Позитивные изменения. Том 3, № 3 (2023). Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 3 (2023)

NONPROFITS AS CATALYSTS OF SOCIAL INNOVATION

The government’s call to the third sector is still taking shape, but in many countries, non-profit organizations are already at the forefront of creating, refining, and piloting technologies, demonstrating their effectiveness, to be eventually adopted by the government.

The partnership between the government and non-profit sector can take different forms:

1. Nonprofits as the “hands” of the state: the government sets up the legislative framework, while the non-profit organizations act as contractors doing the “fieldwork.”

2. The government adopts methodologies from nonprofits and implements them independently, expanding its own professional teams. Although this model can be expensive initially, it can yield substantial returns over a 10–15-year period.

3. The government may choose to establish parallel structures.

From our perspective, the first model appears to be the most effective one, as the primary distinction between the nonprofits and the government is in the focus of their activities: the former choose to focus on the values of an individual, shaping their efforts around this principle. The state, on the other hand, operates on different premises and cannot afford a customized approach to every individual within, say, the category of underprivileged citizens.

In any case, whatever model is chosen, it implies collaboration between the government and the non-profit sector. This is the trend we are starting to witness in Russia, as the government and the nonprofits choose to partner both at the federal and the regional level.

While systemic charity in Russia is still no more than 25 years old, we are making significant strides to catch up with our foreign counterparts. At its dawn in the 90s, charity was more of an ad-hoc activity, often driven by personal emotions and frequently leading to mistakes. Over the past 10–15 years, we as a sector have gained substantial experience and taken inspiration from foreign practices and scientific studies, despite effectively starting from scratch.

Mature philanthropy has long pushed emotions into the back row, if not even further. Professionalism, evidence, and efficiency are coming to the forefront. Most of the foundations that have been around for more than 15 years started as volunteer operations, eventually evolving into systemic projects, which transform the areas they work in. This trajectory aligns with the establishment of evidence-based philanthropy across all countries, and today we are halfway through that journey. What we refer to as “evidence-based practices” in today’s Russia is essentially practical experience that has been systematically documented and formalized since the late 90s.

Evidence-based practice registries started appearing about five years ago, originally driven by a few dedicated enthusiasts within the non-profit sector, seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of their work. The Timchenko Foundation was the first to create such a registry.[91] The government is now starting to recognize the significance of counting, measuring, and ensuring the efficacy of social work, and is getting actively involved in the process. For instance, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) is developing standards for social services and collecting various best practices.[92]

These evidence-based practice registries set stringent standards, including comprehensive consideration and descriptions of beneficiaries, measuring the changes in their lives attributable to our interventions, detailed descriptions of the tools and impact mechanisms of the practices (how the changes are achieved), key performance indicators for each outcome, and formal regulation of these practices.

Every foundation can assess its practices against these standards, with experts reviewing the results and providing recommendations for improvements when needed. Embracing evidence-based practices translates our work into professional terms, creating clear, comprehensible, and explicable methodologies.