Two-Part 180-Minute SSIR Live! Participation e-Certification Series:
Part I: Understanding Social Problems and Approaches [April 15] and
Part II: Creating and Using a Theory of Change [April 16].

In this program series, you will…

• Scope a serious social problem and its causes
• Determine criteria for success that meet your aims
• Hypothesize how a given approach will lead to change
• Consider how to evaluate your outcomes for deciding on next steps

This SSIR Live! series is produced in conjunction with the Effective Philanthropy Learning Initiative at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, Stanford University.

A strategy for social change is essential for nonprofit and for-profit social ventures of all sizes and missions. An effective strategy also lies at the core of many public policies. This two-part SSIR Live! webinar teaches essential strategy development skills for addressing social problems.  Both early-stage and experienced social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, impact investors, policymakers, and policy advocates will find significant value in this live, interactive course.

This 180-minute live-participation e-certification series will walk you through the entire process of developing a strategy for social change in three phases, addressed across the two sessions:

Understanding the problem Building a theory of change Testing and iterating your theory of change

You will dive into a real-life example with fellow participants and learn to apply these same techniques in your own work. This interactive series, with multiple Q+A segments, will help you consider new, clear ways of setting your course of action and adapting it along the way. Most importantly, this program series will demonstrate how you can build and revisit your strategies in your own developmental paths to social change.
 

Program Details:

Part I: Understanding Social Problems and Approaches
What’s your problem? Laying the strategic foundations for change.
Date: Monday, April 15, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. PT / 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET [90-minute session]

The greatest challenges in pursuing a process of social change are made clearer and easier through a consideration of where you are headed. This webinar will help you:

• Clearly scope the problem you wish to address: What is the essential nature of your problem? What are its causes at the proximate and more fundamental levels?
• Articulate what success in solving a problem looks like: What do you need to see happen to make you satisfied with your outcome?
• Choose an effective approach to address a problem: What are the ways you can approach the problem, at which level of causation, and which “lever” do you want to pull to produce change?

Part II: Creating and Using a Theory of Change
What’s your plan? Putting a theory of change to work for you.
Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. PT / 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET [90-minute session]

We approach social change with best guesses about the nature of the problem and how it might be fixed. Those guesses turn actionable when they are described and discussed with collaborators, laid out for elaboration and questioning, and available for review and reconsideration. This webinar will help you:

• Develop a theory of change: What actions will you take, what must others do, and what are the intermediate results and outcomes you expect?
• Anticipate barriers to success: How will you overcome the likely obstacles and what precautions will you take?
• Build opportunities for feedback: What will you need to see along the way to decide to stay the course, shift gears, or even rethink your strategy?
• Test your solution and make necessary improvements: Did your strategy make the difference you hoped and what will be your next steps?

Getting into the practice of asking the questions posed in parts I and II of this series will exercise the capabilities we all need to effectively accomplish our social change goals.