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A New Approach to Philanthropy: Why the Sector Must Prioritize Systems Change — And How Funders Can Respond
As global development challenges like inequality and climate change worsen, philanthropy is increasingly focusing on systems change — i.e., efforts to address the complex root causes of societal problems, rather than simply addressing the problems themselves. Heather Grady at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) explores why this new focus requires a different approach to philanthropic giving, and shares key learnings from RPA's Shifting Systems Initiative that could be useful to the broader philanthropic community working on systems change.
- Categories
- Investing
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‘Build, Test, Respond’: How Lean Testing Enables Organizations to De-Risk Their Scaling Strategies — And Accelerate Their Impact
Both social enterprises and non-profits aspire to create an agile organizational culture that enables them to learn from failure. But according to Amy Ragsdale and Emma Colenbrander at Spring Impact, this is not always easy for organizations dealing with short-term funding cycles and cumbersome evaluation processes. They explore how lean testing can help social enterprises and non-profits optimize their strategy and unlock impact at scale, and share examples of organizations that are using this approach successfully.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Impact Inflection Points: Revelations from the 2023 GIIN Forum
Now is the moment to scale emerging green tech for the period beyond 2030 and to invest in solutions, not just in decarbonizing.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
- Region
- Global
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A New Study Finds Returns on ESG ETFS to Be “Unremarkable”
Only one year, 2020, stood out with ESG ETFs outperforming by 4.2%.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- ESG, impact measurement, research
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Wrap-Around Services Are Changing the Face of Microfinance – For the Better: New Research Shows the Impact of Going Beyond Credit
While loans have always been at the heart of microfinance, credit alone is often not enough to create meaningful impact. To address this, many providers offer additional wrap-around services — from training and health support to savings, insurance and payment solutions — aimed at increasing the impact of their loans. Devin Olmack at 60 Decibels shares findings from 60 Decibels' 2023 Microfinance Index, based on conversations with over 32,000 borrowers across 32 countries, that show the increasing need for a spectrum of services that go beyond microcredit.
- Categories
- Finance
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Using AI to Transform Impact Measurement: Overcoming Language Barriers in Global Development Research
Language and cultural barriers often create a “listening divide” between the providers and beneficiaries of global development programs. According to Daryl Collins and Pravarakya Reddy Battula at Decodis, these barriers make it difficult to develop effective anti-poverty solutions — and artificial intelligence (AI) can play a key role in addressing them. They discuss how Decodis is using AI technology to facilitate survey data collection and analysis in its poverty alleviation research, and highlight the role human intelligence must still play in guiding these efforts.
- Categories
- Technology
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Press Release: Kiva Announces Global Commitments for Women and Refugees at Clinton Global Initiative 2023 Meeting
Kiva’s initiatives will improve the lives of over half a million women and refugees and expand critical partner network for greater financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
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Rainforest Carbon Credit Schemes Misleading and Ineffective, Finds Report
System not fit for carbon offsetting, puts Indigenous communities at risk and should be replaced with new approach, say researchers.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
- Region
- Global
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