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This is for college and university students working with, volunteering with, consulting for, and/ or innovating with social impact-focused organizations/ community members. Integrate this into your experience.
Use this on your own and/ or with a team.
If any of the following resonates with you, this certificate should serve you well.
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You want to be better equipped and more empowered to help create positive change.
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You'd like a field guide with universal, proven, and practical resources for putting empathy, equity, and empowerment into action.
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You want to learn how to work with purpose-driven organizations more effectively and sustainably.
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You want to learn how to design “with,” rather than design “for.”
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You want to improve your adaptive leadership skills.
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You’ve got the WHAT and the WHY, but need more HOW.
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You want to get better at leading, building, and contributing to changemaking teams.
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You want to get more adept at diagnosing problems and identifying opportunities to help create positive change.
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You want to leverage your experience to build “future-proof” mindsets and skill sets.
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You want to improve your innovation and consulting skills.
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You want to highlight your changemaking experience and skills for potential future employers.
The field guide you'll use works for both in-person and virtual experiences. The content in this was modified and repurposed from Greg Van Kirk’s new book, IT’S WHAT YOU SET IN MOTION: A TOOLBOX FOR COLLABORATIVE CHANGEMAKING.
"Greg and I have been collaborating in one way or another since we first met and worked together in a small community in El Salvador nearly 20 years ago. I’ve always been struck by his remarkable ability to get to the heart of problems and co-create empathetic, approachable solutions in complex and constrained environments. This innovative and practical toolbox is a clear reflection of this. Without a doubt, this book should be on every aspiring and practicing changemaker’s bookshelf."
NEIL BLUMENTHAL
CO-FOUNDER + CO-CEO | WARBY PARKER
"Greg has a wonderful gift for taking complicated concepts and breaking them down into approachable tools that help groups work together to address complex problems without feeling overwhelmed. This practical toolbox is a perfect example of that."
KIMBERLY ASCOLI ALMEIDA
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS | LEVI STRAUSS FOUNDATION
"Greg's combined expertise in business and years of experience in social entrepreneurship around the globe give him a unique understanding of the drivers of innovation. He has a remarkable ability to distill key strategic insights that explain success and communicate them in ways that are both accessible and inspiring."
DAVID BORNSTEIN
CO-FOUNDER | SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK
AUTHOR - HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AND THE POWER OF NEW IDEAS
"For more than two decades, Greg's been a trailblazer in the field of social entrepreneurship. Always willing to share the lessons learned on this odyssey of impact, Greg has curated herein an outstanding array of tested tools that can be put to work immediately by any aspiring changemaker or experienced social entrepreneur seeking to develop more effective solutions to the world’s most pressing problems."
MATTHEW T.A. NASH
DIRECTOR | CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION - STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER
"Greg is the go-to person when it comes to anything related to social entrepreneurship and innovation. He not only created a program that changed the entire trajectory of my career (Social Entrepreneur Corps), but he also has continued to be a mentor when I have navigated where to go next. His patience and deep expertise enables him to be an outstanding consultant. I would recommend Greg for any project you begin with him; I feel lucky to have him as a mentor and a friend."
COLLEEN SHEEHY
GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION MANAGER | ACCENTURE
"As a Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Greg has been an invaluable resource to the Berkley Center and the next gen changemakers we've worked with over the years. This toolbox is a brilliant distillation of his experience in the trenches. The content is both accessible and highly actionable for both those new to the space and those who are more seasoned. It provides a useful, must-read road map for anyone looking to build something meaningful, lasting, and impactful."
CYNTHIA FRANKLIN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | BERKLEY CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP - NYU STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
"For more than 15 years, Greg has shared his distilled learning as a social entrepreneur with class after class of social entrepreneurship students at Notre Dame. His unparalleled expertise and matter-of-fact approach to applying these tools to the most challenging social issues of our day left many students not only inspired, but resolute in their own attitudes and beliefs as changemakers. With this toolbox, Greg’s vision and learnings from the field are that much more accessible to emergent changemakers across the globe. And I can’t wait to put it into practice in my own classroom!"
MELISSA PAULSEN
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ENTREPRENEURSHIP + EDUCATION DIVISION |
PULTE INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT | UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
"I've had the pleasure of learning from Greg over the past ten years. He has an extremely unique expertise in facilitating and teaching others how to analyze problems, distill the primary needs, and solve them through a social impact lens. I feel fortunate to continue to turn to him for mentorship and guidance."
EILEEN MCNEELY, PHD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR| SHINE AT HARVARD | HUMAN FLOURISHING PROGRAM - INSTITUTE FOR QUANTITATIVE SOCIAL SCIENCES - HARVARD UNIVERSITY
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Download the Abbreviated Sample of the Collaborative Changemaking Field Guide to review the requirements and familiarize yourself with the materials.
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Complete your application.
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We'll review your application within 48 hours. Upon acceptance, we'll send you a link for your $125 payment. Make your payment.
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We'll send you links to download your complete Field Guide and the Collaborative Changemaking Portfolio that you'll be asked to complete.
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Happy Collaborative Changemaking! Get started and complete your certificate within one to four months. Send us your completed Collaborative Changemaking Portfolio. This isn't graded. We check for completion and thoughtfulness.
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Once we sign off on your work, we'll send you your certificate and instructions for how to post on LinkedIn.
Is this a program?
No. You earn your certificate using the contents of the field guide while you're volunteering, interning, or working on something of your own choice. It's like if when you travel to a new city and you have a guidebook to help you engage with the city. Here you're working to create community impact in some way and we're providing the field guide to help you do that as a collaborative changemaker. And you earn a certificate for completing a series of tasks. It's experiential learning.
Do I have to be participating in a formal program through my college or university to earn the certificate?
No. You can do this on your own or with a team of friends. Use the contents of the field guide to help you engage with any organization and/or community that you’re volunteering with/ supporting. You’ll just need roughly 6 “touch points” for the collaborative conversation tools over four months. There’s guidance for how to do this in certificate’s contents.
Do I work with others earning their certificates?
That's entirely up to you. There will be a WhatsApp group for everyone to get to know each other and exchange ideas. We'lll also invite you to fireside chats with changemakers.
Is this graded?
No. We just want to make sure that you’ve put thoughtful effort into the work. The goal is much more the “process” than the “product.”
I’m not really interested in working in nonprofits as a career. Is this certificate worth it for me?
Most definitely! These are the mindsets and skillsets that you’ll need to thrive in our constantly changing world. And these are the competencies that employers are looking for.
How long do I have to complete this certificate program?
What’s the value of the LinkedIn certificate?
It should help you highlight and clearly articulate your experience and your collaborative changemaking mindsets and skill sets. It should help you distinguish yourself. Ideally potentially employers will ask you, “What’s this all about?” Then you’re off to the races talking about collaboration, empathy, innovation, systems thinking, etc.