Music & Impact, PCDN Weekly Newsletter, September 26, 2025

In partnership with

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Sign up today!

Navigate Your Social Impact Career in the Most Challenging Job Market in Decades

The social impact sector is facing unprecedented disruption. Layoffs are hitting organizations across the spectrum. Funding is drying up. Even the most mission-driven companies are making difficult choices.

But here's the reality: Hiring hasn't stopped—it's become more strategic. Organizations are still recruiting, but they're being incredibly selective about who they bring on board.

From working with hundreds of clients and course participants across the globe, we've seen that the professionals who land roles during market downturns aren't the lucky ones—they're the strategic ones who understand exactly what today's employers need.

That's why we've updated our Accelerate Your Social Impact Career course for professionals navigating this challenging landscape. The course runs on Maven, the best platform for cohort-based learning.

This Isn't About Finding Any Job. It's About Positioning Yourself for the Right Opportunities.

• What you'll learn:

• Where opportunities actually exist: Market intelligence that reveals which sectors and roles are still actively hiring

• The skills employers prioritize now: What organizations desperately need in uncertain times

• Remote and hybrid strategies: How to effectively compete for these increasingly popular positions

• Impact sector salary negotiation: Advocating for fair compensation in mission-driven work

• Strategic pivoting: Upskilling approaches that make you valuable and relevant

• Save up to 80% of your time leveraging the right AI tools to create amazing application materials while keeping them human and authentic

• Organization systems: Templates and workflows to manage your entire job search

• Live coaching sessions: Direct feedback on your strategy and materials
  
  Plus: One year of access to the PCDN Career Campus community, with office hours, skills workshops, and 350+ curated opportunities each month.
  
  Real Results Across 20+ Countries
  
  Course participants have successfully transitioned into roles at impact startups, foundations, healthcare organizations, consultancies, government agencies, social enterprises, and international development groups.
  
  The feedback consistently highlights our practical, actionable approach that focuses on what actually works in today's market.
  
  While we can't guarantee specific outcomes, this course will teach you exactly how to position yourself for the opportunities that do exist.
  
  Early Registration Ends September 28
  25% discount available through September 28
  
  Learn more and enroll →

Music for Impact

Music transcends every boundary we humans create—language, nationality, religion, politics, and ideology. In a world increasingly divided by conflict and misunderstanding, music emerges as one of our most powerful tools for building bridges, fostering understanding, and creating lasting peace.

From the streets of Santa Monica to the temples of Thailand, from post-conflict communities in Bosnia to refugee settlements in Uganda, music has proven time and again to be a force that unites us when words fail. We spent a weekend this month in Cali, Colombia—a city full of rhythm and joy—and we danced, danced, and danced.

🎶 The Happiest City in Colombia | World Capital of Salsa Music by Let’s Go gives a glimpse of that vibrant spirit.

Playing for Change: Music Without Borders

Playing for Change is perhaps the most compelling example of music’s ability to transcend borders. Founded by filmmaker Mark Johnson after seeing two painted monks perform in a New York subway station, it has grown into a worldwide movement that connects musicians across continents through collaborative recordings.

It began in 2005, when American singer Roger Ridley sang Stand By Me on the streets of Santa Monica. Johnson then traveled the world, adding voices and instruments from Barcelona, Ireland, South Africa, India, Nepal, and the Middle East. The resulting video has more than 90 million views, showing that people everywhere connect to authentic expression regardless of background.

Today, the Playing for Change Foundation runs 37 programs across 26 countries, using music education to address issues from gang violence and poverty to refugee crises and climate change.

Search for Common Ground: Media as Peacemaker

Search for Common Ground—the world’s largest peacebuilding organization—has pioneered music as a tool for conflict transformation. During the Burundian civil war in the 1990s, its Studio Ijambo became a beacon of hope when two journalists from opposing ethnic groups created the first multi-ethnic radio production company in the region.

Their Peace Songs projects show music’s unique capacity to reach hearts where speeches fall short. As they explain: “Music speaks to our emotions, so it taps into empathy and compassion—something vital when dealing with conflict.”

Sound Diplomacy: Music as Statecraft

Sound Diplomacy promotes a sophisticated understanding of how music can support international relations. By transcending language barriers and cultural divides, music connects people in ways that traditional diplomacy often cannot. They are also currently hiring for several roles.

MasterPeace: Mobilizing Talent for Change

MasterPeace is a global grassroots movement that uses music and arts to inspire peace. Operating clubs in more than 40 countries—including Afghanistan, Colombia, Sierra Leone, and Nepal—MasterPeace democratizes peacebuilding by empowering artists.

I served on the MasterPeace board for several years and witnessed their innovative approach firsthand. Their Music Above Fighting documentary captures this spirit—two people from opposing sides sing John Lennon’s Imagine to each other through a dividing wall.

🎥 Watch a short clip: Music Above Fighting

MasterPeace concerts are unique: tickets can’t be purchased, only earned through peacebuilding activities. This transforms audiences from passive listeners into active participants.

Our PCDN List of Rhythm

Your own listening habits can be part of this global ecosystem. Try curating playlists that cross boundaries—artists from conflict zones, musicians overcoming adversity, or songs that speak to universal human experiences.

For inspiration, explore the PCDN Impact Music playlist on Spotify. It’s 25 hours of music for peace, justice, and social change.

Social Impact Opportunities

Go from AI overwhelmed to AI savvy professional

AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.

Yours doesn't have to be one of them.

Here's how to future-proof your career:

• Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals

• Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day

• Become the AI expert on your team

Start learning AI now

Check out one of the most Amazing Tools for Networking for Impact

I’ve been using Boardy for about six months, an AI-powered connector, to find meaningful partnerships and consulting gigs—much more helpful than typical networking. If you’re working in social impact, education, or just want to meet thoughtful changemakers. The tool is amazing. Give it a try with my affiliate link: https://whatsapp.boardy.ai/psQwj

You can read more about how it works here: https://www.boardy.ai/