(Illustration courtesy of iStock/Grace Maina)
Throughout 2024, the editors of SSIR’s six local language editions have continued to carefully select, translate, publish, and share dozens of SSIR stories with social innovation communities in the Arab world, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, and a range of Spanish-speaking countries. Stories focused on equity and inclusion have commonly risen to the top in terms of reader interest globally. We highlighted their popularity across different regions and countries in 2022, and it’s one of the reasons we developed our special, 12-part article series called The Global Pursuit of Equity in collaboration with these partners.
This year, the most popular stories among local language edition readers were more varied in theme. Here’s a look at what resonated with them and why.
SSIR Brasil
ARTICLE | Design Thinking Misses the Mark by Anne-Laure Fayard & Sarah Fathallah
SSIR Brasil usually runs the same cover stories as SSIR, because the articles are at the forefront of social innovation debates and, despite contextual differences, are highly relevant to Brazilian readers. Still, we did not expect readers’ reaction to the cover story of our seventh issue. It featured “Design Thinking Misses the Mark,” a provocative critique of a methodology that has been widely adopted in Brazil. This article became 2024’s most-read piece on our website and generated the most engagement on SSIR Brasil’s social media channels.
Perhaps because the social innovation field is still developing in Brazil and platforms like SSIR Brasil are rare, the article caused a stir—though a healthy one. Readers energetically commented on, debated, and reposted the article, and made us realize that SSIR Brasil can fulfill its mission of fostering deep reflection on practical actions and thus contribute to the growth of social innovation in Brazil. This was further evidenced by the fact that our second most-read article was also on design thinking. Written by Tim Brown and Jocelyn Wyatt, pioneers of the methodology, “Design Thinking for Social Innovation” was one of the first articles we translated and published, and remains a pivotal text. Read the articles in Portuguese here and here.—Francesca Angiolillo, editor-in-chief of SSIR Brasil
SSIR China
ARTICLE | The Three-Legged Stool of Readiness-Centered Founder Transitions by Mary Connor
SSIR China readers engaged heavily with this article on its WeChat platform. Our team believes this shows a readiness for founder transitions among nonprofits in China, but it’s also a signal that many organizations are finding it difficult. Actively and simultaneously engaging the founder, the board, and the organization in the lead-up to founder transitions helps ensure that organizations enter the new phase from a strong starting position.
We are curious about whether nonprofits, in preparing for these pivotal moments, might also set their sights on even deeper organizational change. What if more organizations use leadership change as an opportunity for real transformation, not just transition? And might revisiting concepts like TEAL organizations, Holacracy, and New Power, all of which have been introduced to China, help guide those efforts? We look forward to further exploration of this topic and are eager to contribute Chinese cases to the discussion. Read the story in Chinese on WeChat here.—Shuijing Liu, executive editor of SSIR China
SSIR Japan
ARTICLE | The Strategic Value of Trust-Based Philanthropy by Stacey Faella & Ryan Roberson
In 2024, Shizenkan University, SSIR’s newest global partner, began the process of leading SSIR Japan into a new phase. With much of the visioning and technical work complete, our team is now working to develop and translate new articles we believe will resonate with social innovators in Japan.
A story we’re particularly eager to publish is “The Strategic Value of Trust-Based Philanthropy,” which debunks the notion that trust-based philanthropy lacks strategic foresight and underscores the strategic agility inherent in the approach through concrete examples. In our dynamic, volatile world, the article asserts that “the need to pivot is the norm rather than the exception.” By fostering trust in grantee leaders, committing to robust partnerships, and providing flexible funding, trust-based philanthropy emerges as the most effective and strategic means to address social challenges.
SSIR has published several features on this topic. The challenges highlighted in these articles, such as grantees' inability to respond to evolving community needs, the burden of excessive reporting, staff burnout, and power imbalances between grantees and funders have resonated deeply with the Japanese philanthropic community. As a result, trust-based philanthropy has gained significant traction within the Japanese philanthropic sector in recent years. Foundations like the Mitene Fund and the Fish Family Foundation, for example, have embraced the approach in their domestic funding practices. And notably, FRJ2025, Japan's premier fundraising conference, will dedicate a session on trust-based philanthropy for the first time. We expect that forthcoming translated and locally generated articles on this approach will continue to reshape the philanthropic landscape of Japan. Read the article in Japanese here soon.—Sadakazu Ikawa, vice chief editor of SSIR Japan
SSIR en Español
ARTICLE | Countering Isolation With Creativity by Teresa Bonner
ARTICLE | Del Individualismo al Coliderazgo (“From Individualism to Co-Leadership”) by Carolina Nieto & David Mayoral
SSIR en Español published “Countering Isolation With Creativity” as part of an article series and a webinar on aging, sponsored by Colombia’s Fundación Saldarriaga Concha. The article highlights three challenges that are increasingly relevant to Latin America: finding inclusive strategies for a rapidly aging population (for example, only 50 percent of the 95 million people over 60 receive a pension), integrating youth as changemakers (only 28 percent of young people feel connected to their leaders), and addressing mental health issues among young and old (28 percent of social entrepreneurs suffer from depression). It also brings forward intergenerational collaboration as a solution that not only counters social isolation, but also empowers well-being, promotes social entrepreneurship, and creates innovative models of education that connect people of different ages. Read the story in Spanish here.
Another popular story was an original article in Spanish, “Del Individualismo al Coliderazgo” (“From Individualism to Co-Leadership”), which reflects one of our own edition’s core values, and provides recommendations for living and embracing co-leadership within all organizations. It points out that practicing deep listening and finding common ground strengthens collaboration and guards against polarization. (Read the English translation here.) Alongside the article, we produced a 15-minute live event in which author Carolina Nieto, leader from Ashoka Mexico, responded to a few questions that 176 participants from 11 countries submitted beforehand. It was clear that our audience seeks strategies for co-leadership between people of different ages and cultural backgrounds, and more opportunities to engage with inspiring leaders. The authors are now writing a second article inspired by the questions we received.—Andrea González, editor in chief of SSIR en Español
SSIR Korea
Article | Design Thinking Misses the Mark by Anne-Laure Fayard & Sarah Fathallah
Article | The Invisible Balance Sheet by Roland J. Kushner
Over the past decade, social innovators in South Korea have applied the design thinking methodology in a wide range of contexts, including the development of a playground and workshops that build young people’s ability to problem-solve. Their experience has prompted them to look at the method from different angles, and “Design Thinking Misses the Mark” offers a useful reflection on the method. The article explains that overconfidence in design thinking can create the misperception that a single innovative approach can solve a social problem and encourages practitioners to take a critical design stance. The Korean edition shared responses from readers in a newsletter, including views on design thinking as an important prerequisite to collaborative problem-solving and the need to decouple the methodology from the people who use it. Read the story in Korean here.
“The Invisible Balance Sheet” also resonated with Korean readers. The article encourages nonprofits to consider assets and liabilities that lie outside the scope of their evaluation and financial statements. SSIR Korea introduced the article to diverse organizations, through online newsletters and offline seminars, and suggested they apply the framework. Several nonprofit leaders felt the article gave them the tools they needed explain the changes they were making in a more comprehensive way. Several Korean organizations have applied the article’s framework in their own work. Read the story in Korean here.—Editors of SSIR Korea
SSIR Arabia
ARTICLE | Our Best Bet Is a Long Bet by James Nardella & Maharshi Vaishnav
This article demonstrates how big bets—philanthropy’s biggest gifts—can effectively broaden the scope of nonprofit organizations' activity and increase their long-term influence. Given that there is increasing focus on achieving genuine and enduring social impact in the Arab world, the story helpfully points out that large, one-time investments aren’t enough, and patient, long-term financing is key to nonprofits making real progress on social issues. It also highlights organizations that have carried out significant philanthropic projects, grown their operations, and increased their impact by working with governments and long-term funders and luring new and substantial funding sources from bilateral and multilateral aid agencies.
The article's high page views on SSIR Arabia demonstrate the topic's significance to our MENA readers and offers some predictions about the direction of philanthropic fundraising. Read the story in Arabic here.—Amine Guettouche, content manager of SSIR Arabia
Read more stories by SSIR Global Edition Editors.