HOW WE DO OUR SHARED DUE DILIGENCE FROM CONCEPTS TO LIVED EXPERIENCE

To start deploying capital and get into action modus we shape a shared process. How do we look at systemic initiatives? How do we create a list of around 15 fundable projects? At the Explorers Club, we believe that systemic impact cannot be reduced to neat KPIs or tidy frameworks alone. True systemic change lives in the stories, motivations, and resilience of the people behind projects. We can learn (and unlearn!) a great deal from their mindset and actions. Thats why we’ve innovated the tools used for Due Diligence.

Why “we” diligence

Traditional due diligence is something you do to a project. We Diligence is something we do with projects and with each other. It’s dual diligence: relational, iterative, and systemic. We combine lived insight, peer wisdom, and AI-assisted synthesis to see the fuller picture. Then we act together.

Why classical due diligence often falls short in systemic change

how we do our shared due diligence from concepts to lived experience

The Explorers Club approaches due diligence as discovery: a living process refined as we go.

We start wide: gathering inspiration and curating a Possibilities List from networks, convenings, and previous portfolios. Each idea is felt through human energy, gut instinct, and systems view.

Next come early conversations with listening, aligning, and exploring how each initiative fits within broader systemic patterns. Both human and AI perspectives are used to map signals and stories.

Through the Survey for Systemic Changemakers, projects reveal their deeper logic: root causes, governance, and interconnections. Insights feed into We Diligence Reports, multidimensional portraits blending facts and felt sense.

Projects come in and are first discussed in a small group, looking at pros, cons and see what questions arise.

They are then discussed in a plenary session, Members receive a curated portfolio of around fifteen projects.

When explorers gather we talk explore the founders’ motivation, the systems they act upon, and the forms of capital they need or can catalyze.

From there, the flow turns from insight to action. Explorers commit; not just money, but poly-capital: social, cultural, symbolic, and economic.

It’s a choreography of curiosity, trust, and systemic intent where every project becomes a step in reshaping how capital meets change.

In addition, it is specified who provides financial backing, which other capitals are involved, and who takes on which role. At least that is our first attempt ☺

• Executive Snapshot –what the project is, where it sits inthe system, why now.
• Systems Lens –ecological / economic / social / narrative linkages; boundaries, stakeholders, feedback loops.
• Root Causes & Leverage Points –where intervention could shift structures or mental models.
• Contribution & Synergies –how this project complementsthe Club portfolio and field.
• Governance & Power –ownership, participation, equity,and self-organization signals.
• Capital Pathways –what forms of capital fit (philanthropic, catalytic, commercial, non-financial).
• Risks & Unintended Effects –including system inertia and negative ripple risks.
• Learning Questions & Indicators –what to watch (leadingsignals, system health).
• Sources & Audit Trail –survey, docs, calls, public info, AInotes.

Data, ethics & tone

• Consent & transparency: Teams know how and why we use AI and how we’ll use their information.
• Dual diligence: Reports go back to teams for review—no black boxes.
• Respect for emergence: We privilege learning and contribution over attribution. Let’s be the Ripple.