Social Innovation in Action: The Building Impact Model

Building Impact acts as a social capital intermediary to guide resources from one constituency to another, using the process flow shown below. We partner with real estate companies and tenant companies to deliver involvement opportunities to employees and residents so they can participate in the work of nonprofit organizations to address social problems pertaining to their local communities. We do not seek to replace the direct engagement of employees and residents with nonprofit organizations but merely try to increase the flow of social service and civic engagement by minimizing key barriers.

How It Works

Building Impact works by harnessing together the following stakeholder groups:

1. Real Estate Companies
Building managers pay annual fees based per square foot of rentable space for a commercial building and per residential unit to Building Impact to provide structured and convenient opportunities for civic engagement to their employees and residents.  We build goodwill and engagement on behalf of building owners and managers, providing a point of differentiation that leads to higher building occupancy and retention rates.

2. Tenant Companies
Community Connectors, who are Building Impact staff members, set up and coordinate activities within the buildings. Building Impact Ambassadors, volunteer assistants working or living within the buildings, partner with Community Connectors to mobilize employees and residents. These ambassadors serve as internal point persons for Building Impact activities.

3. Employees and Residents
Employees and residents become involved in three main ways:
a)            They donate time, today and in the future.
b)            They donate cash or in-kind gifts, today and in the future.
c)            They become more educated and knowledgeable about community issues.

Volunteers can choose from a menu of activities, which vary by length, activity type, and nonprofit cause. They can participate within their office and apartment buildings or offsite. Having choices allows employees and residents to achieve work-life balance while contributing to their communities and developing camaraderie with colleagues and neighbors.

4. Nonprofit Organizations
Local nonprofit organizations collaborate with Building Impact to develop an annual program of community involvement opportunities. Themes rotate among Health & Wellness, Employment & Job Training, Youth & Education, and Hunger & Housing every two to three months to expose employees and residents to a wide variety of pressing social issues.