Are you a believer in the power of a community library? Why do people buy gym memberships instead of creating a home gym? Or turn to an online forum for help with a tricky Google Sheets formula?
Because sometimes the smartest move isn’t to start from scratch. It’s to draw into existing, shared resources that save us time, reduce costs, and give us access to collective wisdom.
Now, let’s look at the world of impact incubators.
Incubator organizations play a pivotal role in helping social enterprises grow into strong, successful organizations that can scale their impact.
But This is Easier Said Than Done.
The success of an incubator rests on its ability to put together key puzzle pieces – from selecting the right entrepreneurs, to running effective mentoring programs, to measuring and communicating impact. One can say incubators are only as effective for their networks as their internal processes and practices.
Take the selection of entrepreneurs, for instance.
It’s one of the most crucial puzzle pieces in the incubation lifecycle. The journey begins when the first application arrives. Screening and selecting applicants from the wide pool of candidates is complex. Without a well-defined process, screening can be inconsistent and outcomes undesirable. Mature, repeatable processes are what make the difference.
This isn’t rocket science, you might say, and you’d be absolutely right.
But in reality, incubator teams are often small, cash-strapped, and juggling survival with optimization efforts and delivery. They seldom have the luxury to prioritize robust systems and strong organizational processes.
And that’s where the idea of an Incubator Tool Library becomes an interesting proposition.
When we started curating the Tool Library at Pollinate Impact , we realized that resources already existed, but they were scattered across geographies, organizations, and sectors.
Impact measurement frameworks, fundraising templates, selection rubrics, due diligence processes, and hiring guides, all tucked away in someone’s drive, while elsewhere, organizations are struggling to create the same resources.
Why This Matters
Individually, these tools are powerful. And collectively, they have the potential to transform many incubators—if only they could be accessed, shared, and adopted.
So we rolled up our sleeves and began the messy but necessary work of bringing the hidden tools to the limelight.
Listening to incubators.
Mapping what was already out there.
Tagging and categorizing tools in a way that practitioners could actually use.
What was once isolated and buried, created to benefit one, is now a structured, evolving library of tested and proven tools — a polished diamond sparkling for everyone.
At the recent South East Asia Potluck, participants discussed a common challenge in managing and engaging the alumni community. During the peer exchange session, participants shared tips, best practices, and processes that have helped them in effectively navigate this challenge.
However, this issue is not limited to incubators in South East Asia.
There are many other incubators around the world that are tackling a similar challenge. A compiled resource such as our Best Practices in Alumni Engagement is a great example of the power of a shared resource, combining tried and tested approaches in one place, allowing many incubators to reap the benefit, and learn quickly without reinventing the wheel.
The Tool Library Sounds Like a Dream Come True.
And yet, this effort has had its own share of challenges.
Many incubator organizations are nascent in their incubation journey.
With small teams, and resource constrained scenarios, these teams are unable to devote time and resources towards systems and processes – the very things they need the most. And to add to it, as the saying goes, we don’t know what we don’t know.
Lack of awareness of processes, systems and tools further complicates their ability to mature their organizations and deliver better support. For instance, one participant of the Growth Guidance Program benefitted from hiring processes and resources, which significantly helped them strengthen their hiring practices.
The Tool Library also signals the need for a shift in mindset.
It wasn’t always easy to gather contributions from incubators.
Too often, incubators operate from a place of competition and guard their learnings and resources, often leading to replicated efforts and reinventing wheels in the ecosystem.
The Tool Library asks us to flip the script: to see sharing not as an act of giving something away, but as an act of creating collective value.
Creating Collective Value
Because the truth is, we are only as strong as our weakest players. Peer exchanges, whether through tools, experiences, or lessons learned, lift us all up. They create mutual benefits for everyone involved – better learning, more growth opportunities, and novel pathways to new partnerships and markets.
We’re just at the beginning.
In the coming months, we’ll continue expanding categories, spotlighting tools through blogs and events, and inviting more contributions. Our hope is that over time, the Tool Library becomes the Go-To Hub for all incubators supporting entrepreneurs in the impact space.
At Pollinate Impact, we believe that we should not constrain ourselves because the pie feels small.
Instead, we shift from a “giving” to a “growing” culture. Together, we can grow the pie for everyone.
“There is no delight in owning anything unshared.”
— Seneca.
