Dialogues on Development Management: Track Highlights

Social sector organisations often struggle to sustain themselves due to compliance hurdles, financial instability, and weak governance.

Many, despite their bold missions to address poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation, falter not from lack of intent but due to critical management gaps.

Dialogues on Development Management (DoDM) 2024 brought together leaders, funders, and practitioners to reimagine how the sector is managed and led.

It emerged as a vibrant platform for collaboration across the three key pillars—Samaaj (society), Sarkaar (government), and Bazaar (market).

A glimpse of the four DoDM 2024 tracks

There were four thematic tracks in DoDM 2024. The conference focused on strengthening development management frameworks to tackle global and local challenges, such as water scarcity, hunger, inequity, and access to essential resources.

Track 1: Building the Sector of the Future
This track explored how impact measurement, philanthropic innovation, and collaborative ecosystems can build a stronger, future-ready social sector.

Track 2: Building Resilient Organisations
With a focus on long-term sustainability, this track explored what it takes to build organisational resilience, be it through financial stability, talent strategies, culture, or operations.

Track 3: Building a Voice for the Sector
The social sector often does the work but lacks visibility. This track tackled how to elevate its voice, attract new talent, and expand its influence across policy and public discourse.

Track 4: Research Paper Presentations
A dedicated research track brought together academics, development professionals, and social entrepreneurs to present 12 research papers.

They presented themes like organisational resilience, community-led sustainability, data and tech for social impact, and the evolving roles of Samaaj, Sarkaar, and Bazaar.

Key takeaways from the Dialogue:

• Governance and market systems must align with societal values to ensure equitable development.
• Samaaj must take ownership of governance, collaborating with Sarkaar and Bazaar to develop systems that reflect cultural values.
• Nonprofits and corporates can add local context to government initiatives, maintaining diversity while achieving scalability and inclusivity.
• Trust-based partnerships among all three are critical for sustainable impact.
• Nonprofits must strengthen governance and compliance to gain the confidence of Sarkaar and Bazaar.
• Open, strategic communication enables cross-sector collaboration.
• Civil society plays a crucial role in amplifying grassroots voices and shaping inclusive policy.

What lies ahead: DoDM 2025

DoDM 2024 reinforced the need for strong management, effective leadership, and sector-wide collaboration. The 2025 edition brings bold ideas and immersive sessions.

There will be four tracks combining research, discussions, and masterclasses, building a shared body of knowledge.

Track 1: The Art and Science of Decision Making
Track 2: Strengthening the Core for Social Change
Track 3: Financing the Future of Social Change
Track 4: Delivering Social Impact at Scale

Building on the DoDM 2024, we now look forward to DoDM 2025. It will offer practical insights, new perspectives, and connections to amplify your impact.

Join us at DoDM 2025. Registration is now open

Register now