Would you like to work with a team of diverse changemakers, learn about societal problem-solving, and use your skills to contribute to a better world?
Support a Social Innovation Project in developing an effective systems change strategy!
If this interests you, and you can prioritize 3 hours per week for 5-10 months (from Nov 2024 to Apr/Oct 2025), please apply by August 9th. You will then be considered to participate in a volunteer Thought Partner team working alongside the Social Innovation Project that wants to refine its strategy to maximize its social impact.
The opportunity to use skills and expertise to contribute towards a better world by supporting Social Innovation Projects that employ effective solutions to critical problems across the globe.
Learning about different approaches to creating longer-lasting, effective, systems change.
Connect and work with a team of diverse changemakers- leading Social Innovation Projects and Thought Partners from different walks of life.
The Globalizer offers Thought Partners a great opportunity to broaden connections and learn from a huge diversity of thought. It is an amazing opportunity to both give back in some small way whilst learning a huge amount about topics I might never have worked on.
Helen Chorlton
Senior Manager- Cities & Urbanization, PwC
The opportunity to partner with Ashoka and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship has helped me grow as a person and as a leader. It has exposed me to more opportunities to create a better everyday life for the many people as well as tools I can use in my daily business.
Rob Olson
Chief Operating Officer, IKEA United States
The world is full of great projects to heal wounds, but what we really need to aim for is to fix the broken systems that cause those wounds. This is what we learn and apply in the Globalizer, and impacts my daily life as a Social Biz Consultant.
Andrea Mörike
Founder / CEO, Moerike Consult
I find it very rewarding to help someone who is so passionate about their cause & receptive of different perspectives the team is able to offer. My role includes providing alternative options to think about, helping structure the thought processes and help shape what we feel is a path forward to enact system change.
James Caffrey
Leader of Strategic Projects & Ventures, Business Group, Philips
I've gotten exposure to inspiring changemakers enacting systems change in unique ways. Interacting with them has also allowed me to broaden not just my network but also my perspective on how I might further leverage my talents to drive even more social/environmental impact in my career.
Massimiliano Hasan
Advisor at Topiku & FinTech executive
Being on the Ashoka Globalizer program has been a greatly inspiring and rewarding experience. I came out of the project with a huge sense of accomplishment. Having such immediate positive "social" impact in only a couple of hours per month felt amazing.
Ignacio Perez
NavVis’ EMEA & Ecosystem VP and former McKinsey Consultant
What I loved about the engagement is the opportunity for both the Social Innovation Projects, as well as the Thought Partners to learn from each other & embark on a co-creation journey.
Maya Narayan
Co-Founder, Holon Perspectives LLP
Role Description
Using a Globalizer template for spreading impact and systems change as a guide, along with the rest of the Thought Partner team, you will:
Immerse yourself in a new perspective and methodology;
Serve as a thinking partner and a sounding board to help the Social Innovation Project develop a robust system-changing social impact strategy;
Learn by doing, applying your skills and focusing them towards social impact;
Review and comment on content prepared by the Social Innovation Project and their team.
Time commitment
3 hours/week for a period of 16 weeks. Generally, 1.5 hours is spent on a weekly team video conference call and the other time is spent reviewing materials, commenting and preparing for the next call.
Thought Partners will be selected and matched with the Social Innovation Projects to be their sounding boards in their systems change strategy development process, based on:
their strategic thinking expertise- to contribute with knowledge, questions and critical thinking to the development and or refinement of the system change strategy, pushing on feasibility and consistency;
geographical location (to match the geographical diversity of the participating Social Innovation Projects;
their competence and background to support with one of these functions.
Storytelling
Key Function:
Helping with research and analysis, organizing important information throughout the process, and working hands-on to prepare the Strategy Document and Presentation Deck
Ideal background:
Consultant, Engagement Manager or Associate or Analyst
Strategy Keeping
Key Function:
Bringing a wealth of strategic expertise and experience to balance ambition and feasibility
Ideal background:
Senior Executive or Business Entrepreneur or Topical Expert
Process Management
Key Function:
Designing and facilitating the team plan for implementing a part of the systems change strategy
Ideal background:
Seasoned Globalizer Thought Partner who has done the process a few times (via the Storytelling or Strategy Keeping functions)
The Ashoka Globalizer Program helps you unlock your changemaking potential by becoming a Thought Partner for Systems Change.
The 16-week accelerator encourages Social Innovation Projects working on addressing different complex challenges to focus on their vision for systemic change, by activating the brightest minds from the business world as co-leaders for a world in which systems change is possible - an Everyone A Changemaker World.
Rather than merely expanding operations, through the Globalizer process, the Social Innovation Projects are challenged to further refine their leading social innovations and consider how to open up access to their ideas so that they can become the new norm in society and have the most efficient, longest-lasting systemic impact.
Throughout this intense process, they are supported by experts from the Globalizer team, working alongside 3-4 experienced Thought Partners from consulting firms, partner organizations and the Ashoka Support Network of business leaders and experts committed to social change.
Reflections from Past Social Innovation Projects who participated
This program is a great re-alignment of our core goals, to really figure out how we can change the system and to make it more concrete. This process has been a huge benefit for me, as a leader and changemaker, and has had a positive impact on my team members who participated in the program.
Melissa Malzkuhn
Founder and CEO, Motion Light Lab, United States
Our work has always focused on systemic change and impact. What the Globalizer did for our project was to create the space, discipline, and approach to introduce new perspectives and significantly accelerate outcomes.
Brent Kopperson
Founder and CEO, Windfall Ecology Center, Canada
Becoming a Globalizer Fellow has given me access to resources and connections far beyond my expectations. Much more importantly, though, I now see myself and my project in a completely new light: I’m not just building an organization, I’m building a movement.
Thorkil Sonne
Founder & Chairman, Specialisterne, Denmark
Globalizer has pushed me to think even more broadly about the impact I can have as a social entrepreneur. I am challenged to think beyond the success of my organization to really think about success of the social mission in a more transcendent way.
Katherine Lucey
Founder & CEO, Solar Sister, Uganda
None other than me knows how challenging and result oriented the Globalizer is. It not only pushes to pass through rigorous grilling sessions but also it actually opens up vistas of knowledge. After Globalizer, I have totally changed Bhungroo scaling up proposition.
Biplab Paul
Director, Naireeta Services, India
The Globalizer program is a much needed experience for social entrepreneurs who have gained traction in their work. It is a truly helpful exercise for those who are actually scaling and those who are looking to scale creating long lasting impact.
Abu Musuuza
Co-founder & CEO, Village Energy, Uganda
APPLY TO BE A THOUGHT PARTNER
If the time commitment works for you, and you are interested in being considered to be a part of the Thought Partner team and support a leading Social Innovation Project, kindly register by clicking the below button and we will be in touch as soon as possible to review possibilities.
WE CANNOT GUARANTEE SPOTS FOR ANYONE YET, as we need to juggle many factors while matching, but we look forward to exploring ways we might engage you in this round.
Social Innovation Projects aim to reach system and frame change with their social innovations.
Scaling is not just about serving more and more people via one’s own organization, but about influencing many others to promote and adopt the new model. In this way, the idea is no longer dependent upon one Social Innovation Project or one organization, but can continue to grow through and with others, until it becomes the new norm in society.
Systems change often requires indirect as well as direct impact.
It takes many changemakers to change a System...
The world is rapidly changing and sometimes not in the right direction. To be able to make sure the world develops for the good of all, Ashoka supports changemakers and encourages everyone to be one. These Social Innovation Projects are selected for their potential to change systems to tackle specific social problems.
However, in order to do so, they need allies –Thought Partners who are willing to connect and unlock their own changemaking potential and explore what it takes to change a system and improve social conditions.
Ashoka
