• Blog

Demystifying Social Change

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 March 2025
Capturing social change has always been like navigating an endless maze, where each turn reveals new challenges. India’s development sector stands at a critical juncture in this maze. Moving beyond input tracking and basic monitoring, the focus is now on outcomes and impact—dimensions that are harder to measure. Over time, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) has evolved as a critical tool to make sense of this complexity, acting like a compass in the chaos. While it has taken new forms such as MEL
  • Event Report

Impact Or Illusion? Report Launch Event

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 March 2025
Impact or Illusion: Unpacking the Complexity of Social Change Measurement explores challenges highlighted by a diverse panel of practitioners, funders, evaluators, and NPO leaders. The report confirms real-world impact but stresses that conventional indicators often miss indirect and long-term outcomes – measuring shift takes time and nuance. It reveals misaligned definitions of “impact” across stakeholders and raises concern over data fatigue caused by excessive collection of low-value metrics. The report calls for co-created measurement frameworks, capacity building for funders and NPOs, streamlined data aligned with program logic, and a collaborative ecosystem that emphasises learning and adaptive change
  • Media Article

The Role Of Collaborative Innovation In The Social Sector

  • Source : Hindustan Times
  • 1 September 2024
Swetha Prakash of the Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) at ISDM writes for Hindustan Times’ HT Insight on how collaborative innovation is transforming India’s social sector. The article explores how partnerships, open-source tools, and data science are being used to tackle entrenched challenges such as inequality and access to services. The piece highlights initiatives like the ISDM Fellowship, that brings together data scientists, practitioners, and community leaders to build scalable solutions. It offers a glimpse of a future where evidence-based approaches drive greater impact and funders play a strategic role in scaling social change.
  • Event Report

CDSSI Centre Launch

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 June 2023
The Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) was launched on June 16, 2023, in Bangalore with two panel discussions. Over 60 experts in the field of data science (focused on social development) attended the convening. The launch aimed to connect Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) with funders, academia, tech enablers, and other experts to drive rapid adoption of data and data science by the social sector.They contributed their insights, experiences, and recommendations on the intersection of data science and social impact, and the possibilities, good practices, challenges, successes, failures, and emerging trends in utilising data science for driving positive change.
  • Media Article

Indian School Of Development Management Launches Centre For Data Science And Social Impact With Citi At Koramangala In Bangalore

  • Source : Hans India
  • 1 June 2023
The Hans India covers the launch of the Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) by the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) in Bengaluru in partnership with Citicorp Finance (India) Limited. The Centre aims to boost the use of data science in the social sector by strengthening collaboration among social purpose organisations, funders, academia, tech partners, and experts. Read about how it was launched at a convening that brought together thought leaders to discuss how data can help non-profits identify challenges, solve problems, and make better decisions for greater impact.
  • Case Study

A Game A Day Keeps Malnutrition Away

  • Source : ISDM
  • 2 October 2024
Nourishing Schools Foundation educates children from lower socio-economic backgrounds about their nutrition with a toolkit of educational games. The result? A higher BMI, and increased fruits and vegetables in their diet.
  • Media Article

Centre For Data Science And Social Impact Launched In Bengaluru

  • Source : Deccan Herald
  • 1 June 2023
Deccan Herald reports on the launch of the Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) in Bengaluru, a new initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of data science in India’s social sector. CDSSI will help Social Purpose Prganisations (SPOs) connect with funders, academic institutions, technology partners, and experts to harness data for more effective programs and greater impact. The article highlights how this Centre will bridge gaps between practitioners and enablers, boosting capacity and collaboration for data-driven decision-making in development work.
  • Event Report

All For Data, Data For All

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 February 2024
ISDM, in collaboration with Capgemini, launched ISDM DataSights, a user-friendly, free-to-use data portal that can help grassroots organisations work towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)Big Data is transforming some of the world’s biggest businesses, so why should the social sector be left behind?When Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) have easy access to high-quality, reliable, contextualised data, they can make better program decisions, streamline organisational thinking, and scale up their impact. But the data available in the public sphere is often fragmented,…
  • Case Study

Drawing Inspiration From Data

  • Source : ISDM
  • 1 September 2024
Mumbai-based NGO Saturday Art Class (SArC) conducted a nine-month study to understand how art could improve behavioural outcomes in students from low-income communities. The result? Measurable joy.
  • Media Article

Data-Driven Social Transformation: The Vision And Initiatives Of CDSSI

  • Source : CXOtoday News Desk
  • 1 January 2024
In an exclusive CXOToday interview, Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and President of the Indian School of Development Management, outlined the vision and initiatives of the Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI). The piece explores how CDSSI aims to spark data-driven social transformation by empowering SPOs to leverage data and data science for more effective decision-making, program delivery, and sustained impact. From building diagnostic tools and training modules to demonstrating real use cases and advocating for interdisciplinary collaboration, the interview sheds light on the centre’s strategy to boost data maturity and innovation in India’s social sector.
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