10 Great Social Innovation Reads: Dec 2016

Let’s be honest, December was about just trying to make it through the end of 2016.

But where there is darkness there is also light. And many of the discussions and posts in December actually uncovered a lot of bright spots in an otherwise very trying year. From the success of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, to a surge in donations to nonprofit journalism, to potential progress on climate change, to the future of philanthropy, there was much promise. Perhaps I was just looking for it,  but I saw lots of hope in December.

Below is my pick of the 10 best reads in the world of social change in December, but please add to the list in the comments. And if you want a longer list, follow me on Twitter @nedgington.

You can also read past months’ 10 Great Reads lists here.

1. In perhaps the best blog post title ever, “8 Reasons Why 2016 Wasn’t a Total Garbage Fire” Marie Solis reminds us that there was actually some exciting progress in 2016.
2. For example, the Standing Rock Sioux protests against the Dakota Access Oil Pipeline found success when the US Army Corps of Engineers decided not to approve an easement to allow construction of the pipeline under Lake Oahe. And Tate Williams, writing on Inside Philanthropy, finds lessons for philanthropy in this social movement: “Supporting movements like Standing Rock likely means challenging grantmaking norms, loosening up requirements, taking chances, and moving much faster than foundations may be accustomed to.”
3. December also saw a glut of donations to nonprofit journalism outlets, like ProPublica and the Center for Public Integrity, to name a few.  And indeed, in the wake of the Trump election, funders like the Omidyar Network are increasing support for civic technology, solutions aimed at getting people more civically engaged.
4. It looks like despite the new administration’s anti-environmental leanings, clean energy will continue to grow. Backing this trend, the Breakthrough Energy Coalition led by Bill Gates, announced a $1 billion fund to finance zero-carbon clean-energy technologies. And David Roberts writing in Vox argues that cities, rather than the federal government, may actually need to lead the clean energy effort: “Now that the US federal government is getting out of the climate protection business, at least for four years, [cities] are more important than ever…Cities generate most of the world’s economic activity, innovation, and cultural ferment. They also generate a growing share of its carbon emissions…Urban areas are also first in line to feel the effects of climate change…If they hope to avoid worse to come, cities will need to almost entirely rid themselves of carbon over the next few decades.”
5. Writers at The New York Times offer two ways to move on from 2016, start small and lift up those around you.
6. The Hewlett Foundation celebrated their 50 year birthday with a symposium on the history of philanthropy. In addition to the interesting #Hewlett50 Twitter feed, the foundation commissioned this very interesting paper from Benjamin Soskis and Stanley Katz  (of HistPhil blog fame) on the past 50 years of philanthropy.
7. Aaron Dorfman, President of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, offers a call to action for philanthropists in the Trump era.
8. A new report from The Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy reveals that Generation X and Millennial donors are giving less than their Boomer and Silent Generation counterparts did at their age, but women’s influence on philanthropic decisions is growing.
9. And a small, but very positive thing that came out of the presidential election is that it has brought philanthropic thought leader and curmudgeon Albert Ruesga out of his writing retirement. His latest post on the need for philanthropy to recognize class divides is particularly enlightening. As he puts it: “To introduce and champion class consciousness is to acknowledge that the ‘structures’ we seek to change—if we’re enlightened grantmakers—are often structures put in place to serve the purposes of an economically defined class…So while we might wish to remain class-neutral, the structures that keep people in poverty unfortunately will not. How do we bring the lived experience of the poor and working poor into institutions that, in spite of our best intentions, perpetuate class privilege? How do we incorporate class-talk into nonprofit work in a way that doesn’t elide hundreds of years of racial oppression? I don’t deny these challenges, but I’m convinced that ignoring the effects of class is acting in bad faith. It’s treading water while strong currents continue to carry us and our neighbors further downstream.”
10. Finally, if you are looking for an actual book to read in the new year, Michiko Kakutani reviews reporter David Sax’s new book The Revenge of Analog which chronicles the rise in popularity of pen, paper, books, records and all things non-digital. Sign me up!

Photo Credit: Sebastien Wiertz