High-Impact Growth

Dimagi

A podcast for social entrepreneurs, global development funders, nonprofit leaders and anyone grappling with the challenge of how to build solutions that are both immensely impactful and also achieve high-growth. Join Dimagi CEO and co-founder, Jonathan Jackson, along with co-host Amie Vaccaro as we unpack learnings from 20 years building digital solutions for global health and development, explore barriers to and opportunities for high-impact growth, and speak with industry leaders from around the world.

Find us at: https://dimagi.com/podcast/

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S1 · E91
September 21 · 55 min
AI Philanthropy Is Coming. Are You Legibly Excellent?
What happens when AI philanthropy actually arrives? Jack Lewars advises donors giving up to nine figures a year — and he argues the wave of wealth expected from AI company IPOs is more locked in than skeptics think, with potentially $130 billion or more committed to charity even in conservative scenarios. In this conversation with hosts Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson, Jack explains why concentration is the real risk ("two big funders beat one twice the size"), why the bottleneck to scaling global health organizations isn't money but managing directors and chiefs of staff, and why he has no patience for scaling plans that end in “…government adoption." Drawing on his experience running One for the World and building a mid-stage global health fund — the "Series A" of the sector — Jack lays out exactly what implementing organizations should do now to position themselves: be cost-effective, be evidence-backed, be visible to intermediaries like GiveWell and Coefficient Giving. And whatever you do, don't send a cold email. Jack Lewars is the founder of Ultra Philanthropy, an independent advisory that helps major donors give for maximum impact. He advises donors giving up to nine figures a year, and is Chair of Trustees at High Impact Athletes. He writes the Funding Anthropalypse newsletter, commenting on the expected wave of AI philanthropy in 2027 and beyond. He is also the Fund Manager of the Ultra Philanthropy Mid-stage Global Health Fund, which makes strategic grants and offers hands-on technical and management assistance to bring high impact global health projects to scale. Ultra Philanthropy – Jack Lewars's independent advisory helping major donors give for maximum impact, home of the mid-stage global health fund. Jack Lewars's Substack – His newsletter on AI wealth and philanthropy, referenced throughout the episode. GiveWell – Charity evaluator that recently received a $1 billion commitment from Coefficient Giving and made its largest-ever grant to the Against Malaria Foundation. Coefficient Giving – Major effective-giving funder discussed as a key intermediary for AI wealth. One for the World – Nonprofit Jack led as executive director, encouraging graduates to pledge 1% of income to cost-effective global health charities. "What's Your Endgame?" – Stanford Social Innovation Review – The decade-old article on nonprofit endgames Jack references as the (only) canonical piece on scaling. Dimagi Connect – Dimagi's verified service delivery platform, discussed by Jonathan as a way to make performance matter through fast feedback loops. Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E90
September 17 · 45 min
Disability Inclusion in Global Development, with Dr. Victor Pineda
Disability inclusion in global development starts with a question most teams never ask: who is your technology quietly leaving out? Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, executive director of Berkeley's Center for Independent Living, president of the global inclusion nonprofit World Enabled, and one of the youngest delegates to help draft the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, joins Amie Vaccaro and guest co-host Erin Quinn for a conversation that moves from a Caracas classroom, where his mother was told her son could never be educated, to the floor of the United Nations, to the frontier of artificial intelligence. Dr. Pineda explains why the assistive technology of today becomes the mainstream technology of tomorrow, why AI trained on averages risks erasing the people at the edges of the bell curve, and what implementers and funders can do differently starting tomorrow: hire disabled technologists, build to WCAG AA, optimize for screen readers, demand accessibility through procurement. Underneath it all is his central claim — we already have enough knowledge to unlock human potential. What's missing isn't know-how. It's the collective decision to use it. Related Resources: Podcast hosted by Dr. Victor Pineda: The Independent: Meeting the Moment for Disability Justice available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube The Center for Independent Living (CIL), Berkeley – The world's first independent living center, founded in 1972 and now led by Dr. Pineda; the origin point for many principles later written into the UN CRPD. Pineda Foundation / World Enabled – Dr. Pineda's global nonprofit advancing inclusive urban development, digital equity, and disability rights worldwide. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – The treaty Dr. Pineda helped draft, setting out the rights and dignity of over a billion people with disabilities. Being Heumann (Apple Original Films) – Siân Heder's film of Judy Heumann's memoir and the 26-day 1977 Section 504 sit-in; TIFF opening night, in theaters November 6 and on Apple TV November 13, 2026. Protect Section 504 (DREDF) – Tracks the multi-state lawsuit challenging Section 504 regulations that Dr. Pineda references, with advocacy tools. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – The W3C standard Dr. Pineda urges teams to build to at Level AA or higher. Positive AI Labs – Nonprofit building open datasets and evaluations to steer frontier AI toward pluralistic knowledge of human flourishing, cited by Dr. Pineda as an example of getting wisdom traditions into models before the training loop closes. Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E89
August 21 · 52 min
Grow the Pie: GiveDirectly's CEO on Absorbing the Third Wave
Five years ago, they were mid-level software engineers. Today, they hold giving accounts larger than major foundations — and the sector they want to fund may not be ready to absorb the money. Nick Allardice, CEO of GiveDirectly and former CEO of Change.org, joins Amie and Jonathan to unpack his widely discussed article "The Absorption Problem" and what the "third wave" of philanthropy means for global development. Nick explains why the biggest risk isn't money going to the wrong place, but money sitting on the sidelines for lack of credible places to put it — and why he regularly refers major donors to other organizations to "grow the pie, not divide it." The conversation digs into the voltage drop (research suggests 50–90% of programs lose substantial impact as they scale), why nonprofits rarely ask what their total addressable market is, and how GiveDirectly is winding down complexity to prepare to move much larger sums. Nick closes with candid advice for the newly wealthy: give away 10% of your net wealth in year one, learn by doing, and don't disconnect from the joy of giving. Related Resources: The Absorption Problem by Nick Allardice The Overlooked Absorptive Capacity of Locally-Led Organizations by Jonathan Jackson and Neal Lesh The Third Wave of American Philanthropy by Nan Ransohoff Increasing Our 2026 Allocation to GiveWell's Recommendations to $1 Billion by Coefficient Giving The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale by John A. List Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E88
August 18 · 46 min
From Embracing Complexity to Solving the Right Problems
Could a funder deploy $100 million in global health tomorrow and know where every single dollar went? Dimagi CEO and co-founder Jonathan Jackson believes verified service delivery finally makes the answer yes. In this candid mid-2026 check-in, Jon joins co-host Amie Vaccaro, VP of CommCare Growth and Strategy, to unpack a year of profound change including why Dimagi retired its longtime value "embrace complexity for impact" in favor of "solving the right problems for impact," and what that shift reveals about affordability in a post-USAID funding landscape. Jon walks step-by-step through a single Connect-enabled home visit, from opt-in push notification to real-time payment, and shares the numbers behind the platform: over 1.5 million verified visits, 200+ local organizations expressing interest, and 80 cents of every dollar reaching frontline workers, local organizations, and commodities. The conversation also explores how AI is putting program design directly into the hands of local organizations, automating roles, not people. As Jon puts it: "When you do a better job today, the system knows it and can offer you even more work tomorrow." Related Resources: Dimagi Connect – Dimagi's verified service delivery platform connecting funders with local organizations and frontline workers. CommCare by Dimagi – The open-source platform for frontline workers that Connect is built on, with a quarter million active users worldwide. GiveWell – The evidence-based charity evaluator whose request for information on post-market malaria rapid diagnostic test surveillance inspired Dimagi's AI-built Connect pilot. Steel Foundation for Hope – An early flagship funder that Amie credits with seeing Connect's potential. Kevin Starr episode of High-Impact Growth – https://dimagi.com/podcast/funders-power-to-change-the-system/ Eric Ries episode of High-Impact Growth – https://dimagi.com/podcast/podcast-eric-ries-good-companies-go-bad/ Kikapu Gardens field visit video – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MLGVhiA0YCt_NpjuF4Gveu1s3kwygD7-/view Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E87
August 7 · 56 min
Eric Ries on Why Good Companies Go Bad
What does it really mean to make a profit — and why do so many mission-driven companies eventually betray the very things that made them great? In this episode, Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup and founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, joins Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson to discuss his new book Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great. Eric dismantles the conventional definition of profit and offers a radical replacement — profit as the maximization of human flourishing — then explains "financial gravity," the unconscious pull that bends organizations toward the values of whoever holds the money, whether investors or donors. Through the origin stories of Costco and Novo Nordisk, he shows how "mission lock" structures protected both companies — in Novo Nordisk's case, preserving the research that became Ozempic and creating over $500 billion in shareholder value. The conversation closes with practical power for everyone else: a "no-courage activism" question any job candidate can ask, and why every transaction you make transmits your values. As Eric puts it: "You're not stuck in traffic — you are traffic." Related Resources: https://theleanstartup.com/ ⁠– Eric's foundational methodology and NYT bestseller on entrepreneurship and continuous innovation. Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) – The stock exchange Eric founded to support companies built for long-term value creation. Answer.AI – The AI R&D lab founded by Eric Ries and Jeremy Howard. B Lab / B Corp Certification – The certification body behind B Corps; Dimagi was the first B Corp/PBC in Massachusetts, referenced in the conversation. Novo Nordisk Foundation – The mission-guardian foundation whose governance structure blocked the merger that would have killed GLP-1 research. Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E86
July 30 · 42 min
The Last Mile of Family Planning: Lessons from Lafiya in Nigeria
In a single program area in northern Nigeria, contraceptive use climbed from 2% to over 70%. This change wasn't caused by a new technology, but happened because of one new strategy: centering trust. In this episode, Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro sit down with Klau Pakos, CEO and co-founder of Lafiya, to unpack how their organization closes the "last mile" gap in family planning in some of the hardest-to-reach communities in Northern Nigeria. Women in these communities often already know about contraception, but too often travel hours to a clinic only to be turned away empty-handed. Lafiya's answer is the Lafiya Sisters — trusted local health workers who bring counseling and self-injectable contraceptives directly into communities. Klau shares the visceral reality of women facing extreme maternal mortality risks, walks through how Lafiya became a true partner to the government rather than a vendor with a fixed model, and explains why they resist the pull of shiny new technology until it's proven necessary. As they put it, family planning "brings the foundation for everything else", creating ripple effects across health, income, and autonomy that data alone can't fully capture. A candid, practical conversation for anyone trying to scale impact alongside government systems.Related Resources: Lafiya – Klau's organization, which trains local "Lafiya Sisters" to deliver family planning counseling and self-injectable contraceptives to underserved communities in northern Nigeria. D-Prize – A seed funding organization that awards grants to entrepreneurs testing new business or charity models that distribute proven poverty-intervention technologies Charity Entrepreneurship – An incubator program that helps founders launch high-impact, cost-effective charities. Rethink Priorities: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Lafiya Nigeria – The independent modeling Klau references, estimating Lafiya's cost per DALY averted and per maternal life saved. Sayana Press (DMPA-SC) via Pfizer – An all-in-one, self-injectable contraceptive that lasts for three months and is optimized for low-resource environments due to its lack of a cold chain requirement. https://www.fp2030.org/ - A global partnership dedicated to advancing rights-based family planning, which the Nigerian government has contributed to for over a decade. Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E85
July 23 · 49 min
Why Development Needs More Innovation, Not Less with DIV Fund
When USAID was dissolved, Sasha Gallant didn't let the work she'd spent years building disappear with it. As the former head of Development Innovation Ventures (DIV), USAID's evidence-driven innovation fund, Gallant watched stop-work orders freeze over 100 active awards overnight. Rather than let that portfolio die, she did two things: Helped mobilize more than $130 million to keep the most critical, life-saving USAID projects alive through an initiative called Project Resource Optimization, and Co-founded DIV as an independent nonprofit–the DIV Fund–to test and scale new, potentially cost-effective global development innovations. In this conversation with co-hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro, Gallant unpacks why innovation funding in global development is chronically underfunded, how DIV evaluates ideas on evidence, cost-effectiveness, and potential for scale, and why the biggest wins are often "supremely unshiny": pedagogical tweaks, cheaper CPAP machines, smarter delivery models. She also grapples with a strange moment of dissonance: surviving deep funding cuts just as a new wave of AI-driven wealth approaches the sector. As she puts it, believing we've already found our best solutions is "basically giving up on human progress." For funders, innovators, and development leaders navigating a rapidly changing funding landscape, this episode offers thoughtful guidance on building a future where every dollar creates greater impact. Related Resources: DIV Fund – The independent nonprofit Sasha Gallant co-founded, continuing USAID's Development Innovation Ventures model of tiered, evidence-driven innovation grants. Project Resource Optimization (PRO) – The initiative (hosted by the Center for Global Development) that Gallant helped launch to triage and match donors to the most cost-effective USAID programs left without funding. GiveWell – The charity evaluator referenced for its rigorously vetted "best buy" list of cost-effective global health and development programs. Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E84
June 26 · 48 min
Who Actually Owns This? Naming What's Broken with Nithya Ramanathan
What does it actually take for a country, government, or community to truly own a technology or an outcome? In this fast-paced and candid episode of High-Impact Growth, Dimagi CEO Jonathan Jackson and co-host Amie Vaccaro welcome back Nithya Ramanathan, CEO and co-founder of Nexleaf Analytics. Moving past polite sector rhetoric, Nithya and Jonathan break down why so many well-intentioned global health initiatives end up in "equipment graveyards" due to a broken "donor-to-hope" value chain. Grounded in her recent Stanford Social Innovation Review piece on country ownership, Nithya unpacks the three critical ingredients of true ownership—financial transaction, genuine control, and intrinsic pride—and advocates for a drastic shift: flipping the historical 80/20 investment split to focus heavily on human operational systems rather than chasing technical perfection. Featuring real-world insights from a recent cross-country ministry workshop on vaccine cold chains, this episode offers an honest look at the iterative dance between technology and policy. The conversation doesn't offer tidy answers, but it pushes the critical questions. Related Resources: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/scaling-global-health-innovations Nithya Ramanathan, Nelima Otipa, and Hosea Kintu lay out a framework for moving from government partnership to country ownership in global health innovation. Referenced directly in the episode. https://www.nexleaf.org/ A non-profit social enterprise co-founded by Nithya Ramanathan that uses data and technology to improve global health systems, particularly vaccine cold chains. https://www.gavi.org/ A global health partnership that co-supported the multi-year vaccine cold chain and operational maintenance initiatives discussed in the episode. Kevin Starr / Mulago Foundation Thought leader behind the concept of "Coke bottle philanthropy" cited by Nithya — the false notion that a single scalable solution can be handed to governments like a product off a shelf. https://dimagi.com/commcare/ Dimagi’s SaaS product designed to support frontline workers and track community health outcomes at scale. Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E83
May 15 · 49 min
40,000 Health Workers, One AI-Powered Lifeline
What happens when a health extension worker in rural Ethiopia faces a complex case and there's no doctor nearby? This episode goes beyond the AI hype cycle to explore a live, working answer: HEP Assist, a generative AI-powered call center built for Ethiopia's 40,000 health extension workers by Last Mile Health, IDinsight, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. Abraham Zerihun, Ethiopia Country Director at Last Mile Health, and Sid Ravinutala, Chief Data Scientist at IDinsight, take us inside the real decisions — from choosing a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architecture to stay within Ministry guidelines and reduce hallucinations, to creating a virtual assistant named Hawa to make interactions feel human rather than machine. They discuss the surprisingly nuanced cost model for AI at scale, the importance of government buy-in, and why evaluation should be built in from day one, not treated as an afterthought. With 6,500+ AI-supported consultations already completed and 53% of cases resolved at the community level, this isn't a pilot on paper — it's proof that AI can work at the last mile, in local languages, on high-stakes problems, right now. Related Resources: Last Mile Health – An organization dedicated to saving lives in the world's most remote communities, by partnering with governments to equip professional community health workers. IDinsight – A global advisory, data analytics, and research organization that helps leaders maximize their social impact. The Ethiopian Ministry of Health – The government body leading the digital transformation and AI integration within Ethiopia's national health system. Data.org – A platform for partnerships to build the field of data science for social impact, which provided support for this initiative. Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) – A global health organization mentioned as a previous professional home for both guests Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E82
April 15 · 50 min
Closing the Gap: Scaling Mental Health Care Through Local Heroes with Pavel Reppo
Imagine a country of 50 million people with only 50 psychiatrists. This staggering treatment gap is the reality in Uganda, but Pavel Reppo is proving that specialized experts aren’t the only ones who can provide life-changing care. As the Executive Director of Finemind and CEO of Matchbox Fund, Pavel brings a rare dual perspective to the conversation, bridging the worlds of grassroots mental health implementation and trust-based philanthropy. In this episode, we dive into how Finemind upskills primary health workers—such as midwives and nurses—to deliver evidence-based mental health support at the point of care. Pavel explains why true impact must be measured by functional recovery—like children returning to school or improved household food security—rather than just clinical depression scores. We also explore the Matchbox Fund’s mission to rewrite the rules of funding by investing in overlooked local organizations and responding to outreach with dignity. This conversation offers a masterclass in ethical leadership, local ownership, and a radical definition of success: scale as the "reduction of the problem," not just the growth of an organization. Related Resources: High-Impact Growth episode featuring Vikram Patel - https://sites.dimagi.com/high-impact-growth-podcast/reimagining-mental-health High-Impact Growth episode featuring Kevin Starr - https://dimagi.com/podcast/funders-power-to-change-the-system/ Finemind - https://afinemind.org/about/ Matchboxfund - https://matchboxfund.org/ Sangath - https://www.sangath.in/ Spring Impact - https://www.springimpact.org/ A WHO-developed psychological intervention for people in communities affected by adversity - https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506816 Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E81
February 20 · 45 min
Thinking About Individual Giving? Start Here
As traditional funding sources shift, many nonprofits are asking a hard question: can individual giving become a meaningful and sustainable revenue stream? In this episode of High-Impact Growth, Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson sit down with Javan Van Gronigen, founder of Donate.ly, to unpack what it truly takes to make that transition work. Drawing from more than a decade in digital fundraising, Javan shares why storytelling—not technology—is the most critical asset nonprofits have, and why so many organizations struggle by committing “random acts of marketing.” The conversation explores how to move from one-to-one fundraising toward scalable, one-to-many models without burning limited budgets, and how testing small bets is essential before going all-in. The group also digs into the evolving role of AI in fundraising—from speeding up content creation and data analysis to raising new ethical questions about authenticity and trust. Whether you’re testing individual giving for the first time or rethinking your entire fundraising strategy, this episode offers a grounded, honest roadmap for navigating a more crowded and uncertain funding landscape. Related Resources: https://www.fiftyandfifty.org/services/engagement-os https://www.donately.com/ https://www.charitywater.org/ https://invisiblechildren.com/ Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E80
January 22 · 50 min
Beyond “AI for Good”: Building Responsible AI
AI is moving fast in global health and development, but good intentions alone don’t guarantee good outcomes. In this episode of High-Impact Growth, we sit down with Genevieve Smith, Founding Director of the Responsible AI Initiative at UC Berkeley’s AI Research Lab, to unpack what it really means to build and deploy AI responsibly in contexts that matter most. Drawing on a decade of experience in international development and cutting-edge research on AI bias, Genevieve explains why labeling a project “AI for good” isn’t enough. She introduces five critical lenses – fairness, privacy, security, transparency, and accountability – that program managers and product leaders must apply to avoid reinforcing existing inequalities or creating new risks. The conversation explores real-world examples, from AI-driven credit assessments that unintentionally disadvantage women, to the challenges of deploying generative AI in low-resource and multilingual settings. Genevieve also shares emerging alternatives, like data cooperatives, that give communities governance over how their data is used, shifting power toward trust, agency, and long-term impact. This episode offers practical insights for anyone navigating the hype, pressure, and promise of AI in development, and looking to get it right. Responsible AI Initiative – UC Berkeley AI Research Lab – A multidisciplinary initiative advancing research and practice around responsible, trustworthy AI. Mitigating Bias in Artificial Intelligence - A playbook for business leaders who build & use AI to unlock value responsibly & equitably UC Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) – A leading AI research lab focused on advancing the science and real-world impact of artificial intelligence. Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT) Conference – A major interdisciplinary conference on ethical and responsible AI systems. UN Women – An organization referenced in Genevieve’s background, focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment globally. International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) – A research organization mentioned in the episode, specializing in gender, equity, and inclusive development. Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E79
Dec 18, 2025 · 42 min
[Pods Fight Poverty Re-Air] How GiveDirectly is Changing Aid
Today’s episode is a re-air in support of Pods Fight Poverty, a campaign from our friends at GiveDirectly. You can learn more and donate at: GiveDirectly.org/Dimagi Update: You can learn about the impact of this campaign here. —- In this episode, we’re joined by Stella Luk, Regional Director at GiveDirectly, and Erin Quinn, Dimagi’s Senior Director of Customer Success, to explore a fundamental question: What if, instead of aid programs deciding what communities need, we simply gave people cash and trusted them to make the best choices for themselves? GiveDirectly has pioneered direct, unconditional cash transfers to people living in extreme poverty, challenging long-held assumptions about traditional aid. Stella shares powerful insights from the field—how cash empowers recipients with dignity, choice, and long-term impact. We also discuss the skepticism surrounding cash transfers, the evidence supporting their effectiveness, and how technology is helping reach those most in need. With global development funding in flux, could direct cash transfers be the future of aid? Listen in for a thought-provoking conversation on how this model is reshaping humanitarian response and development efforts worldwide. Related Resources: GiveDirectly.org Debunking 5 myths about cash transfers Kenya study comparing lump and flow study done by Abhijit Banerjee Ugandan youths given $382 earned 38% more 4 years later Related and referenced podcast episodes: The Journey to Scale: Lessons learned from supporting the largest digitally-enabled Frontline Worker program in the world with Kriti Mehrotra, Shayoni Mazumdar and Stella Luk Improving Health Worker Jobs to Improve Outcomes with CommCare Connect Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E78
Dec 10, 2025 · 52 min
What Makes a Dollar Matter? Lessons from Coefficient Giving
What if you could identify exactly where your philanthropic dollar would save the most lives or improve the most years of healthy living? In this episode, Deena Mousa, lead researcher at Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy), walks us through the rigorous frameworks that guide one of the world's most analytically driven funders. From evaluating causes using importance, neglectedness, and tractability, to calculating social return on investment, Deena explains how Coefficient Giving approaches everything from malaria prevention to AI's potential in low-resource settings. The conversation explores why AI hasn't replaced radiologists despite predictions a decade ago, and what that teaches us about deploying technology in complex systems. Deena also shares how improving AI performance in low-resource languages could dramatically shift the trajectory of global health equity. If you're curious about evidence-based philanthropy, the real-world challenges of AI deployment in global health, or how to learn as fast as possible when making high-stakes funding decisions, this conversation offers a masterclass in thoughtful impact maximization.
S1 · E77
Nov 13, 2025 · 53 min
The Thinking You Can't Skip: AI for Good at a Crossroads
In part four of our AI for Good series, hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro reconnect with Brian DeRenzi, Dimagi's VP of AI and Research, to explore how AI is evolving—and what it still can't do. Since our last conversation, technology has made staggering leaps, but the global health sector has also been rocked by funding cuts, creating massive tension between potential and reality. Brian shares why AI accelerates human intention but can never replace critical thinking. And we dig into Dimagi's research on hidden bias in frontier models and AI’s performance in low resource languages. We explore the risks of "AI pilotitus," why you must review transcripts by hand, and Jonathan's advice: only build AI projects you're ready to leave on at scale. This conversation offers practical wisdom for anyone wondering how to responsibly apply AI right now. Essential listening for global health professionals, social entrepreneurs, funders, and tech leaders navigating the AI revolution. Related Resources: Previous AI for Good series: Part 1: Equity and AI in Global Health: Exploring Large Language Models, Building Chatbots and Embracing Discomfort Part 2 : Equity and AI in Global Health: leveraging AI to benefit underserved populations and dispel Inequitable Dystopia Part 3: What’s New in AI: Equity-enhancing use cases and Open Chat Studio Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E76
Oct 27, 2025 · 49 min
Funders: The Power to Change the System
What comes next in a world where old funding models are breaking down? Our guest, Dr. Kevin Starr, CEO of the Mulago Foundation, argues this shift isn't a crisis but a "much needed reality bath". After a personal tragedy sent him stumbling from medicine into philanthropy, Kevin built one of the most respected impact-focused foundations. In this conversation, we explore Mulago's unique model of providing unrestricted, continued funding to "irrepressible" entrepreneurs through their Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program. Kevin shares his sharp critique of "zombie organizations" and why he believes "Big Aid was never a real path to scale". We dig into his core frameworks for impact, including designing for "no additional spend" and identifying the "payer and doer at scale". He makes a powerful case that funders hold the "ultimate power" to create an effective market for impact, if they choose to use it.
S1 · E75
Oct 9, 2025 · 48 min
A Radical Bet on Simplicity and Affordability
In early 2025, massive funding cuts from USAID sent shockwaves through the global development sector, leaving many to wonder what would come next. The money was gone, but the problems remained. In this follow-up conversation, Dimagi Managing Directors Gillian Javetski and Ismaïla Diene rejoin the podcast to discuss the aftermath and the unexpected "diamonds" created from the pressure. They share how the crisis forced a pivot from large, custom-built projects to a new model centered on radical simplicity, focus, and affordability. This candid discussion explores the divergence happening among digital public goods, the necessity of sustainable business models, and why the most important question is no longer "what new feature can we build?" but "can we make the existing value radically cheaper?". Discover how this shift led Dimagi to a bold new offering: a national-scale community health information system (eCHIS) for just $5,000 a month—a fraction of the historical cost. Related Resources: What’s New in CommCare Webinar recording The Next Generation Electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) Deck CommCare Provider program Big Enough. Simple Enough. Cheap Enough by Kevin Starr in the Stanford Social Innovation Review Sign up to our newsletter⁠, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: ⁠Jonathan Jackson⁠ and ⁠Amie Vaccaro
S1 · E74
Sep 22, 2025 · 54 min
Leading Through Chaos: Jayson Morris on Grief, Healing, and Emergent Leadership
What happens when the leadership skills that once fueled success no longer serve in today’s climate of uncertainty? In this episode of High Impact Growth, leadership coach Jayson Morris returns for a candid conversation with Dimagi CEO Jonathan Jackson and host Amie Vaccaro. Together, they explore how leaders can navigate grief, anger, and fear while still showing up with authenticity and resilience. Jayson unpacks the idea of the “leader as healer,” the power of embracing emergence over rigid strategic plans, and why slowing down can actually help teams move faster. You’ll also hear honest reflections on burnout, balancing boldness with humility, and the struggle between “going down swinging” versus pivoting to new opportunities. If you’re leading a team through turbulent times, this conversation offers practical wisdom, and much-needed reassurance, that you’re not alone.
S1 · E73
Aug 27, 2025 · 57 min
Disrupted, Not Defeated: The Next Chapter in Global Development
Raj Kumar, President and Editor-in-Chief of Devex, returns to High Impact Growth for a candid and insightful conversation about the future of global development. In a world reeling from sudden aid cuts and structural overhauls, Raj joins co-hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro to unpack what this era of uncertainty means for NGOs, governments, and social enterprises alike. They explore:- The fallout from peak Official Development Assistance (ODA) and what it means for program funding- Why value-for-money is now a survival imperative, not a nice-to-have- How social enterprises can adapt to a world led by MDBs, DFIs, and outcome-based models.- The future of localization This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the evolving landscape of development funding — from social entrepreneurs and INGO leaders to funders and policymakers. Don’t miss Raj’s sharp insights on what needs to change and how organizations can shape the future before it hardens.
S1 · E72
Jul 18, 2025 · 50 min
The Somatic Edge: Leading with Capacity in a Stress-Filled World with Franzi Gonder
In this insightful episode, hosts Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson welcome Franzi Gonder, a renowned somatic leadership coach and entrepreneur. Franzi shares her personal journey into somatic work, emphasizing how understanding our bodies can profoundly shape our leadership. The conversation delves into the pervasive "beginner's mindset" in high-performance environments and its impact on growth, as well as strategies for building resilience and expanding our capacity to handle stress. Franzi introduces the "Still Point" exercise as a practical tool for grounding during challenging times and discusses the critical role of co-regulation in leadership, particularly in an era dominated by AI. This episode offers invaluable insights for leaders, high-achievers, and anyone seeking to cultivate greater presence and sustainable performance in their professional and personal lives.

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