On October 23, eight Kroc School students, three administrators and two professors attended the Cause Conference in San Diego. We gathered with leaders of for-profit businesses, government and non-profit organizations to discuss creative solutions to the most pressing issues facing our San Diego community. As my friend and classmate Dilfuza said, the conference was a “gathering of the people in mind and heart.” Here, I invite you to join me in reflecting on key takeaways from my classmates and a brief, but refreshingly bold Q&A with Cause San Diego’s Co-Founder & Executive Director, Staci Reidinger.
Shannon, Ramya, Paula, Dilfuza, Riley and Maureen
During the Cause Conference, Kroc School students engaged deeply with each of these social impact topics. They attended breakout sessions on topics that interested them and felt inspired by both practical solutions and broader societal reflections. Riley, focused on addressing homelessness, found value in a collaborative, resource-sharing approach, especially among San Diego’s 11,000 nonprofits, to maximize impact. Maureen connected with the idea of bridging government work with social entrepreneurship, referencing Mazzucato’s Mission Economy and B-Corp certification. Ramya, motivated by Donut Economics, noted how we can transition from a degenerative to a regenerative society, inspired by companies like Tony’s Chocolonely and Dr. Bronner’s. Her experience highlighted that even small, community-driven actions can contribute to broader sustainable goals.
Helene, Paula, Riley, Dilfuza, Caroline at the Cause Conference
Other attendees also reflected on diverse, cross-cultural insights from the event. Dilfuza appreciated the collaborative spirit of the conference, contrasting corporate social responsibility efforts in the U.S. with those in Uzbekistan. She found the emphasis on unity and shared purpose powerful. Shannon explored issues of homelessness and poverty, recognizing that systemic issues like racial inequality influence San Diego’s housing crisis in complex ways. Similarly, Helene gained new perspectives on the field of social impact, especially noting the efficacy of tools like Donut Economics in California's social innovation spaces. All students thoroughly appreciated the Zen experience. We tackle these issues daily in both the classroom and our roles within the larger San Diego workforce. The Zen experience allowed us to slow down and take care of ourselves - a critical lesson to carry forward into this work. The conference offered students concrete examples, a sense of urgency, and a reminder that lasting impact often starts with small, intentional actions.
One week after the Cause Conference, I sat at my desk and opened the Social Impact Playbook handed out at the event. It felt significant to have a tangible action item that I could use to channel and reflect on the energy I felt leaving the conference. Spreading the word through this blog post is another method of sending the energy forward. Our generation of students and young professionals demands changing systems, and we show up to support these changes in our personal and professional lives. Staci is an inspiring leader in our community, and I look forward to supporting her as she continues to “walk the walk” toward a more collaborative San Diego ecosystem.
Q&A with Staci Reidinger, Cause San Diego Co-Founder & Executive Director
Why is organizing an event like the Cause Conference meaningful to you personally, and how does that influence the way you design the experience for attendees?
When I can see people relaxing, learning, collaborating, meditating and leaving our event with a smile on their face, that means we’ve done something good for them and the companies they work for. I love creating spaces where people across sectors and backgrounds can come together to build new relationships, break down stereotypes and realize we can make big, audacious changes if we work together! When designing an event like the Cause Conference, we want our attendees to have a special experience that lingers with them well beyond the conference. We want our event to be a catalyst that fills up their cup of purpose and restores their faith in humanity.
How does the Cause Conference ensure that it 'walks the walk' in terms of promoting social impact and sustainability? Are there specific measures or standards that guide your event planning and execution?
Cause San Diego works as a volunteer collaborative with a multigenerational and ethnically diverse team of caring community changemakers. We also strive to be eco-friendly during our events by not using single use plastics, by asking attendees to bring a reusable water bottle, having water re-fill stations, by minimizing printed signage, by using biodegradable cutlery and cups. Additionally, partnering with Dr. Bronner’s, we offer eco-friendly hand soap in the bathrooms and vegan chocolates. We also ask our Exhibitors to provide eco-friendly gift items that can serve a purpose for attendees vs. plastic items. During our event we include B-Corps companies, Public Benefit Corps Companies, companies taking the 1% for Planet pledge and promote the San Diego Environmental Film Festival and social impact organizations like Conscious Capitalism SD, B Local SD, Business For Good SD and BBB4Good. When we select our venue, we try to find a centrally located place that offers easy access to public transportation, ample parking and a venue that takes care of its staff through good wages and benefits.
What went into your decision to provide a zen space and acknowledge the mental health of your attendees?
We offer the Zen space to our attendees as a gift of wellness, recovery and peace because many of them are coming from highly stressful jobs that drain them mentally and physically. We also conducted a movement activity during the General session to get people to wake up their senses and have a little fun! We also had an impromptu flash dance party before a session began, again bringing in laughter and joy. We invested in using Whova as our online event management platform b/c it provides so many great ways for our attendees to connect before, during and after our event. It also allows us to reduce the printing of schedules, speaker toolkits, handouts, etc.
What are some actionable outcomes or connections you hope attendees will take away from the conference?
We want our attendees to build new cause-related partnerships with individuals they met at our event by connecting post conference to align their cause priorities and develop volunteer, financial giving and resource sharing activities that accelerate positive social and environmental impact in our region. We also want attendees to read our Social Impact Playbook and reach out to Cause San Diego for any support they may need to put these community engagement examples into action. Finally, we want our attendees to leave our event with a renewed sense of hope and motivation to help make our world a better place for all.
