Launching the working capital fund: A case study of humanity united

This is a case study of the start-up phase of the US $25 million Working Capital Investment Fund created to confront modern-day slavery by addressing forced labour in global supply chains.

One chapter is a case study on 'learning while doing social finance' that details how developmental evaluation has been integrated into the operations of the fund.

This resource and the following information was contributed by Kaye Stevens.

Authors and their affiliation

 pfc Social Impact Advisors 

Key Features  

This resource is an accessible and comprehensive guide to how Humanity United established the Working Capital Investment Fund. It is designed as a teaching tool and includes questions for the field. The introductory section includes an analysis of modern-day slavery, the use of systems thinking, values-driven engagement, deliberate leadership and wicked problems and the theory of change.

The five case analyses cover: Leadership, Culture, and Values; Mapping the Organizational Landscape; Risks, Threats, and Opportunities; Alignment among Partners; and Learning while Doing Social Finance.

The case analysis on learning while doing describes how developmental evaluation is being used to support double-loop learning. The key objectives of the developmental evaluation are to create a theory of change, support monitoring activities and identify whether practices and pathways work or don’t work. 

How have you used or intend on using this resource?

This paper has been designed as a teaching tool and provides an introduction to many topics relevant to the evaluation of wicked problems as well as topics specifically related to impact investing. 

Why would you recommend it to other people?

 This resource is relevant to monitoring and evaluation of social impacts in impact investing and more broadly.