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Posted By Administration,
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Updated: Tuesday, December 12, 2017
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by Brianna Losoya-Evora and Genevieve Edens, ANDE
Measurement practices are rapidly evolving in the small and growing business (SGB) sector, and organizations operating in this space may feel overwhelmed while trying to keep up with trends and best practices.
To better understand measurement practices in the SGB sector and to help organizations benchmark themselves against their peers, ANDE surveyed 30 members about their measurement practices as a follow-up to our 2014 paper.
Key Findings:
- All investors and half of capacity development providers use IRIS.
- Half of our sample collects household data. Capacity Development Providers and Investors were equally likely to report collecting household data, but relatively few Africa-based organizations collect household level data.
- Capacity development providers tend to focus on business performance outcomes for the SGB while investors more focus on the SGB reach and quality.
- Nearly all respondents spent less than 5% of annual budget on measurement. Capacity Development Providers tend to spend a greater percentage of their budget.
- Organizations that collect household-level data spend about the same on measurement as those that do not.
- Over half of ANDE organizations surveyed said they have no full-time staff person dedicated to measurement.
- Of the six Africa-based organizations who responded, only one had a full-time staff person dedicated to measurement, and none of the organizations surveyed in Latin America had a full-time staff person dedicated to measurement.
- Members have gravitated to Salesforce because of its high level of customizability and affordable pricing for non-profit organizations. We did not ask specifically about Salesforce in our sample, but it was mentioned 25 times.
- Two-thirds of the ANDE organizations surveyed receive grant funding for measurement, and just under half build the cost into their annual operating budgets.
Tags:
2017
ANDE publication
Data Collection
impact evaluation
impact measurement
indicator
metrics and research
Performance Measurement
SDGs
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Monday, December 11, 2017
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BUSINESS FOR SUSTAINABILITY: IMPERATIVES FOR INCLUSIVE VENTURES
By LightCastle
 There are around 2.7 billion people who live below U$ 2 a day. That’s 2 out of every 5. The total wealth distribution of the world has become extremely skewed. The richest 0.5% control over 35% of the total wealth. US and Europe collectively owns 60%+ of the world’s wealth. The rise of capitalism propelled by the industrial revolutions, world trade, technology, consumerism means that total resources of the world are controlled by those with economic might.
Multilateral agencies, INGOs, donor firms and local NGOs have all done a fantastic job in transitioning many developing countries into emerging economies. However, at the same time, as countries move into the rungs of middle income status, the development initiatives will begin to look for sustainability exits coupled with downward funding pressure as a follow-up of the financial meltdown, Eurozone crisis and shifts in economic policy.
Focus has invariably shifted towards building sustainable models where we work not in isolation, but hand in hand with entrepreneurs, investors and organizations to explore new markets, discover more customers, and, in the process, transform lives of the underserved 2.7 billion. The solution lies in bringing them as an integral part of the market economy, create employment and convert them into consumers; not keep them in fringes of the informal economy.
Working on myriad cases of inclusive business projects over the past five years, we have gathered deep insights to be able to create and test a robust tool that works in the context of Bangladesh. The goal of the publication is to inspire social ventures adequately serve the bottom of the pyramid by leveraging this robust framework, which allows for a detailed list of factors ensuring viability, sustainability and scalability.
Download the report here.
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Monday, December 11, 2017
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 We launched the third in our country-focused inclusive business report series in Bogota, Colombia to an audience of private sector actors, donors, government and UN agency representatives on 30 November 2017.The new report, which joins previous reports published in Kenya and the Philippines this year, outlines the role that private sector can play in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improving the lives of low income Colombians.
The report finds that with over a quarter of all Colombians living below the poverty line, efforts to tackle poverty and improve living, working and health conditions must be stepped up if Colombia is to achieve its SDG commitments by 2030. In his opening remarks, UNDP Colombia Country Director Pablo Ruiz highlighted the important role that companies can play – especially in their ability to innovate to address issues of poverty and social impact – as key players in achieving the SDGs in Colombia.
Download the report here.
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Friday, December 8, 2017
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Understanding customer needs is especially critical for enterprises aiming to create social impact, however most impact measurement practice relies on assumptions (“output” measurement). We tend to count the widgets we produce in the world and assume those widgets do wonderful things. By contrast, direct data collection from end- customers across what are known as “outcomes” — the material positive or negative impact of a product or service — remains rare. Without better information, we limit our ability to maximise the impact we create in the world.
So why is more-progressive measurement so unusual? Many asset managers and their portfolio companies still see social-impact data collection as a burden something they do to satisfy reporting requirements. But when we reframe the conversation so that it’s about customer centricity and unlocking business and social value, notions of burden begin to recede.
Overcoming the perception that impact measurement is an obligation rather than an opportunity is one focus of the Impact Programme, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) which aims to catalyse the market for impact investment in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The programme is undertaking research on the social outcomes of the Impact Fund, one of its investment vehicles, managed by the CDC Group, the the UK’s development finance institution. It is starting with a Ghana-based portfolio company and, together with Acumen’s Lean Data team, we aimed to apply customer centricity to better understand social value. This initial work has continued to strengthen our conviction that for commercially successful, impact- creating companies, investors and enterprises alike overstate the dichotomy between impact and business data. We can learn much about social performance by unpacking consumer and supplier behaviour, and listening for useful feedback. By focusing on uncovering the “why” of what customers do and do not value, this approach improves companies’ ability to glean insights it can turn into action.
Of course, customer centricity is not a silver bullet for measuring impact, but it holds much promise for understanding social performance while simultaneously collecting data to further business goals.
The following case study shares practical guidance on how to use customer centricity to meet data collection needs for both business and social performance measurement.
Download the report here.
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Friday, December 8, 2017
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By CONCORD
How can the private sector, understood as organisations engaging in profit-seeking activities, contribute to realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development globally? In different ways, the private sector has already led many voluntary initiatives which contribute to sustainable development. However, to realise our collective transition towards a system that offers people worldwide a dignified life and respects our planet, both companies and governments must take further action.
This paper highlights what the European Union (EU) and its Member States should do to create an environment that maximises the potential of the wide range of private sector actors to contribute to the implementation of Agenda 2030. Recommendations cover diverse interconnected policy areas: development, trade and investment, taxation, financial regulation, competition, justice, access to remedy and how decisions are made in Europe.
This may seem like an overambitious shopping list – it is not. It is a ten-point roadmap that needs to be considered seriously and will require concerted action if the EU wants to play its full part by 2030. This paper gives specific recommendations for each of the following ten areas for action, calling on the EU and its Member States to:
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Abandon the “one-size ts all” approach to the role of the private sector in development, and focus on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and social economy enterprises in local and regional value chains and trade.
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Adopt mechanisms to avoid the corporate capture of decision-making processes, among others: legally binding lobby registers and stronger ethics regulations.
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Align the financial system with social and environmental agendas, integrating environmental, social and governance factors in policy and regulatory frameworks on public and private finance.
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Ensure the public delivery of essential services and acknowledge that private finance cannot be a substitute for gender-responsive public investment.
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Ensure companies pay their fair share of tax where they operate by creating greater transparency and better reporting systems.
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Ensure the sustainability chapters of investment treaties are as enforceable as the provisions protecting investors.
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Ensure business enterprises operating outside the EU respect human rights and the environment and contribute to sustainable development.
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Reform EU competition law and set guidelines to allow for initiatives that increase sustainability collectively per sector without breaching EU competition law.
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Ensure the respect of development effectiveness principles in consultation with local communities and civil society organisations; integrate the principles in development finance institutions’ processes and approaches.
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Ensure transparency and accountability when public nance is used to leverage private investments in developing countries.
Download the report here.
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Updated: Monday, December 4, 2017
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By Open Capital Advisors & the Shell Foundation
In 2017, Shell Foundation and Open Capital Advisors came together to pilot a new approach to accelerate energy access in Uganda.
With support from local DFID and USAID offices, and the Government of Uganda, the result is a dedicated and neutral intermediary that provides balanced data and advice to enterprises, investors and policy-makers; coordinates resources to tackle major market barriers such as awareness, affordability and energy for productive use; and catalyses interventions where necessary.
As part of this work, the Ugandan Accelerator has launched two reports to help identify barriers to growth in off-grid energy access in Uganda, recommend appropriate actions to overcome them, and signal opportunities for investment and innovation.
Mapping the Market
The Ugandan Off-Grid Energy Market Accelerator has mapped current activities to enhance energy access across the industry by private sector players, donors, development organisations and other stakeholders – and identifies challenges and opportunities to enhance the collective impact from this work.
Download the report here.
Productive Use
This second report deep dives into productive use technologies and demonstrates the potential value these offer to advance the off-grid space via consolidated effort from the relevant stakeholders.
Emerging technologies in the irrigation, fishing, dairy, grains, oil seeds and coffee industry are evaluated for their potential to scale, and recommendations made on ways in which public and private actors can support their adoption.
Download the report here.
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Posted By Administration,
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Updated: Monday, December 4, 2017
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by the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative (GALI)
This study, conducted by the ANDE India Chapter with the support of Autodesk Sustainability and Foundation, uses GALI’s Global Accelerator Survey to add clarity to the profile of accelerators and incubators in India – their structure, objectives, goals, funding, and the financial and non-financial support that they offer.
Data Highlights:
Sample Characteristics
- University accelerators and incubators made up the largest portion of the respondents, at nearly one-third.
- Two-thirds ran their first acceleration or incubation program after 2013.
Sector Focus and Impact Objectives
- Over half of the respondents indicated a focus on energy or environment.
- Three-quarters work specifically with ventures that have a social or environmental impact objective.
Program Structure
- With a median size of 9 and an 11 percent acceptance rate, cohorts were small, programs were selective, and early-stage ventures were mostly likely to receive support.
- One-third of respondents provide direct funding, and equity is the most popular investment instrument.
Funding Sources
- At 43 percent, philanthropic grants were the most common funding source for programs, followed by government support.
- One-third of the government-supported respondents received funds from the Department of Science and Technology.
Questions or comments? Contact Devyani Singh at devyani.singh@aspeninst.org.
Tags:
2017
Acceleration
accelerators
ANDE publication
India
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Updated: Monday, December 4, 2017
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Building a female-led sales force
By the Envirofit Women's Empowerment Program
 The Envirofit Women’s Empowerment Programme (WEP) was founded on the belief that women, as primary users of cookstoves, must be involved in both their design and distribution in order for stoves to be adopted and for women’s needs to be fully met. The WEP was first developed and funded in conjunction with the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC) in 2012.
Download the report to see five insights that the programme has delivered, and how members of the programme have benefitted with increased confidence and business skills and experience.
Download the report here.
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Monday, December 4, 2017
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By the Shell Foundation
Energy is needed for the day-to-day functioning of rural households (cooking, lighting, and running appliances) as well as for livelihoods (agriculture and small businesses).
In rural India, where access to energy sources is often poor and availability is unreliable, many households resort to using multiple energy sources to service their energy needs. Energy portfolios (the set of connections between what households need energy for and what fuel sources they use) reflect the complex reality of the rural household’s energy choices.
We have worked with FSG, a consulting firm supporting leaders in creating large-scale, lasting social change, to produce a fresh analysis to understand how energy-poor customers make fuel choices in rural India.
The paper will help funders, governments, intermediaries, and enterprises working in the energy space in India shift their perspective to align with that of the rural consumer when designing interventions and polices.
Download the report here.
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Posted By Liza Curcio, Aspen Institute,
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
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By Youth Employment Funders Group
 Transferable skills. 21st century skills. Workforce readiness skills. Life skills. Non-cognitive skills. There are many terms used to describe the skills that young people require as they transition into adulthood. The What Works in Soft Skills Development for Youth Employment? A Donors’ Perspective report presents areas of consensus around terminology, implementation and assessment of these skills, and puts forth recommendations to donors, employers, policymakers and implementers.
In the face of growing youth populations around the globe, the challenges regarding employment, and the changing nature of work, young people need to develop skills which allow them to easily adapt to the workforce as well as succeed in all domains of life. This report uses the term ‘soft skills’ to describe the mix of skills, attitudes, behaviours, personal qualities and mindsets that individuals use to be successful across different situations in work and life. These skills include positive self-concept, self-control, communication, social skills, and higher-order thinking (which includes problem-solving, critical thinking and decision-making). Research shows that employers are increasingly prioritizing the need for new hires to have soft skills over technical skills, as their ability to work with others, communicate well and solve problems is critical to their success as employees.
The report makes five recommendations for developing soft skills programming at scale for young people. These recommendations highlight the need for greater and quality investments, consensus, and strategic action.
Download the report here.
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