Center for Social Innovation

Focusing on Advocacy

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2011

The time is now for foundations, large and small, to engage in public policy.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Q & A: Chris West

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2011

Chris West takes a businesslike approach to philanthropy, looking for ways to leverage the assets of the Shell Foundation and its corporate parent to improve the lives of low-income people in the developing world.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Human Rights, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Ethical Philanthropy

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

GIVING WELL: The Ethics of Philanthropy by Patricia Illingworth, Thomas Pogge, & Leif Wenar

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Research: The Emotions of Aid

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

“One death is a tragedy; 1 million is a statistic,” Joseph Stalin is supposed to have said. The more people we see suffering, the less we care.

Cause Marketing, Online Giving, Philanthropy, Philanthropy & Responsible Investing, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Those with Less Give More

In this Spring 2011 Prosocial Behavior Research Column, Frank Flynn explores research showing that the most generous, trusting, and helpful people are not those with more money, but, rather, those with less. Individuals in lower socio-economic classes tend to act in a more prosocial fashion because of a greater commitment to egalitarian values and heightened feelings of compassion for others. Put simply, the life stressors and challenges faced by those who struggle economically often spur greater social cooperation. Might the "haves" take a lesson from the altruism of the "have nots?"

Resource: News Article

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Nonprofit Initiative Mentors Women Entrepreneurs In Emerging Markets

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program is helping women in 22 countries in the developing world start and grow businesses, Dina Habib Powell, who oversees the effort told a business school audience.

Resource: News Article

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Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Giving Just Got Easier: Philanthropedia Brings the Cream to the Top

If you want to give money to a good cause, how do you decide which organization to focus on amidst myriad choices? A new enterprise driven by Stanford MBAs, known as Philanthropedia, is making it easier for you to figure it out.

Resource: News Article

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Metrics with Heart: Robin Hood Fights Poverty Intelligently

Taking from the rich and giving to the poor is the philosophy behind the aptly named Robin Hood Foundation, one of the most influential philanthropies today. Happily, the "takers" in this case are also the givers -- wealthy board members and others who have joined forces in one of the greatest extended campaigns of all time to significantly reduce poverty in New York City.

Resource: News Article

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Leadership, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

Chase Your Dream Skoll Advises Class of 2010

Chase Your Dream Skoll Advises Class of 2010 "Define your dream and chase it with as much rigor and authenticity as you can muster," entrepreneur and philanthropist Jeff Skoll advised Stanford Graduate School of Business 2010 graduates.

Resource: News Article

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Philanthropy Today: an Interview with Peter deCourcy Hero

Peter deCourcy Hero is one of the foremost practitioners of and commentators on philanthropy today. From 1989 to 2007 he was the president and CEO of the Community Foundation Silicon Valley (CFSV) and subsequently Senior Advisor to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. A winner of numerous awards he is on the boards of several foundations. Interviewed by Wolfgang Bielfeld from the University of Bologa, Italy, he comments on the development of venture philanthropy and the new trends in philanthropy today.

Resource: News Article

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Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Amplifying Local Voices

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

GlobalGiving’s storytelling project turns anecdotes into useful data.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Philanthropic Practices

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

DO MORE THAN GIVE: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World by Leslie R. Crutchfield, John V. Kania, & Mark R. Kramer

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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What’s Next: Matchmaking for Philanthropists

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

Foundation Source Access, the new eHarmony for family foundations, gives smaller donors access to a wide variety of innovative funding opportunities.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Letting Go

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2011

Foundations often undermine their own efforts by micromanaging how social problems are solved. Two insiders explore why foundations have developed this way and what grant makers can do to foster high impact strategies.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Research: Economic Influence

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2011

Private foundations are being idealized as neutral, efficient, and effective—but no one is actually monitoring their impact.

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Education, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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It is a recession, and it could be a restructuring

The opportunity has come to reframe, rethink, re-set, and re-build some of the things we take most for granted.

Resource: Blog Post

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Dead Men Read No 401(k)s

Wealthy philanthropists are putting off making new gifts, making estates, for the first time, the source of the majority of the year’s top donations.

Resource: Blog Post

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T-Shaped People & Philanthropy

For philanthropy to reach it’s potential, bodies of knowledge need to “jump together.”

Resource: Blog Post

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Second (and Third) Thoughts About Public Funding for the Arts

The author breaks down how public funding of the arts should be put towards performance, exhibition, and education leaving the artists and their creative process to private patronage.

Resource: Blog Post

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The Disappearance of yet Another Painless Way to Give

As the economy continues to shrink, individuals will need to make a more conscious effort towards charitable giving.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

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Grassroots Philanthropy in Schools

Want to make sure American schoolchildren have enough pencils for a poetry writing unit, violins for a school recital, or microscope slides for a biology class? Go to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that makes it easy to support any classroom project request nationwide. In this audio interview with host Ashkon Jafari, CEO Charles Best talks about the organization's humble beginnings, its use of cross-sector collaboration, its current initiatives, and the impact it is having in America's classrooms.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Connecting Nonprofits

Connecting good, effective nonprofits and other organizations that get the job done is the mission of Craigconnects, the latest enterprise of Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. In this audio interview with host Ashkon Jafari, Newmark discusses the organization's philosophy, primary activities, and future plans.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Leadership, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Creating Infectious Action

What if you could influence people to act on their best intentions? Professor Jennifer Aaker has spent most of her career researching the science of getting people to do the right thing.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Power of Leadership in Social Enterprise

Habitat for Humanity is an exemplary social enterprise that has helped build more than 350,000 houses for low-income people in thousands of communities worldwide. In this university podcast, Jonathan Reckford, the organization's CEO, talks about what it takes to be a great leader. He shares lessons learned from his own career, and how he put his knowledge to work in successfully guiding Habitat for Humanity since 2005.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

International Development Through Microfinance

Jessica Jackley is cofounder of Kiva.org, the nonprofit microfinancing website that allows people to promote international development and break the cycle of poverty by lending as little as $25 to a specific third-world entrepreneur. In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Jackley talks about how she is revolutionizing philanthropy and inspiring a new generation of philanthropists through technology.

Resource: Audio

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Leadership, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

Using Entrepreneurial Approaches to Solve the Problems of Global Poverty

In turbulent times like ours, we need “hard-edged hope,” says Jacqueline Novogratz, the much-celebrated founder of the Acumen Fund. Affirming that the world is indeed a better place now than it was 40 years ago, she traces her own journey from a childhood witnessing racial inequities all around her in Detroit to a career leading the field of social impact investing. Novogratz rallies the community of Stanford business graduates to be part of the new generation of innovative problem solvers.

Resource: Video

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Opportunities In Environmental Area

How do environmental challenges create growth opportunities, new markets, and innovation? Two Goldman Sachs managers discuss how their investment firm is making the financing of corporate deals contingent upon the incorporation of increasingly stringent environmental criteria.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Community Foundations

Community foundations have become an increasingly common outlet for charitable giving in the United States. In this panel discussion, led by Julie Juergens, the director of the Center for Social Innovation, community foundation leaders discuss innovative models for foundations as well as challenges faced by this sector.

Resource: Video

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

Value Creation

The nonprofit sector delivers social value and the for-profit sector delivers economic value, right? Wrong! Jed Emerson argues that value is nondivisible, whole, and blended. He invites us to think beyond philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, social enterprise, and other limiting mindsets.

Resource: Video

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Leadership, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Leveraging Business Assets in Nonprofit

Can business be a power for good? Jean Oelwang, CEO of Virgin Unite, would argue yes. Virgin Unite is the nonprofit foundation of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, a conglomerate of more than 400 world-wide companies. In this audio lecture, Oelwang discusses the need to address root causes of social and environmental issues, the unsustainable nature of the growing disparity between rich and poor, and the potential to make a difference by adapting existing product and service innovations.

Resource: Audio

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Grassroots Philanthropy in Schools

Want to make sure American schoolchildren have enough pencils for a poetry writing unit, violins for a school recital, or microscope slides for a biology class? Go to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that makes it easy to support any classroom project request nationwide. In this audio interview with host Ashkon Jafari, CEO Charles Best talks about the organization's humble beginnings, its use of cross-sector collaboration, its current initiatives, and the impact it is having in America's classrooms.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Connecting Nonprofits

Connecting good, effective nonprofits and other organizations that get the job done is the mission of Craigconnects, the latest enterprise of Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. In this audio interview with host Ashkon Jafari, Newmark discusses the organization's philosophy, primary activities, and future plans.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Leadership, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Creating Infectious Action

What if you could influence people to act on their best intentions? Professor Jennifer Aaker has spent most of her career researching the science of getting people to do the right thing.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Power of Leadership in Social Enterprise

Habitat for Humanity is an exemplary social enterprise that has helped build more than 350,000 houses for low-income people in thousands of communities worldwide. In this university podcast, Jonathan Reckford, the organization's CEO, talks about what it takes to be a great leader. He shares lessons learned from his own career, and how he put his knowledge to work in successfully guiding Habitat for Humanity since 2005.

Resource: Audio

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

No Results Found

Topics:

Healthcare, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Building the Knowledge Base of the Health Care Fields

By 2005, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation had firmly established the importance of building a knowledge base and communicating its findings to external and internal constitutencies. The foundation faced the challenge of how to effectively execute its communications.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

SV2: Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund

The Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund provides Silicon Valley donors with philanthropic experience and education to empower their giving, and awards capacity-building grants to nonprofits. The fund’s leadership wondered how to improve the partner consulting program to better leverage partner expertise, and how to engage partners in grantmaking and educational activities.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Economic Development, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Annie E. Casey Foundation: Social Investing

In 2002, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, dedicated to building a better future for disadvantaged children, hired a director of social investments. The director faces challenges such as how to enable the long-term sustainability of grantees, track financial and programmatic performance of investments, and resolve the tension between social investment and programmatic strategies.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

2004 Venture Philanthropy Summit Overview

Practitioners and academics at a 2004 Stanford University conference discussed the field of venture philanthropy. The overview includes topics such as capacity building, relationships between grantors and grantees, and performance measurement.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Economic Development, Environment, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

Acumen Fund and Mytry De-Fluoridation Filter Technologies

The chief investment officer of Acumen Fund, an international venture philanthropy fund, is reviewing the performance of a portfolio organization. Against the backdrop of Acumen’s own evolution, he is trying to determine how much additional support to provide an organization that has faced similar challenges.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

The Blended Value Proposition

The Center for Blended Value is a think tank that promotes the concept of “blended value” investments. The founder wondered how to overcome the challenges associated with encouraging more foundations to adopt a value-mixing strategy of financial asset management.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Visa Sponsorship Marketing

Visa’s executive vice president of international marketing, partnerships, and sponsorship played a key role in convincing Visa’s six regional boards and its international board to allow Visa to extend its Olympics and Paralympics sponsorship. His team planned to discuss the current corporate strategy and use it to refine the existing sponsorship strategy.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Corporate Philanthropy

What are the motivations for corporate philanthropy, and what forms may such philanthropy take? Is philanthropy good business, and can corporate efforts result in effective philanthropy?

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Education, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Sand Hill Foundation

Planned Parenthood is looking for funding to assess the Sand Hill Foundation’s Teen Success Program for replication. Those involved in the program hope to more constructively engage stakeholders in the evaluation process, monitor the program’s impact, and take action on evaluation results.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Economic Development, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The McKay Foundation: The Fight for a Living Wage in San Francisco

The McKay Foundation played a key role in convening the diverse constituencies that had a stake in the living wage issue. The executive director considered what to focus on next after a city ordinance authorized worker pay increases.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

X PRIZE Foundation: Revolution Through Competition

The X PRIZE Foundation originated as prize competitions for significant development in the exploration of outer space. Several problems faced the organization as it began to focus on fields outside of space, including whether prize competitions could work in areas such as poverty.

Resource: Academic Case

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Economic Development, Environment, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Acumen Fund and WaterHealth International: The Role of Venture Philanthropy

The Acumen Fund provides modest amounts of capital, combined with business expertise, to help build enterprises that would serve the poor. The case describes the fund’s approach to helping address water resource problems in developing countries.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Healthcare, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Canary Fund and the San Jose Grand Prix (A)

The Canary Fund supports the development of methods for early cancer detection. This first case describes the choice to sponsor a high-profile racing event to raise funding and awareness.

Resource: Academic Case

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Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

A conference at Stanford brought together professionals from foundations to share best practices, discuss emerging innovations, and build professional networks. This summary presents key issues discussed.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Altman Foundation

The Altman Foundation was established to serve the people of New York City. By 2005, the foundation was poised to take its strategic philanthropy to the next level by implementing a broader system of research and evaluation.

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

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Capital Idea: Total Foundation Asset Management and The Unified Investment Strategy

A foundation's assets for supporting the process of social value creation should be viewed as part of the organization's overall investment strategy. This paper introduces the concept of the Unified Investment Strategy, an approach to achieving maximum social impact.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

No Results Found

Innovators : All

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Economic Development, Education, Government, Healthcare, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Mark Cafferty (EPNL '07)

Mark Cafferty is passionate about empowering individuals to be all they can be. He channels funds to employment and youth service programs.

Resource: CSI Affiliates

Topic :

Environment, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Robert Keith (MBA '03), Carl Palmer (MBA '03)

Robert Keith and Carl Palmer are restoring and protecting ecologically important properties in the West. They're earning market-rate returns for their effort.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Economic Development, Education, Healthcare, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Peter Hero (MBA '66)

Peter Hero has been helping philanthropists make a social impact for two decades. He's now inspiring students to get involved in social entrepreneurship.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Education, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Katherine Boas

Katherine Boas created the Barefoot MBA curriculum with her classmate Scott Raymond while a student in the Stanford MBA program. Her ambition? To teach the world’s poorest entrepreneurs the basic business skills they need to make better decisions with their microloans.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Jessica Jackley (MBA '07)

Jessica Flannery created Kiva to connect lenders to small entrepreneurs without access to financial resources. Her goal? To alleviate poverty.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Shared Value- Future of Green

This audio interview from the Environmental Defense Fund's Future of Green Calls covers complex interactions of the philanthropy sector, socially conscientious nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses with FSG Co-Founder Mark Kramer. Kramer outlines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) acts as a lever to minimize environmental harms done by daily business activities. Also covered are how natural resources are consumed by industries and a discussion about sustainability practices.

Resource: Audio

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