Welcome to another installment of Intention 2 Impact’s Heart-2-Heart — our monthly newsletter where we share what’s on our mind, in our hearts, and up our sleeves.

Team I2I just got back in office from our first ever Summer Break.⛱️ We hope all y’all are also taking time this summer to find joy and moments of rest this season.

As we get back into the swing of things, we’re mulling over how to be responsive impact measurement consultants amidst systems collapse, Nina reports live from parental leave, and we welcome a new client into the I2I mix!

On Our Minds

It’s official: H1 2025 is in the rearview. And #sorrynotsorry to sound like a broken record, it feels like the whole world has changed in the past 6 months. In a country that feels on the brink of systems collapse, we are noodling on our place as impact measurement consultants. So many of our plans, scopes, partners’ strategies, and aspirations no longer feel relevant. The terrain upon which we stand has shifted; how are we responding and pivoting our work?

The team recently read the SSRI piece: Grappling With Systems Collapse: How Social Sector Leaders Can Respond. The authors make the case that typically our work as social change agents occurs in relatively stable systems. However, for the past 6 months, we’ve been operating in intense volatility. So why are we still expecting to observe and measure the same impact?

The authors share 4 alternative models for understanding what impact might be possible when things are seemingly falling apart. They are a timely reminder that even though these types of impact may not be what we intended to learn about or measure, we should absolutely view them as signals of success. These models are:

Protective Impact: building and leveraging power to counteract obstacles, strengthen community resilience, and preserve values of care & belonging.
Blocking Impact: slowing down the pace of collapse; preserving access to services.
Disruptive Impact: leaning into chaos to address immediate threats; questioning assumptions.
Creative Impact: identifying opportunities to shape what comes next; building trust in community; boosting a sense of agency; reigniting civic participation.

We find this framing refreshing, and we have begun to use it as a lens to make sense of what we are seeing and hearing from our partners and their communities. 🚨 Because let’s be real, “staying afloat in an authoritarian system” was not on a single Theory of Change or MERL Framework we developed in 2024, and most def was not on our bingo card. 🚨

At the end of the article, the authors ask: what can we let go of, what do we want to carry with us, and what do we want to build? We took that question to heart, and jotted down a couple of things you can expect to see more of from I2I in H2 2025 (and beyond).

🛑 What We Are Letting Go Of (*cue Frozen’s theme song*)

Outdated Theory of Change Models & Data Collection Plans- life comes at us fast. What was true on January 1, 2025 may no longer be relevant. We’re loosening the grip on frameworks and processes that no longer match reality. Call it pivoting, emergence, adaptation. Whatever it is, we’re not chaining ourselves, our projects, or our clients to outdated measures of success.

➕ What We are Carrying With Us?

Continuing to anchor our work (internally as a team & with our partners) in ritual & relationship- this moment demands human connection and deep understanding. Plus, we know it makes the work better (and more fun).

🏗️ What We Want to Build?

More mechanism for bottom-up expertise to over-power top town toolkits- we loved what Jason Lewis had to say in his article The Reckoning Our Sector’s Narrators Don’t Want to See Coming. We felt called in when we asserted that to meet the scale of the current crisis we need “social change from the bottom up, not managed, funded, and evaluated from above, but carried by people in place, grounded in relationship, and accountable to the realities they live every day.”

What are you letting go of, carrying with you, or building in H2? Let us know if there is any way we can support you.

In Our Hearts

From Deliverables to Diapers: What Parental Leave is Teaching Me About Work

Hi all, I2I’s CEO, Nina, here—checking in one month into maternity leave!

First, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who’s sent love and well wishes since we welcomed our daughter, Daphne, into the world. We’re healthy, happy, sleepy, and sleepless—all at once.

In the midst of newborn snuggles and 3 a.m. feeding sessions, I’ve found myself reflecting on how much this new chapter is teaching me—not just about parenting, but about leadership, growth, and how we show up in our work.

1. Redefining Productivity
Time feels different now. The days blur together in a mix of feedings, diaper changes, and quiet awe. I’ve replaced my Google calendar with the Huckleberry app (meticulously tracking diapers, feeding, and naps), yet I’ve never felt more “productive.” Growth is happening in ways that aren't easily measured—through presence, patience, and learning to surrender control. It’s a powerful reminder that progress doesn’t always look like output, and becoming isn’t always linear.

2. Different Seasons Call for Different Metrics
I’ve tracked my sleep quality every night since 2017—that’s a lot of data, trends, and charts… But the day my daughter was born, I stopped logging it. Why? Because the data no longer matches the moment. These days, I'm getting less sleep than ever, but my needs have adapted and “quality” has taken on new meaning. The same is true with impact measurement: what matters in one season may not matter in another. Whether you’re a new parent, launching a new initiative, or navigating a major transition, your dashboard should reflect your reality—not some fixed idea of success.

3. Preparation + Teamwork = Liberation
Daphne arrived two weeks early, but my team didn’t miss a beat. That’s not an accident—it’s the result of months of intentional prep and planning. I2I has always prioritized co-leadership, collaboration, and capacity building, and I felt the gift of that firsthand. Taking time off doesn’t mean dropping the ball. It means passing it and trusting the team to carry it forward.

This is especially true for working moms. We’re often told we have to “do it all,” but the truth is, no one does it all alone. Special shout-out to I2I partner and COO, Kathleen Doll, for leading the creation of values-aligned systems and infrastructure to ensure “care” is part of “the work.”

OK - back to the newborn haze. “See you” in September!

Up Our Sleeves

NEW CLIENT SPOTLIGHT 🔦 FreeFrom 🔦

Team I2I is over the moon excited for our latest partnership with FreeFrom.

For nearly a decade, FreeFrom has led the way in reimagining the future of economic justice for survivors of gender-based violence. They do this through investing in systems, programs, and policies that support long-term healing, financial security, and community power. As a national organization rooted in survivor leadership, FreeFrom’s work spans direct service, systems advocacy, narrative change, and field-building, guided by the belief that survivors are not only experts in their own lives, but architects of transformative change.

Team I2I will spend the rest of the year co-creating a MERL framework for the nonprofit to more cohesively measure and communicate their undeniable impact and contributions systems change across their many workstreams and initiatives.

The project will kick off with a bang in Los Angeles, CA in early August when members of Team I2I attend FreeFrom’s Survivor Wealth Summit. If you’re in SoCal, check it out!