Abstract
In 2023, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) wanted to understand the ground realities of its grantee nonprofits as they operated programs and projects across India. The aim was to improve the impact of various programs by discovering the real experiences of beneficiaries on the ground and identifying the areas of innovation and improvement to deliver greater impact. MSDF also wanted to train its employees so that they could independently lead Design Thinking work to improve the design and delivery of MSDF programs. MSDF partnered with The Painted Sky, a Design Thinking consulting firm, to co-create a bespoke program to drive the outcomes through a learning journey that involved a group of 5 MSDF employees and 3 prominent grantee nonprofits. Through an approach that mixed Classroom Training, Group Coaching and Assessments over a 6 month journey, the program helped each participant learn Design Thinking and come up with solutions that were implemented on the ground. The program succeeded in developing mindsets and skills for innovation by helping come up with solutions that they experimented with, prototyped and implemented for impact. It embedded the need for empathy and exploration and understanding of problems and opportunities, and helped develop the necessary skills for innovation to be practiced at work and in life. An ongoing assessment is being conducted to measure the impact of the solutions, and the key learnings from the field. It is also assessing the knowledge and expertise levels of the participants in their application efforts.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Thinking, Learning, Doing: Plural Ways of Design
KEYWORDS
Design Thinking, Social Impact, Livelihood, Nonprofits, Innovation, Education, Implementation, Learning
