Advertise on podcast: Changemakers from Within

On Changemakers from Within, Senior Inclusion & Sustainability Program Coordinator Zariah Hawthorne pulls back the curtain on Impact Days—FORVIS Mazars’ flagship, firm-wide week of service. What started as a single day is now a multi-day movement with 2,600 volunteers across 70–80 offices (plus remote employees). Here’s how Zariah won buy-in, empowered local champions, and built the toolkit that made scaling possible.

When you think about social impact at scale, point-of-sale software might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But for Ani Boyo, Associate Director, Product at Toast and head of its product innovation arm Toast.org, that's exactly where the magic happens. In a recent episode of Changemakers From Within, Ani joins Millie founder Rachel Klausner to unpack how a few bold ideas have turned Toast’s product ecosystem into a powerful driver of social good. From reducing food waste to building donation tools for restaurants, Ani shares how impact became embedded in Toast’s DNA.

In this episode of Changemakers from Within, host Rachel Klausner sits down with longtime friend and CSR trailblazer Katy Spriano, who supports the DK S.E.R.V.E.S. program at DraftKings. From global tree-planting initiatives to embedding volunteerism into new hire onboarding, Katy shares how DraftKings is weaving social impact into the fabric of company culture across six countries and thousands of employees.

In this season-two installment of the Changemakers from Within podcast, host Rachel Klausner sits down with Eddie Hightower from Caliber Collision—the largest auto body service company in the U.S.—to discuss how a unique blend of sustainability, workforce development, and community impact is transforming an entire industry. 

In the latest episode of “Changemakers from Within,” Rachel sits down with Kaitlin Westbrook Tolson, National STEM and Philanthropy Advocate at Apex Systems, and Erica Woods, Director of Contractor Programs & Philanthropy at Apex Systems. Get an inside look at the framework they are using to leverage their team that resulted in a 100% participation rate in 2022. From campaigns like their Quarter of Caring, Random Acts of Kindness, and Earth Week to gamified events like Giving Madness, Gamers vs Cancer, Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader (exec version), and a Virtual Magic Show, Apex Systems is dedicated to offering something for everyone. Tune in to learn more about how they leverage their teams to create multiple, successful giving campaigns all year long.

Tune in for an exclusive deep dive into all things Giving Madness with founder, Rachel Klausner, interviewed by Millie team member, Stacy Schmitz. In this episode Rachel talks the origin of Giving Madness, the purpose behind gamified giving, and the amazing results seen since the pilot launch in March of 2022. With customer testimonials, Rachel’s journey on a colab sprint with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, interesting results from a tech error and some impactful “aha” moments, you will not want to miss this episode! You can also download the free Giving Madness pilot launch report here: https://blog.milliegiving.com/giving-madness-report/

In the latest episode of “Changemakers from Within,” Rachel sits down with Kaanji Irby, an inspirational, amazing human and podcast extraordinaire. Kaanji is Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Social Impact at Next Insurance and cohost of the "Motherhood in Black and White" podcast. She defines "pivot" with her many paths that have led her to social impact. After her experience as a teacher, flight attendant, then lawyer, she co-founded a nonprofit. She was approached to spearhead a social impact program for Next Insurance, a company whos' mission is to help small businesses thrive by providing insurance for entrepreneurs. She provides a unique perspective to social impact with her legal expertise as well as her well-rounded background and most importantly, her heart. An impact story you won't want to miss!

Checkr's mission is to change the future with background checks. And Megan Goddard is on a mission to impact lives by ensuring people with convictions have a fair chance to work. Megan is the Corporate Social Responsibility Program Manager at Checkr, a software company that has the unique ability to channel all of their social impact efforts into the Fair Chance Movement by taking the bias out of the background check process. While pursuing criminal justice reform at NYU, Megan interned at Rikers Island. Tune in to hear about how this experience paved the way for her future that has led her to the new CSR department at Checkr and what Checkr.org has in store for the future!

Vimeo is known as one of the world’s largest video creating and sharing platforms, but thanks to Lenna Daniels,  the technical operations manager at Vimeo, the company is also making a name for itself through social impact. As the founder and co-chair of Vimeans for good, a member of Women4Good, and a student in the ‘22 cohort of UPenn’s Executive Program In Social Impact Strategy, Lenna works hard to incorporate social impact into every aspect of her life.   Listen to learn about Lenna’s beginnings at Vimeo, how she started Vimeans for good, how she leverages herself and her job for good, and what her vision for social impact at Vimeo is 10 years down the road.   This episode includes music by audionautix.com, released for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

When it comes to social impact, Christina Louie Dyer has a knack for getting others engaged. Throughout her career, Christina has used her passion for change to help the organizations she’s worked for — like Teach for America and Box — make a difference. Now as head of social impact at Lob, Christina is bringing her skills to the automated mail space, helping to grow its social impact arm, Lob.org, into a leader for good. In this episode, Christina takes us through her career in corporate social impact and the creation of their dot-org. Listen to learn how Christina is leveraging employees and partners for change, their three focus areas for social impact are and what Christina’s hopes are for its future. This episode includes music by audionautix.com, released for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In the latest episode of “Changemakers from Within,” Rachel sits down with Lisa Boyd, Director of Social Impact at Lyft. Listen to learn about the way social impact is weaved throughout Lyft’s mission as a company, and the way their programs have transformed transportation access, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this month's episode, Rachel is joined by the Director of Social Impact Product at Facebook, Emily Dalton Smith. Want to hear how the platform that connects the globe prioritizes impact projects? Listen as Emily and Rachel dive into how Facebook's platforms drive incredible social impact. You'll hear how social impact at Facebook began, the decisions that led them to today, as well as how Emily and team think about what's next. And you wont want to miss some of the epic stories Emily shares about the behind the scenes of making it all happen.  Changemakers from Within is a production of Millie.  https://milliegiving.com/ ---- And thanks to Kevin MacLeod for some of the jams: Feelin Good by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100475 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

When the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way impact work could be done, many changemakers found themselves looking for creative new ways to engage their teams. But some, including Sueli Shaw from DoorDash, found that their companies already had the right systems in place to help mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic. The challenge was making these systems bigger and broader — and adjusting them to new circumstances. Listen to learn how DoorDash was able to scale their program to reach 800 cities and make 400,000+ deliveries during the pandemic, and hear how they’ve been supporting dashers, restaurants, and the communities they serve. And click here to check out the Pitching Social Impact Toolkit from Millie.

In the mid-’90s, Kat Owsley finished her thesis as part of her master’s program in Irish studies, and she got a temporary job at Bosch to make some money before returning to Belfast to graduate. Over a decade later, she became the president of the Bosch Community Fund, the corporate foundation associated with Bosch in North America. Kat’s path to a career in social impact has been full of twists and turns. Listen to this week’s episode to hear more about Kat’s journey, the challenges and benefits of running an autonomous corporate foundation, and the importance of trusting your gut.

Rachel is joined by Kirstin Powdrill from G2 — a software review website with a philanthropic twist. As G2’s Global Community & Culture Specialist, Kirstin oversees not only the company’s giving program, but also its diversity and inclusion efforts. Listen to hear more about her journey and how she works to make G2 a workplace that celebrates individuals and their differences.