meet us at the Skoll World Forum

BIG IMPACT REQUIRES DIFFERENT CHOICES THAN GROWTH

Growth is rarely the goal. Impact is what most organisations seek.
Over more than a decade we’ve worked with organisations and funders across different contexts to scale impact in challenging environments.

Here is what we’re seeing now in the sector.

WHAT WE ARE SEEING

Funding models need to change for impact to scale

Many organisations try to scale impact using the same funding model that supported early growth. At scale, that model often breaks. Those who are successfully scaling impact are rethinking who pays for scale, finding delivery partners whose goals are aligned, and working intentionally focusing only on the proof they need.

If you are thinking about scaling and don’t know how to fund that work, here’s where to start.

Get the guide ‘How to win unrestricted funding’

Growth stalls under funding pressure, scale doesn’t have to

In the pursuit of having impact, organisations usually think about doing more of what they’re already doing. But growth sometimes requires them to carry the weight of the entire problem, and it’s more expensive to fundraise for. Impact happens when thinking shifts from doing more to designing for outcomes at scale.

The organisations getting this right are following a different set of pathways.

Explore the Scaling Pathways guide

Donors are looking for more evidence, but more data doesn’t mean learning

There’s been a shift toward more transparency and clearer evidence of impact, which is beneficial. But overcomplicating evidence for scale, and what good enough is, can result in over-investing in evidence but not necessarily learning from the data.

More complexity doesn’t mean more impact.

Learn what evidence is enough and how to support learning

Scaling through public systems is slower, but far more durable

Many interventions and solutions work most effectively through government or existing systems. Building these relationships can feel slower and more complex. But with the right roadmap and expectation, embedding solutions into systems ensures robust, long-term impact.

We’ve mapped what that roadmap actually looked like for many organisations scaling through government partners.

Get the research on working with governments

What scaling means, in practice

Taking the steps towards scaling introduces a set of new challenges. We help our partners and funders find answers and confidence to continue their work and build towards sustainable impact.

Defining success and maintaining fidelity at scale

Shifting away from direct delivery to institutionalising with partners

Adapting to local contexts while maintaining cost effectiveness

Maintaining a learning agenda while scaling

Heading to Skoll? Find us at one of our events

All of the above insights and more, will be front and centre at Skoll. Come find us at one of our events, or drop us a line, we’d love to chat over a coffee.

Skoll Partner Fair: An Ecosystem Collaboration

Meet us and our CEO, Mohamed Osman, at the Skoll World Partner Fair to learn how Spring Impact supports social leaders in reaching more people and making a meaningful dent in some of the biggest problems

Speaker: Mohamed Osman, CEO

📍Said Business School

📅 Wednesday, 22 April 2026
⏰ 14:30–16:00 BST

FOR SKOLL DELEGATES ONLY

Skoll Partner Fair: Community Convening

Two hours of deep conversations with scaling impact experts and nonprofit leaders about the challenges leaders face, how the current context is shaping their strategies, and what success looks like for them.

Exhibitors: Mohamed Osman, CEO; Emma Colenbrander, Managing Director; and Tyler Spencer, Director of Partnership & Growth

📍Said Business School

📅 Tuesday, 21 April 2026
⏰ 10:30–12:30 BST

FOR SKOLL DELEGATES ONLY

Marmalade Festival: Understanding the Government Perspective

Co-hosted with Instiglio and LGT Venture Philanthropy, the event draws on our upcoming research to centre the government’s perspective, asking not “how do we persuade?” but “how do governments actually decide?”, and bringing together officials, funders, and practitioners.

Speakers: Nora Dettor, Director of Training and Communication & Alice Foster-Metcalf, Senior Manager

📍Theatre Room, Old Fire Station

📅 Friday, 24 April 2026
⏰ 8:00–10:30 BST

SESSION FULLY BOOKED

The Sidebar: Rooted Futures

A session on the power of partnership to prevent family separation, featuring Spring Impact, UBS, and organisations from Rooted Futures, alongside Railway Children, Hope and Homes for Children, and Child’s i Foundation, exploring practical strategies for helping families thrive and driving stronger outcomes in gender equity, education, and health.

Speaker: Niamh Browne, Programmes Manager

📍Symposium Room

📅 Wednesday, 22 April 2026
⏰ 13:00–14:30 BST

REGISTER HERE

The Sidebar: Scaling Mobility Solutions

Sharing lessons from our Scaling with Government report. Organised by the World Bicycle Relief, the event will see participants exploring practical rural mobility challenges that hold communities back, and solutions to the issues.

Speakers: Alice Foster-Metcalf, Senior Manager

📍The Oxford Union Society

📅 Thursday, 23 April 2026
⏰ 9:00–11:00 BST

REGISTER HERE

Side Event: Scaling what works

The session will explore what it really takes to scale locally driven innovations in low- and middle-income countries, bringing together innovators, funders, and scaling partners with perspectives from across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, drawing on their case studies.

Speaker: Emma Colenbrander, Managing Director

📍Glen Callater Room, HB Allen Centre, Keble College

📅 Thursday, 23 April 2026
⏰ 9:30–11:00 BST

INVITATION ONLY

The Sidebar: Building Strong Organisations

This discussion explores what it takes to build organisations that are resilient, effective, and ready for scale, looking at how to design their work to be not only high-performing, but also regenerative and aligned with the change leaders seek.

Speaker: Alice Kennerley, Partnerships & Growth Lead

📍New Road Baptist Church

📅 Wednesday, 22 April 2026
⏰ 09:30–10:30 BST

REGISTER HERE

The Sidebar: Scaling Through Government

Bringing together funders, implementers, and public sector leaders, this conversation will unpack what it takes to scale impact through government systems, and how to navigate the trade-offs around control, timelines, and long-term ownership.

Speakers: Alice Foster-Metcalf, Senior Manager

📍New Road Baptist Church

📅 Wednesday, 22 April 2026
⏰ 9:30–10:30 BST

REGISTER HERE