Pearl Initiative Introduces KSA Foundations To “Theory Of Change”, A Mapping Process To Optimise The Impact Of Giving

The Pearl Initiative, the leading non-profit organisation promoting a corporate culture of accountability and transparency in the Gulf Region, joined efforts with King Khalid Foundation to engage professionals  across Saudi Arabia’s philanthropic sector in a workshop titled: “Theory of Change: Mapping Processes for Effective Planning and Evaluation”.

The workshop, led by Ms Reem Khouri, Co-Founder & CEO of Whyise, Founding Partner of Kaamen, a social enterprise; and Mr  Osamah Alhenaki, Programme Director, Policy Design and Advocacy at the King Khalid Foundation, offered participants practical insight into how impact-driven and evidence-based processes like, the “theory of change”, can help make the philanthropic sector more impactful in the Gulf Region. The workshop also provided strategic methodologies, tailored to philanthropic organisations, to measure and achieve the intended impact of the causes they support.

The “theory of change” mapping exercise will help foundations effectively articulate a process for change and identify their short and long-term goals. It also intends to support foundations with programme development strategies, external communications, and have an effective evaluation methodology of the work carried out.

Yasmine Omari, Executive Director at the Pearl Initiative, said: “This event builds on the learnings of our last workshop, Impact Measurement: Setting up Programmes and Activities for Success. A key outcome of the session was that in order to succeed in measuring impact, defined metrics and measurable outcomes need to be established. Thanks to the generous support of the King Khalid Foundation, we are able realise effective methodologies for philanthropic foundations in the region.”

Dr Natasha Matic, Deputy CEO and Chief Strategy Officer at the King Khalid Foundation, said: “We are pleased to collaborate once again with the Pearl Initiative to promote the importance of good governance in the philanthropy sector in Saudi Arabia. Having offered several players in our philanthropic ecosystem practical and actionable insights into how they can build and execute a ‘theory of change’, the workshop has contributed significantly to the foundation’s drive to maximise the impact of giving.”

The event was part of the Pearl Initiative’s ‘Governance in Philanthropy’ programme series of workshops, tailored to the Gulf Region’s business communities and institutional donors striving to be more strategic and impactful in their giving. Carried out in 2018, the first phase of the programme focused on data collection on the governance expectations of institutional donors. The findings were published in a thought leadership report leadership report titled “The State of Governance in Philanthropy”.

The Pearl Initiative has confirmed that they will be holding similar events in the future across the Gulf Region.

Founded in 2010, the Pearl Initiative develops programmes and publishes regional research reports and case studies, with aims to influence the regional business and student communities towards implementing higher standards of corporate governance within the Gulf Region.