Impact Relations is a communications discipline, practice, and professional service, aimed to use communications strategies, messaging, campaigns, and storytelling to influence positive social and environmental impact. No spin. Just authentic and strategic communications. The Impact Relations framework outlines three core elements of this discipline.
Impact Relations practitioners are among a growing network and community of values-aligned, impact-driven communicators. The industry is comprised of entire agencies, individual practitioners, in-house brand and corporate representatives, and students – who have a shared goal to use communications as a catalyst for positive change.
The Impact Relations Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit organization created to legitimize, govern, educate, and scale the practice of Impact Relations. Its members are among a community of socially responsible communicators who have pledged to the responsible communications standards set out by the Impact Relations governance board.
What does the Impact Relations Institute do?
The Impact Relations Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit, industry organization working to legitimize and educate professional communicators on the discipline of authentic and transparent communications, and how it transcends to positive impact.
In scaling the practice of Impact Relations, we’ve created a framework that allows organizations and industry practitioners to effectively convey their impact through communications strategies and impact consultancy, in order to amplify beneficial outcomes, enhance reach and resonance, and inspire change. Collectively, we’re exploring and discovering new ways to measure the impact of our work, while bringing new industry standards and mandated principles to communications.
Ambition & Purpose
SET PRINCIPLES, apply governance and administer the communications standards for which Impact Relations is applied in practice. IRI’s advisory board is responsible for setting the principles and mandate our network members are held accountable to uphold upon taking the Impact Relations pledge.
EDUCATE professional communicators on how to maximize or influence positive social or environmental change through impact-driven communications strategies and execution. IRI does this by producing regular content, conducting highly anticipated research and industry reports, holding annual conferences and events, producing educational toolkits & guides for network members’ benefit and professional development.
UNITE & SCALE a network for values-lead strategists, communicators, and storytellers. IRI understands that we cannot advance an industry if we do not first unite it. We unite and celebrate our members through collective action initiatives; spotlight campaigns, agencies, and impactful influencers within the network; and connect brands and organizations with members through our agency directory.
Impact Relations Services
Impact Consulting + Social Purpose Strategy
Leading with discovery and continuing with implementation. The roadmap to build and create lasting social impact, based on the assessment of organizational values, and the development of a strong purpose.
Stakeholder Engagement + Impact Amplification
Leveraging an organization’s social purpose, Impact Relations practitioners engage and energize stakeholders through authentic and purposeful actions.
Impact Relations professionals come from disciplines such as: creative campaigns, social media, event activations, thought leadership, digital storytelling, media relations, community mobilization/public advocacy policy change, stakeholder engagement, internal relations, ad, P.E.S.O – all designed to educate, inspire and empower.
Impact Measurement
Through clear metrics, goal setting and recurring impact assessments, we work with organizations to demonstrate good corporate citizenship by measuring actions such as EDI, living wage; supply chains; the cost of doing good biz and how organizations track and scale it. Impact Relations practitioners understand that a business needs to be profitable in order to be sustainable.
Why Join the Impact Relations Community?
Your Impact
Use your communications skills to create systemic change, and leverage stories to inspire collective impact.
Demonstrate your commitment to transparent communications.
Shape the evolution of Impact Relations; lend your voice to debates on industry standards for purpose-driven communications.
Your Network
Benefit from virtual networking with like-minded industry peers and leaders.
Share and receive best practices, tips and insights on how to advance your clients’ news within the impact space.
Strengthen your relationships with media by becoming associated with a tribe of communicators that journalists rely on for straight facts, transparent communications and no spin.
Your Skill Set
Sharpen your skills and learn best practices through our webinar series and blog.
Receive industry insights through our newsletters:
Weekly news-tip newsletter showcasing the best media outlets and journalists for solutions-focused stories.
Our monthly newsletter, The Agenda, sharing best practices, case studies, profiles, opinion pieces and more.
An Evolving Guide to Impact Relations
The Evolving Guide to Impact Relations was developed as a tool kit and training guide for communications professionals – public relations, media relations, strategic communications and social media professionals/online storytellers – to apply Impact Relations into their work and service offering. Sign up to receive volume 2.
About Impact Relations
Impact Relations is a communications discipline, practice, and professional service, aimed to use communications strategies, messaging, campaigns, and storytelling to influence positive social and environmental impact.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Agenda by Impact Relations.
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