Demystifying Impact Measurement and Management Using a Systems Lens: Four Jargon-Free Webinars from Glocal Evaluation Week 2025
Going a step further, have you ever wondered what your program or business would look like if the target population had been involved in the broader design process?
We have, and that’s why we see great value in applying a systems lens to organizations’ impact measurement and management (IMM) efforts. Though the concept of systems thinking can seem intimidating, it’s actually straightforward — a way to understand the connections and interactions between the interrelated elements of an organization’s work and the broader ecosystem.
To help make it easier to apply systems thinking to your IMM efforts, the William Davidson Institute (WDI), NextBillion’s parent organization, hosted four free public webinars as part of the Glocal Conference, a virtual global gathering focused on learning and knowledge sharing around monitoring and evaluation.
The webinars happened during Glocal Evaluation Week, June 2–5. They explain foundational concepts and core principles of impact measurement and management using a systems lens in non-jargon terms, discussing real-world applications for businesses and other organizations. They featured panelists from WDI and some of its partners and collaborators, including CARE, Helium Health, Leap Africa, Pro Mujer and Villgro Africa.
The discussions focused on four key topic areas:
Energy/Climate
“From Principles to Practice: How Institutions and Businesses Can Lead a Just Transition”
This session explored examples from Michigan, Colombia and the Philippines as part of a pragmatic discussion of how to apply core IMM principles to real-world scenarios for a sustainable future.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE RECORDING
Healthcare
“Transforming Healthcare Investment in the Silicon Savannah: Ensuring Access, Equity and Impact Across Africa”
The funding gap for healthcare startups in Africa arises from misalignments in the entrepreneur and innovation lifecycle. This session demonstrated how using a systems thinking tool, rich context mapping, can help uncover trends and identify innovations that are addressing the issue.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE RECORDING
Entrepreneurship
“Co-Creating Innovation: Advancing Incubator and Accelerator Success Through Participatory Research”
Traditional accelerators and incubators drive innovation and entrepreneurship, but often overlook the unique needs of entrepreneurs and their communities. This session explored how participatory data collection approaches can enhance program effectiveness and inclusivity.
Empowerment
“Bridging Business Growth, Community Involvement and Women’s Empowerment”
This session drew on the rich history of organizations working on community engagement, technical assistance, women’s empowerment and evaluation to offer practical insights and future directions for effective measurement in this space.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE RECORDING
All four of these webinars aim to inspire you to incorporate a systems lens into your IMM efforts. They are meant to bring knowledge to people who aren’t experienced impact measurement and management or monitoring, evaluation and learning professionals. They’re relevant to people in all roles who see the value of collecting and using data to inform improvements to their operations and strategies.
You can view all the recorded webinars here.
James Militzer is the managing editor of NextBillion, a publication of the William Davidson Institute.
Photo credit: This_is_Engineering
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