Chelsea Miller on Effective Strategies for Sustainable Social Impact Movements

There is no doubt that we are experiencing what feels to be a “never ending” fight for justice. Whether these fights are aimed at socioeconomic equity, racial injustice, climate change and beyond, both civilians and activists are seeking change. When we say change, we are not just talking about old-school change; you know, the one where institutions create buzz around quick solutions that they plan to stop caring about in a year or two. We are talking about SUSTAINABLE change; where true impact from policy amendments, institutionally, can be felt decades from now. 

The demand for AUTHENTIC leaders ready to challenge these institutions is at an all time high as we experience the overturning of policies around topics such as reproductive health and DEI. Chelsea Miller is one of these authentic leaders. Chelsea has worked with numerous brands and institutions including PBS, BET, Versace, Toms, Nike, Meta and more. Chelsea has even worked with the Obama White House. However, she is most notably known for her work as the Co-Founder of Freedom March NYC, an organization that led a massive George Floyd protest experienced by millions, in-person and virtually, across the globe. How did this come to be? As quoted by Forbes,

The duo posted an open invitation to social media at noon proposing a march with specific demands for police accountability and a clear-cut path to reclaiming the narrative of peaceful protesting. By 8pm, the post went viral. What transpired was one of the largest non-violent protests in New York City to date and the launching of the youth-led civil rights group, Freedom March NYC.

In the aftermath of such an impactful protest dated back to 2020, Chelsea kept finding herself thinking about the same question over and over again, "Where are we now?” Meaning, even with all that she has accomplished with that protest, is the job over? The answer was “NO”. There is still so much more to do to ensure long term impact.

Movements need to be sustainable. Change doesn't happen overnight and it is on all of us to make sure that we are having those necessary conversations and those uncomfortable conversations on what it really takes to get there.

Here’s the advice and strategies Chelsea recommends for fellow social impact leaders seeking long-term, sustainable change.

Identify the Inspiration Behind the Work You Do. 

Social impact is no easy industry to tackle. It is imperative that you take the time to truly know yourself and understand the impact that you want to have in this world. Knowing what inspires that fire in you to pursue this line of work will carry you beyond the stress and difficulties that get thrown your way. If you consider yourself to be a social impact architect, you need to truly view yourself as a change maker and a leader in that space. Ensure that you know what your 2- year, 5- year and even 10- year plans are. That way, you can start aligning yourself with relationships and opportunities that are connected to your long term goals instead of constantly operating in either a scarcity mindset, or an urgency mindset. These oftentimes can be dangerous to the sustainability of your work. 

Create Your Own Platform.

In business, we hear the following all the time:“Own your own business. It will give you freedom”. The same applies to social impact movements. Having ownership of your own platform gives you the creative flexibility to speak on your passions without being institutionally policed for every single word you have to say. Owning your own platform can include:

• Knowing yourself, the community you are fighting for, and your 2-,5-, and 10- year plans.
• Determining the mission, vision and values behind the movement you are pursuing. 
• Gathering the appropriate stakeholders who will back you in this movement.
• Applying for a 501(c3) non-profit organization.
• Setting up your digital footprint: website, social media, etc.

Start with these five steps and you will have a solid foundation for your movement. It is also important to note that most social justice movements leverage a 501(c3) as it allows those who are interested in funding your movement to receive tax write offs. This creates a mutual benefit between the organization’s founder and those interested in donating to the cause. 

Position Yourself to Attract Opportunities. Then, Negotiate!

When you are doing the work and making a real impact, opportunities will start to flock towards you. People are constantly watching what you are doing and are in awe of your movement. They will speak your name in rooms that you haven’t touched and will even reach out to you for your products and services. The entities that will typically reach out to you are universities, corporations and the government. When building out campaigns and initiatives with companies, be sure to think to yourself the following:

• How do you ensure that this work is sustainable even when the news cycle shifts?some text
  • Meaning, when the media and other large companies stop reporting on certain issues taking place in the world, how do you create strategies that will challenge companies to still show up and work towards change?

Once this is clear and you are preparing to form partnerships with these instructions, you MUST negotiate your worth. Never accept the first offer. Institutions never start off with their highest bid. You have to negotiate what you believe you deserve and need. Remember, you get what you fight for, not what you deserve. This is even more true when you are:

• A young person in this space
• A woman in this space 
• A Black person in this space.

You should also aim for long term contracts (i.e. 12 month or 24 month contracts). Why? If sustainability is the goal, companies should want to work with you long term. 

Chelsea tackles what it means to “show up in rooms” by stating the following: 

Show up in the room. I feel like a lot of times, especially our generation, we rely a little bit too much on social media. Absolutely. Don't get me wrong. Social media is a powerful tool, I would know. But do not underestimate the power of being in the rooms with people who you will never have access to on social media. Some of the most influential people in the world, I promise you, don't have social media, neither do their kids. It is so important that when you are thinking about ways to navigate your industry or growing a community, that it is okay to also take up space in those rooms and make sure that you are allowing your voice to be heard and your story to be told.

Give Yourself Your Flowers and Celebrate Your Success.

I bet you didn’t expect to see this one. However, this might be one of the most important ones on this list. Social impact work is often a thankless line of work. To keep yourself motivated despite all challenges that get thrown your way, it is important to make time to celebrate your own wins and truly appreciate yourself for the important work that you do. As Chelsea mentions,

The reality is that every single time you do something big or small, right? That is still worthy of being celebrated because that is a step in the right direction of where you are going. Life is not linear. So you could be struggling today. And before you know it, you have experienced exponential growth within the span of just a few months.

Apply these four steps and you should see yourself shining in the social impact space. 

Interested in connecting with Chelsea? You can reach out via her website, here.

Need more motivation?  Check out more inspirational quotes from my conversation with Chelsea.

You know, it is so important that when we are creating these spaces for ourselves, we are also lifting as we climb and opening doors for other people. I adamantly believe that when you create opportunities for others, more will come back to you, as well.

I did Freedom March NYC when we had nothing. I went out to the frontlines to fight when there was no media coverage. There were no brands reaching out to us. No organizations were interested in partnering. It was literally our deepest convictions of what we believed in and showing up in the world anyways that become one of my proudest moments. Why? because it revealed so much about who I am and what I'm capable of.