On April 16, 2026, The Durability Collective hosted a LinkedIn Live conversation focused on a critical frontier for the social sector: How can nonprofits and governments move beyond basic data collection to drive true systems change?
The session, titled “Beyond Good Data: How Nonprofits and Governments Drive Real Systems Change,” explored the lessons learned from real-world partnerships that have successfully shifted large-scale systems. The discussion was moderated by Mona Mourshed, Founding Global CEO of Generation, who was joined by Nalini Tarakeshwar, Global Head of Standard Chartered Foundation. Together, they shared practical insights on building the data streams and incentives necessary to make social impact sustainable and scalable.
For those who missed the discussion, you can watch the full recording here.
The discussion centered on the idea that while “good data” is a prerequisite, it only leads to systems change when it is used to align incentives and influence daily decision-making across the public and private sectors.
Aligning Incentives Across Ecosystems
The panelists emphasized that data is most powerful when it is used to bridge the gap between different stakeholders. However, for data to be collected accurately and used effectively, the incentives must be right.
As the panelists noted in a recent World Economic Forum article they co-authored, “data users respond far better to carrots than sticks.” If government staff or nonprofit workers feel that data will be used to punish underperformance, they are unlikely to gather it faithfully. Mourshed explained that philanthropy must play a catalytic role by supporting projects that combine data usage with fresh incentives, ensuring that data is seen as a tool for support rather than a threat.
Building New Data Streams to Close the Gap
Often, the biggest barrier to systems change is that the “right” data simply doesn’t exist within current structures. Tarakeshwar shared insights on why it is critical for philanthropy to fund the creation of these new, robust data streams.
“Achieving data-driven innovation requires more than gathering the right facts; it must generate change in daily routines,” Tarakeshwar remarked. Rather than relying on incomplete public data, the panelists argued that partners must be willing to build new evidence bases. This “missing data” is frequently the bridge needed to convince policymakers to adopt new models and transition them from philanthropic pilots to permanent government programs.
Making Data Part of Daily Decision-Making
A core message of the webinar was that for data to drive change, it cannot sit in a static annual report; it must be a “living” tool. The discussion touched on the cultural shift required to move organizations from “reporting for compliance” to “learning for impact.”
Mourshed and Tarakeshwar argued that the global philanthropy sector is “waking up to the idea” that data must influence daily operations to be effective. When high-quality data becomes part of the daily rhythm of an organization, it allows practitioners to pivot quickly and improve service delivery in real-time. This transforms data from a bureaucratic burden into a strategic asset that fuels continuous improvement and long-term durability.
The Durability Collective: A Movement for Change
The webinar was hosted by The Durability Collective, a community of funders, practitioners, and researchers around the world who are building collective capability to measure social impact and create change that lasts. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the Collective believes medium- and long-term outcomes measurement can be feasible and cost-effective.
