Impact sourcing is the new business lingo.  Companies are touting their approach to impact sourcing and showcasing their civic mindedness. In many cases, they truly believe in the concept and have a solid strategy and implementation plans for achieving real benefits that impact society. The goal, however, should be to achieve long lasting change for individuals and communities.

As important as impact sourcing is in creating a better world, we need to think about impact “cultivating.”  If you wish to reforest a barren landscape, you must start with seeds and nurture the saplings until you have fully developed strong, resilient trees. It requires time, effort, and investment.  Cultivating requires providing ongoing skills and knowledge that will allow participants to adapt to changing situations, so they will not be left behind again. We already see the effect of technology eliminating low skilled positions. Many supporting fields, such as medicine, are under prepared and under staffed. In this article, let’s look at impact cultivation and the foundation it creates for impact sourcing.