Expanding its early focus on helping nonprofits operate more efficiently to the emerging space of social enterprises and the challenges of measuring social impact, our faculty have developed a body of knowledge that encompasses leadership, strategy, and governance of mission-driven organizations across the spectrum, from entrepreneurial ventures to more established firms.
How Do Nonprofits Use Cash Windfalls? Evidence from $5B in Unrestricted Donations
By: Jennifer Walsh
2025 | Faculty Research
No One Left Behind (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine, Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Max Hancock and David Lane
March 2025 | Faculty Research
No One Left Behind (D)
By: Lynn S. Paine, Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Max Hancock and David Lane
March 2025 | Faculty Research
No One Left Behind (C)
By: Lynn S. Paine, Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Max Hancock and David Lane
March 2025 | Faculty Research
Designed to help nonprofit leaders use performance measurement to enhance their organization's ability to achieve their mission, this program explores how participants can use performance measurement to drive innovation and have an outsized impact in a rapidly changing world.
Designed to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit CEOs and executive directors to lead their organizations effectively, this program provides a conceptual approach to shape the direction, mission, policies, and major programs of nonprofit organizations.
This course is tailored for individuals aiming to pioneer and lead positive and lasting change within various sectors, including social enterprises, government, and the private sector. Whether you aspire to launch or lead a social enterprise, innovate within policymaking and philanthropy, catalyze systemic change, or drive corporate social responsibility initiatives, this course provides the critical insights, frameworks and tools needed. Graduates will be well-positioned for roles that demand a deep understanding of leading and scaling social enterprises and designing and implementing solutions that drive measurable systemic change.
An overview of the various roles a non-profit board of directors plays, including the board's principal responsibilities and how those evolve as organizations grow and scale. Looks closely at the overall role in setting the mission of the organization; supervising and supporting the CEO; securing and stewarding the resources for the organization to thrive; serving as ambassadors of the organization; and governing itself with best practices in leadership, committee structure, and nominations.
Years ago the line between nonprofit and for-profit enterprises was clear, but that has changed. Nonprofits now offer products that compete with those of the best for-profits, and for-profits can deliver as much social value as charities. Despite the blurred distinction, all mission-driven start-ups will eventually face a stark choice about which legal structure to adopt, and they need to make it carefully, because it’s hard to undo.
As government welfare programming contracts and NGOs increasingly assume core aid functions, they must address a long-standing challenge—that people in need often belong to stigmatized groups. To study other-regarding behavior, we fielded an experiment through a text-to-give campaign in Greece.
This article provides guidance to social entrepreneurs and their funders as they seek to advance the enterprise from startup to scale. It focuses on the evolution of four social entrepreneurs and their decision-making paths as they attempt to scale their respective organizations. It then develops a framework to understand how social entrepreneurs alternate between pursuing activities to increase the scale of their work and delivering social impact in a “zig-zagging” process.
The latest from HBS alumni leading nonprofit organizations.
01 Mar 2025 | HBS Magazine
17 Dec 2024 | Skydeck
15 Dec 2024 | HBS Magazine
29 Jul 2024 | Making A Difference