Development work is hard. Making change happen at scale is complex and there is not a linear path. Yet, achieving impact at scale is a goal many grantmakers, philanthropists, social and impact investors aim for – but this goal is not often nor easily achieved.Of course, we must also recognize that the ability to make impact in any particular focus …
Over the past seventeen years we’ve assisted numerous social investors, philanthropists, grantmakers and development organisations to not only become more sustainable, but to also create greater social impact.In the process, we’ve collected many insights into social impact innovation, social investment and development. In this article we aim to share some of our insights in the hope that it’ll contribute to …
The term social innovation has been used in a number of ways. Some of the earliest references, dating back to the 1960s, use it to refer to experimental research in the social sciences and humanities. Since then, the term has been used in reference to social enterprise and social entrepreneurship, technological innovations which yield social benefits, corporate social responsibility and …
The newly revisited concept of social capital is now prominent in several fields of social science. For Next Generation Consultants, the concept became important with the introduction of the integrated reporting framework that requires companies and organisations to report on how their activities either contribute to or diminish capital formation. The International Integrated Reporting Council’s guidance suggests that a company’s …
Definition: Socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and social life. In many cases, however, socio-economists focus on the social impact of a specific kind of economic change. Such changes might include displacement of people due to a closing factory, village-to-city migration, market manipulation and even the signing of trade treaties, etc. Value: The goal of a socio-economic study …
“Social capital” as a concept is relatively new, multifaceted and imprecise. “Hard data” on what it is and how it should be measured is therefore not readily available. Companies often only report on the money they invest in communities, but seldom know how much value – or social capital – they’ve created. Much of what is measured is reporting activity, as …
What is social capital? It is “the glue that binds society together’’ and provides the opportunity for businesses to be purposefully involved in creating a sustainable future for their operations, communities, and society at large. It allows companies to demonstrate the impact of their business activities on communities, the economy, and the environment through their stakeholder engagements and the social …