If you want to solve a social problem, alleviating symptoms and “scaling” your organization are not going to work. You need to change the social systems that are responsible for the problem in the first place. In other words: you need a different strategy.

Here are three formats to get started.

Quick Review

You receive high-level feedback on your impact strategy and tips for next steps.

Format: video call

Duration: 1.5 hours

Result: feedback covers

  • clarity and comprehensiveness of your understanding of the system that you want to change
  • ideas for how you can continue the strategy process
  • ideas for how you could generate more indirect impact / more impact on a systems level

Workshop

In a single session, your team develops part of a systems change strategy. Donors and partners can participate, too.

Format: facilitated workshop

Duration: 4 or 8 hours

Result: one or two of the following:

  • Root cause analysis
  • Targeted Systems Change
  • Systems Change Journey (a theory of change with milestones that is easy to communicate)
  • Portfolio of concrete ideas for initiatives to achieve the first milestones, including systemic networks

Strategy Process

We follow the process that I developed for Globalizer, Ashoka’s flagship strategy program.

Format: series of video calls (homework between the calls)

Duration: 8-12 weeks (or 16-24 weeks with bi-weekly calls)

Result: full systems change strategy:

  • Root cause analysis
  • Targeted Systems Change
  • Systems Change Journey (a theory of change with milestones that is easy to communicate)
  • Portfolio of concrete ideas for initiatives to achieve the first milestones, including systemic networks