The Power of Theories of Change
Improving the lives of disadvantaged populations requires proven theories of change.
Features - Articles
New and in-depth explorations of solutions to social, environmental, or organizational problems (more)
An Ounce of Advocacy
When disaster strikes, governments often rely on nonprofits and businesses to help with relief efforts. But making up for the public sector's shortcomings is neither an appropriate nor effective use of the private sector's strengths.
Endowment for a Rainy Day
To prepare for future financial downturns, nonprofits should treat endowments as rainy day funds, not cut programs to preserve the endowment.
Design Thinking for Social Innovation
By working closely with the clients and consumers, design thinking allows high-impact solutions to social problems to bubble up from below rather than being imposed from the top.
Helping the Poor Save More
To enrich the bottom of the pyramid, bankers to the poor should make saving money easier by using the latest findings from economics and psychology.
Recreating Fine Arts Institutions
The fine arts in America are on a perilous path. Attendance at opera, theater, jazz, symphony, and ballet performances has dropped precipitously in recent decades. Just as worrisome, the median age of people attending these events has increased dramatically. If the fine arts are to survive as a living, creative, and significant force in American life, arts institutions need to radically recreate themselves.
Public-Private Alliances Transform Aid
The dual goals of scalability and sustainability have eluded many development projects. In recent years, however, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has reached out to corporations, nonprofits, and even private citizens to build alliances that are making large-scale, long-term change. In this article, the former head of USAID describes the public-private partnership model that his agency forged, the successes that the model has won, and the struggles that it continues to face.
The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle
Funders must take the lead in breaking a vicious cycle that is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations—let alone serve their beneficiaries.
Catalytic Philanthropy
Despite spending vast amounts of money and helping to create the world’s largest nonprofit sector, philanthropists have fallen far short of solving America’s most pressing problems. What the nation needs is “catalytic philanthropy”—a new approach that is already being practiced by some of the most innovative donors.
Mission-Driven Governance
The prevailing governance model is fundamentally adversarial, pitting board members in a never-ending struggle with executives. This model does little to advance the organization’s goals.