From Rhetoric to Reality: Piloting Conversation-Based Reporting on Systems Change

The Climate Emergency Collaboration Group (CECG) is a philanthropic regranter aiming to unlock the power of international moments and systems to deliver a step-change in global response to the climate emergency. Both CECG’s work and the systems to which it contributes are characterised by complexity, non-linearity, and unpredictability. CECG transformed its approach to reporting from traditional written reports using predetermined indicators to a conversation-based reporting (CBR) process prioritising depth over breadth and meaningful two-way exchange. CECG uses CBR to explore collective contributions to system change and drive evidence-informed decision-making. This article provides a practice-based case study of CECG’s experience piloting CBR. It presents the origins of and case for CBR, both within CECG and philanthropy more broadly; explains CECG’s approach, and how it has been iterated based on pilot learning; highlights some challenges and tensions; and offers recommendations for the field.