Stanford Social Innovation Review

Serving more than 110 million people per year, BRAC is the largest nonprofit in the world. Yet it doesn’t receive the most charitable donations. Instead, BRAC’s social enterprises generate 80 percent of the organization’s annual budget. These revenues have allowed the organization to develop, test, and replicate some of the world’s most innovative antipoverty programs.

Racism may have played a role in the government’s delayed response to Katrina.

When disaster strikes, government often rely on nonprofits and businesses to pitch in with relief efforts. But making up for the public sector’s shortcomings is neither an appropriate nor effective use of the private sector’s strengths. Instead of mopping after government failures, nonprofits and businesses should lobby governments to focus more on disaster mitigation and less on disaster relief. An ounce of the private sector’s advocacy would be worth more than a pound of its response.

Build Change, a Mill Valley, Calif.-based nonprofit whose mission is “to greatly reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses caused by housing collapses due to earthquakes in developing countries,” is shaking up construction practices in earthquake-prone areas.

Where the charitable response to 9/11 went wrong.

A video game teaches children about famines and how to stop them.

When working a crisis, put your own oxygen mask on first.

Why sudden emergencies attract more funds than do chronic conditions, and how nonprofits can change that.

Business steps in to help overtaxed airports in the wake of natural disasters.

Treating aid recipients like valued customers gives insights into disaster relief.