Our community of funders, community organisations and changemakers continue to inspire our team at CSI. We know the challenges associated with achieving social impact. What we offer through Te Pūaha o te Ako as our knowledge hub is designed as a resource for the sector, a place where you can find information and opportunities to strengthen your social impact practice whether you are a funder, a community organisation or a changemaker.

As we head towards Matariki, we thought we would give you a preview of what we will be offering the sector to help sustain you throughout the rest of 2024.

Funders

Co-design for positive action

We have partnered with the JR McKenzie Trust to offer funders opportunities to get together to co-design and support positive action. Our first funder-focused webinar in April, Shifting Culture and Power through Mana-Enhancing Partnerships, saw a group of funders share how they had built mana- enhancing partnerships by centring equity, sharing power and decolonising their funding practice. Funders leading the discussion included Dr Katie Bruce from HuiE!, Jenn Chowaniec from Wayne Francis Charitable Trust, Niall Fay from Fay Fuller Foundation, Maria Ramsay from Toi Foundation and Gael Surgenor from Peter McKenzie Project.

Upcoming funder webinars will address strengthening philanthropic practice, a further exploration of the learning captured in the Philanthropic landscape reports

Advocacy

A change of government and a raft of new social policies is always a challenge for the social impact sector. Funders and organisations want to ensure that policies are informed by the ‘on the ground’ experience they can offer, and advocate for what they consider will make a difference. Over the coming months, we will invite funders to work with us to develop a programme of work around effective advocacy, and to create a repository of advocacy information, case studies and other resources.

Understanding impact for funders

Monitoring and evaluation are tools that help determine how intention has been transformed into impact. To help funders engage with their community partners, CSI is developing resources that addresses the process of monitoring and evaluation from both a funder and a community partner perspective, to help trustees and board members understand what impact information they need as governors, and how to work with organisations to access that information efficiently.

These resources build on research carried out by CSI for Foundation North to help the Foundation strengthen its practices in understanding the impact of its funding and non-funding activities. Three reports are available which capture the insights from the research: Understanding impact in philanthropy - Te Tiriti o Waitangi considerations; Understanding impact in philanthropy: Foundations; Understanding impact in philanthropy: Leading practice. The reports are available here.

Sector leaders

The Leadership Circle

Leaders from throughout the sector often face common pressures and concerns. The Leadership Circle will be an online facilitated meeting place for leaders focused on well-being, connection and peer support. This will offer leaders an opportunity to learn and strengthen their sector networks.

The Thought Leadership - 10 for 10 podcast series

To celebrate the tenth birthday of the Centre for Social Impact, we are producing an anniversary series of 10 podcasts featuring 10 thought leaders from within the sector, and the wider community. Each of our interviewees will talk about their experiences, career highlights and lowlights, and the future they want to help create.

Change making

Haumanu Restoration Framework

CSI associates have been involved over the last two years in the development of Haumanu. This is an emerging approach to restorative systems change which draws on mātauranga Māori and new developments in science around healing trauma. In April, CSI associates Louise Marra, Tuihana Ohia, and Rachael Trotman introduced Haumanu to an international audience at the Collective Impact Action Summit, a virtual event with an international audience, hosted by the Collective Impact Forum. Activation and sharing of Haumanu this year will include:

• Haumanu Facilitation Training Programme - this is designed to develop participants’ knowledge and confidence to introduce Haumanu into their work or community action
  

Future Search

Our 2023 Te Pūaha Talk, Future Search – helping people transform their capability for action, introduced this globally renowned process for bringing together people who share an interest in a particular issue or challenge to collaborate to find solutions. CSI associate, Miranda Cassidy-O’Connell, is an established Future Search facilitator, with Future Search experiences including the Waiheke Marine Project and the Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe (Ninety Mile Beach) collaborations. 

Future Search - taster sessions

The Future Search taster sessions, will allow interested stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the process, how it can support change and work with complex issues where there are divergent views and collective action is needed.

But wait!

Yes, there is more!

Te Pūaha Talks

An active programme of Te Pūaha Talks will be running throughout the year – you can find out more about what is on offer here.

Tātou Tātou

In partnership with Hui E! Community Aotearoa, the Tātou Tātou programme offers a mix of in-person and online hui, podcasts and digital resources to help build resilience in the community sector. These are designed to provide capability support for NGO teams to share within their workplace. A collection of inspirational podcasts with community leaders is already available here.

New online kete, tools and publications

Resources for the sector are continually being added to Te Pūaha o te Ako. Over the coming months, look out for:

• Capability Wheel – links to resources available from a range of providers for community organisations
• Te Ao Māori, Te Tiriti – navigation to information and resources
• Funding Navigation – an overview of the current funding landscape.    This resource seeks to demystify the funding landscape in Aotearoa, assisting users in navigating towards key funding sources
• Leadership Hub – leadership resources and navigation to existing courses and programmes
• Research insights and learning