WHAT WE DO
Four offerings — each shaped by who you are, what you’re trying to do, and how good your evidence already is.
We choose the approach that fits the question, the context and the people — rather than starting with any sort of preferred toolkit. The four areas below describe the shape of what we do; the way we do them is shared across all of them.
Strategy & Design
Designing programs and strategies, launching new initiatives and vehicles — and refreshing them as the work evolves.
We work in close partnership with leadership teams and in deep engagement with the communities the work is meant to reach — building initiatives and strategies that are relevant, realistic and grounded in context. Our partners come to us when they’re standing up something new, when something existing has stopped fitting the world it’s operating in, or when they want a clear-eyed second pair of eyes on what they’re already building.
QUESTIONS WE HELP WITH
- — We’re a foundation thinking about a new programmatic strategy. We need to understand the landscape, the degree of opportunity and need, and the specific approaches that are most appropriate given the outcome goals.
- — We hypothesise that an impact fund can catalyse new sources of funding for an outcome we care about. But how exactly should this fund be designed and structured? Who are the right investors, and what instruments will lead to supporting outcomes in the best possible ways?
- — Our non-profit’s operating model has drifted from the world it was built for — and the world has changed since the model was first established. How do we reimagine it without losing what made us good?
- — We’re not sure what the right strategy is, but we know the current one isn’t quite working. Help us figure out what to ask first.
Impact Measurement & Learning Systems
Theories of change, outcome frameworks, MEL systems, and the learning approaches that bring them to life.
We build systems your team can run, not ones that depend on us. Whatever we set up — a theory of change for a fund, a learning framework for a multi-year program, an MEL system for an organisation — it’s designed to be picked up by the people who’ll actually use it, refreshed as the work evolves, and most importantly, used.
QUESTIONS WE HELP WITH
- — We have an MEL system but it seems to be focused on the mechanistic production of output and outcome data, and doesn’t seem to be telling us anything useful. What’s wrong, and how do we shift it to have more of a learning-orientation journey?
- — We’re standing up a new program and want to make sure we’re setting up effective measuring systems from the outset, rather than trying to build them after the fact. Whose perspectives do we need to gather in defining ‘success’? And what do we need to track (without drowning in indicators) to see how things are progressing?
- — Our team feels weighed down by reporting requirements. How do we tell the story of our work effectively and honestly? And how do we help funders feel comfortable that what’s important might be different to what’s in their templates?
Independent Evaluations & Reviews
Retrospective and mid-term reviews, and impact assessments — using a wide variety of fit-for-purpose methods.
We’re framework- and method-agnostic. We choose the approach that fits the question, the context and the people. We’ve designed and led evaluations for development aid programs, foundations, impact funds and non-profits — at every stage from in-flight reviews to retrospective impact assessments. The constant: an evaluation should leave you with something you didn’t know before, and insights you can pragmatically action to improve your work.
QUESTIONS WE HELP WITH
- — We’re at the mid-point of a multi-year program and want a candid read on how it’s tracking — what’s working, what isn’t, and what we should do differently.
- — We’ve completed a major initiative and want to genuinely understand what difference it made — not just whether we delivered.
- — Our funder has requested an independent review. We want one that’s rigorous but also useful to our team — not one that just checks boxes.
- — We have impact claims we’ve been making for years but never properly tested. What would a good evaluation of those claims look like?
Resource Mobilisation
Funder mapping, positioning, structuring and capital-raise support — across philanthropic, impact, blended and public funding.
We bring the relationships, the technical fluency, and the ability to translate impact ambition into terms that resonate with each kind of funder. Two decades across the funder side and the implementer side mean we can move between worlds — speaking philanthropy with foundations, finance with investors, and policy with public-sector funders. We help you think clearly about which money is right for what you’re trying to do, and how to position what you’re doing so it’s compelling to that money.
QUESTIONS WE HELP WITH
- — We’ve built something good but our current funding model isn’t sustainable. What should we be doing differently to fund it?
- — We’re considering blended finance for a new vehicle. Which structures work, and how do we put one together that meets the goals of different parties, while still maintaining healthy tension and shared risk?
- — We’re a non-profit thinking about impact investment for the first time. Is it right for us, and if so, how do we approach it?
- — Our positioning isn’t landing with the funders we want to attract. How do we sharpen the story without losing what’s true about it?
WHAT RUNS THROUGH ALL FOUR
However we engage, certain things are true of all our work.
We work shoulder-to-shoulder with leadership teams and in deep engagement with the communities the work is meant to reach. We’re framework- and method-agnostic — we choose the approach that fits the question, the context and the people. We build to leave our partners stronger, not more dependent. And we’re honest about what we don’t know — that’s what makes the analysis worth having.