Derrick Feldmann is a leading researcher and strategic advisor on social issues, philanthropy and public engagement.
ABOUT
He is the author of The Corporate Social Mind and Social Movements For Good and leads internationally recognized research initiatives guiding foundations, family offices, and institutions on public engagement and social change.
Lasting impact doesn’t start with action. It starts with understanding and with trusted relationships among leaders and funders who can turn insight into progress.
Derrick Feldmann
RESEARCH
Global research led by Derrick Feldmann shaping social issues, philanthropy and public engagement.
Below are a sampling of these projects Derrick has led or been involved with.
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Social Issues
Understanding behaviors, attitudes, and strategies to improve outcomes in health, education, safety, and more.
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![A man with glasses, a camera, and a backpack holding a phone, standing among a crowd outside a government building.]()
Civic Issues
Exploring trust in elections, youth voting, global civic engagement, and the role of small businesses in social change.
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![People walking across a pedestrian crosswalk with black and white stripes, seen from above.]()
Social Movements
Examining collective efforts, leadership, and approaches to create meaningful systemic change.
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Trends
Analyzing behaviors, attitudes, and strategies to guide action and engagement across causes, health, and lifestyle.
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Research Initiatives
Understanding what drives engagement and action across causes, companies, and generations.
VIEWPOINTS
Keep up with Derrick via LinkedIn:
Principles of Social Issue Research
Learn how to build an accurate target audience sample, understand social issues in context, create better survey questions for better data, segment audiences properly—and then, when you’ve done everything else correctly, keep the biases out of your interpretation.
Must Causes Compromise to Move the Undecided?
If you’re only focusing on your strongest supporters, you are missing the audience that holds the real power you seek. Create a journey of persuasion for them through diligence, compromise and trust. Remember, your movement’s narrative will determine its future.
Social Movement Trends to Watch
Today, social issues are political issues, so heed Derrick’s call to action. Don’t mistake crowd size for movement strength. Use the time between elections to educate.
Books
The Corporate Social Mind: How Companies Lead Social Change From The Inside Out
The Corporate Social Mind introduces a new cultural and strategic approach to social issue engagement by companies.
Social Movements For Good: How Companies and Causes Create Viral Change
Social Movements for Good is a guidebook for driving change by taking advantage of the social currency that makes movements go viral.
Cause For Change: The Why And How
Of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement
A much-needed guide for causes to engage millennials (born 1980-2000) as constituents, volunteers, donors and employees.
Contributions to other scholarly work
SPEAKING
Speaking Areas of Expertise
Derrick Feldmann is a globally recognized researcher, author, and speaker in the fields of philanthropy, social movements and public engagement. With decades of experience guiding organizations and companies to engage people in meaningful causes, Derrick brings cutting-edge insights and actionable strategies to every stage. Below are his key areas of speaking expertise:
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01
Social Movements, Civic Participation & Systems Change
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02
The Future of Philanthropy and Public Trust
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03
Philanthropy as Risk Capital
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04
Communications as a Strategic Lever
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05
Research That Drives Strategy and Capital