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March 14, 2024
New Spring ’24 Issue
How Cross-Sector Initiatives Get Unstuck
By Vanessa Laird, Kathy Quick & J. Myles Shaver

For leaders new to collaborating for positive social change, sometimes, as the saying goes, their eyes are bigger than their stomach. That is, the energy motivating the collaboration sometimes stifles the agenda-setting and action processes of creating change.

 

This was the observation of three University of Minnesota professors who have worked with early- and mid-career professionals who collaborate across sectors. In their feature story, open for a limited time to non-subscribers, they propose teams design a “minimum viable benefit” (MVB), or “an actionable contribution to the larger challenge that a group can introduce and assess,” akin to how startups conceive of a minimum viable product.

 

The MVB process is a step-by-step guide to agenda setting and helps teams overcome common sticking points and challenges to collaboration. As the authors conclude, “independent of its success or failure, each MVB can generate resources—better information, a more compelling problem definition, partial successes—that can make successive efforts stronger. Social innovation requires such collaborative persistence.”

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More articles from the Spring ’24 issue, open for a limited time to non-subscribers:

Dignified Work for Disabled Kenyans
By Charles Wachira

Learn how the social enterprise Riziki Source promotes professional development for one of Kenya’s most disadvantaged communities.

A Path Forward for Water
By Andrew Ayres

Barton H. Thompson Jr.’s new book Liquid Asset examines how improved public-private collaboration can solve our society’s pressing water problems. Read a review

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In Numbers We Trust
By Kevin Starr

As funders grapple with what, if any, reporting requirements to place on grantee partners, Kevin Starr of the Mulago Foundation shares a story behind his approach to metrics and building trust.

The Ethics of Naming
By Anne Bergeron

Is it possible for modern capital fundraising to be grounded in socially just principles?

How Well Is Education Philanthropy Funding Racial Justice?
By John H. Jackson & Nicole Rodriguez Leach

After myriad funder press releases and pledges, both racial equity and racial justice grantmaking dropped significantly between 2018 and 2021.

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Featuring Stanford University scholars and notable guest speakers

 

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Advancing Equitable AI in the US Social Sector
By Kelly Fitzsimmons

Thoughtfully designed AI-powered applications can drive stronger and more equitable outcomes for nonprofits. Part of a new in-depth series on equity produced with SSIR’s global publishing partners.

Follow the global series on equity
Building Effective AI Governance
By Lina Srivastava

The aftermath of the OpenAI governance controversy revealed the extent to which power has been consolidated by AI tech giants.

A Swiss Army Knife for Impact
By Donald Summers

An excerpt from Scaling Altruism on creating a business plan for nonprofit growth

Supplement: The Future of Philanthropy Is Trust-Based
Reimagining Funder Accountability
By Lorrie Fair Allen, Ashlee George & Charlize Theron

Funders often mistake accountability for compliance. Instead, accountability must be rooted in mutuality, relationships, and power analysis. Learn how Charlize Theron’s charity is thinking with an equity lens about funding nonprofit partners.

Read more
From SSIR
Participation e-Certificate Program Series

This month, join Stanford d.school academic director Carissa Carter, for this two-part 180-minute SSIR Live! participation e-certification series. Learn how to skillfully craft impactful visual stories, an essential skill for smart nonprofits, effective leadership, and an informed civil society.

 

Learn more and book your seat today

From SSIR
Registration for Nonprofit Management Institute 2024 Is Now Open

We are thrilled to announce Nonprofit Management Institute 2024, “What’s Next for the Social Sector? Strategies and Tactics for Today’s Agile Leaders,” September 17-18. The future is uncertain. But that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for it, or help to shape it. We’ll provide you with the tools and tips that you’ll need to navigate four areas that are sure to disproportionately affect leaders across all sectors: a rapidly evolving workforce, the deployment of AI, the influence of politics on culture, and our changing climate. Build deeper connections with a diverse group of colleagues from around the world as we learn to better support our people, strengthen our programs, and have a positive impact on society.

 

Register now

From SSIR
Registration Open: New 2-Part Program

Next month, join SSIR Live! and Paul Brest, interim dean and professor emeritus (active) of Stanford Law School, for this 2-part series, where we will walk you through the entire process of developing a strategy for social change in three phases:

 

1. Understanding the problem

2. Building a theory of change

3. Testing and iterating your theory of change

 

Learn more and register

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