
Event Details
This event has ended. We have added our summary and insights from the workshop.
DESIAP KL report, Impact Evaluation in Designing Social Innovation: Insights from DESIAP KL Workshop and Symposium, written by Akama, Yee, Hill and Tjahja, was launched in Singapore 2019 at a gathering funded by Northumbria and RMIT University (ECP). This event took place in Singapore because it is a key hub of funding agencies with regional offices that support social impact work in Southeast Asia. Invitations were sent through networks affiliated with DESIAP, such as Asia Venture Philanthropy Network, Social Innovation Exchange and Asian Women Social Entrepreneurship Network. This gathered 9 leading funding agencies in the region to begin discussions on ways to co-explore alternative impact evaluation approaches. The participants that gathered included Kenn Foundation, Lien Centre for Social Innovation, Tondo Foundation, JustCause, Asia P3 Hub, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network and the British Council.

- How designing social innovation practices shape the form and purpose of impact evaluation.
- How evaluation is embedded in designing social innovation processes.
- Questions and propositions for understanding impact evaluation.

- Written reports and spreadsheets that fail to capture meaningful insights, learnings and transformation observed by the beneficiaries > ‘What if’ photos, videos and audio diaries captured on smart-phones were shared instead? Visual language can often be powerful and accessible for many community groups.
- Predefining evaluation and impact criteria > ‘What if’ the ‘Theory of Change’ can be created together among funders, intermediaries and beneficiaries?
- Gaps in power, understanding and relationships > ‘What if’ there are quality conversations between funders and beneficiaries that moves from talking about KPIs to values that are often invisible? Can a ‘neutral party’ broker or facilitate this conversation?
- Agreement in theory but harder to do in practice > ‘What if’ there were exemplary case studies that articulated how organisations shifted from traditional evaluative approaches towards? Could this facilitate new types of leadership to enable cultural shifts in organisations?
