The Science of Norm Design
To solve problems that don't want to be solved, design for the unspoken social conventions that hold them in place.
Features New and in-depth explorations of solutions to social, environmental, or organizational problems
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Building the Refugee Economy
As humanitarian aid agencies buckle under the collapse of financial support, the private sector must step in to invest in refugees and integrate them into the economy. We review three models of success and offer investment strategies. | This article is free to all readers thanks to sponsorship by the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
Why Don’t Philanthropists Build Anymore?
The United States is living through a second Gilded Age. But unlike yesterday's magnates, today's billionaires prefer to write checks to existing organizations. They should instead build institutions that last.
Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence
As AI begins to transform education, work, and social life, we need to focus on developing and expanding capacities essential for human flourishing.
Beyond the Mega-Gift
For four years, small donations have declined across the nonprofit sector, threatening the future of social innovation. But with the right strategies, some organizations are bucking the trend and winning them back.
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Drowning in Data
Funders are calling for more program evaluation, but nonprofits are often collecting dubious data, at great cost to themselves and ultimately to the people they serve.
Collective Impact
Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, not the isolated intervention of individual organizations.
Ten Nonprofit Funding Models
With an understanding of these 10 funding models, nonprofit leaders can use the for-profit world's valuable practice of engaging in succinct and clear conversations about long-term financial strategy.
Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition
Social entrepreneurship is attracting growing amounts of talent, money, and attention, but along with its increasing popularity has come less certainty about what exactly a social entrepreneur is and does.
Design Thinking for Social Innovation
By working closely with the clients and consumers, design thinking allows high-impact solutions to social problems to bubble up from below rather than being imposed from the top.