Melissa Conrad began her career in sports business and communications before becoming one of the founding members of the U.S.-based social purpose team at adidas. It was in that role that she discovered working in the corporate social responsibility space was exactly where her career was always meant to take her. At adidas, Melissa supported the year-over-year strategic growth and development of the social impact competency. From there, she joined the Social Impact Innovation team at Starbucks, which was designed to incubate, test and scale new purpose-driven solutions in service of both employees and broader communities. Today, Melissa works in social impact at Zillow and is responsible primarily for programs and initiatives that engage employees in meaningful opportunities to give back.

Give us an overview of your career in social impact

I’m thrilled to have recently joined Zillow as a Social Impact Manager, and I’m currently focused on engaging a distributed and remote workforce in meaningful opportunities to give back. Previously, I’ve had the privilege of working at both Starbucks and adidas in a variety of social impact spaces, including strategy, project management, program development, employee engagement and communications.

What inspired you to begin working in social impact?

My first introduction to working in social impact was through a corporate communications role where I had been lucky enough to have the opportunity to help bring the very first U.S.-based social impact team at adidas to life through the power of storytelling. At that time, it was part of my job to support the holistic launch messaging and branding of the social impact team – but what immediately stuck with me is that more than anything, it was about developing ‘the why.’ Why was the company prioritizing purpose-driven activations? Why was it important to underpin brand campaigns with action? Why did the social impact team exist, and furthermore why was their work critical to the future of the company, customers and communities at large?

Helping to develop ‘the why’ for a social impact function at a brand that I not only loved – but one I grew up with – was my inspiration for working in the CSR space long-term. If I could truly feel the impact of a brand like adidas on my own life growing up, what could that mean for others if I somehow played a role in adding to the depth and breadth of that impact?

How do employee engagement and social impact intersect?

I’m a visual thinker – so I’d describe employee engagement as the boldly-outlined center of a social impact bullseye. Engaging employees in programs, benefits and initiatives that draw upon a higher collective purpose as an organization should be a fundamental building block for any CSR charter with longevity.

With employees at the center of that bullseye, they are catalysts for change and they unlock a uniquely powerful ability to expand a company’s ripple effect. The more that employees are empowered to be part of a company’s purpose-driven work, the larger that ripple effect becomes and the more positive change any organization can have on communities around the world.

How have you seen diversity and inclusion influence employee engagement?

A diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace is an absolute prerequisite for any employee engagement initiative, not just ones rooted in social impact. When it comes to DEI teams and social impact teams collaborating to enhance or accelerate holistic employee engagement efforts, I believe the voices of Employee Resource Groups or Affinity Networks should be lifted up and highlighted to inform programming on a consistent basis.

Tell us about an employee engagement initiative you’re most excited about. What’s been most challenging?

While we all may feel a return of familiarity in the corporate world as 3D gatherings start to become the norm again, what really excites me is finding new and innovative ways to engage employees across a fully distributed workforce. I’m energized by the thought of employees feeling just as connected to social impact no matter where they are or who they’re with –whether that be in-person with their team at a week-long retreat or they’re simply working remotely at home. At Zillow, we’re piloting new ideas to support that variety, recognizing there is not a one-size-fits all solution … especially now more than ever before as hybrid working models evolve. Ironically, though, this also happens to be the biggest challenge. 

If one size does not fit all from an engagement perspective, how are we ensuring we consistently meet employees where they are and deliver a wide range of options so that every individual can feel included in the impact work if they want to be? 

It’s an exciting challenge to be thinking about each day.

What would you tell others interested in pursuing a career in CSR or social impact? 

I believe that when seeking a career in CSR or social impact, it’s just as important that you seek out like-minded people. I know for certain I would not be in my role today had it not been for the people I was so fortunate to have met and worked with previously. Those people were and are fiercely motivated to drive macro change through micro actions. Those people equally challenged and questioned me along the way as they did champion and support me.

Therefore, I would tell people to focus the pursuit on the right managers, teams and people. While this approach may not always lead to a job with CSR or social impact explicitly written in the title, it WILL lead you to a fulfilling day-to-day. And when you feel fulfilled in your role, the sky is the limit in the impact you can create alongside your colleagues.

Discover the Next Era of Social Impact

To discuss your own social impact initiatives in The Impact Report, reach out to our Managing Editor, Vanessa Poulson at vanessa@paragonone.com

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