Technology for Social Change and Organisational Efficiency

Harness technology and digital tools to address complex social challenges, enabling innovation and creating contextual, scalable, and sustainable solutions that also enhance operational and organisational efficiency.

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Development Management in PracticeBook

30 December 2025

Development Management in Practice

This book is a compilation of research papers and case studies presented at ISDM’s Dialogues on Development Management (DoDM) event held in 2024. The book brings together a rich collection of empirical insights and analyses from practitioners, researchers, and development professionals engaged in strengthening the social sector in India. The volume illuminates how theory and practice intersect across three thematic pillars, Talent Management for Inclusive Development, Empowering the Marginalised through Intervention Management, and Organisational Efficiency in Sociological and Technological Dimensions, to advance the field of development management.

Fellowship 2025 Final Showcase (Digital Open Solutions (DOS) for Social Impact)Blog

1 April 2025

Fellowship 2025 Final Showcase (Digital Open Solutions (DOS) for Social Impact)

The CDSSI Fellowship Brochure 2025 details the fellowship program at the Centre for Digital Social Sector Initiatives (CDSSI), highlighting its objective to support professionals in developing innovative Digital Open Solutions (DOS) that address critical challenges in the social sector. The brochure outlines the fellowship structure, including mentorship, capacity building, and collaboration opportunities. It emphasizes the final outputs of the fellowship—scalable and replicable DOS developed by the fellows—aimed at driving digital transformation and social impact in diverse thematic areas.

U&I: Nurturing Empathy for EffectivenessCase Study

2 March 2022

U&I: Nurturing Empathy for Effectiveness

U&I is a volunteer-driven charitable organization based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. It provides non-formal education to underprivileged children in 25 cities around India, through a network of over 2,300 volunteers. The casestudy engages with the ways in which conscious design can nurture structures, spaces and processes that enable the integration of an organization’s mission and volunteer model with the leadership’s core principles of empathetic care and authentic relationships. It provides an opportunity for learners to reflect on how designing for empathy can produce tangible programmatic impact, develop in-house leadership and build a self-sustaining organizational culture and volunteer ecosystem.

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Embracing Innovation in Education: Tools for Enhanced Learning and CollaborationBlog

8 May 2024

Embracing Innovation in Education: Tools for Enhanced Learning and Collaboration

In today's digital age, innovation has become an integral part of every aspect of our lives, including education. With the rapid advancements in technology, students now have access to a wide range of tools that aid their learning journey. These tools have revolutionized the way education is imparted and have made learning more engaging, interactive, and effective. In this article, we will explore how embracing innovation in education through the use of advanced tools can greatly benefit students.Personalized Learning for...

Development Management in PracticeBook

30 December 2025

Development Management in Practice

This book is a compilation of research papers and case studies presented at ISDM’s Dialogues on Development Management (DoDM) event held in 2024. The book brings together a rich collection of empirical insights and analyses from practitioners, researchers, and development professionals engaged in strengthening the social sector in India. The volume illuminates how theory and practice intersect across three thematic pillars, Talent Management for Inclusive Development, Empowering the Marginalised through Intervention Management, and Organisational Efficiency in Sociological and Technological Dimensions, to advance the field of development management.

Code4Change Is Different. It Is About Contributing To Society.Blog

1 March 2025

Code4Change Is Different. It Is About Contributing To Society.

Winners of the second edition of Code4Change, Teams Harmony and Level Up, talk about tackling real-world challenges with data-driven solutions.

State of the Sector: A Report on the Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in IndiaPaper / Report

1 August 2025

State of the Sector: A Report on the Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in India

The State of the Sector Report offers insights into data readiness and barriers within the social sector across various relevant segments such as type of organisation, thematic areas of work, organisational size, annual expenditure, and geographic presence. The report is designed to shed light on specific challenges faced by organisations in their data maturity, journey and to inspire funders and ecosystem enablers to invest resources in advancing data maturity within the sector.

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Blog
  • 1 April 2025

Fellowship 2025 Final Showcase (Digital Open Solutions (DOS) for Social Impact)

The CDSSI Fellowship Brochure 2025 details the fellowship program at the Centre for Digital Social Sector Initiatives (CDSSI), highlighting its objective to support professionals in developing innovative Digital Open Solutions (DOS) that address critical challenges in the social sector. The brochure outlines the fellowship structure, including mentorship, capacity building, and collaboration opportunities. It emphasizes the final outputs of the fellowship—scalable and replicable DOS developed by the fellows—aimed at driving digital transformation and social impact in diverse thematic areas.
Blog
  • 1 July 2025

Data Science in Real Estate: Roles, Benefits and Applications

This article explores the transformative impact of data science on the real estate sector. It highlights various roles for data scientists, emphasizing how their expertise can enhance decision-making. The benefits discussed include improved property valuation, optimized marketing strategies, and better risk assessment. Furthermore, the article delves into practical applications such as predictive analytics for market trends, personalized customer experiences, and efficient portfolio management, showcasing data science as a crucial tool for innovation and competitive advantage in real estate.
Blog
  • 1 July 2025

Data Science in Agriculture

This blog post from KnowledgeHut explores the transformative impact of data science on the agriculture sector. It discusses how data analytics, machine learning, and AI are being used to optimize crop yields, predict weather patterns, manage livestock, and enhance overall farm efficiency. The article highlights precision agriculture techniques that rely on data-driven insights to reduce waste, improve resource allocation, and increase profitability for farmers. It showcases the diverse applications of data science in addressing modern agricultural challenges and fostering sustainable practices.
Case Study
  • 1 October 2021

Cisco: Technology and Partnerships for Impact

This case-let highlights the work undertaken by Cisco in using technology to enable partnerships for social impact. The case-let engages with the efforts involved by a multinational technology company like Cisco to develop effective partnerships in the social sector and maximise the potential of technology in this space. The case-let explores Cisco’s partnerships with individual non-profit entities as well as its larger missions operating at the scale of nations. It also provides learners the opportunity to reflect on the role of technology in civil society.
Case Study
  • 1 October 2021

e-Choupal: Reinventing Market Linkages in Agriculture

This case-let presents the model by which ITC’s “e-Choupal” initiative helped redefine how farmers in some states in India could sell their produce at fair prices by eliminating intermediaries and added transportation costs. The model helped find a participatory approach to the many challenges that plague the agrarian sector in India. The case-let helps readers understand the context of the problem with evidence and provides details of the e-Choupal model and its positive impact on the farmer’s collective.
Paper / Report
  • 2 February 2024

The Power of Data for Impact Part I: A study of data-driven practices & solutions in the social sector

To explore how the social sector leverages data and data science, Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) conducted a research project, culminating in a two-part report titled “The Power of Data for Impact”. The first part, “A Study of Data-Driven Practices & Solutions in the Social Sector” offers practical insights and examples of how social purpose organisations (SPOs) use data to drive large-scale impact. It was launched on February 28, 2024, during the online panel ‘Data Science for Social Impact,’ where experts discussed how data enhances organisational outcomes.
Case Study
  • 3 October 2022

Mohammed Yunus and Grameen Bank

This case-let introduces Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank, exploring his pioneering work in microcredit. It examines Yunus’s motivations, personal characteristics, and the contextual factors that shaped his journey in redefining poverty alleviation through access to credit. Learners will gain insights into the principles and applications of microcredit and microfinance, while also engaging with the systemic and cultural shifts driven by Yunus and Grameen Bank in Bangladesh—a nation still in its formative years when the bank was established in 1983.
Book
  • 1 November 2024

Data, In Deed

Data Stories features 6 inspirational stories of how SPOs are using data to maximise their impact. Five of these stories are told in the unique format of a graphic novel and emphasise how data-driven decision-making has helped these SPOs create real, measurable change on the ground. Told in a narrative, storytelling style, each story shows how the use of data has helped the SPO become more efficient, and have a greater positive impact on the community it works with.
Paper / Report
  • 1 December 2023

Innovative Finance Made Simple: A Primer for Innovative Financing Instruments in India

This primer aims to demystify existing financial instruments in India, enabling and empowering social sector organizations to make informed decisions to access funding. It provides an introductory overview of innovative finance instruments, including stakeholders, processes, value propositions, applicability, and associated risks. The resource is designed to help social purpose organizations understand and navigate the landscape of innovative financing options available to them.
Paper / Report
  • 2 May 2024

The Power of Data for Impact Part 2: An overview of data enablers in the social sector

The report delves into data enablers within India’s social sector ecosystem. It maps key actors, including government open‑data initiatives at central and state levels, private-sector platforms, consulting firms, cloud providers, volunteers, academia, and global organisations like the UN. Through case studies and policy analysis, the report demonstrates how these intermediaries facilitate adoption of data-driven solutions by SPOs. It presents concrete recommendations for both implementing organisations and enablers, driving a holistic approach to strengthen data infrastructure, governance, capability, and partnerships across the sector.
Blog
  • 2 February 2024

Inclusive philanthropy for inclusive development: A systems thinking approach

Philanthropy must move beyond symptom-solving to address systemic social challenges. At WINGSForum 2023, ISDM’s Centre for Philanthropy for Inclusive Development led discussions on systems thinking, participatory grant-making, and inclusive approaches. By fostering collaboration and challenging power dynamics, philanthropy can drive long-term, transformative change for a more equitable and inclusive future. This blog is an outcome of that exercise.
Blog
  • 1 June 2025

The Growing Impact of Data Science in the Energy Industry

Data science is significantly impacting the energy industry by offering predictive analytics capabilities for forecasting demand, production, consumption, and distribution. This article highlights how data science contributes to greater efficiency in energy grids and informs strategic decision-making. Key trends include augmented analytics, AI as a service, and data democratization, all designed to make complex data more accessible and actionable for energy professionals. The integration of data science leads to optimized operations and better resource management within the energy sector.
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