Shannon Revels met a teacher in prison who listened to his ideas, demonstrating a willingness to engage that Revels paid forward at his employment agency and on the job. Part of a series produced for SSIR with the support of the Hewlett Foundation.
Billions of dollars are poised to flow into development impact bonds (DIBs) as a mechanism for solving social challenges around the world. Now is the time to make sure these complex structures are grounded in sensible approaches to measuring impact.
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.
Going beyond traditional monitoring and evaluation to focus on feedback can lead to new innovations in the social sector.
Gathering feedback from clients can be the swiftest path to insight and service improvement for nonprofits. Listen for Good offers a low-cost, high-quality method. Part of a series produced for SSIR with the support of the Hewlett Foundation.
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.
For NGOs, impact comes in different forms and to track the cycles of social change work, we must think across the tangibility and the speed of emergence of change.
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.
Conventional wisdom says that scaling social innovation starts with strengthening internal management capabilities. This study of 12 high-impact nonprofits, however, shows that real social change happens when organizations go outside their own walls and find creative ways to enlist the help of others.
Unethical behavior remains a persistent problem in nonprofits and for-profits alike. To help organizations solve that problem, the authors examine the factors that influence moral conduct, the ethical issues that arise specifically in charitable organizations, and the best ways to promote ethical behavior within organizations.
