The 2023 World Pulse Annual Impact Survey results are in!

Each year we survey our global community to understand how World Pulse helps members create impact in their own lives and in the lives of people in their communities. And every year, we’re astounded by the impact they report.

Read on to learn what 590 members across 72 countries had to say about how involvement with the World Pulse community impacted their lives in 2023.

2023 Impact at a Glance

Reflecting on 2023 — a year marked by both progress and setbacks for women’s equality — members shared that participating in the World Pulse community led to increased confidence and connections that have motivated them to take action.

• 7 out of 10 members surveyed report that because of their involvement with World Pulse they took action
• 69% report World Pulse helped them build their confidence
• 78% report increased knowledge
• 64% report feeling more supported by others
• 71% report the actions they took as a result of their involvement with World Pulse made an impact

Our Impact Methodology: Digital Empowerment

“World Pulse came at a time in my life when I needed to believe in change, in the power of being connected to people who are seeking to make human rights truly available to all people. I needed inspiration, and without realizing it, I found a motivating place that gave me the possibility to believe that I was also part of that change.” – Woman in Colombia

World Pulse believes that when women are digitally empowered (i.e., if women gain a voice, are connected, and have access to resources), they will act to change the world. Digital empowerment, facilitated by World Pulse’s network, helps accelerate social change. Our digital empowerment framework is based on more than 10 years of internal evaluation and external research conducted with our community, as well as consultation with our community and experts in the sector. Our evaluation practices are guided by our community’s ethical guidelines for research and evaluation.

Using multiple data sources including our annual survey, we seek to evaluate whether members report having accessed increased voice, connection, and resources through their participation with World Pulse, and whether that then leads to them taking action and ultimately contributing to social change.

Through World Pulse, respondents to our 2023 survey reported the following improvements in the areas of Voice, Connections, and Resources leading to Action:

Voice

"I got out of my shell. I no longer cared if I was judged by people for my work. I have been called all sorts of names because I stopped working to focus on my target beneficiaries who are mostly children and young adults living with disabilities. It's not easy but World Pulse has given me the push I need to wake up each morning and continue my work." — Woman in Nigeria

World Pulse believes — and our digital empowerment framework demonstrates — that having a platform to speak and access greater voice, improves lives.

In 2023, survey responses show:

• 78% report increased resilience
• 69% report World Pulse helped them build their confidence
• 62% reported increased credibility as a leader on an issue

Connection

“World Pulse is a like a torch or a candle in a dark room. The mere thought that someone somewhere in the world is reading your story, getting encouraged by comments, makes one feel tremendously powerful. It gives women power that they've been denied the majority of the time by harsh patriarchal systems. It's a home. A safe space. Everyone matters here. You matter.” – Susan Khasoa, member from Kenya

Our digital empowerment framework shows that when women are connected and support each other, they are better able to take action.

In 2023, World Pulse members report:

• 80% felt encouraged
• 64% felt more supported by others
• 57% grew their network or found new connections

Resources

“During the lowest phase of my life when I was suffering from a painful medical condition, the connections I made on World Pulse, the sisters who are close to me, came to my help, encouraging me, giving me financial help as I was unemployed and treatment cost, sending me job opportunities and being there to listen to me. If I did not have these connections and sisterhood my mental health may have deteriorated. Due to this, I managed to tide through and maintain the stability of my family, my organisation and our stakeholders.” — Woman in India

Greater voice and connections must be paired with access to resources in order to lead to action. At World Pulse, women exchange resources and opportunities that further enable them to act for change.

2023 survey responses show:

• 78% report increased knowledge
• 62% report increased skills
• 62% felt supported through access to resources

Taking Action

“My journey into advocacy and finding my voice could not have been possible without the acceptance, support, belief, encouragement from the World Pulse team. I have never had a bigger support system out of my family like I do on World Pulse and for this I am truly grateful.” – Woman in Cameroon

Whether planting trees to address climate change, training women and girls on digital skills, advocating in international forums for improved laws to address gender-based violence, or running for political office, World Pulse community members are taking action to improve their communities.

7 out of 10 people surveyed said they took action in 2023 as a result of their involvement with World Pulse.

Top-reported actions include:

• 32% took on a leadership role
• 29% mentored others
• 25% trained or educated others
• 24% started or led a community campaign or program
• 20% completed a training or educational opportunity

• 20% expanded their organization’s work

In addition, 71% of respondents reported the actions they took as a result of their involvement with World Pulse made an impact in or beyond their communities.

“Inspired by the stories of resilient women on World Pulse, I started a mentorship program for young girls in my community. The aim is to empower them with skills, knowledge, and confidence, nurturing a generation of strong, independent women who can contribute meaningfully to society. Overall, the most significant change in my life and the lives of others as a result of my involvement with World Pulse is the tangible progress towards gender equality at both local and global levels. The stories and experiences shared on this platform have not only enlightened me but also empowered me to be an agent of change in my community and beyond." — Woman in Nigeria

Here’s a breakdown of this impact:

• 45% report improvement in relationships with family, friends and/or communities
• 43% report increased awareness of an issue in their community
• 24% report changes in behaviors in their family
• 22% report changes in behaviors in their community
• 21% report increased access to resources and opportunities in their community
• 22% report changes in behaviors in their community
• 17% report improvement in health status of their community
• 14% report improvement in the economic status of the community
• 9% report influence or changes in a law or policy

Help Power Our Future Impact

“World Pulse is an initiative that is not only ahead of its time, but very much needed in today's world, and the world we are creating. It is my earnest belief that World Pulse shall outlive our generation, to impact our children and their children just as it impacted us.” – Woman in Nigeria

With almost 15,000 new members joining World Pulse in 2023, the World Pulse community grew at triple our average yearly join rate, with even more women actively engaging, sharing stories with each other, and catalyzing change. This acceleration of growth means the World Pulse community now hosts 80,000 registered community members (1) from 233 countries and territories. Community members reported going on to impact more than 400,000 lives (2) as a result of their participation with World Pulse, bringing the community’s all-time reported impact to an estimated 25.1 million*lives touched (3).

With this growth, World Pulse is poised to embrace a new era of global impact.

Give to World Pulse's 20th Anniversary Impact Fund to support World Pulse's future. Your dollars will help power women and gender-diverse individuals who are leading incredible social change on the ground, online, and around the world.

Footnotes

1) Refers to the total number of members registered on the World Pulse social networking platform. Previous impact reviews reported on World Pulse’s overall network size, which included registered members as well as subscribers to World Pulse’s newsletters. Beginning in 2024, World Pulse has determined that the number of registered members is the most meaningful metric for tracking our growth.

2) Reflects self-reported estimates of the number of people community members have directly impacted through their actions as a result of their involvement with World Pulse in 2023. In our annual impact survey, these numbers are provided along with a corresponding change story. When a range was provided, we took the conservative estimate. This number also includes data reported in 2023 by Changemakers through their impact dashboards on WorldPulse.org. The impact number represents a variety of types and depths of impact and reach reported by members. While it would be implausible to independently verify all members’ change stories and reported impact, we do seek to follow up with participants who report sizable impact numbers to better understand and contextualize these estimates.

3) An estimated 25.1 million lives reflects the cumulative number of self-reported lives impacted since World Pulse began tracking this number in 2014. All World Pulse impact data reflect an assumption of contribution rather than attribution. While we only report results that our members attribute to World Pulse’s impact in their lives and communities, we recognize we are a contributor factor—one strand in a web of activities and circumstances that members participate in throughout their changemaking journey.