Impact Businesses
  • Activities to make your Social Impact concepts come to life​
  • Courses designed to give you an in-depth understanding of what the Social Impact Sector is and how it changes product and service offerings
  • A deeper dive into building a Social Impact Business Plan​
  • How to market and pitch your Social Impact Business​

Upcoming Certification Courses​

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Measure and report your impact

Whether today is Day 1 or Day 1 Million for your organization, we can help you build an SROI strategy that is just right for you.