How Nonprofit Groups Old and New Can Adopt Entrepreneurial Techniques

The Power of Social Innovation: How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good
by Stephen Goldsmith, With Gigi Georges and Tim Glynn Burke

Stephen Goldsmith, a professor of government at Harvard University and former chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, looks at how entrepreneurship is shaping philanthropic projects all over the nation, uniting businesses, charities, governments, and schools.

He notes that civic entrepreneurship is not solely the province of new organizations and projects, describing how two venerable charities — the United Negro College Fund and United Way Worldwide — revamped their approaches when they realized they were not achieving measurable results.

Michael Lomax, the head of the UNCF, re-engineered the organization to focus more on elementary and secondary education instead of solely providing operating support to black colleges. To that end, it has enlisted Teach for America as a key partner. A number of black graduates at UNCF member colleges have joined Teach for America.

Brian Gallagher, chief executive of United Way, felt that the organization had spent far too much time as a fund raiser and steered it into playing a more active role in solving the problems facing the cities and towns where United Way operates.

For example, in Columbus, Ohio, the local United Way drew the support of the YMCA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the local mental-health board to develop 1,000 units of housing for homeless people instead of shelters.

Mr. Goldsmith writes that Mr. Gallagher learned that “no organization can turn itself around and repurpose spending from old activities to new until people start thinking beyond their own organizations and to the community.”

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, Ind. 46256; (800) 762-2974; http://www.josseybass.com; 274 pages; $35.00; ISBN 978-0-470-57684-7.