Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact

Eric Ressler
  • 5.0 (15)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Designing Tomorrow: Creative Strategies for Social Impact

Designing Tomorrow explores a new playbook for modern social impact leaders and brands to reach their true impact potential.    Why do some social impact brands thrive, while so many others fail to get traction, build support for their cause, and make meaningful progress? Imagine your impact with truly sustainable revenue and resources. With deeper community engagement and relationships. With more influence in your social impact category.   Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, each episode dives into the strategies, mindsets, and behaviors top social impact brands use to play and win in the attention economy. Go beyond high-level concepts to specific tools and tactics you can use today.   Watch on YouTube or listen to new episodes each Tuesday.  Let’s design a better tomorrow, together.Designing Tomorrow is a Cosmic Production. Learn more at https://designbycosmic.com/

  1. APR 15

    What to Do When Funders Say "No"

    Not all “no’s” are equal—and if you’re in fundraising, you know that firsthand. In this episode, Eric and Jonathan unpack the three types of objections every social impact leader will face: the silent no, the vague no, and the hard no. They explore why each shows up, what it’s really signaling, and how to respond in a way that transforms rejection into relationship. Whether you're navigating donor hesitancy or partner pushback, you'll walk away with practical tools to shift conversations from...

    28 min

  2. APR 8

    The Sector Is Shifting: Here's How to Lead

    Social impact leaders are scaling back, funding streams are evaporating, and public trust is eroding. In this candid kickoff to Season 4, Eric and Jonathan hold space for what’s really happening in the field—and why this moment demands courageous communication, community resilience, and reimagined leadership. This isn’t a time to shrink. It’s a time to show up. The surprising parallels to early COVID-era chaos (and how that can inform today’s crisis response)Why you might need to ‘scale back’...

    26 min

  3. APR 1

    Stuff We've Messed Up (and Learned From)

    To wrap Season 3, Eric and Jonathan are doing something different — and a little vulnerable. In this raw and unfiltered finale, they look back on the leadership decisions, strategic misfires, hiring blunders, and marketing missteps that didn’t go according to plan. No spin. No gloss. Just two founders owning their hardest lessons out loud. Why end the season like this? Because mistakes aren’t just part of leadership — they are leadership. If we want a social impact sector that embraces failur...

    37 min

  4. MAR 25

    Jonathan’s Big Problem

    What do you do when your mission is evolving… but your brand, programs, and funding strategy haven’t caught up yet? In this episode, Jonathan brings a live challenge to the table: a bold new vision for the Seymour Center that could reposition it as a hub for climate solutions and STEM leadership — but it comes with branding risks, potential backlash, and major funding implications. Eric coaches him through the decision-making, exploring when to stay quiet, when to go big, and how to avoid mis...

    33 min

  5. MAR 18

    How to Build a Sustainable Revenue Stream

    The funding landscape is shifting, and relying on the same revenue strategies that got you here may not be enough to take your organization to the next level. Many nonprofits and social enterprises struggle to generate enough revenue—not just to sustain their work, but to fully fund their missions and reinvest in long-term growth. So how do you build a revenue model that works? One that’s not just about survival, but about impact at scale? In this episode, Eric and Jonathan dive into how fund...

    43 min

  6. MAR 11

    Social Impact in the Era of Misinformation & Media Chaos

    We are living through the biggest shift in media and marketing of our lifetimes. Misinformation spreads faster than ever, trust in institutions is crumbling, and social impact leaders are left navigating a fractured, chaotic digital landscape. So how do you build credibility, mobilize communities, and create real impact when attention is scattered and trust is eroding? In this episode, Eric and Jonathan break down the new realities of marketing and media—the rise of digital tribalism, the fin...

    29 min

  7. MAR 4

    Beyond Vanity Metrics: Measuring Real Impact

    Most social impact leaders think they’re measuring their impact — but are they really? Measuring impact is especially difficult when change happens over years or even decades, and when the outcomes are tied to complex, systemic issues. On top of that, the process of evaluation and measurement can feel like extra work — another task on an already full plate. But without it, we risk relying on anecdotes and vibes instead of real data to prove we’re making a difference. In this episo...

    32 min

  8. FEB 25

    The Secret Behind High Growth Nonprofits

    Nonprofit leaders constantly hear that diversifying revenue streams is the key to financial stability. But what if that advice isn't the whole story? Research shows that 90% of high-growth nonprofits rely on a single dominant funding source. Does that mean nonprofits should double down on one funding stream—or is there a smarter way to approach fundraising? In this episode, Eric and Jonathan break down the real reasons some nonprofits scale while others stay stuck, the risks and rewards of fo...

    30 min
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About

Designing Tomorrow explores a new playbook for modern social impact leaders and brands to reach their true impact potential.    Why do some social impact brands thrive, while so many others fail to get traction, build support for their cause, and make meaningful progress? Imagine your impact with truly sustainable revenue and resources. With deeper community engagement and relationships. With more influence in your social impact category.   Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, each episode dives into the strategies, mindsets, and behaviors top social impact brands use to play and win in the attention economy. Go beyond high-level concepts to specific tools and tactics you can use today.   Watch on YouTube or listen to new episodes each Tuesday.  Let’s design a better tomorrow, together.Designing Tomorrow is a Cosmic Production. Learn more at https://designbycosmic.com/

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