The Pond-Deshpande builds trusted relationships among people working in society’s deepest challenges. We do this by convening the curious and creating the capacity for these people to create real change in the system they’re working in.
The impact we’re creating:
- Enduring systems change
- Effective and efficient governments
- Sustainable organizations with social impact
The outcomes we’re working towards:
- Government policies are evidence-based and program investments have positive returns
- Systems thinking capacity is built across all sectors
- Non-profits are more sustainable
- Social impact is measurable
- The Business for Good Sector is thriving
What you can expect from us:
- Research/prototypes and other data are produced in response to identified priorities.
- Diverse stakeholders are trained in systems thinking and user-centred design
- Non-profits have built the skills and capacity to launch and grow social enterprises
- New and growing social ventures
What we do:
- Host social innovation labs
- Convene stakeholder groups
- Problem Framing
- Knowledge translation/mobilization
- Train the Trainer / capacity-building workshops in Systems Thinking and User-Centred Design
- Social Enterprise / Impact Measurement Capacity Building
- Customized support for Social Ventures
Our Principles:
- Lead with empathy to tune into the needs of others rather than to close off and ignore.
- Invite multiple voices into our decision-making rather than having homogenous perspectives.
- Work with respect and curiosity rather than judgment.
- Balance sustainability with social impact rather than just looking at one or the other.
- Embrace the unfamiliarity of change rather than blocking opportunities for innovation.
- Hold the discomfort of deep change rather than giving priority to comfort and stability.
- Work in transparency rather than in silos.
- Work with a mindset for learning and sharing rather than absolute truths.
- Co-creation is the way transformative change occurs rather than silos or hierarchies.