Design Thinking
The Science of Norm Design
To solve problems that don’t want to be solved, design for the unspoken social conventions that hold them in place. Read a fascinating feature story on understanding the role norms play in design thinking.
Scaling
Against Rushing to Scale
When impact brings pressure to expand, leaders can (and must) carefully decide when growth helps and when it hurts.
sponsored
Education
Schools as Shared Civic Infrastructure
How can we teach students to embrace their civic identity as members of their communities and support them in leading our nation's democratic renaissance?
Philanthropy & Funding
Building the Refugee Economy
As humanitarian aid agencies buckle under the collapse of financial support, the private sector must step in to invest in refugees and integrate them into the economy.
Review
Economic Development
The Ambiguous Rise of Microfinance
Two recent books explore the modern prominence of the global financial-inclusion agenda and argue about how it got there.
Technology
A Path Through AI Overwhelm
Many social impact leaders feel pressure to engage with AI but are overwhelmed and lack a clear starting point. Four fundamental questions can help frame early conversations.
Measurement & Evaluation
Philanthropy’s Most Important Metric
We judge philanthropic capital's impact by what it builds while it is building. We should judge by what stands, without it, after the grant has ended.
Nonprofits & NGOs
How Will Your Nonprofit Survive?
In the face of current funding uncertainty, US nonprofits must innovate to sustain their missions.
Latest
Advocacy
We Need to Close the Hope Gap
Successful advocacy requires not only increasing support on our issues, but inspiring people to believe that they can win. | This article is free to all readers thanks to sponsorship by BLIS Collective.
sponsored
Educating as if Democracy Depends on It
Preparing young people to participate and govern means moving beyond entrusting civic learning to a single course in high school or an elective on campus.
Education
Her Library, Their Future
An Indian state's initiative to establish women-run community libraries is giving rural students—especially girls—a safe space to study and access career guidance.
sponsored
How Can Schools Best Serve the Common Good?
A conversation with two nationally renowned school superintendents about the biggest challenges they face, the relationship between education and democracy, and the tension between innovation and equity.
Technology
SSIR Online, Summer 2026 Issue
What SSIR readers are saying about articles on artificial intelligence, charitable giving, and navigating organizational disagreement.
browse past issues all issues »
Most Commented
Impact Investing
There Is No Such Thing as Impact Investing
There is philanthropic investing, and there is commercial investing, and there is nothing in between.
Scaling
Scale Really Matters
The problems are big, the time is short, and the resources are limited.
Education
Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence
As AI begins to transform education, work, and social life, we need to focus on developing and expanding capacities essential for human flourishing.
Economic Development
When USAID Shut Down, Its Lessons Nearly Vanished. AI Helped Recover Them
A final sweep of 60 years of evidence reveals durable truths about how development succeeds and fails.
Philanthropy & Funding
Does Everything in the Social Sector Need to Scale?
In a world that no longer behaves like a scalable system, success must be something other than growth.