M
Model the work
Start with your operating model and the decisions your team makes. Build the records and relationships around them, not around a generic sector template.
16 sector playbooks · 96 common operating models
One sector. Many ways of working. Find the playbook closest to yours.
A helpline, a grant-maker, a direct-service programme and a public-system partnership can sit in the same sector and still need completely different systems. Start with how your programme creates change, then see the records, decisions, safeguards and AI uses that fit.
6 operating modelsWhat to trackWhat to build firstOne worked exampleUseful AI rolesHuman decisionsData safeguardsImplementation plan
A few models inside this playbook
6 operating models
Education
Learning delivery, teacher development, scholarships and system change need different workflows.
- Direct learning
- Teacher development
- Scholarships
- Public-system partnership
Explore the impact ecosystem
The social sector is one connected universe.
Health touches livelihoods. Education touches gender. Climate touches food, work and migration. Choose a sector to see the different operating models inside it, then follow the path closest to your work.
People, care & rightsPlace & planetVoice & culture
People, care & rightsPlace & planetVoice & culture
Impact
ecosystem16 sectors
96 models
ecosystem16 sectors
96 models
10 SECTORS
People, care & rights
Learning, health, livelihoods, protection, rights and inclusion, across direct delivery, networks, grant-making and system-strengthening models.
Sector playbook01
Education
Different learner journeys need different systems.
Models range from direct learning delivery to public-system partnerships.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook02
Youth Development & Employability
A job offer is not the only path to economic independence.
Models range from centre-based skilling to enterprise and self-employment.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook03
Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment
Households, enterprises, farms and markets need different views.
Models range from graduation programmes to producer and artisan enterprises.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook04
Health & Wellbeing
Every health programme works differently. Its system should too.
Models range from community treatment to health-system strengthening.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook05
Mental Health
Support does not begin and end with therapy sessions.
Models range from community care and helplines to grant-making and research.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook06
Maternal & Child Health
Work across homes, workers, facilities and referrals should connect.
Models range from frontline-worker support to emergency referral networks.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook07
Child Rights & Protection
Prevention, casework, care and aftercare carry different duties.
Models range from community prevention to safe transitions into adulthood.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook08
Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment
Safety, agency, livelihoods and systems change are not one workflow.
Models range from survivor support to collective and workplace inclusion.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook09
Disability & Inclusion
Inclusion is a life journey, not a single service.
Models range from early intervention to inclusive education and employment.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook10
Human Rights & Access to Justice
Justice work continues beyond intake, filing or a court order.
Models range from community legal aid to strategic litigation and reform.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
4 SECTORS
Place & planet
Landscapes, materials, food chains and communities, across service delivery, research, partnerships and public action.
Sector playbook11
Environment & Climate
Landscapes, species, communities and public action need different evidence.
Models range from watershed restoration to climate adaptation and advocacy.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook12
Waste Management
Workers, routes, materials, facilities and contracts form one chain.
Models range from waste-picker cooperatives to municipal and EPR partnerships.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook13
Food Systems
Farms, kitchens, meals and nutrition outcomes need different chains.
Models range from community kitchens to agroecology and food recovery.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook14
Community Development
People, institutions, assets and plans should connect around place.
Models range from integrated development to local institutions and resilience.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
2 SECTORS
Voice & culture
Journalism, arts, creators, audiences and public-interest institutions, from delivery and production to funding and ecosystem support.
Sector playbook15
Media & Journalism
Public-interest media is more than a story pipeline.
Models range from reporter networks to investigations, fact-checking and funding.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
Sector playbook16
Arts & Culture
People, work, places, rights and audiences form the creative journey.
Models range from grant-making and residencies to venues and archives.
- What to track
- What to build first
- Where AI helps
No sector matches that search. Try a simpler word, or email us and tell us what you do.
How we build · MAP after the playbook
Different programme models. The same discipline for building the right system.
First identify how your organisation creates change. Then model the work, align the system to real practice, and add AI only where it earns its keep.
A
Align
Fit the system to how your field team already works: offline, in the local language, with a screen for each role and follow-ups that fire on their own.
P
Power with AI
On clean records, add AI where it saves real hours. A person checks every output, and some things stay off-limits.
How we work with you
From one tracker to a system your team actually runs.
Most systems launch in three to four months. The timeline moves with the number of programmes and roles, how messy the old data is, and how many tools need connecting.
Tell us what hurts
Start hereBring one tracker, one donor report and the process your team dreads.
A 30-minute walkthrough
FreeShow us how the programme runs. We'll tell you if you need a new system, a better workflow or nothing at all.
Diagnosis
1 to 2 weeksWe map how your programme works, talk to the people who will use it, review the tools you use today and hand you a System Blueprint, a clear plan of what we'll build.
Build in stages
6 to 16 weeksWorking screens every 2 to 4 weeks, tested by your field team in your own terms. We clean up your old spreadsheets and move them across.
Launch, then stay
30 to 60 daysField training and launch, then close support until your team can run it confidently.
100+organisations worked with
150+systems built
5+countries
ZohoAdvanced Partner
75%of our work is with nonprofits
Tell us which model you run. Bring us one tracker.
In 30 minutes, we'll show you where the handoffs break and tell you whether you need a better workflow, a connected programme system or no new software at all.
If budget is tight, ask about the Built for Impact Programme, which gives eligible nonprofits free Zoho credits.
Tell us how your programme worksStart with one tracker