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Design Thinking

Project

Radically redesigning social investment for underserved founders

The challenge Investment needs a radical redesign. New evidence is highlighting the barriers that underrepresented founders face. The Adebowale Commission …

Project

Digital futures for mental health

The challenge There’s a real bottleneck for support. People present with a mental health disorder and then have to wait. …

Project

Supporting community-led routes into work

The challenge When I think about a job, I get doubts in the back of my head. It makes me …

A Shift reset: Our renewed focus for the future

Following on from our blog about becoming a self-organising, ‘leaderful’ team, here Louise and Rachel share a glimpse at Shift’s …

By Louise | March 3, 2022 Posted in Collective Impact, Design Thinking
Project

Making collective progress towards shared ambitions

The challenge There is strength in following the lead of the margins. Principles for Network Thinking and Action. Ogden, Curtis. …

Research

Making collective progress: Towards shared ambitions for social change

Looking to collaborate for social change? Here’s a review of existing approaches and principles to get you started.

By Nick | February 24, 2022
Research

A bigger role for young people in health & science research

Young authors explore how they can play a bigger role in health and science research. Supported by Wellcome and Beatfreeks.

By Sadhbh | January 26, 2022

Shift in practice: Our design principles for social change

Looking for some principles to practise when designing for social change? Here, Tori Flower shares some of the key principles …

By Tori | November 30, 2021 Posted in Collective Impact, Design Thinking

Our big SHIFT: becoming a flat, roles-based team

Over the past 18 months, we’ve been exploring and transitioning to a new, flatter way of operating. We’ve been experimenting …

By Louise | November 30, 2021 Posted in Collective Impact, Design Thinking
Project

Embedding human-centred design at UK Youth

The opportunity UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and …

Project

Supporting older people into fulfilling work

The Challenge Not all employers offer what’s needed to retain an older workforce or recognise the benefits of doing so. We’re …

Research

Inverting the question: RCT findings on reframing borrowing in terms of repayment

Findings from our second RCT with Fair Finance and Paul Adams exploring the role of repayment framing in online loan …

By Immy | September 28, 2021
Project

Developing mental health support networks around children and young people

The challenge The size of the problem of child mental health is impossible for mental health professionals to deal with …

Supporting people affected by Covid-19 to access financial support and information

Immy Robinson and Louise Cooper share reflections on the design and prototyping process as Fair Finance launch a new online …

By Immy | September 10, 2021 Posted in Design Thinking, Digital, Data and Tech, Financial Wellbeing

Funders’ Collaborative Hub: the new role that is emerging

Nick Stanhope shares how the Funders’ Collaborative Hub’s role has evolved as it seeks to inspire and support greater interdependence, collaboration and collective action amongst UK grant funders.

By Nick | September 8, 2021

Young co-leads share insights from shaping a peer-led research project

What are the benefits of young people running a research project? What are the challenges of taking a participatory approach? …

By Tori | September 2, 2021 Posted in Collective Impact, Design Thinking, Mental Health, Sustainability

Learning modules: Design Thinking for Nonprofits

  5 video modules | 1 hour per module | Downloadable templates Design thinking – with its various methodologies and …

By Rachel | August 24, 2021 Posted in Design Thinking

Design ethics and relationship-centred practice

Relationships Project co-lead Immy Robinson writes for Readymag on multiplying power through relationship-centred design practice.

By Immy | June 7, 2021
Project

Behaviours to guide nonprofits in times of change

The challenge We needed to help charities take control of their development and understand their motivation for change. Harriet Stranks, …

Project

Young people shaping solutions to global challenges

There are around 1.5 billion young people in the world today. 40% of the population is under 24 years of age. …

Our takeaway: What we’ve learnt running a healthier local food business

In late 2019, with support from Impact on Urban Health (then Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity), we launched Medleys, an …

By Alice | March 4, 2021 Posted in Community, Design Thinking, Food
Research

Empowering students and clinicians with mental health data

In-depth user research exploring the experiences and perspectives of college students and clinicians around opportunities for mental health innovation.

By Guest Writer | December 15, 2020

Human-centred moonshots: Putting people at the heart of mental health tech

Today we launch our report Empowering students and clinicians with data, the culmination of a two-year partnership between Shift and …

By Guest Writer | December 15, 2020 Posted in Design Thinking, Digital, Data and Tech, Mental Health

Covid-19 and financial vulnerability: What did we learn from contextual research?

In this blog, researcher Leonie shares what we learnt from conducting contextual research on the impact of Covid-19 on Fair …

By Guest Writer | December 14, 2020 Posted in Design Thinking, Digital, Data and Tech, Financial Wellbeing, Mental Health
Project

Empowering students and clinicians with mental health data

The opportunity Student mental health is in crisis on both sides of the Atlantic. Colleges and universities across the UK …

Connected from the start: Collective support for parents in the pandemic

This year I had the privilege of collaborating with around 25 organisations on a project called Connected from the Start. …

By Guest Writer | December 7, 2020 Posted in Childhoods, Collective Impact, Design Thinking
Project

A Design Lab for foundations and philanthropy

The opportunity Philanthropy and grantmaking is under increased scrutiny, at a time when the role of foundations and their resources …

Open enquiry: How can we multiply the collective impact of funding for youth mental health?

Shift’s Nick Stanhope shares the new open enquiry for youth mental health funders from Foundation Design Lab

By Nick | November 26, 2020

#OpenOD research insights: part 1

The first insights from user research with UK nonprofits, as part of our project inspiring and supporting radically better organisational development.

By Guest Writer | November 2, 2020

Conditions for Collaboration — Part 2: the role of shared infrastructure

Intentions for collaboration are only as good as the shared infrastructure they need to thrive.

By Nick | October 6, 2020

Exploring radically better organisational development

Introducing a new project to inspire and support radically better organisational development in the UK nonprofit sector.

By Guest Writer | September 28, 2020

Housing associations: act now to build trust with your tenants before the longer-term impacts of Covid-19 take hold

This is the second blog in our mini-series that explores the role that trust and relationship-building across the entire tenant …

By Duncan F | September 22, 2020 Posted in Collective Impact, Design Thinking, Digital, Data and Tech, Financial Wellbeing

Urgent: Housing associations must act now to design, deliver, and adapt support for their tenants before the longer term impacts of Covid-19 begin to take hold

This blog is an introduction to a mini-series on what housing associations can do in the short-term to help mitigate …

By Duncan F | August 24, 2020 Posted in Design Thinking, Financial Wellbeing

Stories about the lived experience of Universal Credit

The challenge Universal Credit puts people at high risk of spiralling into debt and falling into rent arrears. For our …

By Louise | August 24, 2020 Posted in Design Thinking, Financial Wellbeing

US Team Launches Shift Collective

Today marks the launch of Shift Collective: a spin off from Shift focusing on social justice in cultural memory, based …

By Jon | August 16, 2020 Posted in Design Thinking

What if the way we think about fixing misinformation is wrong?

Imran Khan, Head of Public Engagement at Wellcome, asks how we should look at the conditions that create misinformation online.

By Guest Writer | August 14, 2020

Conditions for Collaboration — Part 1: When it’s really hard

Collaboration, even amongst well-intended organisations that share the same values and purpose, can feel way too hard.

By Nick | August 10, 2020

How can we make social media a healthier platform for health information?

Carla Ross, Research and Evidence Lead at our partner Wellcome, calls for the health and research sector to step up and play its role in creating a healthier internet.

By Guest Writer | July 29, 2020
Research

The Moment We Noticed: The Relationships Observatory & Learning from 100 Days of Lockdown

Bringing together learning from 50+ contributors after 100 days of lockdown, this report explores how we can build back better …

By David | July 7, 2020

Getting out of debt: Solving the equity equation for social innovation

Kicking off a series with Pioneers Post, Shift’s Commercial Director shares our own experience accessing social investment.

By Duncan B | July 1, 2020
Project

Using data and insights to improve early years services

The challenge West London Zone does important, impactful work improving the lives of children and young people in West London, …

Beyond Demand: the social sector’s real need for patient capital

We’re publishing brand new social investment research that reveals a significant funding gap in the social sector. Here, Commercial Lead …

By Duncan F | June 1, 2020 Posted in Collective Impact, Design Thinking, Funding and Investment
Research

Beyond Demand: the social sector’s need for patient, risk-bearing capital

Research conducted by Shift in partnership with CAF Venturesome, Unltd and principal funder Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

By Duncan F | May 29, 2020
Project

Better support for parents, even during the pandemic

The opportunity For each week COVID-19 continues to disrupt, over 12,000 children will be born. Six months of social distancing …

Testing a Universal Credit survival pack for Housing Association tenants

The problem While Universal Credit claims in 2020 had already increased by 5% since the previous year before COVID-19, the …

By Louise | May 12, 2020 Posted in Collective Impact, Design Thinking, Financial Wellbeing

Redesigning Libraries, Archives and Museums Post-COVID-19

Shift’s US family offer five ways we can rebuild the cultural sector beyond COVID-19 in ways that better reflect the values of an equitable society.

By Jon | May 12, 2020

Final year design students set brief for brand strategy for our food venture

BA (Hons) Graphic Branding and Identity students at London College of Communications pitched ideas for our Better Everyday Takeaway venture.

By Guest Writer | May 6, 2020
Project

Specialist support for National Lottery Community Fund grantees

The Challenge When charities and social enterprises embark on major change and innovation, they’re faced with so many challenges and …

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Categories

Case Studies: Relationship-Centred Practice Childhoods Collective Impact Community Design Thinking Digital, Data and Tech Financial Wellbeing Food Funding and Investment Joining the Dots Mental Health Relationships Sustainability

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