In this first episode of our special series with Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), we speak with Arne Duncan. Arne is managing partner at the anti-gun violence organization Chicago CRED and former U.S. Secretary of Education.

In our conversation, we talk about CRED’s multifaceted approach – one that involves working directly with the communities and people who are most likely to carry a gun or get shot. Arne also shares the research showing CRED’s potential to significantly reduce gun violence in Chicago by 80 percent and his vision for their program to be adapted in many urban places across the country.

If you want to learn more about Chicago CRED visit chicagocred.org

Read the article written by Arne Duncan titled “We Know How to Prevent Gun Violence, Now We Need to Scale It” here.

Purchase a print or digital subscription to the magazine here.

This series is a partnership between Spring Impact and SSIR and produced by Hueman Group Media

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

The use of sales tactics is often seen as an antagonist of social impact, when in fact it can be an ally. This is why today, in our last episode of the season, we are uncovering how social entrepreneurs can become effective sales leaders. Our guest is Scott Roy, CEO and Co-Founder of the sales consulting firm Whitten & Roy Partnership

In our conversation, Scott explains what ‘decision intelligence selling’ is. He tells us how to become better at selling and managing a sales team, as well as how one can use sales tactics when fundraising. On the show, Scott also explains why becoming good at selling might be what enables your organization to scale and have a greater impact.

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Receiving financial support is probably the biggest hurdle faced by organizations looking to scale. But finding the right investor to back your company financially might be the key to scaling impact.

In today’s episode, we are exploring the potential of social impact investment in achieving scale. Our guest is Andre Bennin, Managing Partner at Rethink Education, an impact investment firm focused on backing education technology companies. In our conversation, Andre shares how he balances financial returns and social impact when deciding whether to invest in a company. We also talk about the differences between funding nonprofits and social enterprises, and discuss why social enterprises tend to scale quicker.

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Social impact bonds are a complex concept. But this episode tries to break it down and shares a success story. The key to social impact bonds is that the service providers only get paid if the project goes well — an incentive for excellent delivery.

Lerato Lehoko is the former managing director of Bonds4Jobs, a financial intermediary that implemented the first social impact bond in South Africa. In this episode Lerato explains how the private investment group Yellowwoods and the nonprofit Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator successfully set up the Inclusive Youth Employment Bond. We talk about how this bond is helping inclusive youth employment in South Africa and about the potential of social impact bonds more generally.

Listen to Ann Mei Chang’s episode here

Listen to Nicola Galombik’s episode here

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Measuring outcomes is an essential part of scaling impact. Without knowing how effective their programs are, organizations can’t make informed decisions, secure funding, or meet the expectations of investors. Yet, traditional models of measuring in the social sector often fail to listen to the very people they are trying to serve. Today’s guest is trying to change that.

Tom Adams is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at 60 Decibels, a tech enabled impact measurement company. Today Tom tells us how his experience at Acumen led him to found 60 Decibels and how this company is flipping the script on impact measurement. We talk about how traditional ways of measuring can hinder scaling and fail to listen to their beneficiaries. On the show, Tom also shares how a new way of measuring impact can enable quicker and more effective scaling.

Listen to Ann Mei Chang’s episode here

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

The investment management industry has the power to direct large amounts of capital into companies creating change. Yet, many social entrepreneurs are not familiar with this sector.

Today’s guest is Darren Johnson, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Executive Committee at Impax Asset Management.

In this episode, Darren speaks of his experience as a minority in a sector where only about 1 percent of asset managers are Black. Darren also shares how social enterprises can benefit from engaging with asset management organizations, and provides his advice for leaders looking to scale.

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Applying research based evidence into programs is not always straightforward. There’s often a disconnect between what we know from research and our ability to successfully apply that knowledge into practice. The job of Implementation scientists is to study the factors contributing to this gap.

Today’s guest is Alison Metz, a Professor and Director of Implementation Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In this episode we talk about the field of implementation science –how it is broadening its scope in some ways while remaining reductionist in others. Allison explains why she thinks that successful implementation should pay more attention to context and relationships. On the show, she also shares her advice to those wishing to use implementation science to achieve greater results.

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Earlier this year I stepped down as CEO of Spring Impact –the organization I founded over a decade ago. I decided to pass the baton to Mohamed Osman, and honestly, I couldn’t have thought of a better person to take over. Today, you will understand why.

Mohamed has dedicated his life to scaling impact, from finding a solution for the lack of water access in his hometown in Kenya, to making enormous contributions to HIV treatment and prevention at the Elton John AIDS foundation. In this episode Mohamed shares the knowledge gained throughout his career and his vision as the new CEO of Spring Impact.

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

The job market continues to be unstable due to COVID-19 and its fallout. In August 2021, it was reported that there were 10.7 million jobs in the US that need to be filled. So while the supply is high, how come job seekers, who are willing and able to work, not getting employed? Open Hiring might offer some solutions to this issue. Under this model, anyone who puts their name on a list is hired— no background checks and no questions asked.

Joseph Kenner is the President and CEO at Greyston Bakery, the pioneer business behind this model. He also leads the Greyston Foundation, where he supports other organizations in adopting Open Hiring. In this episode, we talk about the impetus for Open Hiring and how it sets out to break barriers in employment. We also discuss why scaling and replication doesn’t look the same for every organization.

To learn more about Greyston visit greyston.org

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

In 1992, 11 year-old Zarlasht Halaimzai and her family were forced to leave Afghanistan, eventually landing in the UK to start a new life. Inspired by her own experience, Zarlasht flew to Greece in 2016 to help the unprecedented number of refugees fleeing from the war in Syria. That initiative grew from a tent with a few volunteers into an internationally recognized nonprofit. Amna (formerly known as the Refugee Trauma Initiative) is now training organizations around the world to offer trauma care.

In this episode Zarlasht tells her personal story of displacement and takes us back to the beginnings of Amna. We also talk about the challenges she experienced as the founder of an organization that is rapidly growing whilst addressing one of the greatest humanitarian crises.

To learn more about Amna visit https://amna.org/

--

Learn more about Spring Impact. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.