This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0899764007307905v1 37/1/163    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hecht, B. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Wholesaling Social Change: Philanthropys Strategic Inflection Point

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Ben Hecht [bhecht{at}one-economy.com].

	Abstract

There are times in almost every sector that forces of change come together to fundamentally disrupt the way that sector works. Former Intel Chairman Andy Grove calls this a strategic inflection point. Philanthropy is on the brink of its own strategic inflection point. Just as the internet changed the face of commerce, so it can change fundamentally the way that social change can happen. Today, organizations can wholesale social change or develop programs that almost overnight touch millions of people. These ‘wholesaling’ organizations share many common characteristics such as: (1) intent to impact the masses; (2) marginal, incremental cost to serve the next customer; (3) borderless service delivery; (4) grants plus’ business model; (5) redefining fundamental power relationships; (6) engage markets and market-driven solutions; (7) redirect ongoing flows of public or private sector funds to institutionalize desired change; and (8) use technology itself to provide innovative solutions. Philanthropy should define what ‘wholesaling activity’ is, recognize it, and create mechanisms that will support acceleration of wholesale social change.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?