Solutions - Most Popular

Jane Leu, Chuck Slaughter, and Morgan Simon - Starting and Growing a Social Enterprise

With the Obama administration's focus on social enterprise as a means of solving some of our most pressing problems, the social entrepreneur has emerged as the chief change agent of our time. In this panel discussion, part of the Stanford 2009 Entrepreneurship Week, leaders of several vital organizations talk about the motivations, successes, and challenges associated with running a social enterprise. They consider what the economic downturn has meant to their missions, and they offer practical advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

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Nonprofits

The Entrepreneurial Union

By Amy Wilkinson 7

Freelance workers, whose numbers are growing, are left without health insurance, a retirement plan, or a work community. The Freelancers Union meets these needs.

Peter deCourcy Hero - Innovations in Philanthropy

Technologies such as mobile phones and computers are increasingly becoming tools for philanthropic giving. In this Stanford Center for Social Innovation audio lecture, former Community Foundation of Silicon Valley president Peter Hero discusses how global changes in philanthropy are providing opportunities in the online giving space. He considers how online giving can be made more robust, and how trends in this arena may allow for the strengthening of civic engagement around the world.

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Nonprofits

Mission-Driven Governance

By Raymond Fisman, Rakesh Khurana, & Edward Martenson 1

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.

Online Giving Marketplaces - Online Giving Markets: Niche or Revolution?

A pluralistic society boasts many independent centers of power and foundations have an instrumental role in supporting such diversity. Online giving marketplaces are further democratizing philanthropy by empowering donors to support the causes they care about. In this panel discussion, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, experts in the field consider whether such online spaces are simply useful adjuncts to the work of philanthropy—or whether they promise to revolutionize the sector altogether.