Social Impact Topics

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Get to know terms and and topics across innovation, development, industry, society, and culture.

Community leaders collaborating on local social innovation

What is Proximate Leadership?

Proximate leadership emphasizes local expertise and lived experience to create equitable, relevant, and sustainable solutions, shifting power dynamics and fostering trust in social innovation.
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Featured Topics

Proximatepedia brings together two essentials every mission-driven.

Systems Change

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abstract representation of interconnected systems and social change

Sector Mapping

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Diagram illustrating sector mapping of organizations and relationships

Field Catalyst

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Abstract network connections representing collaboration and systemic change

External / Independent Monitoring

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Conceptual illustration of external independent monitoring process

Social Innovation

Definitions focused on work to improve life for people and planet.

Diagram illustrating value chain flow and actors

Value Chain Mapping

Value chain mapping analyzes how goods and value move from production to consumption, identifying inefficiencies and opportunities to improve livelihoods, equity, and local economies through social innovation.
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Abstract representation of sector transformation and systemic change

Sector Transformation

Sector transformation reshapes industries to achieve equity, sustainability, and systemic impact by aligning actors, reforming structures, and scaling innovations for lasting social and environmental progress.
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Abstract network connections representing collaboration and systemic change

Field Catalyst

Field catalysts drive systemic change by coordinating multiple actors, building capacity, and aligning efforts across sectors to address complex social challenges effectively.
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Sustainable Development

Terms associated with development policy, funding, and delivery systems.

Outsourced / Contracted Delivery

Outsourced delivery enables organizations to extend services by engaging external providers, allowing focus on core...

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Collaboration between organizations and external delivery partners

Social Enterprise Delivery

Social enterprise delivery combines social impact with revenue-generating business models to create sustainable solutions, fostering...

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Conceptual illustration of social enterprise combining business and social impact

Mainstreaming

Mainstreaming integrates new ideas and priorities into core institutional functions, embedding equity, sustainability, and innovation...

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Conceptual illustration of mainstreaming new ideas into institutions

Capacity Building

Capacity building strengthens skills, resources, and systems to help individuals and organizations achieve and sustain...

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Illustration representing capacity building and skill development

Proximatepedia List of Concepts

Action Research Adaptive Leadership Adaptive Management Advocacy Agile Execution Applied Research Balanced Score Card Basic Research Beneficiary / Community Monitoring Business Entrepreneurship Capacity Building Causal Loop Mapping Change Agent Co-Creation Coalition Building Collaborative Leadership Collective Impact Collective Leadership Communities of Practice Community Champions Community Organizing Community-Based Delivery Community-Based Leadership Compliance Monitoring Context Monitoring Cost-Effectiveness / Economic Evaluation Cross-Subsidization Demonstration Model Diffusion of Innovations Digital Platforms Direct Service Disruptive Innovation Ecosystem Mapping Ecosystem Strengthening Evidence Building Experimental Research External / Independent Monitoring Fee-for-Service Field Building Field Catalyst Field Mapping / Field Scans Formative Evaluation Franchise Model Government Adoption Grassroots Agency Growth Trajectory Hub-and-Spoke Model Impact at Scale Impact Evaluation Insider-Outsider Leadership Institution Building Institutional Leadership Institutionalization Internal Monitoring International Development Last-Mile Distribution Networks Launch Process Localization / Localization 2.0 LogFrame Logic Model Long-Term Sustainability Longitudinal Research Mainstreaming Market-Based Solutions Mixed-Methods Research Movement Building Multi-Stakeholder Delivery Narrative Change Network Mapping Non-Experimental Research OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) Outcome Evaluation Outsourced / Contracted Delivery Paradigm Shift Participatory Action Research Participatory Leadership Participatory Monitoring Performance Dashboards / KPIs Philanthropic Stewardship Pilot Projects Policy Leadership Policy Reform Power Mapping Problem Discovery Problem Tree / Solution Tree Mapping Process / Implementation Evaluation Process Monitoring Proximate Leadership Public Provision Public-Private Partnerships Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Quasi-Experimental Research Real-Time Monitoring Replication Resilience Results Monitoring Results-Based Management Scaling Pathways Scenerio Planning Sector Mapping Sector Transformation Servant Leadership Shared (Lived) Experience Shared Proximity Shared Trust Shared Value Six Conditions of Systems Change Social Advantage Social Enterprise Delivery Social Entrepreneurship Social Goods Social Impact Social Innovation Social Return on Investment Social Systems Stakeholder Mapping Summative Evaluation Sustainability at Scale Sustainable Development Systems Change Systems Leadership Systems Mapping Theory of Change Thought Leadership Transactional Research Transformational Leadership Transformative Scale Triple Bottom Line Validation Cycle Value Chain Mapping Volunteer-Led Models Voucher / Subsidy Models
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