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From Core Strengths to Transformative Social Impact

A practical framework for turning business capabilities into community impact
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Member Price: $20

Non-Member Price: $35

Presenting Member:

classroom presentation

The Quay, 100 Queens Quay East, 3rd Floor

In Person

What if your company's greatest business strengths were also its most powerful tools for social impact? 

In this keynote and interactive workshop, Willa Black explores how organizations can move beyond traditional CSR and philanthropy to create meaningful, measurable social impact by leveraging what they already do best. Drawing on Connected North as a real-world case study, Willa will demonstrate how strategic alignment between corporate capabilities, partnerships, and community needs can drive outcomes that are both socially transformative and business-relevant. 

Connected North—an award-winning initiative that delivers live, interactive education to students in remote and Indigenous communities—offers a compelling example of how cross-sector collaboration, technology, and organizational expertise can be mobilized to close opportunity gaps at scale. 

Participants will leave with a practical framework for identifying their organization's unique strengths, aligning them with social challenges, and activating partnerships that create shared value for business and society alike. 

Following the keynote, participants will take part in a facilitated workshop discussion, reflecting on their own organization's strengths and identifying one concrete step they could take in the next 6–12 months to advance a strengths-based social impact initiative.

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What You Will Learn

In this comprehensive session, our expert speakers will guide you through: 

  • How to identify and mobilize your organization's unique strengths—including networks, expertise, technology, and convening power—for social impact 
  • A practical framework for moving beyond traditional CSR and philanthropy toward strategic, business-aligned community investment 
  • Real-world lessons from Connected North, an award-winning initiative closing opportunity gaps for students in remote and Indigenous communities 
  • How cross-sector collaboration and partnership alignment can create outcomes that are both socially transformative and business-relevant 
  • How to translate insight into action, leaving with a concrete step your organization can take in the next 6–12 months  

Whether you're looking to deepen your organization's social impact strategy, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, or simply rethink how your core capabilities can serve a greater purpose, this session will equip you with actionable insights and practical tools for success.  

Discover how your greatest business strengths can become your most powerful tools for change. 

Who Should Attend:

Professionals in corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social, and governance (ESG), HR and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), community investment, and those in organizations of any size looking to develop, expand, or deepen social impact partnerships. 

About Connected North

Connected North, a program of TakingITGlobal, supports the capacity of educators and schools to deliver rich, interactive learning experiences that prepare students with the skills and confidence to thrive in a complex future. TakingITGlobal designs and delivers youth engagement programs that empower young people to understand and act on local and global challenges.