After the Data on Purpose / Do Good Data conference at Stanford, the Digital Civil Society Lab kicked off a yearlong series of convenings around the globe to learn from civil society leaders creating social impact in the digital age. …
Reflections: Data on Purpose / Do Good Data
On a rainy morning in February, 450 of us gathered on Stanford’s campus for the Data on Purpose / Do Good Data conference, hosted by the Stanford Social Innovation Review and the Digital Civil Society Lab at the Stanford Center …
The missing power of the beneficiary
Have you ever thought about the power you hold in your wallet? Consumers in a capitalist economy, taken collectively, change the world. They drive markets. They push entrepreneurs to innovate. They cause businesses to compete with one another to provide …
Video: Philanthropy Blueprint 2017
“Especially in uncertain times the organizations and activists who make up civil society need to understand, protect, advocate for, and use their digital data and infrastructure just as they use their financial and human resources—safely, ethically, and effectively.” Every year …
This year, give the gift of transparency
It’s that time of the year again. End of year appeals are going out. Annual reports are being drafted. And each of them is going to contain stories—lots and lots of stories. Stories about how powerful our programs are. Stories that …
Expanding the social impact measurement toolkit
This year, I had the opportunity to participate in both the Impact Convergence (ImpCon) and American Evaluation Association (AEA) conferences, two innovative forums for individuals helping social institutions measure and improve their impact. The Impact Convergence conference focused on the …
Does legal status matter?
Mark Zuckerberg’s choice to use the legal structure of an LLC for his philanthropic endeavors has been making headlines for the last several months. When he sold $95m worth of his shares in June the storm started again with Wired …
Overhead is not the issue
I need to get this off my chest. I am sick and tired of hearing about overhead. I don’t even mean in the overhead-ratio police kind of way. I mean at all. It is an irrelevant metric. It is a …
Better is Good Enough: Putting Imperfect Data to Good Use
Math is nice isn’t it? That feeling of getting the right answer. 1 + 1 = 2. There is no other answer. It’s so clear. Something is either correct or incorrect. It’s not left open to interpretation. Our first exposure …
When Algorithms Run the Government
Eric Loomis stood before a judge as he was handed down a six year sentence for “eluding the police.” During sentencing, the judge referenced an algorithm that showed Mr. Loomis was at a high risk for committing another crime and …