HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

The Scale Pathways Guide is intended to be used as a tool to learn about different scale
pathways and to understand the key aspects and implications of choosing each scale pathway.

The scale pathways are divided into:

Pathways for widespread delivery of products, Pathways for systems, society

services and practices and culture to embed change

For each scale pathway, the Guide covers the following:

HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW
An overview of the scale pathway, what it usually looks like and any key considerations

RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS

Description of the relationship between you and any partners (e.g initial and ongoing
support, any agreements and level of control)

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Outlines any financial implications of the scale pathway and ways to make it more
financially sustainable.

QUALITY CONTROL
Description of the extent to which you would be able to have control over the quality
of delivery of your solution.

ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES AND FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

The Advantages, Disadvantages and Success Factors for using this pathway to scale
your impact

TRADE-OFF SPECTRUMS
Flexibility / Control - The extent to which your pathway involves a closer relationship
with partners and control over how your solution is implemented

Fast/Slow - The extent to which the pathway allows for quick scaling and adoption
of your solution

Simple Solutions / Complex Solutions - The extent to which the pathway is suitable
for complex solutions which require them to be delivered in a specific way
 OVERVIEW TABLE
HIGH LEVEL RELATIONSHIP FINANCIAL QUALITY
PATHWAY
DEFINITION WITH PARTNERS SUSTAINABILITY CONTROL

Sharing resources Typically no initial or Typically provided No evidence

for others to ongoing support as free resource; or data
Open Sourcing
implement your little ongoing costs shared back
solution

Teaching others Initial support, Can involve Limited after

Training to implement with limited to no charging a fee training
your solution ongoing support for training

Providing third- Providing and Option to charge Partners share

party recognition renewing the a membership evidence of
PATHWAYS TO SCALE SOLUTIONS

Accreditation for delivery/ accreditation fee, and/or complying

adoption of periodic fee with
solution standards

Packaging up Initial and ongoing Option to charge Depends

Social your model and support, including different types on what is
Franchising supporting others systems of fees in franchise
to deliver it agreement

Contracting Initial and ongoing Expensive; can High degree

others to support; depends result in lower costs of control
Subcontracting
deliver solution on terms of and economies
in their area contract of scale

Solution being Collaborating with Funded by Led by

adopted by others dedicated to government government
Government government solving the problem budget in the long in (long run);
Delivery term you and
others play a
role (interim)

Changing the Collaborating Typically, does not Little control

Influence way a problem with others with generate income over govern-
Public Policy is addressed at similar goals ment imple-
PATHWAYS TO CHANGE SYSTEMS

a policy level mentation

Using market Collaborating Can lead to Little control

Change
forces to with others with more sustainable over market
or Create
change or shared goal solutions; may change
Markets
create markets generate profit

Starting Varies depending Typically don’t Little control

a social on the structure of generate income; over what
Build a movement movement costs depend individuals do
movement to address a on structure of or how they
social problem movement interpret your
social cause
 Flexibility Control
SCALE PATHWAYS
Fast Slow

OPEN SOURCING Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

Through open sourcing, you would be creating resources ADVANTAGES
advising others on how to use solutions like yours in their
• Open sourcing can be
local area, or how to improve what they are already doing.
the least costly pathway
The resources could include online videos, best practice
booklets and easy-to-use tools. • It can also be the
easiest means of
Open sourcing can be a relatively cheap and fast way to
rapidly expanding your
expand your reach, however it usually involves little control
geographical reach
over the way your resources are interpreted and used.

RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS DISADVANTAGES

Open Sourcing does not usually involve ongoing support
• You usually have little
or a relationship with the organisations or individuals using
control over the way
the resources.
resources are interpreted
and used, which can
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY impact quality
When open sourcing, you would usually be providing the
resources for free, however you are also likely to have no
ongoing costs. The financial investment required for this SUCCESS FACTORS
pathway would therefore be towards developing the • Easy-to-understand
resources in the first place. resource structure
Another option is however charging a nominal fee for access to and content
the resources, which can provide a small amount of cash flow • Supply of partners or
for sustainability, or to cover the cost of the initial investment. individuals capable
of using resources
QUALITY CONTROL successfully
The organisations/individuals using the resources would not be • Proactive distribution
sharing back data or evidence, which means you would not plan with targets
have control over how they are used beyond creating them.

EXAMPLE
One of the most well-known examples of an open source model is Alcoholics Anonymous.
Alcoholics Anonymous published a set of principles, the Twelve Steps, that local meeting groups
apply autonomously. There is no central organisation involved.

Another example is Lava Mae, who with Spring Impact’s help, branched its mobile hygiene
services to Los Angeles, the city with the second largest homeless population in the US. In addition,
they adapted their operations manual into the first open-source mobile hygiene toolkit which has
been used to deliver hygiene services to 54 communities across the world.
 Flexibility Control
SCALE PATHWAYS
Fast Slow

TRAINING Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

The training pathway involves teaching others to implement your ADVANTAGES
solution or aspects of it through courses, workshops or seminars.
• It involves limited to
Training therefore works best when resources need explaining, or
no ongoing support
some adaptation initially, but can then be easily used independently.
for partners
Training can generate a source of limited income and usually
involves little control over the way the lessons are implemented. • It can be a source
of limited income

RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS

Through this pathway, you would be providing initial support to partners
DISADVANTAGES
through training. This can also be done through a train-the-trainer model
that enables your staff to show a less experienced instructor how to • The individuals
deliver the training themselves. After this initial support, you would being trained may
usually be providing limited, to no ongoing support. not implement lessons
correctly
This pathway usually involves organisations/individuals requesting
training, however you would also be able to recruit and select
your partners if you require more control over who would then be SUCCESS
implementing your solution. FACTORS

• Easy-to-follow
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY structure, resources
The training pathway usually involves charging a fee for the and expectations
training service. This generates a source of income and can be
financially self-sustaining in the long run. However you should • Clear learning
also consider the initial costs involved in developing the training objectives and
materials and processes needed. milestones

QUALITY CONTROL
There is limited quality control after the training, with partners not
usually sharing data or evidence, or reporting back.

EXAMPLE
Tender train adults, equipping them with the skills to understand, identify and support young
people experiencing violence in their relationships, creating a wide support network to help young
people, while simultaneously being able to deliver projects in schools, youth centres, Pupil Referral
Units, Youth Offending Teams, special schools and specialist youth services.

Spring Impact has also worked with My Sister’s Place, who delivers trauma-informed training for Violence
Against Women and Girls (VAWG) services as one component of their Trauma-Informed Model of
Empowerment, which they want to champion in the sector. They are combining the training with other
approaches (e.g. open-source resources, bespoke ongoing consultancy) to maximise its impact.
 Flexibility Control
SCALE PATHWAYS
Fast Slow

ACCREDITATION Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

Accreditation would allow you to provide formal third-party ADVANTAGES
recognition through a recognised ‘mark’ of competence. As an
• It allows you to enforce
accreditor, you would therefore be recognising the individuals/
standards without needing
organisations who can operate a programme or solution.
to create a large central
Accreditation allows for quality control and can generate some support body
income, however it may require significant effort and resources
• It can be a source of
to generate awareness and police the use of the mark.
limited income

RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS

As an accreditor, your role would be providing and DISADVANTAGES
renewing the accreditation for partners. This can be paired • Requires significant effort
with other types of support depending on the accreditation. and resources to generate
awareness and credibility
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY of accreditation mark
As an accreditor, there is an option for you to charge a • Can be time-intensive to
membership fee, as well as a periodic fee. Periodic fees can police appropriate use of
help increase your income, however it can be difficult to the mark
raise enough finances this way to cover central operations.

SUCCESS FACTORS
QUALITY CONTROL
Partners must share evidence that they are complying with • Finding a need for greater
the standards for accreditation. The conditions attached consumer awareness
to the accreditation will help to ensure that the solution is
implemented with quality. When done effectively this makes • Generating accreditation
certified partners stand out from other similar providers. mark awareness among
consumers

EXAMPLE
A well-known example of an accreditation model is Fair Trade, which requires producers to provide
fair wages and abide by standards for health and safety of working conditions. In exchange,
producers are accredited and can join a fair trade network and sell their products with the Fair
Trade certified label. For consumers, the label provides assurance that the product meets Fair
Trade’s standards and requirements, which helps the producer stand out within the market.
 Flexibility Control
SCALE PATHWAYS
Fast Slow

SOCIAL FRANCHISING Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

Social franchising is about packaging up your proven ADVANTAGES
model and providing carefully selected partners with
• Quality can be maintained
the training and ongoing support they need to run the
across the network and
solution to the same standard as you.
social impact data collected
Once you complete the initial development work, social effectively
franchising can be a fast way to scale your impact and can
• It can create efficiencies,
generate income, however your solution must be completely
as systems like office
proven to guarantee franchisee sustainability and impact.
management, fundraising
tools, programme materials
RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS can be shared across
Social franchising usually involves a close relationship with the network
partners, in which you would be providing training and
ongoing support. You would also be providing your brand • It can generate additional
and any other broader systems and processes needed. income
You would have control over who your partners would be,
and can select them carefully.
DISADVANTAGES

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY • Involves significant upfront

Social franchising is likely to require significant initial investment of time and finances
investment of time and finances. However you can
• Fees can be a barrier for those
decide to charge a franchise fee. A few examples of the
wanting to take the model on
type of fees you could charge are: initial start-up fees,
ongoing management fees (generally a fixed fee or a
percentage of revenue), a marketing fee or by selling
SUCCESS FACTORS
products to franchisees at a margin.
• Quality training and ongoing
QUALITY CONTROL support for your partners
The level of control you would have as a franchisor can vary • Rigorous recruitment process
based on what you put into the franchise agreement and
operations manual. Social Franchising would allow you to • Detailed documentation of
build quality control and standardisation into the areas where key systems and processes
it is needed to achieve social impact and generate income.

EXAMPLE
NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s nonprofit fighting to end child abuse. Spring Impact
partnered with NSPCC to replicate a number of their successful evidence-based programmes.
An example is Baby Steps- an antenatal education programme to help vulnerable parents cope
with the pressures of a new baby. We worked with NSPCC to develop a social franchise model for
mainstream delivery of Baby Steps.
 Flexibility Control
SCALE PATHWAYS
Fast Slow

SUBCONTRACTING Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

Subcontracting involves contracting individuals or ADVANTAGES
organisations to deliver your solution in their area.
• Retain high level of control
Subcontracting is most suitable when others will be able
over delivery
to better identify organisations who can deliver your
solution in their local area, or when you have a contract • Can scale rapidly when funds
with a third party to deliver on, but do not have the are available
capacity to deliver it yourself.
• Partners focus on delivery
Subcontracting allows for a high level of control over rather than generating income
delivery and can be more efficient than organic
growth, however it can be expensive and may create
dependency. DISADVANTAGES

• Creates financial dependency

RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS on you, leaving the network
This pathway involves a close relationship with partners, vulnerable to collapse if a
as you would be contracting them. You would therefore funder or customer withdraws
be able to shape the relationship and the terms of
• Partners may not get sense of
the partnership.
ownership and may be less
motivated compared to other
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY pathways
Subcontracting can be expensive and does not
generate income. However, it can result in lower costs
SUCCESS FACTORS
than they would have otherwise been if you scale
organically, due to the partners likely to be more efficient • Clear deliverables
and having a better understanding of the new context.
• Effective supervision and
incentive structures for partners
QUALITY CONTROL to fulfil contractual obligations
When subcontracting you would be able to have a high
• Partners have proven previous
degree of control over how your solution is implemented.
experience

EXAMPLE
National Citizen Service (NCS) delivers programmes to Young People in England. They contract
with provider organisations who are responsible for delivering NCS in their regions, who in turn
subcontract to local organisations to support delivery. NCS is delivered by around 220 charities
and partner organisations. NCS Trust carries out monitoring and evaluation, builds the brand, trains
regional providers and manages the contractual relationships with them. NCS currently relies
on government funding, though intends to secure other forms in the future, including corporate
sponsorship.
 SCALE PATHWAYS Flexibility Control

GOVERNMENT Fast Slow

DELIVERY
Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

Scaling through government delivery involves working ADVANTAGES
towards the end goal of your solution being adopted by the
government, and being integrated into government systems.
• Can lead to wide, long-term
and sustainable impact, as the
To get there, you would be collaborating with other key
government is a critical player
stakeholders to co-create, execute and adapt the solution.
in ensuring that solutions reach
This pathway can lead to wide, long-term and sustainable communities at scale
impact, however the process can be slow initially and
• The solution is developed and
is likely to involve dedicating significant resources to
adapted in collaboration with key
manage relationships with government partners.
stakeholders and communities,
making it likely to be impactful
RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS
Although the end goal of this pathway is government
ownership, it is most effective when the journey to get there DISADVANTAGES
involves radical collaboration and co-creation with other
• Government priorities and circum-
key stakeholders dedicated to solving the social problem
stances can change over time
such as funders, the community and private sector
companies. This works best when stakeholders are rooted • It can be challenging to bring
in strategic government plans and community needs. together the key stakeholders

• The process can be slow initially

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
• The process can be time-intensive
The long term goal for this pathway would be for your
solution to be funded on an ongoing basis through
government budgets. However, this is unlikely to happen SUCCESS FACTORS
over a short period of time and it is more likely that
funding will come from multiple sources initially (e.g. • Radical collaboration with
NGOs, funders and government). Funding roles during stakeholders at every stage, with
this journey are usually agreed with collaborators. trust and relationships built over time.

• Solution clearly mapped to

QUALITY CONTROL government strategic plans, policies
In the long run, the government would be leading and existing or needed systems.
aspects of measuring the solution’s impact and • Shared plan to support government
managing quality. However, in the interim, it is likely that systems and the capacity
you and other collaborators will play a role in quality strengthening necessary for
control and holding the government to account for the government ownership of the solution.
solution’s impact.

EXAMPLE
An example of scaling using government delivery is VillageReach’s CCPF programme. This is a
community-based health hotline which provides free information on health and nutrition to all
Malawians 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Over a number of years, VillageReach worked with the
Malawi Ministry of Health to transfer the ownership of the hotline to the government. CCPF is now one of
the first government-run, nation-wide health hotlines in Africa.
 SYSTEMS CHANGE PATHWAYS Flexibility Control

INFLUENCE PUBLIC Fast Slow

POLICY Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

Influencing public policy involves changing the way ADVANTAGES
a problem is addressed at a policy level. This might
• This can be a way to create a
involve changing the law to include protections for
more enabling policy and legal
certain groups, or reallocating funding to particular
environment for solutions (yours
services. This pathway can be useful if you have
or others) to scale
identified structural barriers to impact at scale that you
believe cannot be solved through individual support or • This pathway can be a way to
by the social sector acting alone. have vast scale on a regional or
even national level
Influencing public policy can be a way to achieve
vast scale and create a more enabling environment
for solutions (yours or others) to scale, however it can
DISADVANTAGES
be a lengthy and resource-intensive process.
• It can be a lengthy process to
RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS get public bodies to recognise
Through this pathway, you would be lobbying decision- and adopt a new way of
makers and convincing them why a change of course working
is necessary. Building relationships with government • Advocacy and campaigning
stakeholders therefore becomes a key part of this require different skill sets to those
pathway. You could also collaborate with partners who needed for pure service delivery
share a similar goal of influencing public policy.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY SUCCESS FACTORS

Influencing public policy does not usually involve • A clear public need that aligns
generating income, which means you would have to with policymakers’ priorities
fund this journey by other means.
• Campaigning and influencing
skill sets within your team
QUALITY CONTROL
Through this pathway, you would be pushing for the • Your team being aligned on
change you would like to create. However, you are unlikely what your role will be when the
to have control over how the government implements policy change happens.
the solution/ change you are trying to achieve.

EXAMPLE
Last Mile Health is an example of an organisation that used influencing public policy to scale
their impact. They partner with governments to build strong community health systems that
extend primary healthcare to the world’s most remote communities. Their work in Liberia involved
influencing government policy towards standardised pay for Community Health Workers. This
involved the government paying them as contract workers, rather than the previous system of
unpaid volunteers
 SYSTEMS CHANGE PATHWAYS Flexibility Control

CHANGE OR Fast Slow

CREATE MARKETS Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

Through this pathway, you would be using market ADVANTAGES
forces such as customer behaviour to scale your
impact. An example of this is influencing user
• Market-led solutions are generally
more sustainable than those that utilise
behaviour to generate demand for a service and
philanthropic funding
encouraging suppliers to enter the market.

Generally, this pathway involves creating demand for

• It can provide profit that can be
reinvested into new solutions
currently underused services, or creating conditions for
the private sector to play a role in delivering impact. • Integrating consumer behaviour into your
model can allow for service delivery to
Changing or creating markets can be a sustainable
and responsive way to scale your impact, however better adapt to the need
it is likely to require a lot of iteration and the market
element may make it unsuitable for certain solutions.
DISADVANTAGES

RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS • The need for a market element makes this
less appropriate for certain social solutions
Changing or creating markets can involve
collaborating with other organisations or • The impact may be limited if there is a
stakeholders with a shared goal. Ultimately, this lack of public policies supporting the
pathway involves influencing consumer behaviour, positive consumer and market shifts
making consumers key stakeholders as well.
• Market demand may not correspond to
what you see the need as being – it can
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY take a lot of iteration to create a solution
Changing or creating markets can lead to a that is demanded by users while delivering
more financially sustainable solution to the social your intended impact
problem you are trying to address, as the demand
for it would be driven by consumers. This would
therefore allow the solution to be market-led and SUCCESS FACTORS
for the private sector to play a role.
• Consumer demand for your solution
Depending on your approach within this pathway, (potential or actual)
it could provide profit that can be reinvested into
• An innovation mindset, including ability
new solutions. However if that is not the case, you
and willingness to learn and adapt rapidly
may have to fund this journey by other means.
to feedback

• If you are hoping to incentivise market

QUALITY CONTROL entry, a profit-making component of your
You are unlikely to have significant control over solution is key
the market change and market forces.

EXAMPLE
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Population Services International (PSI) realised that donor-funded free
contraceptive provision was an inefficient and unsustainable way to address the HIV crisis. PSI started
to focus on influencing consumer behaviour to generate market demand, which in turn encouraged
new suppliers to enter the market, allowed for condoms to more efficiently reach target consumers, and
provided a profit that could be used to provide contraceptives to those unable to pay.
 Flexibility Control
SYSTEMS CHANGE PATHWAYS
Fast Slow

BUILD A MOVEMENT Simple Solutions Complex Solutions

HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW

This pathway can achieve scale by starting a social ADVANTAGES
movement that creates a community of like-minded
• Can spread rapidly without
people and/or organisations, all committed to addressing
micromanagement or local
a social problem. A movement usually involves a sustained
presence on your part
campaign in support of a social goal, typically either to
carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. • Promotes local ownership
Building a movement can create a vast impact if successful, • Encourages innovation
as well as promote local or individual ownership. It may
• Empowers people to bring their
however be difficult to get a movement to be picked up
own contribution, skills and
and you may have little control over how your solution is
experience to create change
interpreted or adapted.

RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS DISADVANTAGES

The key stakeholders in a movement are likely to be
• Little control over what
members, campaigners, funders, stakeholders, or
individuals do or how they
anyone sharing a passion for it. Social movements can
interpret your social solution
vary from top-down networks all the way to grassroots
once it’s out there
movements, and members may be more or less united
and interconnected. The level of organisation within the • It can be difficult to get a
movement therefore can also vary. movement to be picked up
– a lot can depend on luck
and timing
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Social movements don’t usually generate income, and
the distribution of costs depends on how the movement
SUCCESS FACTORS
is structured. This means you are likely to have to fund this
journey by other means such as securing funding. • A social cause with mass
appeal

QUALITY CONTROL • Easily-shareable materials

There is usually little control over what individuals do or how and resources
they interpret your social cause once it’s out there. The
• Clear asks
level of control can vary depending on the movement.

EXAMPLE
The Black Lives Matter movement began as a Twitter hashtag reacting to the acquittal of the man
behind the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in the United States. Since then, BLM has grown into a
widespread, decentralised, grassroots collection of various local and online groups committed to
fighting racial injustice globally. The founders have stressed the importance of it being locally-led
rather than top-down. Following the murder of George Floyd in the Summer of 2020, the movement
was able to mobilise almost 30 million people to take to the streets in protest.