iac Berlin - Activity Report 2025
Working in Complexity
From the early days of iac Berlin, complexity has shaped both the environments we work in and the way we approach our work. Philanthropy and civic actors increasingly engage with challenges that do not unfold in predictable ways. They emerge through interconnected systems, changing contexts, competing interests, and the interactions of many different actors over time.
As a result, many established assumptions about strategy, impact, and organizational effectiveness are being challenged. Long-term direction remains important, while linear planning and straightforward attribution in practice often reach their limits. Working in complexity requires a different orientation: one that combines strategic intent with adaptability, continuous learning, and strong relational foundations.
At the same time, the environments in which social change work takes place are shifting rapidly. Democratic space is under pressure in many regions, trust in institutions is eroding, and technological, ecological, and geopolitical transformations are accelerating. In such contexts, questions of collaboration, resilience, contribution, and collective sensemaking become pivotal.
This publication brings together reflections, observations, and results from our work in 2025 on how to engage with—and remain resilient in—complexity.
Articles include:
- How to stay strategic in complexity
- Monitoring what matters in complexity
- Working with roles in ecosystems
- Reimagining resilient ressourcing
- Coordinating philanthropy in the context of war
- AI Literacy