Nonprofits Are Taking a Wide-Eyed Look at What Data Could Do
Big data are changing the way charities make decisions about programs, solicit contributions, and push for social change.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
More Nonprofits Adopt Scientific Approach to Testing Whether Social Programs Work
Randomized, controlled trials are expensive and present ethical questions, but they produce very accurate results.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Video: PopTech’s Favorite Speeches
Organizers of the group’s annual conference gathered recordings of their favorite, most innovative, and most influential presentations.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Cross-Disciplinary Solutions and Small Infusions of Cash Spark Innovation
The nonprofit PopTech is on a mission to accelerate innovations that solve vexing social problems, like staging a performance to help residents of Joplin, Mo., recover from a tornado’s destruction.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
How to Find New Ideas: Tips From PopTech’s Leader
Andrew Zolli gets people in different fields to work together and share ideas.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Holograms to Answer Future Generations’ Questions About the Holocaust
As eyewitnesses to the historical event grow scarce, one museum is developing a 3-D approach to transmit knowledge to young people.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Nonprofits That Use Data Well Think It Through Carefully and Actively Involve Employees
As nonprofit seek to do a better job measuring their results, experts say it’s important to look at programs that are struggling—not just those that work well.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Resources to Help Nonprofits Use Data
An array of information is available to help groups learn to measure results.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Calif. Charity Measures Progress All Year to Fix Problems Early and Impress Donors
First Place for Youth credits its growth—from a $2-million charity to one with an $11-million budget—to its system of collecting data.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Measurements Are Used Not Only to Assess Programs but Also to Determine Workers’ Pay
First Place for Youth, in Oakland, Calif., bases raises on how well the people it serves are faring as well as on whether employees are supplying accurate, timely records.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Raising Money From the Crowd: What Charities Find Works Best
Now that Kickstarter and other mass-appeal sites have been around for a while, charities are mastering what works best to attract large sums.
By BRENNEN JENSEN
Contributor
Organization Designs Healthier Hospitals for Patients in Poor Countries
MASS Design Group enlists architects to build health-care facilities in poor countries that help prevent the spread of airborne disease.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
2 Groups Get $50,000 Each to Mobilize Volunteers
A nonprofit and a for-profit business will use the money to fight social problems. A second competition will soon open for other groups with innovative ideas.
By SUZANNE PERRY
Contributor
Opportunity International Spins Off Insurance Company
The International Finance Corporation and Omidyar Network join as investors in the venture, which sells low-cost insurance in developing countries.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor
Impact Investors Report Satisfaction—and Cite Challenges
A new survey details the experience of 99 institutions that seek both social and financial returns.
By NICOLE WALLACE
Features Editor