Stanford Social Innovation Review

? SSIR’s New Issue (online now): Collectively Owned Strategies ? Doing Community Development Right ? The Solidarity Practices of Informal Economies ?? https://lnkd.in/eBBPUep9 The Winter ’25 Issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review features: “Collectively Owned Strategies” | In their cover story, Jordan Fabyanske, Sonila Cook, and Mariah Levin from Dalberg Catalyst and The DO School Fellowships argue for a reconfiguration of philanthropic power through strategies that are collectively owned. “New Blueprint for Financing Community Development” | David Fukuzawa, Nancy O. Andrews, and Rebecca Steinitz propose a new paradigm for community development that prioritizes impact over scale, emphasizes flexible and creative financing strategies, and empowers community voice. “Strengthening Africa’s Urban Informal Economies” | Joel Bothello and Tim Weiss argue that development professionals should take an assets-based approach to strengthening Africa’s urban informal economies. Plus: Book reviews of Terrible Beauty by Auden Schendler and Kindred Creation by Aida Mariam Davis (Aida D.). ?? ? Subscribe now to SSIR to read these reviews and more: https://lnkd.in/eTRxhPWe ?? A fascinating case study on how Kenyan fishing villages are using mangrove conservation to fund local development ?? An argument for reforming public health education ???? A timely profile of Ukraine’s wartime lifesavers ?? Research on how to fight polarization with personal stories And don’t miss two special supplements from the Skoll Foundation (Social Innovation and the Journey to Transformation) and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) (Practices for Transitions in a Time Between Worlds), available to all readers! Explore the full issue now! https://lnkd.in/eBBPUep9

“We believe that the future will be shaped in part by what we choose to pay attention to in the present. If we hope to speed up the transition to more liberatory and flourishing futures, and to mature into a new era, what and who is here in the present that can guide us toward change? What visions can be articulated to compel and propel people to take courageous action in this moment?” Cassie Robinson and Sophia Parker of the Emerging Futures program at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) ask what’s really needed at this time to shape the future: “The present is made up not only of the knowable and measurable, but also of what is latent or hidden: the stuff of our hopes, imaginations, and spiritual existence. What might happen if we treated those as real, too? How might they shape different choices and priorities?” ?? Read more from Cassie and Sophia and others who share inspiration for living in moments of change and transition in this larger series of articles:?https://lnkd.in/gnprbwhA

“Working to cultivate collaboration and transform entire ecosystems is by definition a nonlinear activity, and the process can often feel messy and complicated. But we know it’s worth it when we see social innovations scale and impact accelerate because of our collective efforts to find new and different ways to collaborate, mobilize assets, and learn together.” Marla Blow and Don Gips of the Skoll Foundation describe the journey the foundation has been on to foster more of the collective action that’s needed to achieve truly transformational change. ? This article is part of a larger series of essays in SSIR’s new Winter Issue from Skoll Foundation and its partners on specific approaches that accelerate change: https://lnkd.in/eiAxNimd

There is no manual for living through our wildly unpredictable times. How do we imagine, prepare for, and shape an unknown future? Who do we need to become? Instead of a road map, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) offers SSIR readers a series of thought-provoking articles to illuminate inquiries, capacities, and practices that can open consequential new pathways to a better tomorrow.? ? Read about the possibilities in the latest issue of SSIR: https://lnkd.in/gnprbwhA The series is broken into four parts: Part 1 | Making Good Compost Part 2 | Prefiguring Our Futures With Rich Soils Part 3 | The Conditions and Capacities Part 4 | The Great Wealth Transfer Learn practical ideas that can sustain you in moments of change from Cassie Robinson, Sophia Parker, Vanessa Andreotti, Habiba Nabatu, Elissa Sloan Perry, Laura Blakeman, Ph.D., Julian Norris, Denise Hearn, Anastasia Mourogova Millin, Vanessa Reid, M.Arch, and many more.

Why building a trusted information ecosystem requires building a community: “Individuals decide to contribute to Wikipedia for many different reasons, but those who stay and become devoted community members often say they do it for the people—the community of Wikimedians. This pull toward human connection is not different from any organization working in the social sector. To make a mission a reality requires a commitment to building community, and communications is at the heart of it.” Anusha Alikhan of the?Wikimedia Foundation, the global nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, lays out six ways in which the foundation is advancing its mission of free knowledge for all through communications that put community building at the forefront: 1 Emphasize a common identity 2 Invest in communications for community-building 3 Showcase collective impact 4 Center equity and transparency 5 Co-create to meet new opportunities 6 Protect community rights ?? Learn from forward-thinking foundations and nonprofits that have begun evolving the way they do communications in the “Communication in an Era of Social Change” essay series produced with The Communications Network: https://lnkd.in/eXSHK3VN

Are you a passionate leader in the #nonprofit, business, or government sector, eager to tackle complex social challenges through collaboration? Join this 2-part webinar series, where a team of experts from the University of Minnesota?will guide you on how to navigate cross-sector collaborations. Register now:?https://bit.ly/CrossSector cc: Kathryn Quick Myles Shaver @Vanessa Laird Marcie Bianco

Donald Trump’s return to the White House raises fresh concerns about press freedom in established democracies, reminding us that independent media requires constant vigilance and protection. Patrice Schneider, a former journalist and chief strategy officer of the?Media Development Investment Fund, writes about a solution to threats against media freedom that focuses on rethinking media ownership—traditionally a dichotomy between state control and pure market forces. Patrice offers a “third way” that relies on mission-aligned capital from diverse funders, including foundations, commercial investors, banks, and high-net-worth individuals who understand the vital importance of independent journalism to a democratic society: “By deliberately structuring ownership across a broad spectrum of organizations and entities—including civic-minded investors, foundations, impact funds, and media organizations—this model creates multiple layers of protection against capture. … The distributed nature of ownership means that no single entity, regardless of their financial resources or political influence, can accumulate enough control to override editorial independence.”

“To accelerate social innovators’ impact, we need to double down on building and growing more collaborative ecosystems to drive collective action over time. To achieve greater impact faster, we need radical new energy and partnerships across the whole ecosystem.” A new supplement sponsored by the Skoll Foundation highlights successful approaches to collective action and examples of social transformation: https://lnkd.in/eiAxNimd Read insights from system orchestrators, philanthropic leaders, storytellers, and Skoll partners, including Marla Blow, Don Gips, Tulaine Montgomery (Tulaine M.), Rohini Nilekani, Cristiane Sultani, Doug Galen, Nan Chen, Archana Sahgal, Michaela Edwards, Sohini Bhattacharya, Crystal Echo Hawk, Anna Zimmermann Jin, and Shivani Garg Patel Explore the supplement for lessons from the Skoll Foundation’s community-guided work: https://lnkd.in/eiAxNimd

“Co-owning a strategy for transformation requires a shared intention among partners and funders to rebalance power dynamics, transcend silos, and embrace messiness and experimentation. Co-ownership begins as a shared commitment, rooted in common understanding of a situation. … Without collective ownership, funders and their partners tend to advance strategies focused on solving narrowly defined problems and delivering measurable results, trading the advancement of systemic change for short-term progress, and neglecting the more complex and pressing predicaments of our time.” Jordan Fabyanske, Sonila Cook, and Mariah Levin describe ways a whole field of partners and their funders can extend their impact through collectively owned strategies, adding nuance to recent calls for trust-based philanthropy and relational systems change. Read the cover story in SSIR’s new Winter ’25 Issue: https://lnkd.in/edpbcw2c

#Tomorrow,?don't miss your chance to elevate your #fundraising skills with a free, live, and interactive workshop led by Professor Susan Athey of Stanford Graduate School of Business. In this power-packed session, you'll learn how to personalize your appeals, segment donors, & leverage cutting-edge tools. Register #free today. https://lnkd.in/eNWYWGuA