This year Social Impact hosted its 3rd annual Social Impact Week. In the past, Social Impact Week has been more general about social initiatives and awareness in the marketing business world. This year it was more targeted and centered around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Monday: Darlene Meier-Jimenez and Tiffany Plater Speaker Session
We kicked off the week strongly with two speakers, Darlene and Tiffany, who have extensive knowledge and history in the beauty industry. Their paths crossed when working at L’Oreal but have moved on to other beauty ventures since. They primarily discussed the disparities women face in business, especially the corporate world, specifically for women of color. They also dove into how implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion practices are vital to a business beyond the surface level assumptions, such as revenue. This session turned into an engaging conversation between Darlene and Tiffany that allowed our members to understand their personal and professional experiences with diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Tuesday: Philly Pretzel Factory Fundraiser
The first event of Social Impact Week was a fundraiser for our year-long charity of choice, West Kensington Ministry. Our members volunteered for shifts to sell the Philly Pretzel Factory pretzels all afternoon in the Fox Business School lobby. Professors and students stopped by to buy the pretzels, and several were thrilled to donate to our charity of choice
without getting a pretzel after hearing how beneficial the ministry is to the North Philadelphia community. It was an extremely successful fundraiser!
Wednesday: Aerie - Jill Maurer and Amanda Deandrea Speaker Session
Our second speaker session of the week was Jill Maurer from Aerie, with a guest speaker, Amanda Deandrea. Jill and Amanda work in experiential and event marketing with Aerie, so they mostly covered how Aerie’s campaigns have changed over the years to center around inclusivity. Inclusivity in body types, skin color, disabilities, etc. Jill and Amanda went into how consumers reacted to these campaigns and their internal and external impacts. This speaker session was more marketing based that members seemed to enjoy thoroughly based on the questions asked post-presentation.
Thursday: Saved Me Rescue Dog Walking Event
As Social Impact Week was nearing an end, members took a trip to South Philadelphia to help and hang out with the dogs at the Saved Me Dog Rescue. Members split up into different tasks such as cleaning the beds and kennels, organizing donations of towels and blankets, filling up toys with peanut butter, and other organizational tasks. After, members got the chance to take dogs out for a walk around the rescue and play with them in the backyard. An extremely successful and adorable event!
Friday: DMi Partners - Brittney Scurry Speaker Session
Last, and certainly not least, Brittney Scurry ended the week with an amazing speaker session about the ways diversity, equity, and inclusion impacts all aspects of the hiring process. Brittney is a talent acquisition manager at the local digital marketing and advertising agency, DMi Partners. She gave some really great insight into do’s and don’ts on your resume, what to as a marginalized person and how to combat it when on the job hunt. It was a great way to end an impressive week.