Beyond the Backbone
Three alternatives to the backbone organization—a fundamental aspect of collective impact efforts—that can help ground collaborations focused on systemic change.
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Funders: Come In Early, Stay Late
How unrestricted, early-stage funding can help nonprofits and social enterprises scale quickly and scale strong.
Filling Essential Gaps in Nonprofit Leadership
New research shows that most nonprofits fall short in important areas of performance. But stakeholders who operate at a systems level can do a lot to help solve this problem.
Streamlining a Foundation Initiative’s Grant Practices
How the Hewlett Foundation’s Madison Initiative has redesigned its grantmaking process to make life easier for both its staff and its grantees.
Globalizing Philanthropy
At a time of rising nationalism and cutbacks in foreign aid in countries around the world, philanthropists play a critical role, not just in providing money, but in fostering cooperation and goodwill between people and nations.
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Drowning in Data
Funders are calling for more program evaluation, but nonprofits are often collecting dubious data, at great cost to themselves and ultimately to the people they serve.
Collective Impact
Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, not the isolated intervention of individual organizations.
Plotting Impact Beyond Simple Metrics
For NGOs, impact comes in different forms and to track the cycles of social change work, we must think across the tangibility and the speed of emergence of change.
Ten Nonprofit Funding Models
With an understanding of these 10 funding models, nonprofit leaders can use the for-profit world's valuable practice of engaging in succinct and clear conversations about long-term financial strategy.
The Bias of ‘Professionalism’ Standards
Professionalism has become coded language for white favoritism in workplace practices that more often than not leave behind people of color. This is the fourth of 10 articles in a special series about diversity, equity, and inclusion.