Must Read & Free Resource “Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013”

A  Must Read on Philanthropy and the Social Economy for 2013

I give you recommendations for reads through my Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Daily Grant Gear and through the Get Grants Do Good – G+ Community. I want to be very clear, this post goes well beyond my usual sharing of information to a full on recommendation to persuade you to read the ‘’Philanthropy and Social Economy: Blueprint for 2013”.

What is the Social Economy

The social economy refers to the all the ways that we direct private resources to public goods. Private resources include money, time, and organizational structures controlled by individuals. Public goods are things created by society that can be used by many people without diminishing access to them by anyone else. Understanding the social economy means seeing all three financing systems – charitable giving, political support, and impact investing – and considering the dynamics between them.

What is the Blueprint 2013?

The Blueprint is a free publication from Grantcraft that can be downloaded in PDF format. For the 2013 edition,  Author, Lucy (Bernholz, Ph.D.) partnered with The Foundation Center and the European Foundation Centre  to offer the blueprint as a GrantCraft guide. You can find 2 of the 3 previous editions here: 2012, and 2011.

“The Blueprint provides an overview of the current landscape, points to major trends, and directs your attention to horizons where you can expect some important breakthroughs in the coming year.”

It is written specifically for donors, impact investors, philanthropy advisors and social enterprise managers. Of course, anyone involved in philanthropy, advocacy, public policy, fundraising and grants will benefit from the insight and foresight provided with in the pages  and in the support documents and links of the Blueprint.

Who is Lucy Bernholz, Ph. D?

The Huffington Post calls her a “philanthropy game changer” and Fast Company magazine named her blog Philanthropy2173 “Best in Class.” Definitely follow her on twitter @p2173

Highlights of the 2013 Blueprint

• What Is the Social Economy?
• Insight: Big Shifts that Matter
• Foresight: Predictions for 2013
• Hindsight: Previous Forecasts
• Glimpses of the Future

Some of Our Favorite Quotes from the Blueprint

“Linked, comparable, accessible data is the new starting line. The race is now on to see who will create what public-facing tools for making sense of this information.”

“Nonprofits in the future will be defined by how they use their data for public good while protecting the personal privacy rights of all who contribute that data.”

“Everybody with a phone and an app from Square will have the capacity to receive grant-level sums of money, track it against specific line items, and make expense reports.”

“The balance between innovation and fair access, private services and public responsibility is at
the heart of making civic crowdfunding work.”

“Demands for transparency are running headlong into traditions of charitable anonymity.”

“Is the non-distribution rule regarding revenue in excess of costs still appropriate in an age of social business? Are there other rules that would better protect the public purpose of social organizations?”

What is YOUR Social Economy Blueprint for 2013?

We would love to hear your thoughts about the Philanthropy and the Social Economy.

What changes will your organization or business make in 2013 that will be driven by the increasing and evolving tools we use to apply our private resources for good?