DOI
10.9707/1944-5660.1777
Key Points
The Climate Emergency Collaboration Group (CECG) is a philanthropic regranter aiming to unlock the power of international moments and systems to deliver a step-change in global response to the climate emergency. Both CECG’s work and the systems to which it contributes are characterised by complexity, non-linearity, and unpredictability.
CECG transformed its approach to reporting from traditional written reports using predetermined indicators to a conversation-based reporting (CBR) process prioritising depth over breadth and meaningful two-way exchange. CECG uses CBR to explore collective contributions to system change and drive evidence-informed decision-making.
This article provides a practice-based case study of CECG’s experience piloting CBR. It presents the origins of and case for CBR, both within CECG and philanthropy more broadly; explains CECG’s approach, and how it has been iterated based on pilot learning; highlights some challenges and tensions; and offers recommendations for the field.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Rana Englert, L. (2026). From Rhetoric to Reality: Piloting Conversation-Based Reporting on Systems Change. The Foundation Review, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1777
Included in
Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Affairs Commons, Public Policy Commons
