Summary:
The Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy is convening the first Social Innovation Summit in order to catalyze the adoption of innovations within the sector, with the larger aim to help improve the impact of the social sector. This convening will help participants build networks by bringing in innovation experts from the for-profit domain, philanthropists, and practitioners from the non-profit domain, and share learning by showcasing innovations developed within the non-profit sector as well as innovative practices from the for-profit sector which could be applied to the social sector.
The Social Innovation Summit is conceptualised as an annual event to galvanise innovation in philanthropy and social change. It’ll bring together Innovators (‘Thinkers’), social sector practitioners (‘Doers’), and philanthropists (‘Enablers’) to share emergent thinking, knowledge, and practice, spark innovation, and foster collaborations with a laser focus on how we can apply innovations to help address India’s social problems.
To register please visit our website at www.ashoka.edu.in/SIS. Limited Early Bird tickets available.
Rationale for the Summit:
The social sector in India has witnessed success through engagement with innovations in media, technology, business & entrepreneurship, cultural scholarship, behavioural sciences, data sciences and design. However, the widespread adoption of innovations within the social sector remains at large.
There are platforms and conferences for showcasing innovative intervention models in the social sector. However, there is no platform for introducing innovations that build scale into the value chain of social sector organizations.
To address these gaps, the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy at Ashoka University has conceptualized the Social Innovation Summit.
Thematic Structure and Elements:
With non profit practitioners and philanthropists in mind as key stakeholders, the format for the first edition is exploring the intersection of latest innovations and the value chain components of Social Sector Organizations. In terms of the structure, the sessions will focus on the problems faced by the social sector organizations within the components of their organizational value chain i.e. Fundraising and Communications, Operations and Monitoring and Evaluation, People and Capacity.
Within each session, speakers will showcase the applications/benefits that the innovation streams have to offer by highlighting case studies from their organizations, followed by a moderated QnA round.
In terms of elements for the summit, the following are planned:
- Keynote: Keynotes by Industry leaders (TBC)
- Exhibition: If your organization would like to take part in the exhibition, please write to us at [email protected].
- Value chain component focussed presentations and panels: As described in the section above.
- Design Workshops: To be led by IDR, Sattva Consulting, Global Giving, and Dhwani RIS. Sign up forms will be made available on the website. Please note that workshops participation numbers would be capped and participation opportunity is open only to conference delegates.
Summit Programme and Format:
The Summit is envisaged as a two-day event:
- Day 1 – Interactions between Enablers and Thinkers
Focus on knowledge sharing between innovators, philanthropists, philanthropic foundation staff, and CSR specialists.
- Day 2 – Interactions between Doers and Thinkers
Focus on knowledge sharing between innovators, non-profits, social enterprises, and CSR specialists. Additional components include exhibition, workshops and a networking lounge
The detailed agenda is available on the Summit’s website.
About the Organization:
The Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy is India’s first academic centre focused on enabling strategic and robust philanthropy for social impact.
We strive to provide funders and civil society organisations evidence-based insights and knowledge products to grow their scale and impact, convene platforms for norm-setting and collaborative learning, and offer programmes that strengthen civil society capability and sustainability.
Established in 2016, at Ashoka University, the Centre is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Citibank, along with philanthropists Amit Chandra, Archana Chandra, and Ashish Dhawan.
