At a moment of unprecedented attention, investment, and opportunity for the emerging field of ESG, leaders are asking: Who is best preparing their organization for the society of the future? Who is innovating today to meet decades-long environmental and social goals? Who is setting standards that catalyze their industry’s change for the better? Who is defining what bold and aspirational look like — and how best to advance that work in practice? 

Over the course of the year, our executive team is profiling the investors, executives, authors, philanthropists, social sector leaders, academics, and innovators who are helping to shape business as a force for social and environmental progress. No one leader has all the answers about what the future will bring — and none of these practitioners claim to. They will be the first to speak to the difficult, complex, and ever-shifting nature of this work; of the steep challenges and hard questions they grapple with day-in and day-out. 

Yet all of these leaders are operating at the highest level of our field — and, as such, helping to shape it. They are advancing — and even pioneering — the most forward-thinking and effective programs, initiatives, technologies, methodologies, practices, and approaches. All are pushing the intellectual envelope to create the positive outcomes that our communities, our economic system, our planet, and our future need. 

That is why you should know them — and why we think you will enjoy learning and engaging with them as much as we did. 

Introducing the ESG Next, NationSwell’s new series designed to give you a glimpse of what’s ahead within this emerging and fast-evolving field. 

ESG Next will explore key issues that social impact and sustainability practitioners have surfaced to us through the years: issues like how leaders can do the most with what they have, whether it’s better to go deep on one key focus area or wide across many, how best to align strategy and programs within the business, the models that best achieve impact, the frameworks to deploy when reporting out progress and challenges, the keys to success, the best practices for partnerships, effective ways to use data to inform decision making and outcomes, the best ways to tell your ESG story to a myriad of important stakeholders, and how to navigate boards and C-suite for alignment, buy-in, and impact.

At the beginning of each month, we’ll give NationSwell members an exclusive sneak peek of our upcoming issue of the ESG Next in our newsletter products. Then, we’ll publish new installments on our public platform. If you are a practitioner, we hope the series — and the diverse insights and practices contained herein – will help you to take your ESG efforts to the next level of efficacy and impact. 

To learn more about how our ESG Next honorees are shaping business as a force for social and environmental good, visit the series hub.