Calling all Congressional Champions…

As the Obama Administration gets ready to launch an Office of Social Innovation, it will be equally important to introduce members of the U.S. House and Senate to the importance of investing in what works. I have had the pleasure of working with Greg Werkheiser, the founder and Executive Director of the Phoenix Project, for the past year. The Phoenix Project, located in Virginia, has formed an incredible consortium of 40 universities through which they leverage their many assets − students, space, faculty and more − to advance social innovation in some of the state’s most economically distressed communities, working to strengthen both nonprofits and government agencies.

A week ago, Greg and I took a trip to Capitol Hill to introduce members of Congress to social innovation and to the Phoenix Project’s great work. As I entered the Senate building for the first time, John McCain walked right past us to wait for an elevator. At that moment it hit me − in the various buildings that house the offices of our elected officials there are 100 Senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives and I cannot think of one whom I would call a champion of social innovation – today, that work would begin.

Greg and I started the day with a meeting with Senator Jim Webb’s Chief of Staff, Paul Reagan. As we waited for Paul, I noticed the Senator’s office walls, covered with photographs with various dignitaries, as the administrative assistant took call after call after call from constituents seeking to share their thoughts with the Senator on how best to meet Virginia’s needs.

Not surprisingly, Paul got the concept right away; but at the same time, it was clear that we were one of hundreds who had visited with Paul since Congress has been back in session to describe how their work would benefit the state. It was a big wake-up call for me. Having spent more than 12 years now working in the field − teaching, writing and studying social innovation and entrepreneurship − getting government’s attention would be a long journey and there are many factors that come into play. Thousands of people working with various companies and organizations on tough issues are all vying for congressional attention. At the same time, we are at a crossroads in a country faced with huge challenges. Social innovation offers us one of the best opportunities to better utilize our resources, something the United States needs badly at a time like this.

Our trip would continue next to meet with two Legislative Directors from the House…stay tuned.

Andrew Wolk, Root Cause Founder and CEO

Andrew Wolk is the founder and CEO of Root Cause, a nonprofit research and consulting firm in Cambridge, MA that partners with nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and business to advance solutions to today’s toughest social issues. Please visit Root Cause's website at rootcause.org.

Despite the billions of dollars and millions of nonprofit and government programs devoted to addressing social issues here in the United States and abroad, proven innovations often do not spread and endure. Even the most successful programs are only reaching a fraction of the populations in need.

In an era of limited resources that requires leaders in all sectors to do more with less, the future of society’s health and ability to advance depends on tackling today’s challenges in education, health, job creation, and environmental sustainability.

No one organization or sector has the resources to tackle today’s difficult social issues alone. Instead, leaders in nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and business must work together to identify effective solutions. They must also provide access to resources and distribution systems that will lead to widespread impact.

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About Andrew

Andrew Wolk is Founder and CEO of Root Cause, a nonprofit organization that advances enduring solutions to social and economic problems by supporting social innovators and educating social impact investors.

He is also a senior lecturer in social entrepreneurship at MIT and was recently appointed a Gleitsman Visiting Practitioner in Social Innovation at David Gergen’s Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University. He holds an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management from Boston University and a B.A. from Lehigh University.

Andrew Wolk