Stories have the power to drive behavior.
A global forum for emerging public relations and communications professionals who use their craft to propel positive change.
The Impact Communications Institute (ICI) is a nonprofit organization and global network advancing impact communications: a practice‑led discipline for public relations (PR) and communications that helps emerging communicators early in their careers connect storytelling to real‑world decisions, actions, and measurable outcomes. No spin. No performative purpose.
A core part of ICI’s mission is access. We believe emerging communicators should not need elite networks or expensive credentials to learn how to practice communications responsibly. That’s why ICI prioritizes free programming, community membership with scholarships, and accessible learning pathways that lower barriers to entry while maintaining rigor.
What is impact communications?
Impact communications is the practice of using the tools of communications to drive systemic change, linking what organizations say to what they do, and what outcomes result.
In PR terms, it is strategy, counsel, narrative, and community engagement that helps organizations act responsibly and communicate with integrity.
What services do Impact Communicators offer?
Communications, public relations, and storytelling
Impact communicators use the full toolkit of communications, public relations (PR), storytelling, and media relations to help ideas travel, narratives land, and issues gain visibility. This work is grounded in truth and context, using communications not as spin, but as a lever to inform, influence, and propel meaningful social and environmental change.
Impact consulting and impact‑driven strategy
Impact communicators partner with organizations to shape impact‑driven strategies rooted in equity, human‑centered insight, and real-world constraints. Through impact consultancy, they help clarify purpose, challenge the status quo, and ensure that when a story is told, it reflects authentic action and has the power to shift systems, not just perceptions.
Impact measurement, listening, and accountability
Impact communicators put impact first and PR second. They work with organizations to track progress, measure outcomes, and listen continuously to communities and stakeholders. This includes qualitative and quantitative impact tracking, community feedback loops, and responsible use of media metrics, ensuring communications adds value, reflects lived experience, and supports accountability over time.
Why join the Impact Communications community?
ICI is designed first for emerging communicators — students, early‑career practitioners, career‑switchers, and creators — with senior practitioners playing a vital role as mentors, champions, and guides.
ICI’s Community Membership is designed to create belonging, connection, and timely learning without financial barriers. Members receive:
Members‑only Impact Councils focused on in‑the‑moment issues
Ongoing community discussion and peer learning
Early access to programs and resources
Annual membership is intentionally affordable ($120/year), with scholarships and sliding‑scale options available. Membership supports community infrastructure and is not designed to be a primary revenue driver.
Community membership
Certification and learning pathways (launching 2026)
Beginning in Q3 2026, ICI will launch its first learning pathway: Foundations of Impact Communications.
This self‑paced certificate focuses on core frameworks, real‑world scenarios, and ethical judgment — not theory alone.
Indicative pricing: $395
Outcome: A foundational understanding of responsible impact communications and the confidence to apply it early in your career.
Why ICI’s model is different
ICI puts impact first and PR second. Free entry points remain core to our mission, while paid learning pathways support sustainability, rigor, and scholarships — without pay‑to‑play influence.
Impact Councils: Practitioner‑Led Learning for PR and Communications Professionals
Impact Councils are ICI’s signature learning experiences — curated, facilitated conversations designed primarily for emerging PR and communications professionals navigating uncertainty, tradeoffs, and ethical decision‑making, with senior practitioners joining as mentors and facilitators.
