Trend #3: Large NGOs and agencies will prioritize innovation

5 Trends in Social Innovation

Large NGOs and international agencies are not traditionally recognized for playing a significant role in driving social innovation, however over the past few years that has changed. In 2015, we expect to see large organizations stepping up more than ever as the catalysts of collaborations that support a healthy environment for social innovation.

At the 2014 CLASSY Collaborative in San Diego, leaders from Oxfam America, CARE USA and the Clinton Foundation sat down to discuss how large NGOs continue to innovate, collaborate pivot and scale.

“There is a lot of innovation that goes on that we don’t have the opportunity to capture. As a large NGO, we miss out on a lot of opportunities to grow because small, innovative ideas aren’t always on our radar screen. We need to do better,” said Dr. Helene Gayle, President & CEO of CARE USA during the Collaborative session.

Despite this challenge, large organizations are in an optimal position to facilitate social innovation. “As a large NGO, we are in a unique position. We can spot opportunities, we can be conveners of different types of actors, we can introduce types of M&E practices, our scale and breadth gives us advantages, but we also need the creativity of smaller organizations.” said Raymond Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America in response to Gayle.

“What I have found is that you have two types of people. Ones who have the opportunity and ability to come up with the technological solutions and ones who are the end users [of that technology]. As a large NGO, it’s our job to bring the end users together with the people who have the opportunities and ability,” said Gayle.

This realization is illustrated by the growth of investments in innovation labs. BRAC, Rockefeller Foundation, World Bank and UNICEF have all invested in creating labs to drive entrepreneurial endeavors, foster innovative solutions to social problems and provide resources for early-stage ventures.

What’s an innovation lab?

UNICEF defines their innovation labs as open, collaborative incubation accelerators that bring business, universities, governments and civil society together to create sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing children and youth. The Lab model creates opportunities for young people who have a unique insight into the challenges that affect their communities, to team up with local leaders to develop creative and sustainable solutions.

“The social sector needs more NGOs, partners, agencies and funders that are truly committed to undertaking the long-term and painstaking efforts solve and address complicated problems and issues. This will require unique and different collaborations, alignment among diverse (and sometimes unlikely) institutions, less focus on competition for resources, and more focus on collective and sustained commitments to solve vexing social issues and challenges.” — Todd Reeve, Bonneville Environmental

According to The Bridgespan Group, preliminary estimates indicate that the innovation lab sector is relatively small — approximately $150 million per year. However the sector is growing quickly in response to increasing demand — about 65% of the labs were founded in the last five years.

Kidogo is an example of an innovation born out of such labs.

Kidogo is a social enterprise that improves access to high-quality affordable early childhood care and education in informal settlements. Kidogo was selected as a winner of the first ever AMPLIFY Challenge, a joint project between IDEO.ORG and DFID using open innovation to identify approaches to specific development challenges. As a part of the project, Kidogo receives pro-bono support from a team of IDEO.ORG designers over the period of the project.

Though not born out of a lab, Voices of Youth (VOY) Maps is a similar example of an innovation born from a large international agency. An initiative of the Youth Section in the Division of Communication at UNICEF Headquarters, VOY uses digital mapping technology to create a virtual image depicting the everyday realities, challenges and opportunities encountered by young people, ultimately empowering them to participate in the improvement of their neighborhood. The organization’s platform is built and maintained by UNICEF, and takes advantage of their global partnerships and reach.