Building Capacity for Innovation in the Social Sector

Charities and nonprofits are trying to address some of society’s most challenging problems: poverty, homelessness, addiction, mental health, and environmental degradation, to name just a few. Tackling these problems requires both innovation and systems-level change. This report discusses the social sector’s interest in innovation and the factors affecting its innovation capacity. The authors argue that it is time for campus-community partnerships that build on reciprocity and genuine collaboration to foster real innovation and systems change.