We saw a significant number of opportunities for shifting systems change practice. These are easy starting points for prototyping a new way of funding partnerships for systems change.

NEW CONTRACT TEMPLATES

Shifting funding agreements from contracting for key deliverables to funding assignments to discover what’s needed.

CO-CREATING WORDS WHICH PROVIDE SHARED UNDERSTANDING

Communication, language, and storytelling practices need upgrading; all parties need to find words which each other understand and frame proposals and pitches from new angles which inspire openness and learning.

NEW TEMPLATES FOR EVALUATION

Success measures need to include mapping of the ripple effect (secondary & tertiary impacts) in addition to other measures that signal significant system change, capturing intended & unintended consequences including surprising results.

SHARED INSTITUTIONS WHICH PROVIDE A HOME FOR THIS WORK

Create institutions which exemplify a new way of operating, whether it’s a fund or a learning organization of consultants - creating more strength and visibility to this work through coming together.

““I want the field to be more collegial right now! I think we need a coalition. The lone hero model of entrepreneurship is bankrupt, instead, we need a networked, inclusive model.””

— Convener of a systems change initiative

NEW SELECTION CRITERIA AND DUE DILIGENCE PROCESS

We can collate new criteria for due diligence for fund seekers which takes into account a new way of operating. E.g., ability to change direction based on new information, demonstrated systems mapping capacity and other considerations which are atypical for current gifting or investment frameworks.

CAPACITY BUILDING EXPERIENCES

Building confidence and skill in iteration and prototyping despite uncertainty. Unlearning some aspects of linear, top-down strategy development.

NEW NORMS ABOUT HOW TO CREATE AN INITIAL RELATIONSHIP

Talk about what your projects and strategies require from an operational perspective up front - words like “collective impact” can explain at a high level what kind of work you will do together, but the details matter to identify if partners are fully aligned. What seems to be useful is to name the phases of the work and what each involves. For example, Future of Fish does a good job of this (see image below):

Download the full report