Terms Of Reference Podcast

Terms Of Reference Podcast episodes:

• 01.23.2018

  TOR180: The Global Knowledge Initiative with Sara Farley

  You cannot live in today's world without being witness to the power of networks. Networks are all around us and constantly influence us in ways both conscious and subconscious. Immediate family and close friends, global-reaching social networks, professional networks, passion...

  
• 01.16.2018

  TOR179: KopaGas with Dr. Sebastian Rodriguez-Sanchez

  I take for granted that I can walk away from my microphone right now, head over to my kitchen and turn on my stove to boil water, bake a cake or cook myself a meal. And, I don't even think...

  
• 01.09.2018

  TOR178 - Ladies Get Paid and Red Bull Amaphiko with Claire Wasserman

  Even though we work on hundreds of different issues across a similarly diverse group of settings, I think the argument could be made that the work of the social sector is ultimately focused on creating a world where all humans...

  
• 12.12.2017

  TOR177 - The mSTAR project with Troy Etulain of FHI360

  If you're an ideas person, no matter what your field or expertise, there is nothing I can think of that is more attractive than a clear, tangible problem in need of a solution. As much as we hate to admit...

  
• 12.05.2017

  TOR176 - The International Rescue Committee with Jodi Nelson

  The International Rescue Committee is a well known force in humanitarian aid. As the organization has continued to evolve since 1933, they have literally written the book, multiple times, on how to best serve those in need. My guest...

  
• 11.21.2017

  TOR175: The SPONGE Project with Sanjay Prasad of IVL

  Last week, we dove into an especially practical example of innovating to improve the plight of the agriculturalist. Or, more specifically, those who benefit from their yields. I'm happy that this week we have another agricultural innovation around water -...

  
• 11.14.2017

  TOR174 - The Bhungroo Innovation for Agriculture with Trupi Jain of Naireeta Services

  One of the things I love most about hosting this podcast is the sheer range of ideas, aspirations and impact I've been lucky enough to listen to over the past three years. In some cases we've talked about a digital...

  
• 11.08.2017

  TOR173 - Patents for Humanity with Edward Elliot

  For most of us seeking to innovate in the social sector, solving existing problems in new ways is accomplished by bringing technologies or processes from other sectors to bear on the problems faced by the vulnerable. However, innovators are sometimes...

  
• 10.31.2017

  TOR172 - A New Model For Higher Education with Eric Glustrom of Watson

  Long ago, in the days of yore, when I was completing high school and looking to what was next, college was the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, as it turned out, following that path put me on a trajectory that...

  
• 10.24.2017

  TOR171 - The Office Of Transition Initiatives with Stephen Lennon

  For many years now - and its just crazy that I can say that about this podcast at this stage - I’ve been saying the social sector is filled with lots of very smart, well educated people who truly want...

  
• 10.23.2017

  TOR170 - Adding Value To Technology With Indigenous Knowledge with Muthoni Masinde

  When you think of innovation, you think about the future, right? At least, that's what I think about. My mind is usually filled with flying cars, holographic displays and a moneyless world. But, I know, that's just the super geek...

  
• 10.10.2017

  TOR169: Accelerating Innovation with Nadim Matta of the Rapid Results Institute

  My guest for the 169th Terms of Reference Podcast, Nadim Matta, purposefully uses what they call 100 day sprints to create something of a pressure cooker environment to help social sector teams achieve meaningful results.

  
• 10.03.2017

  TOR168: The World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator with Bernhard Kowatsch

  When I think of innovating for food, well, I have to admit I’m usually focused on how my family can make dinner something special. Finding a way out of the rut of eating the same food as my children is...

  
• 09.26.2017

  TOR167: A Strategy For Digital Financial Inclusion with Badal Malick of Catalyst

  I know that I take for granted that I am able to perform financial transactions, around the world via a multitude of channels, essentially any time I want. In fact, only because of my lifestyle, my biggest headache comes from...

  
• 09.12.2017

  TOR166: Venture Funding For Social Actors With Alix Zwane Of The Global Innovation Fund

  Most social sector work, if not all of it at this stage, is driven by some type of results framework that is focused on outcomes. Unsurprisingly, when people (or a government or foundation) give you their money to do some...

  
• 09.05.2017

  TOR165 - Investing In Freedom Of The Press with Harlan Mandel of MDIF

  Its taken me a while to figure out how to introduce today’s topic. Not because its totally radical - but rather, because my brain is freaking out that its something I have to introduce in the year 2017. So, I’ve...

  
• 08.29.2017

  TOR164 - The Power and Promise of Open Contracting with Gavin Hayman

  How much money did your government spend in 2016? The Government of the United States spent over $3.5 trillion dollars. China threw down $2.8 trillion and the UK just over $1 trillion. Worldwide, governments spent a combined total of $22.7...

  
• 08.21.2017

  TOR163: Building Leadership In Advocacy with Jamie Bay Nishi of the Global Health Technologies Coalition

  Today’s conversation has two themes that I think are important for our listeners. On one level, you’re going to hear about advocating on behalf of health sector innovators, but on another level you’re going to hear about what it takes...

  
• 08.15.2017

  TOR162 - How Creative Tech Agencies Can Accelerate Social Impact with Sam Applebee of Super Global

  For as long as I’ve been in the social sector, there has been a consensus that those organizations who depend mostly on grant funding (whether from government or foundations or private donors) need to find better, and more sustainable ways...

  
• 08.08.2017

  TOR161: Supporting The Open Data Movement with Pavel Richter of Open Knowledge International

  According to the May 6th, 2017 issue of the Economist, data has officially displaced oil as the world’s most valuable resource. If you’re like me, the most surprising part of this declaration is that its taken until now for it...

  
• 08.01.2017

  TOR160: Supporting the Economy of Prestige with Kurt Shaw of the Shine A Light Foundation

  You’ve heard me lament more than a few times on this podcast about the fact that innovation in the social sector is often times synonymous with technology. We talk a lot about how phones and apps and data are accelerating...

  
• 07.25.2017

  TOR159: Keeping The Lights On with Noah Klugman and Jay Taneja of Gridwatch

  The availability of continuous power - that is, the assumption that you can plug in an appliance, or flip a switch without wondering whether or not electrons will flow - is a hallmark of civilization. So much so, that a...

  
• 07.18.2017

  TOR158: Why Getting Feedback (Should Be) The Expected Thing To Do with Dennis Whittle

  I’d like to start today’s episode with a quick, informal poll. Ask yourself: as a social sector professional, do you regularly receive calls or emails from the people who you’re trying to help where they ask - with great anticipation...

  
• 06.27.2017

  TOR157: How Crowdfunding Is Shifting The Financial Landscape For The Social Sector with Jason Best

  If there is any one question I get asked more than any other from professionals in the social sector, it is some variation of this: “How do I raise money for my organization, cause or program?” And, there is usually...

  
• 06.20.2017

  TOR156: Designing Products For Underserved Populations with Krista Donaldson of D-Rev

  A great deal of the actual “work” delivered in the social sector comes in the form of services. Of these services, the lowest hanging fruit is skill building, often known as capacity building. But there are, of course, many other...

  
• 06.13.2017

  TOR155: Empowering Legacy Cities with Lev Gonick of DigitalC

  As you may have noticed over the past few months, I’ve been talking more and more about the “social sector.” As I’m sure you’ll have assumed, this has been intentional on my part to begin to reach out beyond my...

  
• 06.06.2017

  TOR154: Understanding Blended Financing with Joan Larrea of Convergence

  For as long as I have been a social sector professional, there has always been a desire to do more partnering with the “private sector.” And, by that I mean traditional, for profit or commercial enterprises like Coke, Toyota or...

  
• 05.30.2017

  TOR153: Defragmenting agricultural markets with Jason Wendle of the Rural and Agricultural Finance Learning Lab

  Because I am something of a super geek, and what I like to think of as the new-old guard (I mean, I had a TRS-80 in my house growing up), when I hear the term "defragment," the first thing I...

  
• 05.22.2017

  TOR152: Embracing Failure And Iteration To Find Sustainable Solutions In The Social Sector with Nithya Ramanathan of Nexleaf Analytics

  How much do we really embrace failure in the social sector? I ask this question because, as someone who has been lucky enough to be a part of the evaluation revolution over the past decade, embracing failure at an institutional...

  
• 05.16.2017

  TOR 151: Disrupting Existing Silos Of The Social Sector with Tim France of Inis Communication

  One of my favorite things about data analysis is when trends emerge unexpectedly. So often, when sifting through data we find exactly what we’re looking for. But its those moments when we’re presented with something unusual that are the real...

  
• 05.09.2017

  TOR150: Testing The Assumptions Of The Social Sector With Chris Blattman Of The University of Chicago

  Professor Chris Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at The University of Chicago, at the Harris School of Public Policy, as well as a research associate at National Bureau of Economic Research, among many other...

  
• 05.02.2017

  TOR149: Rethinking the social sector with Paula Kravitz of the Social Progress Imperative

  There is a beautiful simplicity to the commercial sector. Anyone can create products and services that satisfy a real or perceived need in whatever market(s) they want. Then, with the right marketing and (hopefully) added value from the "better mousetraps" people create,...

  
• 04.24.2017

  TOR148: How To Leverage Scale And Experience With Jamey Butcher of Chemonics

  We’ve be fortunate enough to have guests on this show from across the entire spectrum of the social sector and from around the world. One of the common issues we’ve talked about is resource scarcity and how that presents both...

  
• 04.17.2017

  TOR147: Balancing The Scales For Local Communities With Flaviano Bianchini of Source International

  Let's say you woke up tomorrow to the sound of someone knocking at your door. And, when you answer, the person standing outside politely explained that they were a representative of a energy company that had recently acquired the rights...

  
• 04.11.2017

  TOR146: How AI And Machine Learning Prove The Journey Is More Important Than The Destination With Dr. Kenneth Stanley

  How obsessed are you with goal setting? I mean seriously - if you've been living on planet earth you know that, those invested in the science of achievement, have done an incredible of not only convincing, but actually getting us...

  
• 04.04.2017

  TOR145: High Tech Humanitarians With Giulio Coppi

  Two very common themes in the aid and development community are “resource scarcity” (some even call this resource starvation) and “locally driven solutions.” The particular resource scarcity I am referring to is a lack of funding. This is a conversation...

  
• 03.28.2017

  TOR144: Innovation To Disrupt Supply Chains With Andrew Lamb Of Field Ready

  While we live in a world of unprecedented prosperity for many, we also live in a world that is experiencing unprecedented levels of humanitarian crisis. You know the examples: protracted violent conflicts, devastation caused by earthquakes or hurricanes, the specters...

  
• 03.21.2017

  TOR143: Effectively Communicating Social Impact With Angus Hervey Of Future Crunch

  We've had a lot of change makers on this show over the past two years - people and organizations that are redefining old systems and creating new products and processes that demand completely new ways of thinking about how we...

  
• 03.14.2017

  TOR142: Creating An Innovation Mindset With Corrine Gray Of UNHCR

  One reason that innovation has become one of those words that you just cannot escape in social impact, is the fact that the institutions that have occupied this space for the bulk of history are the anthesis of what we...

  
• 03.07.2017

  TOR141: The Power Of The Impact Evaluation Revolution With David Evans Of The World Bank

  I invite you to pause just for a second and take a moment to think about the last time you changed your mind about something. Specifically, I'd like for you to identify something that was either very important to you...

  
• 02.23.2017

  TOR140: Communicating Effectively At Scale About Human Exploitation With Tara Dermott Of IOM X

  So, imagine for a moment that you're a college student getting ready to spend a summer working internationally. Maybe in a hotel in a tropical resort, or as an eco tour guide, or maybe helping teach children in an orphanage....

  
• 02.21.2017

  TOR139: Investing In An Integrated Approach To Development With Patrick Fine Of FHI 360

  The challenges faced by communities in developing contexts around the world are anything but simple. Climate change, protracted conflict, gender issues, food scarcity, natural resource management... these and the hundreds of other topics that development professionals work on everyday are...

  
• 02.14.2017

  TOR138: How To Create Lasting Change At Scale With Dr. Kevin Starr Of The Mulago Foundation

  Do you ever have the feeling that your work in the Social Impact sector is akin to "plowing the sea?" That is - despite all of the time and effort you've put into your particular program or project, the effects...

  
• 02.07.2017

  TOR137: Supporting Social Impact Through Digital Strategies With Christopher Wolz

  If you're listening to this podcast, you're clearly a part of the digital revolution. Social media is a part of your life. Blogging may even be something you do. And... you even have a host of expectations about what minimum...

  
• 01.30.2017

  TOR136: Coordinating ICT4D at UNICEF with Sean Blaschke

  Would you agree with me that it is easy to become overwhelmed - in general? If I'm honest, which I always try to be, it actually pains me that this reality is, well, a reality. But, the truth of the...

  
• 01.24.2017

  TOR135: Ignitia With Sable Bender

  Have you ever stopped to think about how many things in your life depend on the weather? Everything from your mood to your travel plans to whether or not you'll get to wear that awesome brand new pair of blue...

  
• 01.17.2017

  TOR134: Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) At UW Information School With Chris Coward

  What do libraries have to do with innovation for aid and development? Total honest answer from my side: when I was doing my research for the 134th Terms of Reference Podcast, I knew there would be high value in a...

  
• 01.10.2017

  TOR133: Design Thinking For Social Impact At Dalberg With Ravi Chhatpar

  I have a confession to make: I'm fairly certain I under-appreciate design. Especially design as the cultural phenomenon it has become in everything from mobile phones to toilets. If you're paying attention to the same types of feeds as me,...

  
• 01.04.2017

  TOR132: Representing The U.S. Department Of State In Silicon Valley With Zvika Krieger

  I always get excited at the beginning of a new year. I think here is something important about moments like these that allow us a collective opportunity to not only enjoy time with friends and family, but also take stock...

  
• 12.20.2016

  TOR131: Young1ove with Noam Angrist

  One of the things I love the most about the stories here on the Terms of Reference Podcast is listening to the always incredible, but retrospectively obvious, paths which have lead all of our Aidpreneurs to their current passions. In...