The Launchpad by Second Day

Overall estimated read time: 14 minutes

Last updated: July 2021

If everyone understood one another, we wouldn’t need social justice work. But the world is a diverse place, filled with individuals who struggle to imagine the incentives, priorities, and needs of those who are different from themselves. That misunderstanding is the root of violence, oppression, and injustice.

Successful social impact communications raises awareness for causes, attracts donations to organizations, and galvanizes action. While individual actions can be powerful, broader social change is impossible without effective communications to educate and connect supporters. Think about viral campaigns like the Ice Bucket Challenge (which increased ALS research funding by 50%), or longer-term campaigns with sharp slogans like the Fight for 15 or the Green New Deal. These communications campaigns demonstrate that, no matter what issues you care about, telling a persuasive story about that issue is one of the most powerful methods to spark positive social change. Starting your career in communications will enable you to build skills that will be valuable across a variety of roles, causes, and sectors, and catapult your influence as a social sector leader.

If this career path sounds exciting to you, this guide will take you through everything you need to know about working in social impact communications. To inform our work, Second Day has spoken to experts in the field and gathered the best information out there for upcoming and recent graduates. First, the guide will take you through the different entry-level positions to look out for in this field. Then, we’ll provide tips on actually getting those jobs in Communications. We’ll finish with our next three steps: actionable items you can take to make progress towards finding your first job in Communications. Let’s get started!