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.
At ICI, engagement is designed as a progressive pathway. You can start with intent, deepen through participation, and grow through learning, without pay‑to‑play pressure.
Three ways to engage
2. Community membership
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: Practical confidence and applied understanding early in your career
3. Learning & certification (launching 2026)
ICI’s Community Membership is for emerging communicators who want deeper connection, real‑time learning, and a stronger voice in shaping the field.
Community Members receive:
A monthly live Community Forum: an unscripted Q&A with an ICI board member and a senior communications practitioner
The ability to vote on discussion topics and questions that shape each forum
Access to a private peer community space (via Slack) for ongoing learning and support
Early access to job postings
Discounts on certification and learning pathways
Annual membership is $120/year ($10/month, billed annually), with equity access options available for individuals paying out of pocket.
The first step into the ICI community is taking the ICI Pledge: a shared commitment to practice communications with integrity, accountability, and care.
Community Participants (AKA "pledgers") can:
Attend Impact Councils
Receive The Agenda, ICI’s monthly newsletter
Join open community conversations and learning moments
This tier is intentionally free to ensure access and inclusion for emerging communicators globally.
Start with intent (Free)
Impact Councils: practitioner‑led learning
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.
Each council centers real, in-practice questions, with senior practitioners joining as mentors and facilitators to ground discussion in lived experience – not theory or performance.
Impact Councils are open to all Community Participants and Community Members who have taken the ICI Pledge.
Ways to engage with Impact Councils:
Attend a council to learn alongside peers and mentors
Propose a topic rooted in a real challenge, question, or moment you’re navigating
Facilitate or co-lead a future council as a practitioner or mentor
Take the ICI pledge to get updates on upcoming Impact Councils.
Why ICI’s model is different
ICI puts impact first and PR second.
Free entry points remain core to our mission. Paid memberships and learning pathways support sustainability, rigor, and scholarships – without pay‑to‑play influence or credential inflation