Creating a philanthropic impact together
13. February 2023, University of St. Gallen
Foundations, public institutions, socially oriented companies and sustainable investment funds are making increasingly important contributions to the international fight against poverty, hunger and the consequences of climate change through their philanthropic engagements. In order to ensure that the goals are achieved and that the living conditions of the people in the affected regions are improved sustainably, findings from impact evaluations have been increasingly integrated into the strategic management of programs and projects. With an accompanying impact evaluation, it is possible to make development cooperation more effective and efficient.
- How can the impact of projects and programs be evaluated in an evidence-based manner, and what measurement techniques and methods are available to optimize the potential of philanthropic investments?
- How can the findings of impact evaluations be incorporated into the strategic planning and operational implementation phases of projects and programs, instead of merely measuring their results?
- How can philanthropic collaborations be strategically designed to increase impact and trigger more sustainable development?
To find answers to these questions, the Center for Evaluation and Development (C4ED) and the Center for Philanthropy (CfP) at the University of St. Gallen are organizing this one-day conference. In various panels in the morning, we offer a forum for dialogue between researchers and leaders from foundations, non-profit organizations, socially oriented companies, and sustainable investment funds to discuss the perspectives of evidence-based research for philanthropic engagement. The exchange is intended to enrich collaboration and provide impetus to reflect on actual impacts of projects and programs. In particular, methods of impact evaluation as well as practical examples and scientific developments will be presented. Moreover, the exchange will also focus on ways to realize impact orientation in a holistic approach to the implementation and financing of projects and programs. With contributions from KfW Entwicklungsbank and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (SECO), the exchange between the private and public sectors and across borders will also be intensified. In the afternoon, all participants will be invited to jointly design a hypothetical philanthropic pilot project in two workshops, one each on Ethiopia and Pakistan. The goal will be to empower 3,000 villages in a socio-economically sustainable way in 5 years. Informed by existing evidence from impact evaluation, we will combine individual measures to utilize synergies. Additionally, we will sketch a project with an associated impact evaluation. With verifiable statements about what works, when, how and under which conditions, we will bundle engagement in a more targeted way in the future to innovatively exploit scaling potential and jointly address the most urgent problems such as poverty, hunger and adaptation to climate change. We look forward to an open and inspiring exchange that will further deepen the dialogue between academia and practice in the philanthropy sector.
From 8:30 | Registration and coffee |
9:00 – 9:05 | Welcome, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Ehrenzeller, Rektor, HSG |
9:05 – 9:30 | Measuring the impact of philanthropic and public activities – a scientific perspective, Professor Dr. Michael Lechner (HSG). |
9:30 – 10:00 | Impact Measurement at KfW Entwicklungsbank, Prof. Dr. Jochen Kluve |
10:00 – 10.15 | Coffee Break |
10:15 – 11.20 | Workshops:
– Impact Investment – Sustainable Finance I (German) – Wirkungsmessung in der Praxis I (English) – Evidenz-basierte Philanthropie und Wissensnutzung I (German) |
11:25 – 12.30 | Workshops:
– Impact Investment – Sustainable Finance II (English) – Wirkungsmessung in der Praxis II (German) – Evaluierung, Wirksamkeit, Nutzen von Evaluierung aus öffentlicher Perspektive (German) |
12.30 – 13.30 | Lunch at the conference venue |
13.30 – 14.00 | Creating a philanthropic impact together |
14:00 – 16:15 | Workshops „Creating a philanthropic impact together“ |
16.15 – 16.50 | Coffee Break |
16:50 – 17:45 | Panel: Effective adaptation to climate change – a challenge for philanthropy and society
Moderation: Dr. Andreas Böhm (CfP-HSG) Panelists: – Reto Thönen, DEZA – Christian Krämer, KfW – Dr. Maximilian Martin, Banque Lombard Odier – Dr. von Orelli, SwissFoundations – Dirk Reinhard, Munich Re Foundation |
18:00 | Aperitif and dinner at the conference venue |
Conference venue
Universität St. Gallen
Building 09 (Library), Senatssaal (09-011)
Dufourstrasse 50, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Our Vision
Improving the lives of the poor and vulnerable by making development interventions more effective.
Our Mission
We are uniting investments and expertise for smart development solutions.