ImpactMapper is excited to announce the pilot project of one of our 2024 Survey Online Tool Fellows: The Wellbeing Project.

In this blog we feature a brief interview with Alexis Adato, Special Project Manager of The Wellbeing Project, to learn more about their pilot project goals and how our Survey Online Tool is helping the organization gather stories for impact. ‍

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What is the mission and positive social impact of your organization?

Alexis Adato: The Wellbeing Project is catalyzing a culture where changemakers are well and their work is thriving. We are a global network of over 1,200 organizations including grassroots networks, global organizations, foundations, intermediaries, universities, and progressive businesses.

Together we are:

• Deepening the knowledge base for wellbeing at the heart of social change
• Learning and acting together to support changemakers and their organizations
• Convening Summits to galvanize a wellbeing culture regionally and globally
• Mainstreaming a wellbeing and social change narrative

Over the last 9 years we have been at the heart of moving wellbeing in social change from taboo to entering the mainstream.

Tell us a bit about your pilot project for the IM Fellowship and what are your main expectations

AD: The pilot project we are working on with ImpactMapper aims to deepen our understanding of the relationship between philanthropy and wellbeing within the social change sector. Through our extensive work and conversations with changemakers in our network, including those working in philanthropy, we've identified a significant funding gap for wellbeing. This project seeks to gather data to substantiate this observation and ultimately strengthen the case for increased funding for wellbeing in the sector.

Why is it important to engage in this pilot project and how will it support your organization's wor

AD: Our primary goal is to ascertain whether wellbeing is a part of the conversation at foundations, both internally and in their programs for fellows and grantees. We want to explore how foundations define the wellbeing of changemakers, how much they are investing in this area, and how these investments are being measured, if at all.

Engaging in this pilot project is crucial for us to understand the role of wellbeing in the conversations of philanthropists and foundations. By gathering data on this topic, we aim to highlight the importance of wellbeing in the social change sector, thereby encouraging increased funding in this area.

We believe that demonstrating a clear link between inner wellbeing and the effectiveness of social change work will motivate foundations to invest more in the wellbeing of changemakers. This project will provide the necessary evidence to support our advocacy efforts and ultimately enhance the impact of our organization's work in promoting wellbeing within the sector.

How can people follow your organization's work?

AD: We will deploy this survey to all of the foundations that are members of The Wellbeing Project as well as their networks for a greater reach. We will publish the survey in social media and LinkedIn - and as best we can create a communications campaign to push it out as far and wide as possible in philanthropy. People can subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn and social media to stay connected to these efforts.

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