In a world grappling with intensifying climate crises, growing inequality, and political polarisation, the social impact sector faces unprecedented challenges that demand both innovative thinking and sustained commitment. As funding resources become increasingly constrained and complex problems require more collaborative approaches, practitioners need new frameworks and sources of inspiration.

It is against this backdrop that I recently had the opportunity to attend several sessions in Oxford during the few days of the Skoll World Forum in April 2025. From courageous leadership to tech-enabled inclusion, these insights feel as relevant now as ever, especially for those of us working at the intersection of justice, systems change, and social investment. It was refreshing and inspiring to discover what other leaders and the wider social impact sector around the world are reflecting on and doing.

Sustaining Moral Courage

One of the most memorable panels, “This Isn’t Easy: Sustaining Moral Courage”, hosted by the McNulty Foundation and Aspen Institute, brought together social change leaders who spoke openly about what it really takes to stay committed to transformative work in difficult, complex environments. Saket Soni (Resilience Force), Mirei Endara (Marea Verde), and Jay Coen Gilbert (White Men for Racial Justice) shared experiences that reinforced some deep truths about being resilient in social change:

Building Your Courage Network: Community is essential for sustained courage. Finding like-minded allies provides both practical support and emotional sustenance to keep us going.
The Radical Act of Self-Care: Self-care isn’t optional but foundational for long-term impact.
Shifting Perspective for Persistence: “Zooming out” helps prevent burnout and maintain hope while reminding ourselves that we are not the only ones fighting this battle.

Innovative and Inclusive Investment

In another session, “Our Power Together”, hosted by the Gender Funders CoLab, the panellists shared innovative ways of leveraging the power of investing in ideas that centre equity, local knowledge, and lived experience to support women, girls and all of our communities. Two initiatives stood out in particular. Kabakoo Academies in West Africa are doing powerful work using AI to help young people build relevant skills in contexts where formal employment is lacking and mental health challenges are rising. Their “Highdigenous” model, merging high-tech tools with indigenous knowledge systems, is an exciting example of how tech doesn’t have to erase culture, but can strengthen it.

Stefan Bollier shared reflections on LGBTQ+ lens investing, a field still in its early stages, much like gender-lens investing a decade ago, but full of promise and deeply necessary. He shared examples of supporting LGBTQ+ organisations in Africa to buy property, both as a long-term sustainability measure and a form of protection in regions where basic rights and safety cannot be taken for granted. It’s a reminder that who funders and investors fund, and how, can either reinforce or reimagine existing power dynamics.

Deforestation, Inclusion and Human Rights

In the last two years, our team had the privilege of working with Meridian Institute to develop Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Metrics for Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Conservation and Markets Initiatives. We worked with the grantees to co-develop a framework and tools to measure the actions and impact on inclusion because of more sustainable and deforestation-free agriculture practices.

I attended the “Unlocking data to end deforestation and human rights abuses” session as part of the Marmalade Festival to follow up on the issue and learned about the interesting work of organisations, including Global Canopy and Tony’s Chocolonely. The discussion touched on frameworks like Forest 500, developed by Global Canopy, which ranks the companies and financial institutions most responsible for forest-risk commodity supply chains. Ten years into this work, their insights showed how far the conversation has come, and how far there still is to go.

Tony’s Chocolonely also shared some great practices and reflections on embedding human rights in their work. Rather than hiding uncomfortable truths, they’ve openly shared that over 2,000 cases of child labour were found in their supply chain. They’ve used that data to develop a monitoring and remediation system, reducing child labour to 3.9% in cooperatives they work with (compared to the industry average of 50%). They also developed an “open chain” model, which shares sustainable sourcing methods with other actors in the industry to drive transparency and collective action within the sector. It speaks to a simple but often ignored truth: collaboration is key to driving sustainable and systemic change.

The panellists also shared reflections about the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) with some large companies leveraging tactics to stay compliant, e.g. reducing the number of suppliers and sourcing only from big suppliers. Some of these practices raised concern about leaving smallholders behind, reinforcing power imbalances in access to markets and economic opportunities.

From Reflection to Action: The Path Forward

As our sector navigates increasingly complex challenges, these reflections from Oxford offer valuable inspirations. They remind us that sustainable change requires both personal resilience and systemic approaches that centre equity and inclusion. While each context is unique, several cross-cutting principles emerge:

1. The power of honest acknowledgement, whether of our own limitations as change-makers or of uncomfortable realities in our work
2. The importance of community and collaboration across traditional boundaries
3. The recognition that how we do our work matters as much as what we achieve

I invite fellow social impact practitioners to consider how these insights might inform our work. Could we create more space for courageous conversations about challenges? Might we revisit our approaches through equity lenses? Are there opportunities to share our methodologies, learnings and reflection more openly to benefit the wider sector? The path forward requires us to be both bold in our vision and humble in our approach, recognising that lasting change comes through shared power and collective action.

Even though I did not join the Skoll World Forum itself, these satellite events in Oxford served as powerful reminders of our shared purpose in the social impact sector. They offered not just refreshing insights into our fast-changing world, but also a renewed sense of community and possibility. As I reconnect with my work at TSIC, I’m carrying forward both practical ideas, deeper inspiration, and a commitment to approach challenges with honesty, to share power more intentionally, and to reimagine systems with creativity and care. In a world where social change work can feel overwhelming, these gatherings remind us that transformation happens through collective action and persistent hope. I invite you to join me in embracing both the complexity and the opportunity of this moment, finding courage in connection and continuing to do things differently, even—especially—when it’s hard.

(Originally posted on the website of the Social Investment Consultancy)