Making an Impact with Suzanne Smith

Making an Impact with Suzanne Smith

From Zen Success by Charissa Sims

February 15, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

Suzanne Smith discusses her work in community strategy and social impact, emphasizing the role of individuals in creating change.

Suzanne Smith is a nationally recognized community strategist, professor, TEDx speaker, and founder of Social Impact Architects. A Duke MBA, she has spent more than two decades helping leaders tackle complex issues in education, poverty, healthcare, and workforce development. She has also worked with government agencies— including the federal government—and is trilingual in government, policy , and business , giving her a rare perspective on how meaningful change happens. Suzanne is the author of Social TrendSpotter, ranked among the nation's top nonprofit blogs , where she has analyzed philanthropy and nonprofit trends weekly for over 13 years. Known for her straight talk and storytelling, she helps audiences see what's really happening behind the headlines, learn why society's toughest problems are so difficult to solve, and discover what solutions have been proven to really work. In her TEDx talk, "Everyone Can Be a Changemaker," she shows how ordinary people can take small steps that create extraordinary ripple effects. Whether breaking down giving trends, unpacking nonprofit scandals, or highlighting community solutions, Suzanne makes the case that everyone has a role to…

People in this episode

Host: Charissa Sims

Guest: Suzanne Smith

Topics covered

  • community strategy
  • social impact
  • philanthropy
  • nonprofit trends
  • education
  • healthcare
  • workforce development

Keywords

  • community strategist
  • social impact
  • philanthropy
  • nonprofit
  • TEDx
  • education
  • healthcare

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Social Impact Architects, Duke

Books & works: Social TrendSpotter

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