In-Depth Series
sponsored
21st-Century Democracy: Building a Transnational Innovation Ecosystem
Defending and strengthening democracy requires local, national, and transnational solutions. This essay series, sponsored by Keseb, shares strategies and perspectives from leading democracy champions in Brazil, South Africa, and the United States.
Impact India
Impact India online offers ongoing coverage of social innovation in India.
sponsored
The Best of SSIR: Impactful Philanthropy in the Real World
This special collection, sponsored by the Institute of Philanthropy and published in print in SSIR’s Fall 2024 issue, brings together some of the best research on impact measurement previously published in SSIR.
sponsored
Introducing AI-Powered Nonprofits
Nonprofits are deploying artificial intelligence in creative, powerful, and rapidly changing ways. Despite operating in disparate issue areas, AI-powered nonprofits around the world are following similar patterns of innovation. Presented in partnership with Fast Forward.
sponsored
Realizing a Multiracial Democracy for All
Despite the revolutionary idea that all are created equal, the American promise of “We, the People” remains unfulfilled. This series, sponsored by PolicyLink, explores how each of us can carry forward the work of generations before us to realize a flourishing nation designed for all of its people.
The Global Pursuit of Equity
This article series, devoted to advancing equity, looks at inequities within the context of seven specific regions or countries, and the ways local innovators are working to balance the scales and foster greater inclusion across a range of issue areas.
sponsored
Making Tech Work for Workers
This in-depth article series, sponsored by the Ford Foundation, explores the harms of the digital economy and asks workers, organizers, technologists, economists, and funders: How can we collectively build a future of work that is just, equitable, and sustainable for all?
sponsored
Building People Power
This article series, sponsored by The California Endowment, describes how power building works, shares inspiring examples of success, and details how foundations and donors can invest in movements.
sponsored
Beyond Borders
This article series, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, features ideas from around the world that will inspire and inform efforts to create better health and well-being in your community.
Up for Debate: A Circle That Isn’t Easily Squared
Can the fashion industry make a successful turn to a circular business model? Ken Pucker, former Timberland COO, and other experts debate.
Global Perspectives on Mental Health and Social Change
Evidence is strong that integrating mental health and social change can lead to lasting impact. This article series features voices of leaders from the Catalyst 2030 Mental Health Collaboration exploring the why and how of addressing mental health in support of climate justice, gender equity, peacebuilding, and the workplace.
SSIR Celebrates 20 Years: The Future of Social Innovation
Essays by some of the world’s leading researchers, thinkers, and practitioners.
Recognizing Leadership in All Its Forms
This article series, presented in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and other organizations involved in the Beyond the Hero leadership initiative, explores the social sector’s need to broaden its narrative of leadership so that it supports leadership in all its complex, dynamic forms.
sponsored
What’s Next for Philanthropy
This article series, sponsored by the Monitor Institute by Deloitte, asks five important leaders a simple question: What’s next for philanthropy? Their answers are hopeful, honest, and insightful about the big shifts and emerging practices that are reshaping the field.
The Business of Climate Justice
This article series, produced in partnership with Business Fights Poverty, explores why climate justice is a critical concern for businesses, how companies can put climate justice principles into practice, and emerging solutions from different industries that are taking action.
sponsored
Collaboration for Housing Justice
This series, sponsored by Funders for Housing and Opportunity, shares ideas, observations, and lessons from our housing justice efforts, including how and why the work will only move forward if it is systemic, anti-racist, and bridges sectors.
sponsored
Introducing the Field of Impact Sciences
This series, sponsored by the Center for Impact Sciences at the University of Chicago, is an exploration of the cutting edge of data and measurement: how new tools, systems, and technologies are making it possible to look forward and predict impact.
sponsored
Pivotal Moments on the Leadership Journey
This series, sponsored by the McNulty Foundation and Aspen Global Leadership Network, explores pivotal moments in the leadership journey through the eyes of funders, practitioners, and others who share the mission of catalyzing and sustaining high-impact leaders.
sponsored
Putting the Public Interest in Front of Technology
This series, sponsored by the Ford Foundation, explores the pioneering new field of public interest technology and highlights the imperative to create and distribute technology that works for all.
sponsored
Collective Impact, 10 Years Later
This series, sponsored by the Collective Impact Forum, looks back at 10 years of collective impact and presents perspectives on the evolution of the framework.
This Is What Racism Looks Like
This series aims to explain how racism operates within organizations and create conversation about racial justice, dignity, and belonging.
European Perspectives on the Emerging Social Economy
Academics and scholar practitioners explore how the social economy could transform Europe and the rest of the world.
Meeting the Multigenerational Moment
This essay series, presented in partnership with Encore.org and The Eisner Foundation, explores how fresh thinking and new social arrangements hold the potential to make the most of an increasingly multigenerational society.
Decolonization and Radical Indigenous Futures
This series, presented in partnership between NDN Collective and SSIR, will explore the many ways Indigenous people are working to successfully solve issues that benefit their communities and, ultimately, all of us.
Up for Debate: Should Foundations Increase Their Payouts During Big Crises?
The onset of COVID-19 has amplified discussions about philanthropic spending during an economic downturn, with some observers saying that a big crisis like the pandemic should compel funders to not just maintain their outlays, but to disburse more. Should they?
Reflections on the US Presidential Election and What’s Next for the Social Sector
Following a landmark national election in the United States, we present a series of reflections on the outcome and its effects on civil society and the social sector.
Finding the Way Forward When Founders Leave
This essay series, produced in partnership with Generation Citizen’s Scott Warren, looks at the founder succession process through the eyes of those who have lived it, and provides lessons for social enterprises and nonprofits undertaking leadership transitions.
Impact Investing Today and Tomorrow
A consortium of more than 190 professors focused on impact investing share new insights into the rapidly changing field at a critical juncture in its development.
Innovating Higher Education for the Greater Good
This series, presented in collaboration with Ashoka U, will share insights from leaders in higher education, presenting stories, strategies, and lessons in rewiring higher education’s purpose, relevance, and business models.
Rethinking Social Change in the Face of Coronavirus
sponsored
Technology for Change
This series, presented in partnership with Salesforce, will explore the ways in which the social sector can and already is applying a digital-first strategy to boost its effectiveness.
Centered Self: The Connection Between Inner Well-Being and Social Change
This series, presented in partnership with The Wellbeing Project, India Development Review, The Skoll Foundation, and Schwab Foundation, explores this important but often overlooked connection between inner well-being and effective social change.
Social Change in an Era of Extreme Polarization
Strategies that can help civil society, government, and leaders of social change respond to the extreme polarization roiling the globe.
Humanitarian Innovation in Action
This series, presented in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Innovation Service, explores what innovation looks like as a tool for change and growth within complex institutions.
sponsored
Giving With Impact
Philanthropic leaders discuss how to maximize charitable impact in a series of podcasts and webinars sponsored by Schwab Charitable.
Breaking Through Barriers to Racial Equity
This series challenges current DEI ideas and practices with fresh perspectives on how to transform equity-driven work through an explicit focus on race and combating racism.
How Foundations Are Using Impact Investing to Advance Racial Equity
In this series, presented in partnership with Mission Investors Exchange, 10 foundation presidents share their organization’s efforts to embed commitments to racial equity into their institutions and impact investing practices.
Can Business Really Step Up to Help Solve Global Problems?
This article series, produced in partnership with Business Fights Poverty, explores how global companies are stepping up to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and includes practical ideas and guidance for business leaders of today.
Power in Philanthropy
This series, presented in partnership with the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, aims to explore popular concepts in philanthropy—such as risk, capacity building, and public leadership—through the lens of power and equitable outcomes.
The Power of Feedback
In this multimedia series, sponsored by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, voices from the social sector will offer tactics, tools, and advice gleaned from the grassroots to encourage nonprofits and foundations to make listening to their constituents—and acting on what they hear—a smart norm for any organization committed to improvement.
Reforming Management Education
This series will showcase seven visions for how to reform business management and public policy schools.
Civil Society for the 21st Century
This article series, presented in partnership with Independent Sector, explores important issues of civil society in the 21st century: its origins and evolution, its boundaries and blind spots, its values and variety, its obstacles and opportunities.
Why Purpose? Why Now?
When companies take the lead in driving social and environmental change, they position themselves to build deeper bonds, expand their consumer base, and enlist others to amplify their brand message.
Picture This: How We Frame Issues Matters for Social Change
This multi-part series presented in partnership with The Communications Network, the FrameWorks Institute, and leading organizations explores how framing profoundly influences our understanding of social challenges, and how we think and talk about potential solutions.
The Urgency of Now: Supporting Early-stage Entrepreneurs
This series, presented in partnership with the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, shares the perspectives of both entrepreneurs and funders on the role that early-stage support plays in creating long-term social change.
Advancing Equity in Communities
This series, produced in partnership with Equal Measure, aims to inspire new and inform current conversations about the role of equity in the development and evaluation of philanthropic investments.
Advancing the Art of Collaboration
This series, produced in partnership with BBB's Give.org, calls on the social sector to embody a new and pioneering collaborative spirit based in trust so that it can reach broader audiences, share the risk involved in experimentation, and accomplish more than any single organization could do alone.
Mission Possible: How Foundations Are Shaping the Future of Impact Investing
This series, produced in partnership with Mission Investors Exchange, will explore what’s next in impact investing and what we can learn from some of the most innovative foundations.
Defining Positive Outcomes
What do we really mean when we talk about "positive outcomes"? In this series, produced in partnership with Third Sector Capital Partners, contributors from a variety of sectors discuss how they apply the term to programs and policies.
The Future of Social Impact Education in Business Schools and Beyond
This series, produced in partnership with Oxford’s Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, will share global perspectives about potential shifts in social impact education.
Preparing Today’s Youth for Tomorrow’s World
This series, produced in partnership with the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, aims to spark a global dialogue and promote increased understanding of how to develop the skills and learning that all children need for success in a rapidly changing world.
Putting Grantees at the Center of Philanthropy
This multi-part series, produced in partnership with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, tells the story of why and how grantee inclusion is key to effective philanthropy, from both the funder and nonprofit perspectives.
The Case for Communications
In this multipart series, presented in partnership with The Communications Network, nonprofit and foundation leaders will share case studies showcasing strategic communications efforts that delivered impact, drove change, and advanced their missions. #case4comm
Increasing Voter Turnout: It’s Tougher Than You Think
In this 15-part series, election experts from government, academia, and the private and nonprofit sectors will weigh in on important questions, including: What can the social sector do to improve voter turnout in the United States?
The Hidden Lives of America’s Poor and Middle Class
This series explores how current programs and policies for helping families escape poverty, build stability, move up the ladder, and invest in the future need to change.
Data for Community-Driven Solutions
This series focuses on data for impact, and highlight specific interventions that can help drive a more networked, inclusive, and open society.
Equity and Collective Impact
This series shares perspectives on the importance of embedding an explicit focus on equity throughout any collective impact effort.
The New Network Leader
This series highlights the work of seven leading "network entrepreneurs," who are generating systems-level social impact in environmental conservation, education, economic development, and beyond.
Communities Creating Health
Communities Creating Health, presented in partnership with Creating Health Collaborative, is a series on how the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions in health can align more closely with what communities value. #creatinghealth
Making Ideas Move
Making Ideas Move, presented in partnership with the Communications Network, is a blog series on how effective communication has helped foundations, nonprofits, and other organizations drive social change. #moveideas
The Value of Intentional Influence
The Value of Intentional Influence is a blog series exploring why and how organizations should use the power of influence to solve social problems at the magnitude they exist.
Talent Matters
Talent Matters is a blog series exploring how nonprofit leaders have achieved real-world results through an emphasis on talent.
SSIR x Bridgespan: Achieving Transformative Scale
Achieving Transformative Scale is an article series exploring pathways that social sector leaders around the world are pursuing to take solutions that work to a scale that truly transforms society.
The Value of Strategic Planning & Evaluation
In this ongoing series of essays, practitioners, consultants, and academics explore the value of strategy and evaluation, as well as the limits and downsides of these practices.