Scaling Social Impact

Explore how organisations can amplify social change by integrating intervention design, governance, systems management, collaborations and partnerships, and technology to achieve impactful and scalable outcomes.

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Why the Social Sector Is The Next Place To BeBlog

30 May 2022

Why the Social Sector Is The Next Place To Be

This article outlines the dynamic opportunities emerging in the social sector. It discusses how increasing investments in social innovation and purpose-driven work are transforming career landscapes and creating impactful roles. The post highlights trends that make the sector increasingly attractive for professionals seeking meaningful, transformative work and outlines the benefits of a career dedicated to achieving social change.

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Blog
  • 1 May 2022

How Development Management fuels social enterprises and social entrepreneurship

Many people have a deep interest in joining the social sector, but very few have a nuanced and informed understanding of the various aspects involved in working in it. For example, social purpose organisations that generate profit come as a surprise to most. Similarly, many may not be aware of the difference between social entrepreneurship and a social enterprise. Social enterprises, in fact, carry out a purely commercial activity, while social entrepreneurship has an underlying social objective and is not…
Blog
  • 1 March 2025

Demystifying Social Change

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
  • 1 March 2025

Impact Or Illusion? Report Launch Event

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
  • 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 March 2024

Digital Open Solutions For Social Impact

The event marked the inauguration of the ISDM CDSSI Fellowship 2024-25: Digital Open Solutions (DOS) for Social Impact. It welcomed the first cohort of six fellow teams on Mar 15, 2024, at an orientation held at The School of Ancient Wisdom in Bengaluru. The closed-door, hybrid event was attended by over 35 individuals, including Fellow teams, mentors, and key stakeholders from ISDM. CDSSI welcomed its first cohort of six fellow teams on March 15, 2024, at an orientation held at The School of Ancient Wisdom in Bengaluru. This event marked the inauguration of the ISDM CDSSI Fellowship 2024-25.
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.
Media Article
  • 1 January 2024

Request for Proposal (RFP): Evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Package 3 – Education

Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the Development Monitoring & Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog, Government of India. Dated July 2024, this 131-page document invites technical consultants to evaluate various education sector schemes. It outlines the background, objectives, scope of work, eligibility criteria, evaluation process, and submission guidelines for interested applicants.
Academic / Journal Article
  • 1 January 2021

Big, Open Data for Development: A Vision for India

The paper advocates for the Indian government to make its extensive administrative data publicly accessible. The authors argue that open data can enhance policy-making, increase accountability, empower citizens, and stimulate economic growth. They provide case studies demonstrating these benefits and discuss strategies for effective data dissemination while addressing privacy concerns. The paper also examines the role of data transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that greater openness could have improved policy responses and saved lives.
Case Study
  • 1 October 2021

SEARCH – Building a scalable model in Public Health

This case-let brings together insights from the experience of Dr Abhay and Rani Bang in building a community-based public healthcare model using an empowerment approach. The case-let also provides the learners with an opportunity to identify key strategies that enable community-based public healthcare models to scale through government partnerships and institutionalisation. It presents an opportunity for learners to critically engage with strategies that embed themselves in the socio-political and economic constraints of the context.
Paper / Report
  • 2 February 2024

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

This report, published by ISDM’s Centre for Data Science & Social Impact (CDSSI), examines how data-driven strategies are transforming the social sector. It explores best practices and real-world examples of data collection, management, analysis, and use by Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs). Highlighting gaps in awareness, capacity, and infrastructure, the report calls for SPOs to assess their data maturity using CDSSI’s Data Maturity Assessment framework. It advocates for targeted capacity building, ecosystem collaboration, and resource alignment to harness data for better decision-making and greater social impact.
Blog
  • 25 January 2024

Learnings From The Past……. New Beginnings For The Future

As we get ready to welcome the Class of 2021-2022, here’s a sneak preview of the exciting curriculum that we have curated for our future cohorts of Development Management Professionals.The new academic year begins on July 26 ,2021 with a special Term Zero devoted to building a core skill set that is crucial to the initiation of the PGP DM courses in August, 2021. It includes sessions on Excel, Data Analysis, Communication, Learning via the Case Study Method with an…
Blog
  • 18 February 2019

I Have a Dream: India Where People Recognise Mother Earth Has Rights Too

In this visionary article, the author shares a hopeful vision of an India where environmental stewardship is prioritized and Mother Earth is accorded legal rights. The piece advocates for paradigm shifts in policy and societal values to establish sustainable practices, reduce ecological degradation, and promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. It calls for a transformative approach that recognizes nature as a stakeholder in development.

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