Building Lasting Social Change Takes Centre Stage at ISDM’s DoDM 2026 in New Delhi

Chetna Sinha, Founder and Chairperson, Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation, Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and President, Indian School of Development Management, and Sharad Agarwal, Co-Founder, ISDM, discuss community leadership, institutional resilience and accountable systems, with Ashwin Yardi, Non-Executive Chairman, Capgemini India, among the participants.

The Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) hosted the fourth edition of Dialogues on Development Management (DoDM) 2026 at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, bringing together leaders from business, technology, grassroots development, financial inclusion, governance, philanthropy and public policy to examine how social change can be sustained over time.
Held under the theme What Makes Social Change Last?, the conference focused on the challenges organisations face in maintaining progress beyond individual programmes, funding cycles and leadership transitions.
Among the participants were Ashwin Yardi, Non-Executive Chairman, Capgemini India; Chetna Sinha, Founder and Chairperson, Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation; and Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and President, ISDM.

The discussions examined why some development initiatives continue to deliver results over time while others lose momentum when financial support, leadership or institutional circumstances change.
The conference was organised around four interconnected tracks covering institutional governance, public systems, funding and the assessment of social impact.
The first track, Building Institutions, Not Just Organisations, examined how governance practices, leadership and organisational resilience can help institutions continue their work beyond individual leaders and funding arrangements.
From Schemes to Systems explored how government institutions and public service delivery systems can become more responsive and capable of sustaining development outcomes at scale.

Funding the Future We Say We Want considered the relationship between financial support and long term development goals, including the forms of capital and funding partnerships needed to sustain social initiatives.
The fourth track, What is Impact Beyond the Numbers?, examined how organisations can assess changes in communities and institutions beyond immediate programme outputs and numerical indicators.
Chetna Sinha, Founder and Chairperson, Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation, highlighted the importance of community participation, financial inclusion and locally established institutions in maintaining social progress.

She said, “For social change to last, communities must have the agency, institutions and resources to shape their own futures. Our experience with rural women has shown that financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and community institutions can root change in people’s lives. Lasting change is about creating the conditions in which communities can continue to lead, adapt and expand their own progress.”
Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and President, ISDM, emphasised the importance of organisational capabilities in enabling social purpose organisations to remain effective over extended periods.

He said, “Social change may happen because of good programmes or even good individuals. But for social change to last, it needs Social Purpose Organisations that are resilient and equipped to work over long periods in specific geographies or on specific issues. That is where Development Management comes in: strengthening the leadership, management and organisational capabilities that keep them effective as they grow and contexts change. DoDM 2026 is an effort to bring these questions to the centre of the sector’s conversation.”
Sharad Agarwal, Co-Founder, ISDM, drew attention to the wider systems within which development programmes operate.

He said, “Sustaining social change requires a greater focus on the systems that development programmes operate within. Outcomes endure when those systems are accountable and responsive to the communities they serve, and when we invest in what carries progress forward, not just in what a programme delivers today.”
The event featured plenary discussions, Development Management Cases, masterclasses, research paper presentations, interactive sessions and Development Management Clinics.
These formats allowed participants to examine practical questions concerning organisational leadership, funding, governance and the conditions needed to sustain development outcomes.

Since its first edition in 2023, Dialogues on Development Management has recorded participation from more than 4,000 individuals, over 400 speakers and moderators, more than 270 research papers and over 50 track partners across its editions.
Established in 2016, ISDM works in development management education, leadership development and capacity building for social purpose organisations.
Its academic offerings include an 11 month Post Graduate Program in Development Management, structured across eight terms and combining management education with development practice, social science and public policy perspectives.
DoDM 2026 concluded with discussions on how institutions, funding arrangements, public systems and community leadership can help development initiatives continue delivering results as circumstances evolve.

At Prittle Prattle News, featuring you virtuously, we celebrate the commitment and innovation. Led by Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is dedicated to sharing impactful stories that inspire change and create awareness. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for more stories that matter.