Stanford Social Innovation Review

(Illustration by Harry Campbell) In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) declared that medical research was failing patients. Decades of brilliant basic science sat stranded in academic journals while people suffered from treatable diseases. The problem wasn’t a lack of discovery; it was a lack of translation. The relevant scientific insights existed, but the infrastructure to move them from the lab to bedside did not.

Why Charlie Kirk Didn’t Build a ‘MoveOn of the Left’ By & The Turning Point USA founder's obituaries invoked his desire to build a conservative MoveOn. What he built instead is revealing about the structure, strategies, and outcomes of political advocacy organizations.

Charlie Kirk speaks at a Turning Point USA campus event in 2021. (Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0) In the wake of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk’s murder last year, many of his obituaries made mention of the same curious fact in his origin story: At age 18, Kirk set out to build a conservative equivalent to the progressive campaigning powerhouse MoveOn.org.

(Illustration by iStock/Rudzhan Nagiev) Not long ago, a clear sign a foundation took results seriously was an evaluation department. Today, it is a learning team. You can see the change in The Center for Evaluation Innovation’s 2023 benchmark report: “Learning” appeared in nearly two-thirds of surveyed evaluation staff titles, up from one in five in 2015, and overtook “evaluation” for the first time. This is a good thing.

By Conflict is inevitable in any organization. The question for the nonprofit sector and its supporters is how to structure it in ways that strengthen communities.

(Illustration by Dung Hoang) How do cultural norms shape the outcomes of public health policy, and can organizational innovation overcome deeply embedded resistance? A new study of organ-donation rates in Singapore and Taiwan suggests that a more legally permissive policy doesn’t necessarily yield better results. Wan-Zi Lu, an assistant professor of sociology at Stony Brook University in New York, came to the subject through a dinner conversation with a friend.

(Illustration by Harry Campbell) In July 2022, Causa—one of Oregon’s leading immigrant-rights organizations—announced its closure. In its 27 years, it enjoyed historic wins that I followed closely as a Portland-based community organizer. It won driver’s licenses for undocumented Oregonians. It defeated a ballot measure that would have gutted the state’s sanctuary law. It co-led the distribution of $60 million in emergency aid to immigrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who Holds the Keys? Unlocking Foundation Board Support for a Sector in Crisis By & As federal funding disappears and community organizations close, much of the power to respond sits with foundation boards—and the moment to use it is now.

Intentional Design in AI Adoption, Not Just Speed By & Going from hamster wheel to flywheel to supercharge AI adoption in workforce training

Intentional Design in AI Adoption, Not Just Speed By & Going from hamster wheel to flywheel to supercharge AI adoption in workforce training