Unearthing Hidden Gems: Global Impact Sourcing Award Winners Find Talent in Unexpected Places

In a world where traditional recruitment methods often overlook vast pools of untapped talent, IAOP’s 2024 Global Impact Sourcing Award (GISA) winners, HireMee, GlowTouch, and ScaleHub, are rewriting the rules.

By building relationships with local communities, leveraging AI and other technology, and deploying innovative sourcing strategies, these pioneers are uncovering hidden gems and opening doors to new opportunities for tens of thousands of people globally.

Contrary to common misconceptions, impact sourcing is about something other than inexpensive low-skilled labor in third-world countries. These companies are proving that top talent can be found in unexpected places, breaking down barriers for individuals often overlooked by traditional recruitment channels.

HireMee, recognized with the GISA award for its impact sourcing influence, has shattered the myth that quality talent can only be found in Tier 1 and 2 cities with its AI-enabled talent assessment and hiring platform. Looking beyond colleges and universities in India's smaller towns and cities, they’ve discovered a wealth of entry-level talent waiting to be tapped. Their vision is clear: ensuring that no one is unemployed or underemployed.

GlowTouch, a UnifyCX company, is making a difference as a top impact sourcing provider. They've tapped into the talent pool of military veterans, active military spouses, and family members in San Antonio, Texas, providing a new career path for those who have served their country. Additionally, they're promoting job opportunities for senior citizens, a demographic often overlooked in traditional recruitment efforts.

ScaleHub has been recognized for its impact through collaborative partnerships. Working with Connected Women, they empower women in the Philippines, including displaced or former migrant workers, persons with disabilities, home helpers, single mothers, and working students. These women are given a chance to shine and build a better future for themselves and their families.

As we delve into their best practices, inspiring success stories, and the critical value of partnerships, one thing becomes clear: impact sourcing is not just about finding talent – it's about changing lives.

Impact Sourcing Best Practices from GISA Winners

These GISA award winners understand the importance of a structured approach to impact sourcing, including setting clear goals, engaging stakeholders, building partnerships, investing in development, monitoring and evaluating progress, and promoting inclusivity.

“Embedding impact sourcing into a company's business strategy can drive social change and unlock new avenues for innovation and growth,” says Tammy Weinstein, SVP of Marketing and Analyst Relations, GlowTouch.

GlowTouch recommends considering the following key steps:

• Align with Strategic Goals: Ensure impact sourcing supports the organization's objectives
• Engage Stakeholders: Secure buy-in from leadership, employees, and clients by communicating its benefits
• Partner Locally: Collaborate with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and training institutions to identify and train talent
• Invest in Development: Provide continuous training to equip and motivate impact workers
• Monitor Impact: Establish metrics to track performance and make necessary adjustments.
• Promote Inclusivity: Foster an inclusive culture that values diversity and equal opportunities

According to ScaleHub, setting a goal for the type of impact desired is the most critical step in the process.

“Start by clearly defining your social impact goals and objectives,” says Susanne Richter-Wills, Vice President of Partnerships EMEA. “This will help guide your decision-making process, creatively consider how your business might create an impact even in your day-to-day work, and ensure that your impact sourcing initiatives are aligned with your company's values and mission.”

Following impact goal setting, Richter-Wills recommends focusing on measurement. “It’s critical to keeping leadership engaged in the effort,” she says. “Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your impact sourcing efforts and track progress over time. By setting clear goals and metrics, you can effectively evaluate the impact of your initiatives and make data-driven decisions to drive continuous improvement.”

HireMee recognized that employers limited their recruitment efforts to Tier I and 2 cities mainly due to business pressures, resource constraints, bandwidth, and the need to fill open positions quickly, says Venkatraman Umakanth, Senior Vice President & Head of HireMee.

To find available workers outside the most highly populated areas, HireMee launched a free AI-based proctored comprehensive assessment that students can take any time from any location on an app or website. HireMee then provides registered corporate employers with a pre-assessed talent pool from across India at no cost.

Among the best practices HireMee learned are:

• Identify and define the problem – HireMee identified the problem and evaluated if it was worth solving. Defining the problem correctly is a major factor in success
• Leverage technology – HireMee could not have been able to scale without the right technology
• Partnerships are critical to scale – HireMee’s partnership with several central government, state government, and other necessary bodies enabled the company to expand its reach and make a significant impact
• Focus on the demand and supply side – HireMee built two teams, one focusing on academic institutions and the other on corporates, to understand demand and position its pre-assessed talent pool
• Build a compelling value proposition – Get people and entities to be part of the movement/initiative

Inspiring Examples

The results the GISA award winners have achieved are noteworthy. Of the more than 720,000 individuals taking the HireMee assessment, nearly 245,000 students have employment opportunities from leading hiring organizations – an impressive one out of three candidates. Almost 59 percent of these individuals are from Tier 3 and Tier 4 towns in India, and 45 percent are female.

GlowTouch’s innovative program in Eastern Kentucky is a testament to the transformative power of impact sourcing. Recognizing the employment challenges in rural areas, especially in regions with high poverty rates, the provider partnered with an organization to create work-from-home opportunities for residents in small towns and mining communities.

Addressing the fact that five of the 25 poorest counties in the United States are in Kentucky, GlowTouch provided skills training to people displaced by federal funding cuts, particularly in mining towns. The initiative included community workshops and high school visits throughout Appalachia, educating seniors about contact center work opportunities and offering ongoing support and training.

Each participant is set up for success through comprehensive support, including secure VPN access and necessary technology at no cost, customized training, and continuous professional development.

“This program has revitalized communities by creating sustainable employment, empowering individuals, and fostering economic growth,” Weinstein said. “Our efforts demonstrate that impact sourcing can bring meaningful change and opportunity to even the most economically challenged regions.”

By tapping into a talented and motivated workforce of women in the Philippines, ScaleHub and Connected Women are bridging the digital divide while accelerating business innovation. In the first year of collaboration, 46 job placements were created.

In 2022 and 2023, ScaleHub continued to champion this cause by supporting Connected Women’s Elevate AIDA (Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics) initiative. With overwhelmingly positive feedback from program participants, ScaleHub is thrilled to continue sponsoring this digital training skills program in 2024.

Through upskilling training programs, Connected Women has prepared women like 37-year-old Zaynah Suizo for data annotation roles with ScaleHub. As a widow and mother of two living in Palawan, Zaynah desperately needed work after her community was devastated by COVID-19 and a typhoon.

Now, as a Data Annotation Specialist annotating insurance claims and public sector forms, Zaynah earns income to provide for her family’s basic needs. This remote work allows her flexibility to care for her children.

“It is a big help for me financially,” she says. “With my earnings, I am able to provide for the basic needs of my kids. Professionally, it has brought me new knowledge, especially the upskilling sessions we have received. It is a great help for me as a single mother so that I can be more productive daily.”

Read the sidebar to learn about the vital role mentors play in impact sourcing.