For decades, the social impact sector has been obsessed with the "Heropreneur" and the traditional Theory of Change: a linear model that assumes we can individually predict, control, and attribute complex systemic shifts entirely to our own interventions.
But what happens when your work is about capacity building, education, and network weaving? How do you measure your impact when your true role is tending the soil for others to grow?
Join Unity Effect and Systems. Change. Educators. Unite. (SCEU) for a dialogue on moving from a rigid "Theory of Change" to a living "Theory of Systems Change.” In this 60-minute interactive session, we will explore how to move out of the linear causality model fueled by the typical use of Theory of Change and into more regenerative infrastructure for your organization and ecosystem. We will introduce the shift from “solutions” to “contributions” and then explore the Impact Garden, a framework that helps practitioners and educators map the intangible dynamics of their work, understand their evolving roles (from direct service to systems thinking), and measure systemic vitality.
What to expect:
The Paradigm Shift: Daniela Papi-Thornton (from SCEU) will unpack the limits of the "Heropreneur" and present a model that invites the retirement of linear and organization centric Theory of Change into a more complexity oriented model of “Theory of Systems Change” and “Theory of Contribution.”.
The Framework: A practical introduction to the Impact Garden and how it operationalizes a "Theory of Contribution."
Interactive Reflection: A guided, 10-minute mini-mapping exercise to help you immediately locate your own role within your systemic garden.
Who is this for?
Systems change practitioners, university educators, capacity builders, and M&E professionals who know that real change is a collective, relational process and are looking for the precise language and tools to map it.
Come ready to rethink your impact, connect with fellow system weavers, and leave with a new compass for your work.
