Who We Are
India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) is a pioneering learning and development institution building a full spectrum of leadership and management capacity in India’s social sector. ILSS strengthens leadership infrastructure through programs, convenings, and knowledge products, empowering social sector organisations to accelerate sustainable, systemic change and create impact at scale.
What We Address
Across the country, close to 4.5 lakh registered nonprofits work tirelessly to address some of the most pressing challenges. Yet, despite their passion and dedication, these social purpose organisations face critical constraints in strategic leadership, coherent processes, robust governance and financial resilience that limit their ability to create impact at scale.
What We Do
ILSS addresses these challenges facing the social sector holistically. We strengthen leadership infrastructure through programs, convenings, and knowledge products, empowering social sector organisations to accelerate sustainable, systemic change and create impact at scale.
ILSS addresses the challenges facing the social sector holistically. Through its four Centres of Excellence, ILSS builds leadership and management capacity in four strategic areas:
Talent and Leadership
Building the leadership and management cadre of SPOs by upskilling sector-grown talent, enabling corporate professionals to engage with the sector, and supporting women leaders with their leadership journey
Fundraising
Equipping nonprofits to fundraise sustainably, so they can diversify funding, scale impact, and reduce long-term dependency.
Board and Governance
Strengthening nonprofit governance capacity to build strong, accountable, and effective boards that drive long-term impact
Digital Transformation & AI
Empowering nonprofits to drive catalytic impact at scale by investing in their digital transformation journey, leveraging technology, best practices, and expert mentorship.
The ILSS Centres offer high-quality cohort-based learning programs, research reports, conferences, learning platforms and toolkits, and advisory services.
Our approach is three-fold:
Infuse Talent
Attract India’s finest talent from across sectors into social impact roles
Upskill Leaders
Nurture individuals who lead social change in personal and institutional capacities
Accelerate Impact
Empower SPOs to enhance effectiveness and drive catalytic impact at scale
Knowledge Creation & Thought Leadership
ILSS plays a catalytic role in advancing knowledge and shaping discourse within India’s social sector. We undertake research, publish state-of-the-sector reports, and curate expert perspectives. We are building a robust repository of knowledge and insights through digital knowledge-sharing platforms and publications. By building and amplifying diverse voices and making information accessible, ILSS seeks to foster a more informed, reflective, and forward-looking ecosystem.
Network Building
ILSS serves as a hub for connection, collaboration, and continuous learning within the social sector. At the heart of this is a growing and engaged alumni network that shares knowledge, opportunities, and peer support, creating a strong community of practice. ILSS fosters meaningful relationships across leaders, organisations, and sectors, building a collaborative infrastructure that enables collective problem-solving and sustained impact across India’s development landscape.
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Successfully Trained
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Successful Stories
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The World of ILSS
Our Founding Story
India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) was set up in September 2017 with the aim of creating a learning and leadership development organisation that will help build leadership capacity for India’s social sector.
The growing complexity of problems faced by India on the development front underlines the need for organisations to devise innovative, sustainable, efficient, and scalable solutions; it has also renewed the focus on the importance of developing skills to oversee the implementation of these solutions and to plan for future challenges.
Incubated by Central Square Foundation, ILSS held the first edition of its flagship The ILSS Leadership Program in January 2018 to offer senior leaders from diverse backgrounds a deeper understanding of the social sector – and how they can help in achieving India’s development goals. The Program also serves as a learning platform for leaders in the social sector by offering opportunities to gain multiple perspectives, tune into emerging discussions in development leadership, and update their knowledge.
After successfully running The ILSS Leadership Program for two years, we launched The ILSS Fundraising Program in 2020. As a response to the resounding desire for building fundraising capacities in the development sector, The ILSS Fundraising Program was designed specifically for social sector leaders and fundraising professionals.
ILSS aimed to design and introduce more capacity-building programs tailored to the unique needs of the social sector. In 2022, we introduced three strategic programs to actively empower the social sector workforce. The ILSS Board Leadership Program was introduced as a bridge between social purpose organisations and experienced corporate talent, empowering them to enhance their knowledge and skills to join nonprofit boards and make a difference through informed leadership. The ILSS People Practices Program aims to equip social sector leaders with essential skills to attract, engage, grow, and retain the right talent, enabling organisations to achieve their mission more effectively. The ILSS Emerging Women Leadership Program, designed specifically for women leaders in mid-to-senior level positions, provides the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to advance their leadership journey and create a lasting impact in the sector.
In 2023, we introduced The ILSS Board Governance Program, which equips SPOs with the skills and tools needed to establish or strengthen existing boards. It offers participants practical insights, tools, and specific practices they can apply to set up and leverage their boards effectively.
In 2024, we introduced two new programs tailored to meet the evolving needs of the social sector. The ILSS Digital Transformation for Social Impact Program guides social sector organisations through their digital transformation journey. It provides them with a comprehensive understanding of the possibilities within digital transformation, industry best practices, and expert mentorship to craft and execute their digital strategies. The ILSS Young Leaders Program is designed to address the increasing demand for skilled young leaders in the rapidly growing social sector. It equips young corporate professionals with the knowledge, skills and mindset necessary to make meaningful contributions, enabling them to play a pivotal role in driving social impact.
With organisational partners ranging from social sector organisations, social enterprises, consultancies, academic institutions, to foundations, our Programs highlight our commitment to strengthen and advocate for the social sector, ultimately multiplying impact on the ground.