With Nivi Achanta, Soapbox Project
Ep. #207 of The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Podcast
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How do you build an online community around doing good?
This, has become the expertise of guest Nivi Achanta (@niviachanta) the founder and CEO of soapbox project. So box projects makes social impact easy for busy people.
They have what Nivi calls a lightweight social justice funnel that starts with bite-sized climate action plans through their newsletter, scales up through monthly action hours, and then engages people even further through a membership community. Originally connected with Nivi by signing up for her newsletter, the change letter, which is a easy to digest newsletter that allows you to fight climate change in just three minutes every week.
Make sure to check out our links to the change letter and to Soapbox projects down below.
The full transcript for this episode and more can be found at SocialEntrepreneurship.FM/207
This episode is brought to you by Georgetown University: MS, Environment and Sustainability Management
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Episode Preview
Last week on the podcast I welcomed Nivi Achanta, the Founder of Soapbox Project.
The Soapbox Project makes social impact easy for busy people.
Nivi’s newsletter, the Changeletter, offers up weekly bite-sized climate action plans and her community hosts events, action hours, and encourages local action.
Nivi’s course to starting Soapbox was simple in a way, but not easy, nor a straight path.
Nivi focused on just…taking action.
When she was living in San Francisco, she and her friends always talked about how they wanted to get involved in improving their local community, but didn’t know where to begin.
(Getting started with volunteering isn’t the easiest thing, actually)
Nivi decided to take on the challenge.
She tested out different volunteering opportunities, talked to mentors, she even started a podcast on the American education system.
Some things felt good, others felt like they weren’t for her.
Experimentation persisted (key lesson here) and then came a newsletter.
Nivi thought she’d just write this newsletter for her.
Look to scratch her own itch of wanting to make an impact, learn more about what was happening in the world, but not knowing where to start.
Enough writing, publishing, and sharing, her newsletter came to gain traction.
Turns out, a lot of people struggle with the same challenge.
They want to do what they can to leave the world a better place, but they don’t know exactly where to start…
Turns out, maybe most people want to be good…they want to do good. 
Through Nivi’s hustle, bias towards action, and willingness to experiment, she’s found a sweet spot for herself.
She’s learning, writing, publishing, and taking action through her newsletter.
She’s building an online community that’s connecting around these issues, sharing wins & challenges, and looking to see what else they can do together.
My conversation with Nivi reminded me of how important it is just to…well…do…
It’s not about figuring out what the perfect thing is for you to do, it’s about figuring out what the next thing is for you to do.
Realizations, important lessons, even skills, all come from action.
Talk to friends, mentors, say yes to some opportunities or experiences you’re slightly unsure about…but be cognizant to be attentive and aware along the journey.
What feels right for YOU?
Where can YOU make the greatest impact?
Where can YOU do work that has you energized, inspired, and fulfilled?
Sort and experiment till you find the thing(s) you think you can do and happily sustain for years, not just days.
As always, don’t forget to sign up for my Better World Weekly Newsletter. This is a newsletter where I share all my learnings and musings on all things building a better world.
Enjoy,
-Cory Ames
Host, The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Podcast
“Even if it’s a tiny example, it can be big or small, but anchor yourself on a time when you did something that made a difference because I think that’s a huge, huge way to motivate yourself and know that you have a lot more power than you realize.”
— Nivi Achanta, Soapbox Project
Links & Resources Mentioned
- Nivi Achanta on Twitter
- Nivi Achanta on LinkedIn
- Nivi Achanta on Instagram
- Mutualism by Sarah Horowitz
- Soapbox Project
- Change Letter
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Cory Ames
Co-Founder & CEO, Grow Ensemble
Cory is the host of The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Podcast, where he’s interviewed well over 150 leaders in the space of better business, social impact, and innovation. Prior to Grow Ensemble, Cory was the CEO of a digital marketing agency, a position he earned at the age of 22. There, he became an expert on all things digital marketing & SEO.
Cory Co-Founded Grow Ensemble as a vehicle to raise awareness of and inspire action around some of the world’s biggest problems and problem solvers.
He blogs, podcasts, and publishes video on all things leaving the world a better, more just, equitable, and habitable place for all.
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