Scaling means increasing impact – reaching a greater number and range of people, solutions, outcomes and outputs, environmental quality, welfare, and prosperity.. It is important to note that scaling does not imply doing more of what a partnership has always done. The focus should be scaling impact, not scaling institutions. And, wherever possible, scaling should be built into the design of partnerships from the outset.
Scaling up is an important step in strengthening the effectiveness of a partnership’s efforts to go beyond ‘islands of successes’. Scaling is also associated with higher efficiencies per person served/reached, expected to bring higher efficiency and value-for-money to development efforts, thus strengthening the business case for the solutions found. Scaling is often correlated with achieving systemic change and sustainability: What has been scaled becomes the ‘new normal’. This implies that partners reflect upon the continued need for the partnership and think about next steps.
Finally, sometimes it may be more effective to share lessons of what worked and guidance for how others can build on experience themselves.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
- Is the partnership programme capable of / suitable for scaling?
- If so, what would be the appropriate mechanisms and resources?
- If not, how can the experience be shared?
RECOMMENDED PRACTICES
- Case Study: Perspectives on Green Growth Partnerships by the 2030 Water Group / Strategic Water Partners Network South Africa.
- Report: Forum for the Future sets out a series of building blocks for action at scale in this report: Scaling up impact: A guide for collective action
- Report: Harvard CSRI / Business Fights Poverty report on Business and the United Nations working together towards the SDGs features a framework and case studies on SDG partnerships
- Report: IBA report on Scaling Inclusive Business
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Sustainable model and a ‘business case’ for scaling, engaging all those involved
