Systems Mapping for Impact Capital Providers

Transformative Finance E-Talk: An Introduction into Systems Mapping for Impact Capital Providers  

Some challenges we face in our societies and economies can be solved with straight forward (financing) solutions. Many societal challenges such as climate change, economic inequalities or lack of social cohesion are more complex and straightforward interventions will not bring the desired results. Systems practices allow us to embrace and work with the inherent complexity of such problems, so that these systems can be transformed towards healthier outcomes. 

Before we act, though we need to understand the system we are intervening in. This is true for any impact organisation - but also for funders and investors who seek to use their financial and non-financial resources for transformative impact. Systems mapping refers to a set of system methods that help increase our eco-system awareness, make sense of the ‘messiness’ of complex problems and identify suitable ‘levers’ in a system, i.e. where small interventions with limited resources can produce a transformative and lasting shift. It allows impact funders and investors understand which kind of financing and non-financial resources would be required, and where they should be best deployed and with whom we might best align or partner with on our transformative finance journey.

Rob Ricigliano of The Omidyar Group will provide a short introduction into systems mapping for impact capital providers. Katy Hartley will reflect on their experience with developing an economic system map as part of a recent strategic reorientation at Laudes Foundation and share some lessons learned. Thomas Adank and Dominic Hofstetter of the TransCap Initiative will talk about the process and challenges of an ongoing system mapping of the Swiss mobility system as part of the Net-Zero Mobility project that seeks to identify investable transformation levers across the spectrum of capital.  

This e-talk is co-funded by the European Union, with the support of BMW Foundation