Boston is a city pulsing with innovation, from elite research universities to the tech corridor along State Route 128. It’s also a place where revolutions are born. That combination makes Boston the perfect city for emerging social impact leaders. And it makes Net Impact’s Boston chapter the perfect group for those early-stage professionals who want to marry their activism with their careers.
Net Impact Boston is our U.S.-based Professional Chapter of the Year for 2018.
Net Impact Boston engages members with more than 30 events throughout the year. The marquee event is the chapter’s annual Impact Summit, a day-long gathering of Boston-area professionals who work in the social impact sector, or who want to move in that direction. Speakers and breakout sessions prompt discussions on a wide range of social impact topics, from alternative energy to impact investing to corporate sustainability.
For many members, their first interaction with Net Impact Boston is through the chapter’s “speed networking” event where –– you guessed it –– the attendees meet and greet each other for a few minutes, before moving on to the next person. When the night is through, everyone’s met a lot of new people and gained a better understanding of the breadth of the social impact community in Boston.
The chapter is particularly proud of its Board Fellows program, in which chapter members serve for a year as non-voting members on the board of a local nonprofit. Members bring their diverse experiences and skill sets to change-making organizations across the Boston area. In return, they receive hands-on training in nonprofit operations, management, and governance.
Net Impact Boston has experienced tremendous growth in the last five years. In 2013, when chapter president Dan Haro joined, Net Impact Boston was led by a 12-person leadership team, with a membership hovering around 800. This year, according to Haro, 30 young changemakers stepped into leadership roles with the chapter and organized events and programs for 2,000 members.
Haro sees the Net Impact Boston’s imprint throughout the city, from new impact organizations seeded by chapter members, to coalitions laser-focused on meeting the region’s social and environmental challenges. It's an exciting time for Boston's social impact community and for a city that thrives on energy and innovation.
Wendy Thurm is Net Impact's Communications Manager
