Archive for 'Social Innovation'
What the social innovator needs
Posted on 11. Apr, 2012 by Andrew.
Earlier this year, I asked everyone working within the social innovation field why we were not spreading proven approaches faster. I also said that the answer lay in linking resources to performance. When we efficiently connect resources to the highest performing organizations, we can truly start to spread approaches that work. Today, I ask: How? [...]
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The role of the funders in building social impact markets
Posted on 05. Mar, 2012 by Andrew.
When it comes to accelerating progress on difficult social issues, I believe that we must focus singularly on directing resources towards programs based on performance. I also believe that the funder is the central driver of this process. With limited resources trying to make progress on unlimited needs, “doing more with less” must focus on [...]
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Why?
Posted on 24. Jan, 2012 by Andrew.
Why is it that in a country with so many resources, and government and nonprofit programs devoted to education, economic prosperity, and health and well-being—social issues we know to be essential to our success—are we unable to spread what works faster? As of 2008, nearly one-quarter of the American population failed to finish high school, 21 percent of American children lived below the poverty line, and the U.S. health care system ranked 37th in the world—lower than any other developed nation. With 1.4 million tax exempt organizations in the country working towards these social issues, why are we not spreading what works faster?
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End-of-Year Reflections on Social Innovation and Investing in What Works
Posted on 29. Dec, 2010 by Andrew.
As 2010 draws to a close, I have found myself reflecting on the journey that the field of social innovation and entrepreneurship has experienced. In February of 2011, Root Cause will celebrate its seventh birthday. It is amazing to me to consider how far we have come as a community working to advance the field [...]
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Social Innovation: The Next Chapter
Posted on 19. Aug, 2010 by Andrew.
With the establishment of the White House Office of Social Innovation, the announcement of the Social Innovation Fund awardees earlier this summer, and last week’s article on social innovation in the Economist, social innovation is now officially the hot term of the day – so hot that there is a danger that it will end [...]
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A New Role for Government … and Foundations
Posted on 28. May, 2010 by Andrew.
Yesterday, I was at the White House to attend First Lady Michelle Obama’s announcement of the first round of philanthropic commitments Social Innovation Fund. By now, especially for those of us working to bring the sectors together to invest in what works, the Social Innovation Fund is not news. But it was hard not to [...]
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Seeking the Next Generation of Philanthropists for a Twenty-First Century Approach to Solving Social Problems
Posted on 06. May, 2010 by EmilyC.
A familiar refrain to any reader of this blog is that the United States is not currently using its resources for solving social problems as effectively as it could be. According to Giving USA, U.S. foundations and individual donors spend more than $300 billion annually on contributions to charity. By U.S. Census Bureau figures, our [...]
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Deval Patrick’s commitment to advancing social innovation in Massachusetts
Posted on 16. Apr, 2010 by Andrew.
Today was a landmark day for anyone interested in improving the way we address social problems in Massachusetts. In a ceremony at Year Up this morning, I joined Governor Deval Patrick along with Vanessa Kirsch and Kim Syman from New Profit, Inc. and a group of over 40 nonprofit leaders including Jumpstart, Playworks, Year Up, [...]
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New Orleans in the Spotlight
Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by Andrew.
This past weekend was a big one for New Orleans – not just because of the Saints’ Super Bowl victory over the Colts but also the landslide victory for Mitch Landrieu in the election for mayor that took place on Saturday. Landrieu’s job will not be an easy one, to say the least. As we [...]
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What’s hot in New Orleans?
Posted on 04. Feb, 2010 by Andrew.
No, it’s not just that the Saints are going to the Super Bowl − it’s Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu’s candidacy for the mayor of New Orleans. This Saturday’s election in New Orleans features the latest in a string of campaigns in which a candidate’s core messages include social innovation or civic engagement. Lt. Gov. Landrieu, [...]
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ericverhaeghe: Very clear and precise. But... you seem to forget ...
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Joy: Many wonder what it means to get involved with pro...
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tbg: HI Andrew, Thank you for your analysis of Massa...
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Lawrence Baker: Social Innovation? What a concept! What we need in...
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JBRootCause: Hi Rhesa, You can find the interview here: ...
