Social Innovation Scan of Small and Mid-size NGOs

Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to invite you to participate in an experiment of sorts, a scan aimed at understanding how innovation works in small (<$500,000) and mid-size (<$2.9m) NGOs. This project was created to collect and share information how organizations come up with ideas and new solutions and to ascertain whether or not organizations currently use innovation strategies (specific tools and practices) to support social innovation.

The project came from a desire to better understand attitudes about "innovation" within NGOs, current practices and use of tools and opportunities for development in the understanding of social innovation, especially in the United States. Primarily, it is a way to better understand how tools, processes and practices can help NGOs to enhance program design and development and to capture, pilot and realize "new ideas that work". This scan is part of a William Davidson Institute fellowship that I am doing with a large national foundation which is interested in improving adoption of constituent-engaged innovation in the nonprofit sector.

In an effort not only to collect information but also to share learnings, we have created a both a wiki and a survey so participants can choose the instrument that most fits their technology preference. While this project is based in the US, ideas from international NGOs will be a tremendous asset. There is such exciting work being done in the international community. Please share your thoughts and ideas.

You can find the wiki here:
http://npo-innovation.wikispaces.com/

Or take the survey here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=OJN7cmDHHThtE5IGj5lIkg_3d_3d

Please email me at floosen@umich.edu with any additional questions or feedback.

Thank you for your time and assistance. See you in San Sebastian!