“I just got back from Skoll World Forum, the Cannes Festival for those trying to make the world a better place. … Amidst the flow of people and ideas, there was one persistent source of turbulence. Literally, within five minutes of my arrival, I was hearing tales of anxiety and exasperation about ‘Big Bet Philanthropy.’”

In recent years, big bet grants have brought more money into the social sector, are mostly unrestricted, and have focused on some of the best solutions out there. So, what’s the worrying all about? Kevin Starr of the Mulago Foundation reflects on some of the unintended consequences of these startlingly big checks and why big bets haven’t (yet) become the next big thing in philanthropy.

Read more and weigh in with your ideas.

Related SSIR articles: Small Foundations Can Have Outsize Impact and Do They Still Need Our Money?

Ground your understanding of AI with practical advice from experts in social impact and data science. Behind the buzzwords and fuzzy predictions lies a powerful tool you can learn to use today.

Join Anne Nies, Director of Science at Submittable, and Erik Lucht, Partner Innovation Architect at Microsoft, as they share what they’ve learned about AI and uses for foundations. Presentation followed by a roundtable discussion welcoming attendee participation, your hosts will share:

• How to use AI responsibly
• Examples of how foundations are using AI right now
• Findings from user research and focus groups
• Insights from most interesting AI conversations in the world of nonprofits

Save your seat

“Thank you, health-care heroes!” became a familiar refrain during the pandemic, but one researcher wondered how this kind of heroizing language shaped public perception of workers and their professional experience. Did the hero designation translate into higher pay, better benefits, or new opportunities?

Postdoc researcher Matthew Stanley teamed up with his advisor, Aaron C. Kay, at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and uncovered that labeling workers “heroes” facilitated their exploitation: “Heroization makes it difficult for the public to see workers as individuals with their own wants and needs.” Read more.

Related SSIR articles: Workplace Power and Mental Health in the Social Change Workplace

Microfinance relies on social networks for repayment, but new research shows that those same networks can backfire during a financial crisis. What do these findings mean for the social sector, which relies on social capital as a critical resource for interventions?

Startup collaboratives often get stuck when converting their motivation to do good into action. Three University of Minnesota professors created a minimum viable benefit process for agenda-setting that can help them start up and stay on track.

Cal Lutheran’s Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) is a unique hybrid of public policy and public administration education designed to nurture leaders who are ready to shape new policies and present bold ideas.

The need for skilled public policy and administration leaders has never been greater. Our Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) prepares you to become an effective leader who can navigate intricate systems, earn stakeholder support, and achieve results.

Learn More

In this session, industry experts delve into the pivotal role of IT modernization in reshaping campus experiences. Learn how leading educational institutions are leveraging digital tools to:

• Enhance student engagement and retention
• Drive operational efficiency
• Gain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving landscape

Watch now

In a fragmented impact ecosystem, ed-tech needs collaboration to prioritize education over technology. Learn four ways leaders can unite.

Related SSIR articles on collaboration: What Working in Crisis Mode Teaches Us About Collaboration and Impact and A Swimmer’s Guide to Networks

An excerpt from The Digital Double Bind on the digital revolution in the Global South

How cooperatives and collectives can build the AI sector toward justice, equity, and shared prosperity

The social sector thrives when we collaborate to educate, support, and promote one another and our shared mission of advancing the work of nonprofits, foundations, and other social enterprises. Get a one-year subscription to both Stanford Social Innovation Review and The Nonprofit Quarterly for only $89.95. You save 68% off our combined newsstand price. Offer ends April 30.

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Thinking strategically about how nonprofits should respond to potentially polarizing world events.

Like so many organizations, our environmental nonprofit was rocked by internal conflict. What happened and what did we learn?

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Experience the best research- and practice-based knowledge, right at your fingertips.

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Stanford Social Innovation Review is pleased to announce that Lauren Woodman, CEO at DataKind, will be joining us for this year’s Nonprofit Management Institute, “What's Next for the Social Sector? Strategies and Tactics for Today's Agile Leaders,” September 17-18, 2024.

In her NMI breakout session exclusively for in-person attendees, Woodman will illuminate how nonprofits can utilize AI in truly transformative ways, beyond just writing grant proposals.

Learn more and register