About this seminar: 

Governance of impact is central to creating, implementing, and assessing an organization’s impact strategy to make optimal decisions to further its mission. It is central to creating, implementing, and then assessing the foundation’s strategy and deciding how grant-making or operating budgets are spent.

In November 2023, the Esade Center for Social Impact (ECSI) published the report ‘Governance of Impact – Can European Foundations Rise to the Challenge’, to bring governance to the center of the impact measurement and management conversation, under the hypothesis that effective governance of impact can result in enhanced social value.

In this ground-breaking research, four European foundations – Bertelsmann Stiftung, Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, King Baudouin Foundation, and Laudes Foundation – joined forces to provide funding and open their doors so that the ECSI could conduct a deep dive into how impact is governed in their foundations. They were joined in the sample by Rethink Ireland and Pontis Foundation. The report is an exploration of this under-researched but essential area, reflecting perspectives from the board, executive team, foundation staff, and grantees/partners, and providing a framework for action for all foundations that want to improve their governance.

During the event, Dr. Lisa Hehenberger, Director of ECSI, will present key insights from the report and discuss them with Dr. Henrik Brinkmann, Senior Expert Impact Management and Monitoring at of Bertelsmann Stiftung. Together, they will review the definition of governance of impact, explore the hidden aspects that underlie it, and present the roadmap for improving governance of impact supported by Bertelsmann Stiftung’s case study.

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