The more I interact with Sameer Shisodia, who heads Rainmatter Foundation, our foundation team, and people from social organizations, the more I appreciate the need for a vibrant social sector.

Like how startups can help solve some problems that larger companies can’t due to legacy reasons or because of their size, which makes getting things done harder, the social sector can attempt to experiment with solutions that can benefit society but are hard for the Government & bureaucracy to attempt given its sheer size.

Experiments that work can then be pitched to the government for scale. Even if a small percentage of experiments work, it is a win-win for the funder, social sector, the Govt, and the nation.

But for this to happen, the funder (CSR or philanthropy) should be willing to take risks similar to for-profit investments in startups. The investments should be made with the intent of giving the social organization the freedom to experiment and not to tell them what to do. We’ve had positive results in experimenting with flexible investments with no strings attached.

As we near three years of working in the environment and climate action space, we reflect on our journey and look forward with hope. I’m sharing this ‘Wheels in Motion’, a short film on Rainmatter by Faraway Originals.

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