Our Favorite Moments from The Social Good Summit

For the past five years, Mashable has hosted The Social Good Summit. a two-day conference during UN Week in conjunction with The United Nations Foundation, 92nd Street Y, UNDP, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This year, we were thrilled to join hundreds of other global leaders, changemakers, and activists, in discussions about technology as a means for bettering our world. For those of you who were unable to be there, we thought we'd pass along our feelings of inspiration and progress by sharing our favorite key messages. 

Day One, alone, generated online conversation in 144 countries & 31 languages

• "We need engaged citizens to help hold our governments accountable." - Kathy Calvin, CEO of United Nations Foundation
   
• "Indiscriminate purchasing is funding the Civil War."  - Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel Corporation
  • By the way, we learned Intel has made a commitment to only produce conflict-free products by 2016. They are open about their supply chain and will help any other company that seeks the information to also go conflict-free. 
     
• "We should all be looking into conflict-free, because we are all consumers of these products." - Stacy Martinet, CMO of Mashable
   
• "The He for She Movement is about men doing what they can to support gender equality." - Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women
   
• "It's important to win hearts AND minds on an issue... We don't have this commitment on gender equality." - Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women
   
• "The conversation starts with content. If you preach, they turn off." - Jeff Martin, CEO of Tribal Brands
   
• "By 2030, I hope that there will be no ads that aren't 501(c)3-sponsored, and funded by brands." - Jeff Martin, CEO of Tribal Brands
   
• What can you do? "You can raise up your voice." - Rami Elhanan on Beyond Right and Wrong
   
• "I would be so happy if people would give up taking sides." - Robi Damelin on Beyond Right and Wrong
   
• "Social media is one of the most powerful tools in creating social change" - Former President Jimmy Carter
   
• "The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice." - Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of Equal Justice Initiative
   
• "Let's stop giving to charity and start giving to change." - Samantha Nutt, Founder and Executive Director of War Child North America
   
• "It's very difficult to watch something continue to happen, when you know it's completely preventable." - Liya Kebede, The Liya Kebede Foundation
   
• "We are here to change the way the world sees the girl. She is not a burden. She is an opportunity." - Holly Gordon, Founder of Girl Rising
   
• I believe a woman with a laptop can be more powerful than a man with a gun - Jensine Larsen, Founder of World Pulse
   
• "We must not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good."

Day Two

• "Companies can have a social good agenda, and make money. They can drive down cost of tech but scale up." - Michael Dell, CEO of Dell
   
• "Volunteering for more than two organizations can decrease your mortality rate by more than 40%." - Sheryl WuDunn, Author, Journalist, Speaker & Executive, and Nichola Kristof, Author, Journalist, Columnist
   
• "Women do most of the work & earn the income; however, only own 1% of the land in Africa. Let's empower them." - Connie Britton, Actress, Singer & Producer
   
• "For every $1 women make, they invest 90% back into their children, their communities, their world."  - Vicki Escarra, CEO of Opportunity International
   
• "We're talking about human dignity, and that should be without borders." - Geena Rocero, founder of Gender Proud 
   
• "The same people who contribute the least to climate change are the ones impacted the most." - Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda
   
• "We have the power to choose. What are you doing with your power?" - Dr Jill Bolte Taylor, Brain Scientist, Public Speaker & Stroke Survivor
   
• "We know that students learn 90% of what they teach, but only 20% of what they consume." - Mike Soskil, Teacher
   
• "When you invest in a girl, you're also investing in her brothers, her family, her community, in society." - Michele L. Sullivan, Director of Corporate Social Innovation of Caterpillar and President of Caterpillar Foundation

Have others to add? Pass along the positivity by sharing in the comments below!

Redefining the Formula for Impact: A TEDxTalk

 Passionate, talented, and committed to making a difference... we couldn't be more proud to have Shanley Knox as a WhyWhisper Collective staff member.

Watch her TEDxTalk here :

Shanley Knox is a social entrepreneur and writer in New York City. Born and raised in Northern California, Knox launched her ethical accessories brand, Nakate, after working with communities in Port au Prince, Haiti and central Uganda. She believes in cultural reciprocity, and the power of smart business and international partnership.

A Message From WhyWhisper's Founder

It would be impossible to count the number of articles and blog posts I've written throughout my career — and even so, I'm having a hard time writing this one. 

WhyWhisper is an incredibly personal venture for me, and for everyone working alongside me. It combines our professional skills and experience with our personal passions. It provides a source of income to freelancers — while also helping to increase the impact of nonprofit organizations and companies for social change. I have so much pride in what we've built, and excitement for the future, that it's difficult to slow down and draft the proper introduction. Let's give it a try.

WhyWhisper Collective is a network of freelance professionals who have come together to provide digital and social media marketing services to nonprofit organizations and impact-focused brands.

According to comScore, social media accounts for 1 of every 5 minutes spent online. This makes it the number one activity on the internet. Additionally 75% of people use social media to find or share information about brands (Mass Relevance). With social media, companies and organizations are presented with an enormous opportunity to drive awareness and convert leads across social platforms. It's no longer optional to build compelling brand stories, and that's where we come in.

Our team members have backgrounds in strategy, design, content marketing, and analytics. We've worked domestically and abroad — for large corporations and advertising agencies, as well as startups, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations. In leaving the corporate world and venturing out on our own, we've found we are able to work better, more passionately, and to focus in on the clients with whom we would most like to work. 

These clients need access to many skills and services, but not necessarily all at the same time. Our model provides them with flexibility, while never compromising on talent or passion. 

Stories of progress, community, impact... they motivate us. In fact, our name, WhyWhisper, serves as a reminder to speak up for what we believe in, and we believe in our clients' work.

Whether you're interested in our services, would like to join the collective, or just want to chat, we love meeting new people and very much look forward to hearing from you.