Spring Impact Spring Impact

Social Impact at Scale

Spring Impact Spring Impact

Helping teams scale with confidence

How we helped two UK funders equip 26 mission-driven organisations to test, learn, and turn evidence into impact.

Funder Partnerships | Lean Testing | UK | US | South Africa

We partnered with two UK-based donors to help mission-led organisations strengthen their ability to scale effectively. Through the Lean Institute, we worked with 26 organisations across three regions:

-> South Africa: Early Childhood Development

-> UK: Refugee Inclusion

-> US: Workforce Equity

We combined deep consultancy for selected beacon organisations with rigorous training for a broader cohort and created open tools and networks to sustain learning across the ecosystem.

Challenge

Many mission-led organisations have effective solutions that could achieve far greater impact at scale – but often lack the tools, mindsets, and confidence to test what really works.

Under pressure to grow, teams often:

  • Scale assumptions rather than evidence
  • Hold onto delivery models that don’t work
  • Invest heavily in untested ideas

Successful scale models require real-world testing, continuous adaptation, and responsiveness to new opportunities.

Solution

Spring Impact designed the Lean Institute to address this challenge, and help organisations apply Lean Impact principles to scale effectively. The programme was structured in three parts:

  • Scaling Deep: Hands-on consultancy for 6 beacon organisations.
  • Scaling Wide: Practical training & coaching for a wider cohort of 20 organisations
  • Strengthening the ecosystem: Accessible resources for sector-wide learning

IMPACT

Stronger scaling capabilities

90% of beacon organisations improved the value, impact, or scalability of their solutions within 6 months.

 

 Skills to lead with confidence

92% of training participants gained the skills and tools to develop clear scale strategies and test them.

 

 Strengthening the ecosystem

11,000+ people engaged with open-access Lean Impact resources, videos, and tools, building scale knowledge.

 

 Mindset shifts

Over 80% of partners displayed key Lean behaviours: testing before investing, centring constituents, and focusing on problems, not solutions.

 

“The impact and improvement we saw since we started has been massive, especially in terms of the quality of our work. It has since improved drastically.”

— Siyakholwa Development Foundation

OUR PROCESS

Scaling deep

We partnered closely with beacon organisations across South Africa, the UK, and the US to help them define their core problem, test assumptions, and build evidence for scale.

  • In South Africa, Grow Great refined its Flourish model and piloted the “10 Best Buys” advocacy campaign.
  • In the UK, World Jewish Relief adapted its STEP Ukraine programme, testing it with 411 refugees.
  • Refugee Council shifted from direct delivery to a convening role, collaborating with peers to explore new models for refugee employment.

Scaling wide

We developed a 10-week Lean Impact for Scale course for a wider group of grantees
and peers. Participants tested components of their strategies 2–3 times during the course, supported by training, coaching, and peer feedback.

The training built not only practical skills, but also shifted internal attitudes toward data, iteration, and adaptive learning.

Strengthening the ecosystem

We created open-access toolkits, delivered peer-learning sessions, and produced a video series on scaling mindsets, sustaining the funders’ investment beyond individual engagements.

Scaling in action

GirlTrek (US)

Challenge

GirlTrek, the largest health movement for Black women in the U.S., set out to launch GirlTrek University, integrating workforce development into their programming to improve economic outcomes. But the path to scale this vision was unclear.

What we did

We helped GirlTrek clarify the vision and impact of GirlTrek University through guideposts and storyboarding, unpack core assumptions, and test prototypes of the experience. We also supported them to embed community feedback and identify what needed refinement.

Impact

GirlTrek clarified the foundations of GirlTrek University. They are now co-designing, exploring scale pathways, and building partnerships to grow the University sustainably while staying true to their values.

GrowGreat (South Africa)

Challenge

Grow Great, an organisation tackling stunting resulting from poor nutrition, had bold campaign plans (“10 Best Buys”), but with untested assumptions. Their existing solutions struggled to reach the most in-need constituents, depended on resource-heavy delivery, and were implemented by siloed teams.

What we did

We tested assumptions behind “10 Best Buys” campaign, explored delivery roles to support scale, and worked with leadership to create an evidence-backed strategy and an environment where Lean ways of working could thrive.

Impact

Grow Great reduced unnecessary complexity in its delivery model, extended its advocacy reach with evidence-backed messaging, and fostered a culture of testing and learning across the organisation.

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