Stanford Social Innovation Review

Much public affairs lingo, such as “capacity,” signifies nothing in particular. The nonprofit and public sectors have more than their share of this vocabulary. There are a handful of toxic words and phrases that have a way of polluting any stream of consciousness, muddying the concepts and making it impossible to see what facts and arguments (if any) lie below the surface.

The World Bank’s Global Environment Facility may be undermined by bureaucracy.

The answers to a motivated workforce may lie in ancient Greece.

Responsible Wealth, a Boston-based nonprofit, is convincing many affluent Americans to challenge the very rules that made them rich. Far from mere check writers or “limousine liberals,” these wealthy activists work against their self-interest to stamp out inequality at its source: unfair laws and policies. Their unique strategy of using privilege to contest privilege not only has attracted the rich and famous to their ranks, but also has bent the ears of senators and CEOs.

Most people think of networking as a means for advancing their own self-interest.  But successful social innovators take a different tack, nurturing close ties between members and infusing their networks with a common set of values.  As a result, their networks power both personal transformations and large-scale social changes.