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Demystifying Impact Measurement and Management Using a Systems Lens: Four Jargon-Free Webinars from Glocal Evaluation Week 2025
Want to start collecting relevant impact data on your business — or improve your existing impact measurement and management (IMM) practices? Applying a systems lens to these efforts can offer great value, and though the concept of systems thinking can seem intimidating, it’s actually quite straightforward. The William Davidson Institute will host four free public webinars June 2-5, which will explain core principles of IMM using a systems lens. Presented in jargon-free terms, the webinars will discuss real-world applications for businesses and other organizations working in areas ranging from healthcare and energy to entrepreneurship and empowerment.
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- Energy, Environment, Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Funding African Solutions to the Climate Crisis: Why Local Venture Capital Innovation Holds the Key to Climate Resilience
Africa contributes just 4% of global carbon emissions and faces the world’s most devastating climate impacts — yet it receives only 3.3% of global climate finance (as of 2021/22). Dotun Olowoporoku and Dolapo Morgan at Ventures Platform argue that this disparity presents an urgent need for locally-developed innovation driven by African venture capital. They explore how African VCs can leverage this opportunity to play a central role in the continent’s climate response.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Investing
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Ending the Vicious Circle in PAYGo Solar: How Companies and Investors Can Move the Sector Toward ‘PAYGo 2.0’
The Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) solar industry is facing decreases in both sales and investment capital, as rising customer default rates are driving a vicious circle of worsened unit economics and higher product prices. However, as Dan Murphy and Willem Nolens at PAYGo Lab explain, some companies are thriving by implementing systems to improve customer selection, education and support — an approach often referred to as "PAYGo 2.0." They analyze the industry’s challenges and share key lessons and best practices that can enhance its operational efficiency, financial resilience and sustainable growth.
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- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing
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How the Mining Industry Can Protect Indigenous Rights: Risks and Best Practices for Businesses
As the global demand for critical metals and minerals grows, mining businesses have seen growing resistance from Indigenous communities around the world, due to the impacts mining activity has on their lands and resources. Anna-Kay Brown at Stanbrook Prudhoe explains how mining operations can avoid the financial and reputational risks these conflicts can cause, sharing best practices for protecting Indigenous communities' rights and preserving their wellbeing.
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- Environment
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- ESG, human rights, mining, public policy, regulations
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Fueling Change: The Multiple Impacts of Increasing Liquefied Petroleum Gas Usage in Rural India
To address the negative impacts of cooking with biomass fuel, the Indian government launched a program in 2018 that offers free access to a clean gas cookstove and a refillable cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). But as Shobhit Mishra and Vaishaly Shrimall at MSC explain, the program faced logistical challenges that limited uptake among rural households. They explore the barriers that hinder the adoption of gas cooking in rural India, and discuss the impact of an MSC program that leverages self-help groups to boost LPG uptake while creating entrepreneurship opportunities for local women.
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- Energy, Environment, Finance
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Don’t Underestimate Gen Z: How Youth-Led Solutions are Shaping the Future of Social Entrepreneurship
Generation Z is often labeled as distracted, anxious, lonely or under-skilled. But as George Tsiatis at the Resolution Project and Enactus Global argues, these stereotypes are unfair, and members of Gen Z often possess a unique perspective and determination that enable them to tackle complex social challenges with unprecedented ingenuity and purpose. He shares four areas where young social entrepreneurs are driving innovation and achieving measurable impact, highlighting several youth-led enterprises that are demonstrating the next generation’s approach to leveraging business for social change.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Revitalizing Off-Grid Solar: Why Africa’s PAYGo Sector is Ready for a New Dawn
Africa's off-grid solar sector, particularly pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar, has passed through a period of disillusionment among investors, as profitability has remained elusive. But as Chris Emmott at Acumen, Audrey Desiderato at Mirova and Bankole Cardoso at Delta40 Venture Studio argue, the sector nevertheless stands on the cusp of becoming a mature industry with real and sustainable impact. They explain why they remain optimistic about the future of PAYGo solar as impact investors, and why it's time for honest conversations and compromise from all stakeholders — including companies and their investors — about how the industry can move into the next stage of its development.
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- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing, Technology
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Gender Incentives in Climate Finance: Doubling Down on Proven Approaches During Uncertain Times
With the endpoint of the SDGs just five years away, multiple factors have combined to undercut gender and climate-focused funding in several key global economies. Edward T. Jackson, Yiagadeesen Samy and Katie Turner argue that gender incentives in climate finance offer an effective solution to this dual challenge. They explore how these incentives can boost the supply of affordable, renewable energy, while improving wages and economic autonomy for women workers — and they argue that if there were ever a time to double down on this approach, it is now.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing
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