SSIR’s 2021 Social Innovation Reading List
Highlights from book excerpts published by SSIR online this year on topics including mutualism, grassroots development, breakthrough ideas, racial injustice, and well-being.
Leadership - Articles
Innovative ways to develop strong leadership capabilities (more)
Using Founder Sabbaticals as Organizational Reset
Founder sabbaticals are as important for the organization as for the well-being of the founder. But for a founder’s sabbatical to build organizational resilience, examine internal power dynamics, and prepare for the founder’s eventual (and inevitable) departure, organizations must plan for, resource, and require them.
Podcast
Crisis and Change: Conversations With Leaders—Political Polarization
Susan Urahn of The Pew Charitable Trusts and Sarah Rosen Wartell of the Urban Institute discuss the many challenges facing American democracy—and ways to find common ground in a polarized environment. Produced in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Excerpt
Failing to Lead
An excerpt from Failing To Win: Hard-Earned Lessons from a Purpose-Driven Startup on critical mistakes and what could have been.
Centering Equity in Collective Impact
A decade of applying the collective impact approach to address social problems has taught us that equity is central to the work.
Review
Embrace the Process
Cynthia Rayner and François Bonnici recommend that organizations seeking systems change focus less on outcomes and more on principles and practice.
Excerpt
Playful Critique
An excerpt from Creative Acts for Curious People on making judgments more deliberate
Building Leadership Agility at the ACLU
In the midst of an ongoing assault on civil rights, the ACLU’s Strategic Affiliate Initiative is helping a century-old organization grow to meet the moment.
Nonprofit Mergers and Acquisitions: Not Just an Escape Plan
With careful planning and resource allocation, and a clear understanding of what it means to combine different organizational cultures and visions, mergers and acquisitions can be more than an escape plan, and instead help nonprofits preserve their mission and expand their impact.
The Time Is Right for Organizational Learning
A look at how nonprofits and nonprofit workers in the United States changed during the COVID-19 pandemic—and how to navigate the new changes ahead.