At IDIN, we’re all about learning, especially when it’s hands-on. Here we’ve compiled some of our favorite resources, many of which are used at our trainings and summits around the world.
Resource Library
The Metrics Café
- How-to
Funders need impact metrics. Grantees do, too. So who decides what gets measured?
Because funders’ and grantees’ measurement needs clash, they wind up with reporting systems that serve neither. This framework can help reconcile their needs, turning a tangle of metrics into genuine learning.
We explore four models:
- Prix Fixe: All grantees report on same set of metrics.
- A La Carte: Grantees choose from a menu of standard metrics.
- Made-to-Order: Funder and grantee work together to come up with a set of metrics.
- Bring your Own Lunch: Grantees come with their own metrics.
The framework presents pros, cons, implications and recommendations for each model. Drawing on cases from Root Capital, Development Innovation Ventures at USAID, Mercy Corps’ Social Venture Fund, and the Autodesk Foundation, this framework can help funders decide what model is right for them.
IDIN Chapter Funding Application
- How-to
This document explains how to apply for funding to support activites organized by an IDIN local chapter.
IDIN Chapter Activity Ideas
- How-to
This document gives IDIN local chapters ideas for organizing and hosting different events on local innovation and design.
IDIN Maker Space Ideas
- How-to
This document provides guidance on how to start a maker or innovation space.
IDIN Innovation Center Tips to Engage Community Members
- How-to
This document gives Innovation Centers in the IDIN Network ideas on how to engage local community members in their activities and trainings.
Build-It: Battery-Operated Wood Block Phone Charger
- How-to
This Build-It describes the tools and processes needed to build a battery-operated wood block phone charger.
Build-Its are curriculum designed to help experienced designers guide potential innovators through a design process and help familiarize new innovators with tools. All Builds-Its are a work-in-progress. Please master the Build-It individually before leading a larger group.
Tips for Writing a Grant
- How-to
This document provides guidance on writing a grant for a project. It is tailored to IDIN Network members applying for a microgrant, but its lessons are also applicable to other grants.
IDIN Mentorship Toolkit
- How-to
This toolkit is designed for IDIN mentors and their mentees to build productive and meaningful relationships during the microgrant process. It includes tips for mentoring as well as individual tools and progress trackers.
Understanding Local Innovation in a Business Ecosystem in Gurue, Mozambique
- Research
This report was produced by IDIN 2016 Summer Research Fellow Katrine Tjoelsen, who traveled to Gurue, Mozambique to understand the dynamics of local innovation among smallholders farmers in this rural community. This report presents a summary of findings from 30 interviews with smallholder farmers as well as insights from a much larger survey administered in collaboration with TechnoServe, the local project partner for this research.
IDIN Summer Research Fellows Report- Indonesia and Malaysia
- Research
This report summarizes the work of IDIN Summer Research Fellow Kelly Heber Dunning, who traveled to Malaysia and Indonesia during Summer 2015 to study community-based approaches to managing coastal natural resources such as coral reefs and mangroves. This research, which forms part of Kelly's doctoral dissertation, finds that community-based resource management arrangements afford greater opportunities for innovation in natural resource management and sustainable livilihood development compared to top-down management arrangements.