Thinking big: How to use theory of change for systems change
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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.
Traditional approaches to theory of change can be difficult to apply to campaigning, this NPC guide sets out how to develop a theory of change for campaigning.
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:
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.
Workshop 3: Working towards systemic change
This event is designed to help you and your organisation incorporate systems approaches into your day to day behaviours and actions.
Philanthropy’s role in systems change
At this event we will discuss what does it mean to fund for systems change and what do funders who want to fund systemically need to be aware of?
Workshop 2: Systems mapping and analysis
This event is an introduction to systems mapping tools, how to engage stakeholders on co-creating systems map and how to analyse maps to help identity points of intervention for systems change.
Listen: How to do theory of change
James Noble sits down with Sam Davies, host of the Charity Chat podcast, to talk theory of change.
Learning from people who work within the system
The Fulfilling Lives LSL team echo the findings of our recent report on multiple disadvantage and support the recommendations with their own experiences.
Five changes we must make for people experiencing multiple disadvantage
How to help more people live more fulfilling lives.
Systems change for people experiencing multiple disadvantage
What have we learned about the system and how it can change?
A big year for social impact and for NPC
For us at NPC, 2022 is our 20th year of existence. 20 years working with, and as part of, this terrific charity and philanthropy sector to help it maximise its social impact. Already this year we are excited by lots of things we have upcoming.
Rethink, Rebuild
The covid-19 pandemic brought about a host of changes in the experience and practises of charities and funders in the UK. We set up Rethink Rebuild to find out what those changes are, which changes helped make charities more impactful, and how they could be continued.
Systems strategy
No single organisation working alone can ever achieve its mission. Understanding how we contribute to the wider system should be at the heart of our strategies.
