• Paper / Report

Funders Perspectives on Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in India

  • Source : ISDM
  • 27 November 2025
Funders’ Perspectives on Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in India is an addendum to the State of the Sector Report published by ISDM CDSSI. It explores how funders view data-driven decision-making in India’s social sector. The insights in this report come from a roundtable discussion, that was held with 19 representatives, from CSRs, family foundations, philanthropic investors, outcome-based funders, and thought leaders. It shows that data maturity is a sector-wide challenge that requires collaboration, trust, and alignment between funders, SPOs, governments, and communities.
  • Case Study

Rooted in Trust, Rising Together

  • Source : ISDM
  • 16 October 2025
In one of Chennai’s oldest urban settlements, over 3,000 families navigate daily challenges marked by poverty, addiction, and instability. Many children return from school to difficult home environments with limited support. Amidst this, one young woman chose to respond— not with sympathy, but with sustained action. Although Vedika was overjoyed, she was left overwhelmed by the amount of work she was putting in. Fundraising, curriculum, operations, team building, trauma counselling—she was doing everything alone. There was no advisory board. No formal governance structure. Just urgency, heart, and a mounting emotional toll on her.
  • Event Report

Pune and Mumbai Summary Report: Systems Convening for Philanthropy for Inclusive Development

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 April 2024
This report summarises insights from two systems thinking convenings held in Pune and Mumbai in April 2024. Organised by CPID at ISDM, the convenings engaged stakeholders to reflect on challenges and systemic traps in Indian philanthropy, and proposed collaborative, inclusive approaches for sustainable development.
  • Event Report

Summary Report: Systems Convening for Philanthropy for Inclusive Development.

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 November 2024
This report summarises the first systems convening held by CPID at ISDM in September 2023, where funders, SPOs, and PSOs used systems thinking to reflect on philanthropic dilemmas in India. Themes include trust-based philanthropy, flexibility in funding, community participation, and the use of the Iceberg Model to uncover behavioural, institutional, and belief system barriers.
  • Blog

RBPM- The Missing Piece- Why RBPM is Essential for Social Change

  • Source : ISDM
  • 8 April 2024
Social change initiatives in India are driven by a collective desire to make a positive difference. Billions of dollars are poured into programs aimed at tackling complex issues like poverty, education, and healthcare. But often, the impact of these programs is difficult to measure, leading to a nagging question: are we truly achieving lasting change?This is where Results-Based Program Management (RBPM) steps in as the missing piece. RBPM is a structured approach that equips program managers with the skills and…
  • Blog

RBPM- Why RBPM is critical for the Development Sector

  • Source : ISDM
  • 7 July 2025
As a social sector professional, I’ve often found myself in a conundrum about a relatively simple but critical question: “Are we truly creating lasting change in society, or are we just busy delivering activities?” The stark reality is that in this complex and resource-constrained development sector, having good intentions alone isn’t enough. We’re constantly requested to show and produce real data-driven results—to move beyond reports of activities and demonstrate measurable impact on the ground.That’s why I have always advocated that…
  • Framework / Toolkit / App

Compliance Excellence Assessment Tool (CEAT)

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 April 2025
The Compliance Excellence Assessment Tool enables SPOs to assess their compliance health across key functions—finance, fundraising, statutory and regulatory, ethics and operations. Designed for completion by organisational leaders in consultation with department heads, the tool establishes a compliance baseline, midline, and endline that sets clear organisational benchmarks—striving for sector-wide standardization and adoption of good practices.
  • Paper / Report

STATE OF THE SECTOR REPORT: Outcomes Readiness among Indian Nonprofits

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 August 2025
As India leads the way in outcomes-based financing (OBF) across sectors like education, health, and skilling, the social sector is undergoing a quiet but profound shift from measuring inputs to delivering results. But how equipped are Indian nonprofits to respond to this change? Our latest report offers the first of its kind assessment of outcomes readiness across 80+ nonprofits in India. Using a robust Outcomes Readiness Framework and a self-diagnostic tool, the study uncovers where nonprofits currently stand, where the capability gaps lie, and what it will take to strengthen their ability to deliver, measure, and improve outcomes.
  • Framework / Toolkit / App

Assistive Funder Toolkit

  • Source : Bridgespan
  • 1 January 2025
The Assistive Funder Toolkit designed by Bridgespan under the Pay-What-It-Takes (PWIT) initiative and hosted in collaboration with ISDM. The objective of the toolkit is to provide a simple way for funders to assess for themselves and explore how they can become “assistive funders” that embody the Pay-What-It-Takes principles and promote strong, resilient nonprofit partners and amplify their impact. The target audience of the toolkit will primarily be institutional funders (Domestic Foundation, CSRs, Global Foundations) and intermediary organizations that work with them.
  • Framework / Toolkit / App

Impact Assessment and Evaluation Guide

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 March 2025
The guidebook will serve as a valuable resource, equipping our target audience with a comprehensive understanding of key concepts, processes and knowledge. In the landscapoe of development initiatives, the terms Monitoring and Evaluation and Impact Assessment (MEIA) are often used interchangeably, leading to confusion and inefficiency. This guidebook serves to provide clarity by defining each concept distinctly as recognising these nuances is essential for effective decision-making and resource allocation in the development sector.
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