OTED’s Post

“As the proverb goes, going it alone may be faster in the short run, but it won’t help accelerate our collective impact. In that sense, there is only one path that leads to transformation, and that is going farther, together.” – Marla Blow & Don Gips, Skoll Foundation. We’re thrilled to share the Skoll Foundation's insightful new article series, “Social Innovation and the Journey to Transformation,” published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. As the Foundation marks its 25th anniversary, this series underscores the urgent need for bold new energy and partnerships to build a collaborative ecosystem capable of addressing the planet's most pressing challenges. Each article distils key learnings from the Foundation's journey, featuring actionable insights and inspiring examples of social innovators driving meaningful change: 🌐 The transformative role of systems orchestrators in achieving lasting social change. 💰 Collaborative funding models as a foundation for long-term impact strategies. 🏛️ Partnerships with governments to scale social efforts from local to global. 📈 Aligning endowment investments with mission-driven grant making to amplify impact. 🎥 Harnessing storytelling and narrative change for movement building and systems transformation. 🔄 Adopting new measurement models that embrace the nonlinear nature of systems change. 🔗 Explore the series to dive deeper into these critical themes and learn how collaboration is shaping the future of social innovation in the link below. #SocialInnovation #SystemsChange #ImpactInvesting #Collaboration #Sustainability #Partnerships #SkollFoundation #Transformation #SocialEnterprise

Systems change needs transformative work and people and roles who have the hard conversations, the compassion to keep having them and the capacity to connect and weave them into spaces of inequity and disfunction. This series of articles are an important read.

We are thrilled to announce the publication of a new article series, “Social Innovation and the Journey to Transformation”, published today in the Winter 2025 Issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review. As we reflect on the past year and look forward to the next, we’ll be deep-diving into each article’s insights, learnings, and examples. We worked shoulder-to-shoulder with social innovators and other funders from around the globe to develop the series and share what’s working and what we’ve learned about forging solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. https://skoll.wf/journey We invite you to join us in exploring the impactful insights and strategies social innovators are using to drive social transformation. Discover how collaborative efforts in philanthropy are helping innovators take their solutions to the next level of scale and sustainability. From system orchestration and mission-aligned investing to storytelling and new evaluation and learning approaches, this series explores what it takes to transform societies around the world. Philanthropy can play an even larger role in providing sustained support to social innovators who build bridges across sectors and drive collective action. How can we, together, identify new ways to accelerate social transformation, collaborate with one another, and join efforts for outsized impact? Keep an eye out over the coming weeks as we share more inspiring stories and practical lessons from the frontlines of social innovation. #JourneyToTransformation #SocialInnovation #CollaborativePhilanthropy #Impact #CollectiveAction

I’m excited to share this new article series from the Skoll Foundation featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. For 25 years the Skoll Foundation has been at the forefront of supporting social entrepreneurs and innovators who are addressing the world’s most pressing problems. Over the years, it’s recognised the need to evolve - shifting its focus towards fostering more collaborative ecosystems and embracing the critical role of systems orchestration to drive meaningful, collective action. Explore the series in the link below as they share their learnings from the past 25 years and their vision moving forward. #SocialInnovation #SocialEnterprise #SystemsChange #ImpactInvesting #Collaboration #Sustainability #Partnerships #SkollFoundation #Transformation

Exponential challenges need exponential response... an important and timely perspective on system orchestration, collaborative philanthropy, measuring equilibrium shifts and much more... Skoll Foundation, Instituto Beja, Waverley Street Foundation, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, New Profit, Centre for Exponential Change, Centro para Mudanças Exponenciais

How do you go about using your social impact mindset to activate your organization? In other words, WHERE DO YOU BEGIN? START WHERE YOU ARE. Whether it is part of a strategic planning process or executing current initiatives, like engaging members, influencing perceptions, generating new sources of revenue, identifying external impact implementors, or responding to calls for increased environmental accountability, organizations can weave a deeper sense of purpose seamlessly into their existing work. Below are real examples of ways our clients have reframed challenges as opportunities by integrating a social impact approach into their current organizational plans: ➡ By re-defining its current strategic framework, and launching a signature environmental initiative, a chemical manufacturer was able to better align its ‘vibrant communities’ investments with its brand promise to create a better world through the power of chemistry. ➡ Partnering with a STEM society that had expertise in workforce development, allowed a leading trade association to improve its members’ ability to attract top STEM talent and combat negative industry perceptions. ➡ Extending current sponsor benefits with opportunities to participate in invitation-only industry partnerships allowed the sales team of a voluntary health organization to ‘refresh’ its sponsorship offering. ➡ Establishing a bold new initiative to accelerate blood cancer allowed an international cancer research enterprise to attract significant philanthropic investments leading to a venture philanthropy model of drug development. ➡ By consolidating current programs into five transformative priorities, a professional association of engineers was able to capture the imagination of over 200 corporate leaders, 7,000 individuals with $54MM raised. ➡ Developing new pricing models and incorporating a place-based model of economic development into its current programming, attracted new members and allowed a NJ-based chamber of commerce to better address local community needs. ➡ Shifting from transaction to transformation need not be an onerous endeavor. All it requires is the willingness to lead with your purpose – an intention that is bigger than you - everything else you need likely already exists. According to Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of the classic, Man’s Search for Meaning, it is the discovering and pursuing of one’s unique sense of meaning and purpose in life that pushes us beyond our circumstances. The ability to see my health event as an opportunity for growth, was the turning point in my health journey over these past two years. This shift helped move me from an attitude of fear with limited options to abundance, which is hopeful, expansive, and filled with possibilities. #ChemE #Corporatesocialresponsibility #Innovation #Manufacturing #Engineering #STEM #Socialimpact #Philanthropy

Sharing some of the key takeaways from the 2024 Social Innovation Summit me and my colleagues, Christine DiBartolo and Will O'Brien, found most thought-provoking on opportunities to deliver the greatest impact to stakeholders, as our clients and their partners continue to navigate an increasingly dynamic social, political and business environment. #SIS24 #socialimpact #sustainability

It was great attending the Social Innovation Summit last week with my colleagues Jessica Roston and Will O'Brien. Bottom line: Despite the increasingly divisive rhetoric we continue hear and see, there are so many issues that can bring us together. It gives me hope to know so many business, government and non-profit leaders are using their platforms to support the people and communities in which they operate. #teamfti #SIS2024 #socialimpact #ESG #corporatepurpose

Incredibly proud to see Aline Sara from NaTakallam and Omar Itani from FabricAID receive the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Innovation Award ! It is not only the innovative companies that they've launched that got them this award, but also their resilience and determination to keep going despite all the odds and the difficulties that they have faced. What keeps them going is simply the vulnerable individuals that benefit from their mission, as well as their teams, who rely so heavily on them. It is not easy for any entrepreneur, let alone a social entrepreneur, as they get much less support than others... B2B is a big part of both of their missions and connecting them to purchasing departments is the easiest and one of the best way to support them. So if you or your company is looking for translation or tutoring services, look no further than NaTakallam who can handle 9 different languages! And if you're looking for upcycled corporate merchandise (including through the use of your company's own used textile or uniforms), or if you have excess clothing or textile to get rid of, look not further than FabricAID!

In 2014, The Social Media Academy - Social Media London , led by Mark Hamilton-Taylor , made waves in digital marketing. Fast forward to 2024, Mark is now channeling his efforts into a cause close to his heart through The Social Impact Academy. This new venture is driven by a deeply personal mission: to enhance understanding of neurodiversity and address the heartbreaking connection between neurodivergence and suicide. This commitment stems from a traumatic experience where Mark nearly lost his autistic son to suicide, a tragedy exacerbated by a social worker who misunderstood autism and provided misleading information in court. Despite a subsequent court ruling affirming that his son should live with him, the damage had been done. Inspired by this ordeal, The Social Impact Academy aims to prevent such tragedies by improving awareness and training across various sectors. With a focus on saving lives, the academy believes that even a few hours of training could potentially save over 1,000 people each year. The academy’s dual mission spans both personal and professional realms: ✨️Mission 1: Enhancing Neurodiversity Understanding** - ✨️👉Goal: To improve how neurodivergence is understood and managed by general practitioners and other professionals. - ✨️👉Approach: Advocating for better training programs that equip GPs and other practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to support neurodiverse individuals effectively. By addressing these critical areas, The Social Impact Academy strives to create a more informed and supportive environment for neurodiverse individuals, helping to prevent tragic outcomes and foster a more inclusive society. we wish Mark who also founded us, The Social Media Academy - Social Media London The Very Best the team he has pulled together will change the world 🌎 for the better ✨️👉💛✨️ #esg #love #SocialImpact #community #netzero #climate #futuregenerations #environment