Better Vision for the Poor
Several social enterprises are attempting to provide eyeglasses to the 500 million to 1 billion poor people who need them. Why haven’t any of the organizations succeeded on a large scale?
Case Study - Most Popular
An inside look at one organization (more)
Market-Minded Development
Acumen Fund uses impact investing to tackle global poverty. It's approach has garnered attention, but does it change aid?
Do No Evil
Google DotOrg launched in 2004 with bold ambitions and almost $1 billion in seed funding. But the results have been less than stellar.
Philanthropy
Fueling Growth
Riders for Health has created a novel approach to maintaining health transport vehicles in sub-Saharan Africa.
LEED the Way
The LEED green-building certification system is one of the fastest growing nonprofits in America.
Strength Through Flexibility
Over the past 17 years, the Forum for African Women Educationalists has delivered high-quality education to millions of girls across 35 African countries.
Business
A Fine Green Niche
Maria Yee established her eco-friendly, high-end furniture company long before going green was the done thing. Two decades later, her company's environmentally sound practices not only reflect a planet-friendly ethos, but also drive a market-friendly creative edge.
The Profit in Nonprofit
Why Kiva chose to be a 501(c)(3), what this tax status buys the organization, and how being a nonprofit poses challenges.
Nonprofits
Clear Blood
By 1998, thousands of people had contracted HIV and hepatitis C from Canada’s tainted blood supply. To restore the supply and the public’s trust, the federal, provincial, and territorial governments of Canada created a new organization, Canadian Blood Services. Despite the public health tragedy that it inherited, Canadian Blood Services rebuilt Canadians’ faith in the nation’s blood supply by infusing transparency into its structure, culture, and operations.
In the Black with BRAC
Serving more than 110 million people per year, BRAC is the largest nonprofit in the world. Yet it doesn't receive the most charitable donations. Instead, BRAC's social enterprises generate 80 percent of the organization's annual budget. These revenues have allowed the organization to develop, test, and replicate some of the world's most innovative antipoverty programs.