Adaptive Strategies & Approaches for Organisational Mission

Focus on designing and implementing strategies and approaches to achieve an organisation’s vision and mission based on institutional design principles.

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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.

A Typology of Organisations in the Indian Social SectorPaper / Report

2 August 2022

A Typology of Organisations in the Indian Social Sector

The Indian social sector is vast and growing, but existing typologies fail to capture its diversity. Most research focuses on Western economies, where social enterprises differ in structure and demands. To address this gap, we first review existing typologies of social sector enterprises. Then, we propose a hierarchical typology tailored to India, considering multiple characteristics. Finally, we identify key factors for applying this framework. This approach aims to enhance understanding of India’s unique social sector landscape.

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Blog
  • 2 January 2024

Creativity and Complexity in Development Management

This article explores the role of creativity in navigating the inherent complexity of development management. It discusses how innovative approaches can help organizations tackle multifaceted social challenges, streamline processes, and drive effective change. The post provides examples and theoretical insights to demonstrate that embracing complexity and fostering creative problem-solving are essential for transformative, sustainable development.
Media Article
  • 1 September 2024

The Role Of Collaborative Innovation In The Social Sector

In the heart of India’s vibrant and complex social landscape, a quiet but powerful revolution is underway. Traditional approaches to tackling deep-rooted issues like poverty, inequality, and health care disparities have often yielded incremental progress. However, a new wave of initiatives is proving that evidence-based solutions, fueled by collaboration and open-source technologies, can redefine the narrative of social impact.
Event Report
  • 1 June 2023

CDSSI Centre Launch

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
  • 1 June 2023

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

Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) and Citicorp Finance (India) Limited announced the launch of Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) to leverage data and data science in the social sector by boosting collaboration across research and capacity building, as well as by promoting knowledge sharing in Bangalore. Launched in Bengaluru, CDSSI will 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. CDSSI will also provide a platform to share best practices and insights, as well as demonstrate how SPOs utilise data to quickly identify challenges, solve problems, and make informed decisions.
Case Study
  • 2 October 2024

A Game A Day Keeps Malnutrition Away

Nourishing Schools’ toolkit uses educational games to teach nutrition and hygiene among Grades 5–9 in Rajasthan. Baseline and midline survey data showed severe thinness dropped from 22 % to 12 %, adequate nutrition rose to 56 %, handwashing increased from 0 % to 99 %, and fruit/vegetable consumption went from 59–89 %. Launched in 2013, the intervention now covers ~95k children across 330+ schools. Its two-year program, monitored via monthly surveys and school engagement, fosters behaviour change through hands-on learning and garden activities
Media Article
  • 1 June 2023

Centre For Data Science And Social Impact Launched In Bengaluru

Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) and Citicorp Finance (India) Limited have announced the launch of the Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) in Bengaluru to leverage data and data sciences in the social sector. The centre is aimed at helping social purpose organisations connect with funders, academia and tech enablers to accelerate the adoption of data sciences by the social sector and demonstrate how SPOs can utilise data to identify challenges and solve problems,
Case Study
  • 1 September 2024

Drawing Inspiration From Data

Mumbai’s Saturday Art Class (SArC) conducted a nine‑month visual arts and SEL intervention (June 2023–March 2024) across 550+ students. Baseline, midline, and endline assessments measured six behavioural outcomes—joy, imagination, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, perseverance—and also respect and confidence. Joy scores rose from 4.03 to 4.31, imagination from 3.77 to 4.31, with observable improvements in other metrics. Data-driven insights led to government partnerships (MCGM, Nagaland), expanded reach (178k+ students), and ongoing evaluation to standardize the model
Media Article
  • 1 January 2024

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

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and President, ISDM Can you share the vision behind CDSSI? The Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) endeavours to catalyse a transformative shift in the social sector’s approach to data. CDSSI will do this by empowering Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) to understand and harness the power of data and data science to design their interventions for far greater sustained impact at scale and also strengthen their operations, decision-making, and program delivery.
Blog
  • 1 January 2025

Code4Change Is A Great Platform To Bring Different Stakeholders Together

Team DevSol4, which won the first edition of Code4Change 2023-24, shares why more data science professionals should participate in this unique event CDSSI held the first edition of Code4Change 2023-24 (C4C) at the SAIACS CEO Centre on May 24 in Bengaluru. The event culminated with team DevSol4 being declared the winner. The team, from Development Solutions (DS), included Jagan (MEL Manager), Agrima (Project Manager), and Research
Event Report
  • 2 May 2024

The Power Of Data For Impact

CDSSI conducted research culminating in a two-part report titled ‘The Power of Data for Impact’. Part I discusses data-driven practices in the social sector; Part II focuses on enablers facilitating data adoption. Events included panel discussions with experts on leveraging data science for social 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.
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 The second ISDM CDSSI Code4Change event, held on 17th February 2025 at Bangalore International Centre, crowned two winners! Six shortlisted solutions were judged by a panel of experts from the social sector and technology space. The jury included Chirag Singla (Founder and CTO, FIGR), Uthara
Framework / Toolkit / App
  • 1 April 2025

SEVA Vetbot App

SEVA Vetbot App helps livestock owners find herbal treatments for common animal illnesses. It supports farmers in rural areas who lack access to affordable veterinary care. Users can ask questions in Tamil or English using text or voice. In few months it will be available in other different languages. The platform uses AI to suggest treatments from a growing database of traditional practices. Available through a chatbot, it’s currently being tested with over 500 field workers. Plans are in place to reach 1 million users by 2030.

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