Social Impact Strategy Archives

From funding to futures (part 2): from programmes to partnerships

No single actor can solve inequality, unemployment, or climate risk. In this article, we continue our deep dive into the shifts in social investment that are necessary to unlock its power to build a future that works: moving from charity to systemic change, from programmes to partnerships, and from accounting to accountability. Last week, we examined the shift from thinking of social investment as charity to understanding it as a tool for systemic change. Here, we discuss the importance of partnerships in social investment to enable impact at scale.

Using the Theory of Change to evaluate and strengthen social investments

Using materiality assessments to meaningfully engage stakeholders in ESG priority-setting

In an era where environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are increasingly pivotal in organisational decision-making and strategy design, the importance of stakeholder engagement cannot be overstated. An in-depth understanding of stakeholder priorities and the ESG factors that drive business success is necessary for any organisation looking to take its approach from ESG box-ticking to something that leads to genuine social and environmental impact. Materiality assessments are a valuable, multi-faceted tool that support organisations in strengthening their ESG strategies and reporting, in part by enabling meaningful stakeholder engagement.

Key considerations in community trust design and operations

There is no single right way for a community trust to operate, but the decisions made in this regard have significant implications for impact, reporting and measurement. In February, Tshikululu facilitated a session on building capacity for impactful delivery at the INSPIREd Community Trusts Learning Event, hosted by the Initiative for Social Performance in Renewable Energy (INSPIRE). Drawing on Tshikululu’s more than 25 years’ experience in managing social investment trusts, and leveraging insights from our Community Trust Benchmarking Report, this interactive session explored the governance and operating models of Trusts in South Africa, the key factors Trusts should consider when deciding on an operating model, and the implications of this choice for delivering impact.

Learning from the Maths Challenge Programme: results-based monitoring to enhance education strategy ~ Sarah Cairns and Lebohang Letsela

Despite high spending on education relative to other countries, South Africa scores poorly on most international education rankings. In 2004, the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) argued that the country would need to double the number of matric Higher Grade (HG)[1] mathematics and science passes for economic growth, a goal which was formally adopted by the government in 2006. Epoch and Optima Trusts, founded by Anglo American, established the Maths Challenge Programme (MCP) in 2007 in response to this imperative. Tshikululu managed and monitored the programme over its 15-year lifespan. Effective monitoring, grounded in a results-based approach, with comprehensive data analysis and reporting have been essential in tracking progress over the course of the programme – and, ultimately, providing the data for making evidence-based decisions about its future.

Fit-for-purpose M&E in the South African context

Measurement of performance and impact is essential for all development stakeholders looking to bring about meaningful social change. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) or impact management and measurement (IMM)1 provides us with a structured way of understanding what a social investment is achieving. However, our efforts to measure success are meaningful only if they are appropriate for the real-world context in which they are being applied. As part of exploring this, Tshikululu hosted a webinar on fit-for-purpose M&E in the South African context on 11 July 2024.