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publications & Speeches
Monitor Institute and its practitioners strive to capture and share what we learn through our consulting, experimentation, and research with the rest of the field by developing accessible books, articles, reports, and speeches. Publications from the Institute and its staff focus on a wide range of issues (listed at left, and described in greater detail below).
Working Wikily 2.0: Social Change with a Network Mindset
By Diana Scearce, Gabriel Kasper, and Heather McLeod Grant
Lessons from the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards
By Tammy Hobbs Miracky
Investing for Social and Environmental Impact: A Design for
Catalyzing an Emerging Industry
By Jessica Freireich and Katherine Fulton
Understanding the Context for Social Change
Philanthropy and Social Change
Looking Out for the Future: An Orientation for 21st Century Philanthropists (PDF)
(January 2005)
Global trends, from new technologies to dramatic demographic shifts, are combining to create a new context for philanthropy. This book—the culmination of a five-year exploration of the future of philanthropy—aims to help philanthropists understand what it means to give in a rapidly changing global and philanthropic landscape. Other resources related to the future of philanthropy project are available at www.futureofphilanthropy.org.
Looking Out for the Future: Executive Summary (PDF)
(January 2005)
An executive summary of the contents of Looking Out for the Future
Cultivating Change in Philanthropy (PDF)
(January 2005)
This companion white paper to Looking Out for the Future examines the barriers to change in philanthropy and why the current moment holds new possibility for improving the field.
Cultivating Change in Philanthropy
(Alliance magazine, December 2005)
Drawing from the Cultivating Change in Philanthropy white paper, this article examines the changing environment for philanthropy and how the field can become more effective. It served as a centerpiece for a series of response articles detailing the environment for philanthropy in other countries and regions around the world.
Re-perceiving Philanthropy (PDF)
Speech from the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference
(April 2007)
This talk, delivered by Katherine Fulton at the 2007 TED conference, examines the future of philanthropy by highlighting a number of the most interesting trends emerging in the field and exploring what they might mean for the future of public problem solving. In addition to the text of the speech provided here, you can also watch full video footage of the talk on the TED website.
Finding Philanthropy's New Sweet Spot
Keynote address (March 2007)
This speech looks at how philanthropy has changed over the last decade and what the coming decade might hold. It was delivered at the “Finding Philanthropy's New Sweet Spot: What is the Future of Venture Models?” conference, sponsored by the Stanford Social Innovation Review and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors at Stanford University.
The Deeper News about the New Philanthropy
Long Now Seminar (November 2006)
In this public lecture hosted by the Long Now Foundation, Katherine reviews the history of charitable giving and talks about how organized philanthropies are adapting to meet modern needs.
What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Nonprofits
(July 2004)
This guide, published by Global Business Network, aims to help nonprofit leaders prepare for the future by familiarizing them with scenario thinking, a tool for motivating and enabling people to challenge the status quo by asking "What if?"
On the Brink of New Promise: The Future of U.S. Community Foundations (PDF)
(September 2005)
Developed in collaboration with Blueprint Research & Design, Inc., this report examines the changing environment for community philanthropy in the United States and its implications for community foundations. Other resources related to the future of community philanthropy project are available at www.communityphilanthropy.org
On the Brink of New Promise: Executive Summary (PDF)
(September 2005)
A summary of the contents of On the Brink of New Promise
Future Matters – Reframing Endowment as a Tool for Community Leadership (PDF)
(Spring 2007)
This article explores how new approaches to social investing could change the way community foundations think about their financial assets.
Future Matters – Philanthropy Marketplaces: Inventing the Future of Community Philanthropy (PDF)
(Fall 2006)
This short report examines the new online "philanthropy marketplaces" around the world that are harnessing the potential of technology to develop and test a range of new tools and approaches.
Future Matters – Community Foundations and Leadership: What's Race Got to Do With It? (PDF)
(Summer 2006)
This paper looks at some of the tools and approaches that are being developed to help community foundations with the increasingly essential work of understanding, reflecting, and contributing to emerging communities of color.
Future Matters – Keeping Your Community Foundation Ahead of the Technology Curve (PDF)
(Spring 2006)
A complement to the On the Brink of New Promise report, this paper explores new technology trends that may be important to communities in the decade to come and looks at their potential to change the ways that community philanthropy organizations do their work. The report was reprinted as the article, "Staying Ahead of the Technology Curve," in Foundation News & Commentary.
Future of Corporate Philanthropy: A Framework for Understanding Your Options (PDF)
(May 2006)
A conceptual framework to help corporate foundations understand the array of options that are available for their giving and how uncertainties in the world around their companies might influence their choices
Lessons from the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards (PDF)
(June 2009)
This document shares key lessons from the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards, a five-year project that assessed and publicized the impact of more than 50 non-profit organizations. In addition, the audio recording of a teleconference hosted by the Hewlett Foundation sharing lessons learned from the Social Capitalist Awards with a group of nonprofit sector leaders can be found at http://www.givingmarketplaces.org/monitor.html.
Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards
(2004-2008)
For five years, Monitor has partnered with Fast Company magazine to produce the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards. The Awards serve multiple objectives: (1) to contribute to the growth and quality of the social entrepreneurship movement in the U.S.; (2) to introduce a new population of business leaders to the principles of social entrepreneurship and the compelling results being achieved; and (3) to develop and hone, in a practical laboratory, an approach to comparative assessment that might inform broader efforts to strengthen the social capital marketplace.
2008 Social Capitalist Awards
2007 Social Capitalist Awards
2006 Social Capitalist Awards
2005 Social Capitalist Awards
2004 Social Capitalist Awards
The SoCap Way
(Fast Company magazine December/January 2007)
This article describes the methodology used to select the winners of the 2008 Social Capitalist Awards.
The Profit in Not-for-Profits
(Fast Company magazine, January 2005)
A description of the challenges and difficulties of comparing the performance of organizations focused on different social issues
Emerging Next Practices
Investing for Social and Environmental Impact: A Design for Catalyzing an Emerging Industry (PDF)
(January 2009)
A growing group of investors around the world is seeking to make investments that generate social and environmental value as well as financial return. The report examines this emerging industry of impact investing and how it might evolve into a potent force for addressing global challenges. It also provides a blueprint of initiatives to catalyze the industry.
Investing for Social and Environmental Impact: Executive Summary (PDF)
(January 2009)
An Executive Summary of the contents of the Investing for Social and Environmental Impact report
Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits
(October 2007)
The product of more than three years of in-depth research, Forces for Good found that great nonprofits spend as much time working with institutions outside their four walls as they do managing their internal operations. The book, published by Jossey-Bass/Wiley, tells the compelling stories of twelve high-impact nonprofits and identifies six powerful practices they use to leverage their resources to become greater forces for good. A related article in the Fall 2007 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review, entitled “Creating High-Impact Nonprofits,” summarizes many of the key findings of the book.
Working Wikily 2.0: Social Change with a Network Mindset (PDF)
(July 2009)
This report updates the original version of Working Wikily and explores how networks are changing philanthropy and social change. This iteration of the report, emerging from the Monitor Institute's two-year Philanthropy and Networks Exploration with the Packard Foundation, goes beyond the basic description of networks and social media tools from the first piece to provide helpful advice on how to start working wikily.
Social Change with a Network Mindset
Speech from the 4th Annual Nonprofit Management Institute
(October 2009)
This speech, delivered by Heather McLeod Grant at the 4th Annual Nonprofit Management Institute held by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, looks at how individuals and organizations are using networked approaches and Web 2.0 tools to promote social change efforts. In addition to the podcast from the talk, you can access Heather's presentation slides at http://www.slideshare.net/noahflower/working-wikily-ssir-presentation.
Working Wikily: How Networks Are Changing Social Change (PDF)
(May 2008)
Networks and new Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way we communicate and connect and are driving fundamental shifts in how groups are formed and work gets done. This report looks at these shifts and explores their implications for the way people work to create social change.
Intentional Innovation: How Getting More Systematic about Innovation Could Improve Philanthropy and Increase Social Impact (PDF)
(September 2008)
As the pace of change in and around the social sector accelerates, there is a need to identify and pioneer innovations in practice that will fit the challenges and opportunities of the future. This report, developed in partnership with Clohesy Consulting, examines the growing body of literature and practice on innovation and lays out strategies to help funders and activists become more systematic and deliberate about innovation.
Intentional Innovation: Executive Summary (PDF)
(September 2008)
A brief executive summary of the contents of Intentional Innovation
Knowing Is Not Enough: A Sampling of Knowledge Management Approaches in the Nonprofit Sector
(September 2007)
This report provides a framework for helping nonprofits and foundations think about how they capture, organize, and share knowledge, and it highlights some of the knowledge management tools, options, and approaches that are now available.
Scenario Thinking, in The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems
(January 2007)
This chapter in Peggy Holman, Tom Devane, and Steven Cady’s volume provides a practical overview of scenario thinking—what it is, when and when not to use it, and basics on the process—illustrated with examples across sectors. The chapter provides a useful starting point for leaders and consultants who need an introduction to scenario thinking and/or guidance on applying the scenario tools and mind-set to a particular situation.
Grantmaking Basics: A Field Guide for Funders
(October 2005)
This “how-to” workbook, published by the Council on Foundations, outlines the core competencies and daily work of a grantmaking professional, providing practical guidance and tips to help new program officers learn everything from reviewing grant proposals to conducting site visits.
Making the Case for Diversity in Philanthropy
(November/December 2004)
This Foundation News & Commentary article focuses on how foundations can begin to think about and take steps to increase their diversity. It makes the “case for diversity” as a way to improve foundation operations and impact rather than using traditional rationales focused on moral grounds.
Zeroing in on Impact in Stanford Social Innovation Review
(Fall 2004)
This article, based on work done by the Bridgespan Group, highlights the ways that nonprofits can make better decisions about their strategies and programs by more clearly defining and articulating their intended impacts and theories of change.
Succeeding with Consultants: Self-Assessment for the Changing Nonprofit
(February 1992)
This guide, published by the Foundation Center, walks nonprofits through the process of effectively finding, hiring, and using consultants to help advance their organizational goals.
© Copyright 2008 Monitor Institute