

Related Articles
Where is the good news? I need it today!
Working in the field of community development with both funders and their implementing partners I am constantly looking for innovative and creative ways to solve social issues. Because of the amount of research and benchmarking that I co...
Let’s do social innovation rather than corporate social investment
Companies cannot be sustainable if the communities they depend on for future business are unsustainable. While this may sound as logical and common sensical as continually adapting CSI efforts to keep up in an ever-changing world, so man...
Measuring impact – and getting better at it
We started our impact journey in 2009. It is only through looking back that we realised how far we have come. We did not set out to change the world, simply to answer a single question: What difference did we make? Since then, we have as...
Getting the human rights impact assessment right
Outcomes and case study of due diligence processes for human rights impact assessments....
Reimagining A Future For Corporate Social Investment
We are entering a new world order and future blockbusters and documentaries about the past will probably refer to the eras before coronavirus (BC) and after coronavirus (AC). Whatever your worldview, it is now clear from the world’s coll...
Rethinking the funding of NGOs
The Next Generation Research Report 2020, Disruption with Impact dived deep into how the development sector, and how the funding of NGOs, is changing. Some of the most significant pressures that organisations face is the demand to become...
Social investors now want to see impact, sustainability – and ROI (2018 CSI trends media release)
12 April 2018 Investing in social and developmental causes has become increasingly innovative lately, moving away from one-directional donations and suchlike. Social investors now use a mix of finance models to put their money where it h...
How to develop a theory of change
A good theory of change gives you choices and helps you make better decisions, in addition - it is a tool that can be used by so many stakeholders, both internally and externally to an organisation as it explains clearly and succinctly...
Saving South Africa’s Social Sector
There’s an increasing sense of concern, disconnect, desperation and even hopelessness among the stakeholders that make up South Africa’s humanitarian sector – and with good reason. The sector is facing numerous challenges that not only...
Determining impact and return: How now?
How to measure the impact and return on investment of community/social programmes has plagued industry practitioners for a long time. The Investment Impact Index™ was developed as a uniquely African methodology to solve this problem. ...
2020 CSI Trends, Forecasts and Impacts – Presentation
The new year always brings new hope, and trend forecasters are quick to join the cause to predict positive future scenarios. However, our research indicated that the social investment and development sector remains in turmoil....
Towards 2030: Redesigning the future of humanitarian sector
Increased complexityThere is no doubt as the world changes, so we will have to reimagine the way philanthropy, grantmaking and corporate social investment is conducted. An intimidating range of forces—globalization, a changing ecosyste...
Going beyond measuring numbers
Social and impact investors have an obligation to share their impact results. But, most investors focus only on the reach aspect - that is the number of people impacted. Yet, qualitative data provide so much more depth, nuance and insigh...
Blended Finance
Innovative and blended finance as a route to greater social impact and sustainabilityThere are three ways in which private resources can be harnessed for meeting societal needs: Through charitable giving and philanthropy Through corporat...
2017 CSI trends, forecasts and impacts – executive summary
Grantmaking: Executive Summary of research report 2017/2018: Reflections and insights from Africa regarding the social investment and development sectors....
Performance measurement and management – future critical tools for social and impact investors
Performance measurement and management practices – monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment – play an invaluable role in providing insights into becoming more effective. Lessons from past evaluation studies have shaped our curr...
A new future vision for the humanitarian ecosystem
Global polycrisis requires transformative philanthropy Hardly a day goes by that we don’t read or hear about an existing or new crisis, catastrophe or calamity, critical challenges or being at a crossroads. All these c-words also have ...
How stakeholder engagement improves community development projects and programmes
Engagement refers to the many ways in which companies connect with and involve stakeholders and the community in the development and implementation of community initiatives. Engagement covers a range of participation options, ranging fro...
Stakeholder engagement in Africa: Culture, risk and individual engagement
takeholder engagement in Africa can be a rewarding experience when the engagement process is customised based on individual stakeholder needs. Diverse stakeholders can have a positive impact on company activities, as feedback and inclusi...
Africa starts shaping its own future – and the world is noticing
We’ve had news to this effect from various fronts, but we now have good reason to believe that 2018 – and beyond – will be Africa’s time. Globally, the disruptions, challenges and tensions of the past few years will continue, but...