Systems change is helping a range of charities, funders and practitioners to deal with the root causes of social problems.
The approach requires us not only to understand why difficult social problems persist but also to challenge our own role tackling them—a formidable task.
But if all of us in the voluntary sector are to become effective agents of change, we need to get better at challenging ourselves.
We think that, applied well, theory of change can support charities and funders that want to take a systemic approach to their work.
This report identifies five common pitfalls that organisations fall into when using theory of change, and walks through five rules of thumb that will help organisations to use the approach to tackle complex problems.
Let us know your thoughts on the report on Twitter @NPCthinks and @LankellyChase using #SystemsChange, or drop us a line at info@thinkNPC.org.
Report authors
We offer theory of change training for charities and funders throughout the year. Find out more on the events page.
More on theory of change:
Creating a theory of change: An introduction for charities
This one day training with talk you through implementing a clear and robust theory of change that can help to develop and refine your strategy.
Theory of change in ten steps
A theory of change process encourages us to reflect on our aims and plans, to discuss them with others and to make them explicit. We see this process as the foundation of charity strategy, evaluation and communication.
How to adapt your strategy approach for times of change
Covid-19 means charities must develop adaptive strategies, but how can we do this well?
Understanding Impact
How to turn your theory of change into a plan for measurement, the five types of data you will need to pay attention to, and how to prioritise what to measure.
Four tips to write a good Theory of Change
Every charity or funder needs a theory of change, but it's not always a simple thing to come up with. Here Margery Infield, NPC Consultant, shares some lessons from a recent Theory of Change training event.
Theory of change in ten steps
This new guide is a ten step handbook to creating a theory of change, built on many years of developing them for charities and funders. It will teach you the basics, our core approach, with the information you need to do any theory of change.
How to do a basic theory of change
James Noble introduces NPC's new thinking on theory of change.
NPC Ignites: People, Impact, Purpose
What can you expect from our annual conference NPC Ignites 2019?
Help us make theory of change even more useful
Over the next few months, with the support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, we are going to be rewriting and redesigning our guidance on theory of change and we want your help.
Thinking big: How to use theory of change for systems change
We think that, applied well, theory of change can support charities and funders to take a systemic approach to their work. This report identifies five common pitfalls that organisations fall into when using theory of change, and walks through five rules of thumb that will help organisations to use the approach to tackle complex problems.
Long read: Theories of change are here to stay
The theory of change approach has been around for a while now, and many charities use it to help them be more strategic about their work and their impact measurement. But it has had its fair share of criticism and skepticism over the years. Here, NPC's Impact Management Lead James Noble tackles some of these challenges, and remakes the case for charities to develop theories of change to help guide their work.
Developing theories of change for entire sectors
Reflecting on our recent work developing a theory of change for the prison education sector, James Noble explores the process, and outlines the potential benefits of this approach.
