Innovation for Social Change

Chapter 5Designing Small Experiments

The path to success is never straight. Like the adage about death and taxes, unexpected setbacks and obstacles are also certain. No matter how much thoughtful planning we do, not all risks will be obvious or identified up front. There are unexpected risks, and unknown unknowns.

At the time that this book was being written, we found ourselves adjusting to new circumstances as we dealt in different ways with a worldwide pandemic. Nonprofits in Ukraine found themselves rapidly adjusting in the face of Russia's invasion. Changing cultural attitudes and beliefs, new regulations, technology, or an election turnover can all have a major impact on nonprofit strategies.

Figure 5.1 Wanchen Zhao

One of the best methods for mitigating risk is designing small experiments. Savvy and innovative nonprofits are aware of overly optimistic thinking or going all‐in before properly experimenting to find what works, or discover what not to invest further in.

Experiments surface information when there are unknowns or when there are many options, and we aren't sure of the best approach. Another advantage of experimentation is empowerment, when anyone in the nonprofit can make a small bet on what might work and test it. As we will see in these stories, the nonprofit teams that most successfully navigate unknowns and obstacles rely on small experiments to find ...