Vanessa Poulson
Managing Editor of The Impact Report

As lead of The Impact Report, Poulson focuses on developing Paragon One’s industry insight into the expanding world of CSR, ESG, and social impact.

CSR News
The Impact Report - The Fortune 1000 Source for Social Impact Insights

The Paragon One Impact Report offers a unique perspective on the latest trends and best practices in social impact, highlighting the success stories of companies and individuals who are making a difference in their communities. Here's how you and your initiatives can get featured in it.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Melissa Conrad, Social Impact Manager, Zillow

Melissa works in social impact at Zillow and is responsible primarily for programs and initiatives that engage employees in meaningful opportunities to give back.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
Employees are Less Engaged: Here’s What Major Companies are Doing About It

Strategic and future thinking Fortune 1000 companies are investing in employee engagement through various types of programming and initiatives. These initiatives not only help to improve employee satisfaction, motivation, and performance but also can have a positive impact on the bottom line. By investing in these initiatives, companies can demonstrate their commitment to their stakeholders, employees, and the general public.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
The Importance of Support: LaRae Snoddy, Director of Student Operations at Paragon One

It's key for social impact leaders across the globe to align with best practices when it comes to reaching and empowering underrepresented communities. We spoke to LaRae Snoddy, Paragon One's Director of Student Operations, about the importance of providing adequate support for students through the externship, and how companies can apply these valuable insights to their own initiatives.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
A New Approach to Elevating Your Brand In the Eyes of Gen Z

Generation Z job seekers are setting a higher bar; they want employers to be committed to change. This change comes from hiring a more diverse workforce, providing opportunities for employees of color to advance through the ranks through mentorship and educational opportunities, and facilitating opportunities for all employees to participate in creating a work culture that benefits all.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Chris Gale, Head of Social Impact, UK, eBay

Chris Gale leads eBay’s Social Impact work in the U.K, focusing on the role of e-commerce in driving positive social change and empowering economic opportunity across under-served communities.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Lisa Boyd, Head of Social Impact at Lyft

Lisa Boyd has led the creation, launch, and growth of Lyft Up — a suite of initiatives focused on increasing transportation access and equity for low-income communities. She also kicked off Lyft’s company-wide commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance) reporting, and continues to drive internal ESG strategy, vision, and coordination.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
DEI is Transforming Employee Engagement

To keep employees engaged with work that truly makes a felt impact, many Fortune 1000 brands are utilizing social impact programs focused on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Amplifying diversity and inclusion are important drivers of employee engagement.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
DEI Innovators and Change Makers: Fatimah Gilliam, Author and Founder of The Azara Group

Fatimah Gilliam began her career as a corporate attorney on Wall Street, worked for Citigroup overseeing campus diversity recruiting for all its U.S. businesses, and oversaw corporate partnerships as the Head of Finance and Fundraising for North America for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning United Nations World Food Programme. Since founding The Azara Group, which provides diversity and inclusion, leadership development, negotiation, and strategy consulting services, she has advised Fortune 500 corporations, senior executives running billion-dollar businesses, and industry thought leaders.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Tuan Pham, Head of Social Impact at LinkedIn in APAC

Tuan Pham is the Head of Social Impact at LinkedIn in APAC. He has extensive work experience across the globe, specializing in driving social impact programs and partnerships in Australia, the US, Thailand, The Netherlands, and Vietnam – at companies including The World Bank, Booking.com, and Heineken. At LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, Tuan focuses on initiatives that connect professionals facing barriers, including women and youth in the APAC region, to the networks, skills, and knowledge they need to access opportunities.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Dr. Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Chair of Learning through Play at The LEGO Foundation

Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Ph.D. is the Chair of Learning through Play at the LEGO Foundation. As a Senior expert on how children and adults learn through play, Dr. Thomsen provides consultation at a bilateral, regional, and multilateral level to international partners and leaders. Dr. Thomsen advises international organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Economic Forum, World Innovation Forum for Education and UN General Assembly and governments across the globe.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Brandon Dorfman, Global Surface Specialist for Tech for Social Impact at Microsoft

Brandon Dorfman is the Global Surface Specialist for Tech for Social Impact, part of Microsoft Philanthropies, and is responsible for the strategic direction, vision, growth, and performance of Microsoft Surface across the Nonprofit and International Government Organization sectors. The Tech for Social Impact group within Microsoft Philanthropies aims to accelerate digital transformation across three million nonprofits globally, so they can have a greater impact on the world’s most critical social issues.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Alejandra Lopez Global Go-to-Market Lead K-12 Education Programs at Amazon Web Services

Alejandra Lopez is an entrepreneur who is passionate about social impact, technology, education, and innovation. She works at Amazon Web Services as a Global Go-to-Market Lead for education programs that target the K-12 vertical. She has more than 15 years of experience working for a variety of industries and sectors.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
Inside the World of CSR Leaders: Sam Caplan, Vice President of Social Impact at Submittable

Sam Caplan is the Vice President of Social Impact at Submittable. He serves as a subject matter expert and thought leader in philanthropy, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the technology employed by the sector to achieve social impact, while also representing Submittable at conferences and industry events.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
How to Improve Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is crucial for any business looking to improve productivity, reduce turnover, and increase customer satisfaction. Let's look at some core strategies to help improve employee engagement across your organization.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
8 Companies Prioritizing DEI Initiatives

Let’s look at eight companies leading the way with impactful DEI-focused initiatives. These companies are setting the standard for driving real impact, and are inspiring other organizations to elevate their DEI and CSR programming and visions.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Cheryl Timoney Vice President of Tech for Social Impact at Salesforce.org

Cheryl Timoney is the VP of Tech for Social Impact at Salesforce.org, helping change-makers realize the promise of technology to scale their missions and impact. Cheryl goes beyond traditional approaches to help drive strategic impact at the intersection of business and society. Prior to Salesforce.org, Cheryl led program teams in the nonprofit sector, building community solutions for economic and community development.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Interview
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Michelle Baltrusitis Social Impact Manager at Fiverr

Michelle Baltrusitis is the Social Impact Manager at Fiverr. With a background in grant writing, teaching, and consulting, her most recent pivot brought her to the world of social impact in tech as she sought to bring the principles and frameworks she'd learned as a management consultant to purpose-driven programming and strategy creation.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
CSR News
The Next Era of CSR is ESG

We had a conversation with two ESG and sustainability leaders about how ESG is helping businesses become more resilient to financial and operational risk while also creating quantifiable opportunities to enhance their public brand image.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Feature
Industry Leaders on CSR’s Business Impact

We had a conversation with four CSR industry leaders about how CSR is influencing longterm business decisions and overall strategy.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Feature
Introducing The Impact 12

We’ve identified twelve companies that are setting the standard when it comes to delivering real impact.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
CSR News
Industry Leaders on the Current State of CSR

We had a conversation with three CSR industry leaders about the current state of CSR and how they expect it to continue to transform over the next few years.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
STEAM vs STEM: What's the Difference?

Whether your organization is championing women in STEM-focused initiatives or looking towards programs focused on STEAM, understanding the difference between these sectors is important to facilitating successful career pathway programs.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
CSR News
What is Social Impact?

Social impact has an indisputable value for corporations. Learning how to implement effective social impact-focused goals and missions can be transformative across your company.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
CSR News
What is Skills-Based Volunteering?

Through shared collaboration, companies and individuals are discovering creative ways to leverage their collective skills and maximize social impact. Skills-based volunteering is a holistic way to give back to the community while bolstering internal and professional achievement.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
CSR News
7 Companies Championing Impactful CSR Initiatives

We’re talking about seven companies leading the way with impactful CSR initiatives to inspire your organization to begin driving real impact through quantifiable CSR programs of your own.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
CSR News
The State of "Women in STEM" - The CSR Initiative That Spans All of Big Tech Is Getting Bigger

Growing the number of women in STEM is an increasingly important CSR initiative. In this post, we're exploring how your organization can get in on the foundational wave of tech up-skilling while bolstering your CSR for investors, employee retention, and brand reputation.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
Insight
What is CSR?

We're breaking down the history of CSR and how the phrase has evolved over time, exploring its current usage, and understanding how creating and actualizing CSR goals at your organization can be transformative for your business across all sectors, without derailing your ongoing corporate strategy.

Vanessa Poulson
·
November 30, 2022
For Students

Ready to apply for an externship?

Tell us which describes you, and we’ll get in touch with next steps.

Browse open externships