Stanford Social Innovation Review

The traditional approach among human rights groups in Nigeria had been accusatory: publicize injustices or sue the government. But in January 1998, on the eve of democracy, an NGO called the CLEEN foundation set out to reform law enforcement from within.

Multinational corporations are in a quandary: Stakeholders are imposing higher standards than ever, but businesses are confused about what their global social responsibilities actually are.

The former president shares how ordinary citizens are helping to solve our big problems.

Using social networking tools, the author reveals the intricate web of relationships that exist between business and environmentalists and suggests ways that these relationships could become even more fruitful in the environmental movement. —By Andrew J. Hoffman

How nonprofits are finding great employees even during the manpower shortage

THE SILENT LANGUAGE by Edward T. Hall

In recent decades, nonprofits have significantly increased the size of their endowments. Yet during the current economic crisis, they made scant use of their sizable holdings. Instead of drawing down their endowments to offset losses of income, nonprofits resorted to cutting programs and personnel, sometimes dramatically. To prepare for future financial downturns, nonprofits should treat endowments as rainy day funds, not cut programs to preserve the endowment.

Development experts have long known that educating girls is one of the surest ways to improve life for everyone in poor countries. Yet the path to school has not been smooth for many girls—especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past 17 years, however, the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) has delivered high-quality education to millions of girls across 35 African countries. The secret to FAWE’s scale and impact, say its leaders, is its flexibility.

Is the demand for university education too great for the supply?

In the time it takes to update your Facebook page, you could be making the world a slightly better place

With the economy in turmoil, funders are increasingly pressuring nonprofits to merge. Yet mergers are not always the right path for nonprofits in financial distress. For a healthier nonprofit sector, funders should consider a wider variety of partnership options.

Social entrepreneur.

A Cambodian ‘nonprofit company’ peddles
digitization—with a social edge.

Waste, failure, and Bosnia’s lessons for Iraq.

In Morocco, there are 33,000 NGOs, many of which are engaged in a massive struggle to bring a civil society to life, while avoiding the hazards of Middle East geopolitical tensions and the challenges of the country’s own recent history of egregious human rights violations. 

Climate change is a hot issue. To combat global warming and other environmental problems, Greenpeace’s strategy is both to protest against environmental offenders and to help them craft solutions to their ecological gaffes – often at the same time. Using this inside-out approach, Greenpeace catapulted Greenfreeze, an obscure ozone- and climate-safe refrigerant, into widespread use and launched the first Green Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, in 2000.

Vanishing NGOs in Bosnia leave lessons in their wake.

The Rainforest Action Network launched an intensive consumer boycott of several Mitsubishi companies, leading to significant changes in the way the Japanese giant and many of its partners do business. That engagement provides critical lessons for both activist NGOs and corporations.

An HIV organization in Botswana provides lessons in cooperation.

Humanitarian organizational leaders share their management struggles.