You’re managing a social impact project. What are the biggest challenges you’ll face?

Ao gerenciar um projeto de impacto social, alguns dos maiores desafios incluem garantir financiamento sustentável, envolver efetivamente a comunidade alvo, assegurar a sustentabilidade a longo prazo, medir e avaliar o impacto de maneira precisa, lidar com barreiras institucionais e políticas, superar resistência à mudança, e enfrentar escassez de recursos. Estes desafios requerem habilidades de liderança, criatividade e resiliência para superar e alcançar os objetivos do projeto.

Three biggest challenges you could be facing: 1. Discrepancy in stakeholder mapping 2. Lack of monitoring and evaluation metrics 3. Bridge the gap between a top-down and bottom-up approach

A major challenge during stakeholder mapping is keeping the analysis open ended. This increases the risk of heterogeneity within the stakeholders, which may then create power imbalances. Create a streamlined stakeholder analysis of those that are directly participating in your project and are the primary beneficiaries. Consult with them on who else would make a good fit for the same.

I have been working in Social Impact Sector for the last 5 years. Initially, my approach was Task Centric without thinking about the stakeholders which affected my relationship and also impacted a very small range of my work because I was too centric to the task and get it done asap. Afterwards while having a conversation with a partner, He shared amazing ideas about program implemention and can be impacted the larger community which shifted my mindset from task centric to collaboration centric. Having that collaboration centric approach helped me engage stakeholders. My organization is an real example of showcasing the power of collaboration because we run it through collaboration for the 2 years straight without any money.

The first thing to understand is that a social impact project is a little alien in the capitalist / liberal world. Although there is an element of doing good that should be enough to engage all stakeholders, what I found is that agreeing with the need to social change does not take you immediately to act on it. Understand the motivations behind each stakeholder, even if it is about a status symbol. It will help you create bespoke arguments and secure funding faster. No, people who do social impact do not work for free :)

Another crucial set of challenges is data availability and quality. Most of the times, social development and impact initiatives are implemented in regions with scarce data literacy. That limits the accuracy of the project’s impact assess. Similarly, social impact is mostly realised in long term, especially if it centred around behavioural changes. To assess the impact at outcome level during or soon after implementation may not truly represent the efforts.

Some of the biggest challenges I may face include securing funding, managing diverse stakeholder expectations, navigating regulatory hurdles, and ensuring sustainable impact in the long term. Impact measurement is the process of assessing the outcomes and effects of a social impact project. It involves gathering data, analyzing results, and evaluating the extent to which the project has achieved its intended goals and made a difference in the lives of its beneficiaries or the community it serves. Effective impact measurement helps demonstrate accountability, inform decision-making, and improve the project's effectiveness over time.

Be pragmatic on measurement. Collect enough information to make relevant decisions, avoid 'nice to know' and consider audiences and their success measures. - As individuals on the project define what makes you feel successful, these can be signs, symbols, feedback or quantitative measures. - Sponsors and executives will have a different definition of success. What commitments have been made? What are the organisation's broader success measures? What measures will ensure ongoing funding? - Consider what impact measures might help with awards or external recognition. Awards can help with funding and continuity of support. Measuring all aspects of a social impact project can be nearly impossible.

It is important to tell the stakeholders about what would be measured and why something must be measured. It is equally important to tell the stakeholders about what is excluded for the impact measurement. Different stakeholders have different expectations over what should be measured. Communication really matters.

Il existe aujourd'hui de nombreux outils et agences facilitant le travail de mesure d'impact. Le mieux est d'appuyer ses tableaux de bord de suivi d'impact directement sur l'outil opérationnel permettant d'accompagnemer les bénéficiaires. Ce qui, pour limiter les coûts de développement et maintenance, peut passer par une solution SaaS ou des outils en low code ou no code.

Resourcefulness is the skill that is required in the Social Impact Sector because this sector have very less resources and each individual has to leverage the resources at the best to create the sustainable solution and circular economy. For instance, If you have 5 books and 100 children, how would you like to approach it? If the school shuts down due to the pollution in Delhi and you were informed a day before. How will you approach to ensure the learning happens next day? Here you have to leverage the current resources by having the strong plan and strategy to implement and make it work effectively and efficiently

Managing a social impact project comes with various challenges, and one of the most significant is resource management. This involves effectively allocating limited resources such as time, funding, and manpower to achieve project goals. Balancing competing priorities, securing adequate funding, and maximizing the use of available resources are key challenges. Effective resource management requires strategic planning, careful budgeting, and constant monitoring to ensure efficiency and sustainability in project implementation.

Time is also a key resource. It is important to be flexible over the time spent on each task as long as the time is rightly allocated under the project scope.

Les budgets étant souvent fortement contraints dans les organisations à Impact, il est impératif de s'appuyer sur des outils de productivité efficaces et sur l'IA pour faciliter et rentabiliser le travail des ressources humaines notamment : ce sur quoi peut accompagner notamment une organisation comme "Plus d'impact !" Il est aussi très important de former en continu les ressources humaines pour qu'elles montent en compétences et répondent toujours aux enjeux de développement de l'organisation, et restent engagées un maximum. Ce qui parfois peut être mis entre parenthèses étant donné les autres sujets urgents à traiter par les organisations.

A significant challenge for a social impact intervention is resource management. In our experience, social impact interventions are more successful when budget and other resource management are conducted in a participatory manner. Involving beneficiaries and stakeholders in the financial decision-making process contributes to collaborative action, a sense of ownership, and greater efficiency in resource utilization.

Managing a social impact project comes with various challenges, with external factors being one of the biggest. These external factors may include economic conditions, governmental policies, community dynamics, and stakeholder attitudes. Navigating these external influences requires adaptability, strategic planning, and effective communication to ensure the project's success despite external uncertainties and fluctuations.

External factors can influence positively as opportunities or negatively as risks. When mapping external factors, it is essential to create a crisis or contingency plan, anticipating issues that may impact the intervention, as well as a strategic plan for seizing opportunities not initially foreseen.

Continue to keep ourselves grounded in the work with same commitment and passion when external factors such as funding, Human resources, partnerships do not work in our favour.

The biggest challenge is also the funding. We all are passionate and wanted to create a huge impact and sometimes funds comes as barriers to run the operations smoothly.

El mayor reto: ¿Que pensamos de lo que estamos haciendo? Es esencial generar apropiación, compromiso y empatía de parte del equipo de trabajo para con el proyecto y su gente. Aquí hay que hacer un trabajo propio...desmenuzar los prejuicios que tengamos, las espectativas que cargamos y los cuidados respuetosos que debe contener cada acción. Nosotr_s somos nuestro mayor impacto.

A gestão interna dos projetos também é um desafio, ainda mais quando os projetos exigem uma articulação de mais de uma área interna da empresa/organização. Desenhar esses fluxos de gestão, responsabilidades e caminhos é fundamental para ter um bom desempenho no projeto.

Here’s what else to consider Managing a social impact project presents various challenges, including limited resources, stakeholder coordination, and measuring impact. Additionally, navigating complex social issues, maintaining sustainability, and ensuring inclusivity are crucial considerations. Balancing competing priorities, managing expectations, and overcoming resistance to change are also key challenges to address. It's essential to foster collaboration, prioritize transparency, and remain adaptable to effectively address these complexities and drive meaningful change.