Winter 2019

Issue

Winter 2019

Volume 17, Number 1

There has been a dramatic increase in the number and size of private foundations around the world. Many people view the growth of big philanthropy as a positive thing, but a growing number of critics are asking whether it is undermining democracy. One of these critics is Stanford University Professor Rob Reich, author of “Philanthropy in the Service of Democracy,” the cover story in the Winter 2019 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Features

Philanthropy & Funding

Philanthropy in the Service of Democracy

By Rob Reich 6

Plutocratic biases are baked into the policies that structure charitable giving and big foundations. We must overhaul philanthropy to make it better serve democratic ends.

Organizational Development

The Upside of Conflict

By Alan Fowler, Elizabeth Field & Joseph McMahon 1

Too many organizations ignore or avoid addressing internal conflict. A healthy perspective on disagreement can increase resilience and spur needed innovation.

Collaboration

The Power of Letting Go

By Dan Honig 3

New research explores when top-down control works best in international development work, and when organizations should let employees in the field navigate challenges by using their own judgment.

Collaboration

Elevating Community Authority in Collective Impact

By Byron P. White, Jennifer Blatz, & Mark L. Joseph 4

To achieve greater equity, we must yield to the decision-making authority of the communities we seek to help.

What’s Next

Environment

Capturing Emissions for Fish Food

By Rosalie Chan 1

NovoNutrients uses bacteria to convert CO2 and other industrial emissions into fish food.

Technology

Developing a More Diverse AI

By Stephanie Wykstra 1

AI4ALL’s summer programs for high schoolers aim to increase diversity in the growing field of artificial intelligence.

Human Rights

Disrupting the Patriarchy

By Puja Changoiwala

India’s first women clerics are working to challenge entrenched Muslim gender norms.

Social Enterprise

Insuring Impact

By Sarah Murray 1

By delivering innovation services to the insurance industry, Ninety Consulting aims to generate and give away a billion pounds ($1.32 billion) over 30 years.

Field Report

Human Rights

When History Lessons Aren’t Enough

By Paul Hockenos

NGO Aktion Courage spurs students’ activist energy to promote antiracist programming across Germany.

Environment

Schools’ Most Untapped Resource

By Adrienne Day

Green Schoolyards America connects ecological innovation with education, equity, and community engagement.

Social Services

The Difference Curve

By Alicia Clegg

Auticon aims to change society’s perception of people on the autism spectrum for the benefit of businesses and employees alike.

Case Study

Energy

Clean Energy by the People, for the People

By Paul Hockenos

After the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the “energy rebels” of Schönau, Germany, launched a grassroots revolution in the Black Forest to take control of their community’s power.

Viewpoint

Measurement & Evaluation

Time for a Three-Legged Measurement Stool

By Fay Twersky 3

Going beyond traditional monitoring and evaluation to focus on feedback can lead to new innovations in the social sector.

Nonprofits & NGOs

The Hidden Costs of Public Contracting

By Mary Kate Bacalao

Nonprofits need a strategy to ensure that public dollars don’t put them in the red.

Philanthropy & Funding

The Four Principles of Venture Funding

By Terry Winograd, Jocelyn Goldfein, & Robert Bank 1

Whether someone is investing in a tech startup or a grassroots advocacy organization, the same rules of success apply. Open access to this article is made possible by American Jewish World Service.

Research

Business

Misremembering to Feel Better

By Marilyn Harris

Consumers say they want to purchase ethically, but selective memory gets in the way of their decisions.

Organizational Development

The Private Benefits of Corporate Social Incentives

By Marilyn Harris

Employees are willing to make sacrifices to participate in social-impact projects, partly because they see them as opportunities for career advancement.

Leadership

How a Janitor Put a Man on the Moon

By Chana R. Schoenberger

NASA motivated employees by making a connection between their everyday work and the agency’s loftiest goal.

Philanthropy & Funding

Choosing the Best Charity

By Chana R. Schoenberger

Charitable givers see their decisions as subjective and view “effectiveness” as one among many criteria that should guide their donations.

Book Reviews

Review

Civic Engagement

Not Quite Everything

Review By Gar Alperovitz

Nathan Schneider's chronicle of the cooperative movement dazzles with stories but is short on solutions.

Review

Economic Development

Making Economic Sense of Religion

Review By Kavita N. Ramdas 1

Sriya Iyer reveals how faith has driven India’s increasingly powerful economy.

Editor’s Note

Philanthropy & Funding

Whither Big Philanthropy

By Eric Nee

A growing chorus of critics are questioning whether big philanthropy is actually a good thing.

Last Look

Environment

Colonialism Meets Climate Change

By Marcie Bianco

Puerto Ricans put their foot down against the vestiges of colonialism as climate change hits.

Finding, Funding, and Scaling

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