Stanford Social Innovation Review

Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) is an award-winning magazine and website that covers cross-sector solutions to global problems. SSIR is written by and for social change leaders from around the world and from all sectors of society—nonprofits, foundations, business, government, and engaged citizens. SSIR’s mission is to advance, educate, and inspire the field of social innovation by seeking out, cultivating, and disseminating the best in research- and practice-based knowledge. With print and online articles, webinars, conferences, podcasts, and more, SSIR bridges research, theory, and practice on a wide range of topics, including human rights, impact investing, and nonprofit business models. SSIR is published by the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University. Learn more: https://ssir.org/about/overview

Collective Impact

Posted on June 11, 2021

No single organization has the ability to solve any major social problem at scale by itself. Collective impact is a powerful new approach to cross-sector collaboration that is achieving measurable effects on major social issues. This article is also available in Spanish. Top Takeaways There are many examples of coordinated cross-sector collective impact efforts—including Strive, the Elizabeth River Project, Shape Up Somerville, and… Read More

The Dawn of System Leadership

Posted on June 4, 2021

Complex social problems require a unique type of leader: the system leader, individuals who catalyze collective leadership. Co-authored by Peter Senge, Hal Hamilton, and John Kania, this article illustrates the core capabilities required for system leadership through the stories of successful practitioners. Top Takeaways System leaders are not singular heroic figures but those who facilitate the conditions within which others can make… Read More
Voices from the Field

A ‘Balancing Test’ for Foundation Spending

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Dimple Abichandani

Editor’s Note: This article, by Dimple Abichandani, executive director of General Service Foundation, was originally published by Stanford Social Innovation Review on February 10, 2020 with the headline: “A ‘Balancing Test’ for Foundation Spending.” One of the most important decisions a foundation makes is how much to spend each year. As distinct from budgetary decisions, spending policies are the invisible architecture shaping… Read More

The nonprofit starvation cycle

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Ann Goggins Gregory, Don Howard

A vicious cycle is leaving nonprofits so hungry for general operating support for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations—let alone serve their beneficiaries. The cycle starts with funders’ unrealistic expectations about how much running a nonprofit costs, and results in nonprofits’ misrepresenting their costs while skimping on vital systems—acts that feed funders’ skewed beliefs. … Read More

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