Several days ago The Happy Tutor blogged about President Jackson's State of the Union address. It got me thinking. In some ways, it does not surprise me that people outside the world of philanthropy or the nonprofit sector do not fully understand what charity is doing, and has the possibility of doing, in the world. There's not much media coverage about the initiatives that are truly making great impact. There is, of course (as there well should be) more coverage about oversight and abuses. I know that I'm not alone in wondering if there could be more press coverage about the positive and innovative ways that philanthropy is engaging with the world. Could there be more press coverage about how philanthropy is attempting to move beyond the old, stodgy bureaucracy of prior days?
Anyway, I was thinking about compiling some sort of annual report that chronicles that year's round of innovative philanthropic efforts. Does something like this exist? Could it be circulated beyond the boundaries of philanthropy and nonprofits? Would someone, like The New York Times use it? (The NYT, by the way, does have a philanthropy section that does have a section on philanthropy)
http://fcke.fastcompany.com/searchlist_indust.html
The link above lists the most innovative associations and nonprofits, plus a readers' list, posted by what may be the most innovative magazine around, Fast Company - http://www.fastcompany.com. Yes, lists like these need to be wiki'd somewhere! ...along with this home page of sorts on the subject of social capitalism: http://www.fastcompany.com/socap
What's consistent is that most of these organizations are fiscally responsible in that they have a reliable source of funds, whether they be through for-profit or nonprofit sources, that allow them to focus on their mission with a passion.
Posted by: Neil T | January 28, 2007 at 11:09 AM