Workshop «Projects with impact»
The Volkart Foundation, together with the Foundation Mercator Switzerland, the Beisheim Foundation and the Minerva Foundation, offer a basic workshop on impact-oriented project work. The workshop is held regularly in Zurich, Bern, Ticino (italian part of Switzerland) and online and is free of cost.
Impact-oriented project work is important: organizations and initiatives want to initiate social developments with their projects. They want to generate positive impact, be able to demonstrate their impact and increase quality. But what does impact mean? How can it be planned? And how can statements be made about the impact achieved?
Contents of the workshop
The basic workshop was developed by the Mercator Foundation Switzerland and familiarizes participants with impact-oriented project work using the online guide “Projekte mit Wirkung”. The focus of the workshop is on the I-O-O-I impact logic (input – output – outcome – impact) as well as on working on one’s own project.
At the end of the workshop the participants should:
- recognize the benefits of impact logic and be motivated to work with this method;
- be able to independently apply the steps of impact orientation and evaluation to their work;
- be familiar with the role of impact logic in funding practice.
Upcoming workshop dates
The workshop takes place from 16:15 to 18:30 on the following dates:
November 12, 2025 – online, Con·Sense
December 10, 2025 – online, ZHAW
February 4, 2026 – online, Con·Sense
March 5, 2026 – Zurich, ZHAW
March 25, 2026 – Berne, Con·Sense
April 9, 2026 – Zurich, ZHAW
May 6, 2026 – Berne, Con·Sense
Juni 18, 2026 – online, ZHAW
August 19, 2026 – Berne, Con·Sense
September 3, 2026 – Zurich, ZHAW
September 16, 2026 – Berne, Con·Sense
October 22, 2026 – Zurich, ZHAW
November 11, 2026 – online, Con·Sense
December 10, 2026 – online, ZHAW
Venues
Zurich: Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, Lagerstrasse 41 (the room will be signposted at the entrance)
Bern: Information about the venue will follow
Online: The link to the webinar will be sent to participants by email
Lugano: Villa Negroni
Poschiavo: tbd.
Workshop providers
The workshops will be led by the following experts:
URS MÜLLER is a lecturer at Zurich University of Applied Sciences and is responsible, among other things, for the project ‘More Impact in Environmental Adult Education’.
ANNETTE JENNY is a lecturer at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. One of her main areas of focus is the impact orientation and evaluation of educational and communication projects, campaigns and exhibitions.
PETRA BÄTTIG-FREY is a lecturer at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, where she works in the field of sustainability communication and has, among other things, conducted impact analyses on various environmental education projects.
LUKAS HUPFER has many years of experience in the management and development of non-profit organisations. He has been working as an organisational consultant at Con·Sense since 2023. Prior to that, he was managing director of ‘foraus’, Switzerland’s largest think tank on foreign policy.
SOPHIE HERSBERGER-LANGLOH conducted research and published articles on the professionalisation of NPOs at the Centre for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) and has been advising organisations on issues relating to impact measurement, strategy development and governance since 2016. She is a co-founder of Con·Sense.
DAVID SUHR has extensive experience in the foundation and non-profit sector. Since working as Strategic Learning and Evaluation Lead at the Fondation Botnar, he has also worked as a fundraiser and CRM database manager at the University of Basel. Today, he is an organisational consultant at Con·Sense.
GIORGIO PANZERA is the founder and managing director of cenpro (Centro Competenze Non Profit), a non-profit foundation dedicated to the third sector and philanthropy.
LUDOVICA DONATI is a member of the management team and project manager at the cenpro (Centro Competenze Non Profit) foundation. She has a background in international affairs, innovation, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. She headed the Blue Arbor Foundation and works as a liaison advisor at the Philanthropic Foundations Mechanism, where she maintains relations with the United Nations World Food Committee. Previously, she was a project manager at the FDFA.
Participation and registration
The workshop is aimed at applicants and funding partners of the Volkart Foundation, the Mercator Foundation Switzerland, the Minerva Foundation and the Beisheim Foundation. It is also open to other interested parties from non-profit organisation. The participation is free of charge for all.
Please register as early as possible, indicating the desired workshop date, via this online form. For the courses in Ticino, please use this registration link.
The number of spaces is limited, and your registration is binding. In case of high demand, partner organisations and funding applicants will be given priority. Your registration will be confirmed approximately two weeks before the event.