System mapping is a process often cited in social change literature as an effective way to infuse systems thinking into strategy development and evaluation efforts. However, there is a dearth of practical “how to” guides to help stakeholders apply the principles of systems thinking to their...

This is a list of 27 indicators of effectiveness for backbone organizations, produced by FSG and Greater Cincinnati Foundation. This includes topics like strategy, alignment, shared measurement practices, and...

The concept of an ecocycle draws on biological research into the closed-loop system of development, conservation, destruction, and renewal that is seen in natural (ecological) systems. The ecocycle suggests that the long-term sustainability of adaptive organizations requires that elements of those...

While it is clear that the topic of learning remains of great importance to the social sector, many organizations, including those in the public and private sectors, seem to be stuck on operationalizing what it means to engage in and support intentional learning in their organizations. We hope this...

Community engagement is about ensuring that those most impacted by social challenges have a say in designing and implementing solutions. The participation of intended beneficiaries and their families, neighbors, and trusted leaders can be an integral part of data-driven processes to achieve better...

This toolkit contains tools and worksheets you can use with your financial coaching clients. Each document should be used as a part of the coach-client relationship.  This include financial coaching tools such as the financial wheel of life and tips for the first meeting, as well as tools and...

As we hurtle towards a human community of 9.7 billion people by the year 2050, coupled with new technologies and the growing challenges of our planet’s carrying capacity, there is more and more discussion of systems and how they change or are created. The post-war era has witnessed an...

Social entrepreneurs are successfully mobilizing both the human and financial capital required to start and scale their social ventures. At MaRS Discovery District (MaRS), we see tremendous momentum building around these new opportunities. However, unless there is a clear understanding by funders...

The Networked Change Report maps out the strategies and practices that made today’s most successful advocacy campaigns work, while so many others failed to create lasting change on the issues they address. We started by identifying advocacy campaigns over the last ten years that achieved...

Research has shown that social isolation has damaging impacts on health, well-being, and overall quality of life. Low-income people and seniors are among the most vulnerable to social isolation. Conversely, being more socially connected has a positive influence on physical and mental health and...

For the past 15 years, I have had the privilege of working at the Tamarack Institute, where we observe, document, and teach collective action to individuals and communities seeking to improve their social and economic conditions. We have landed on five core ideas to explain and teach this community...

There is much evidence that the quality of the social determinants of health Canadians experience helps explain the wide health inequalities that exist among Canadians. How long Canadians can expect to live and whether they will experience cardiovascular disease or adult-onset diabetes is very much...

This article is about evolving frameworks for collective impact. CI is now a permanent – even dominant – part of the landscape of community change. We believe that it’s time for an evolution in the revolution. First, there has been enough experimentation with CI, by diverse communities...

The purpose of ths brief is to recommend evaluation strategies that can efficiently build a body of social programs, practices, and strategies (“interventions”) backed by credible evidence of effectiveness. The target audience is Government agencies, philanthropic foundations, and other...

The rise of economic inequality has become a staple of policy debates and stump speeches. Less visible is the way the rise has altered the landscape of America’s urban neighborhoods. Two books should help change that. Matthew Desmond, an urban sociologist at Harvard, has delivered a jolt with...

Momentum is a change-making organization that acts as a bridge by taking an economic approach to poverty reduction and adding a social perspective to economic development initiatives. Our programs are holistic, covering everything from financial literacy, entrepreneurship and employment training,...

There is a growing "colour-coded" inequity and disparity in Ontario that has resulted in an inequality of learning outcomes, of health status, of employment opportunity and income prospects, of life opportunities, and ultimately of life outcomes. Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change believes that it...

The new Economic and Social Inclusion plan for New Brunswick builds upon progress accomplished over the past 10 years. It includes nine priority actions divided into three pillars: Income Security: includes actions addressing improvements to social assistance, changes to the Employment...

With a growing number of barriers to accessing vital services, we need to think critically about accessibility and people’s services experiences in the social and public sector. Human-centred design is an approach which centres the voices and lived experiences of people who are impacted in the...

Lisez la présente brochure pour connaître les règles que les agents d’Ontario au travail (OT) et du Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes handicapées (POSPH) appliquent pour décider: si 2 adultes qui habitent ensemble sont des conjoints ou conjointes si 2 personnes qui habitent...

In a country as wealthy as Canada, close to a million people need food banks just to make ends meet each month. Why have we not seen any significant change to this situation after so many years, and after so much has been written about hunger? HungerCount 2014 uncovers the hard data on food bank...

Financial Social Work provides a robust approach to behavioural change using a financial orientation. Grounded in the understanding that financial behavioural change is an outcome of increased personal growth and awareness, Financial Social Work certification provides the process required for...

This is the second brief in a new series from The Financial Clinic. Change Matters leverages the data gathered through our revolutionary financial coaching platform, Change Machine, alongside the voices, wisdom, and lived experiences of Change Machine customers. We hope that our action oriented...

Strategies for Transformative Scale. In their quest for answers, pioneers such as Year Up and the organizations that follow are experimenting with ways to help far more people while keeping a lid on the growth of their own organizations. Reviewing their efforts to date, we can identify nine...

These are the webinar slides from the CFED webinar on asset limits and savings possibilities for Americans on social assistance. The webinar highlights findings from 3 research studies that explore asset limits and household financial security; discusses policy changes to asset limits and their...