Hi friend,

Is anyone even working anymore?

I don’t mean that in a hyper-corporate, return-to-office, why-is-your-productivity-only-at-a-level-100-and-not-a-level-150 kind of way.

But I mean, actually, literally, are the people who work in social impact finding the opportunities they need to 1) make a living, 2) keep our cross-sector, multi-issue workforce thriving as a community and career path, and 3) continue pushing along the long-term, intergenerational work that real social change calls for?

And I ask because, for every person I know who’s starting an exciting new role or initiative in the impact space, I know a half-dozen others who have found themselves restructured into unemployment, defunded out of existence, cancelled as a contract hire, or otherwise just hurting. Trying to save the world, but can’t give their love away.

So, what exactly are we impact pros supposed to do?

First things first – do *not* go it alone. 😌

And second – get grounded in the facts. 🧐

Those were my goals for the first new Issue Space podcast episode of 2025: “Who’s Working in Impact? Snapshot of a Shaken Social Sector.”

To capture the episode, we came together ✨ in person ✨ with impact recruitment pro and development coach Robert Jay Ross – whose voice you’ll recognize from our first-ever podcast episode – to talk through:

• How many jobs he’s seeing in the social impact sector right now (literally, he gives us a number)

• Where the holes are in the impact work landscape

• What impact org leaders are thinking through this time

• Whether DEI career paths are dead

• And where social impact pros need to lean in and step up

Our conversation is honest, insightful, energetic, and funny — I couldn’t recommend it more for anyone who feels slightly unhinged by what the political climate has done to the socially-conscious career scene.

Watch the live episode below / on Youtube or stream it almost anywhere:

Also – were you there in-person with us at the podcast taping? If you were, take our attendee survey to let us know what you thought!

I’m sending strength, luck, resilience, grace, confidence, patience, community, and clarity to every impact pro who’s working extra hard to find their way in this tough and disheartening moment. Let’s stick together, learn from one another, and remember to look forward to what could come next.

With love,

Reminders for friends of the Space!!!

✨ We’re still collecting stories for our ‘Something Sweet’ series, where we hear about your fondest memories from your career in social impact. Read about the series and submit a story here.

✨ If our latest podcast episode speaks to you, consider subscribing and leaving us a review on your favorite streaming platform!

✨ And if you’re enjoying the Issue Space letter and all that it sparks, consider contributing a subscriber’s gift to power our content:

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