Using user-centered design to get more families into social service programs faster. Problem Once an individual finds a resource that can help them meet a basic need, we often see that the application and enrollment…
For nearly fifty years, social innovation has followed roughly the same trajectory – philanthropy funds pilot programs, researchers evaluate the results, and government replicates what works. This process, which we’ll call “pilot-evaluate-replicate”, makes sense given…
At Code for America, we have spent nearly four years building GetCalFresh, a service to make it as easy as possible for all eligible Californians to successfully enroll in CalFresh (AKA SNAP, food stamps) and…
At Code for America, we have spent nearly four years building GetCalFresh, a service to make it as easy as possible for all eligible Californians to successfully enroll in CalFresh (also known as SNAP or…
A Global Learning Crisis Globally, 263 million children do not go to school. Another 330 million youngsters go to school, but are not learning. Not only must the global education community expand children’s access to…
Failure, and knowing when to admit failure, are critical to the innovation process. Thomas Edison once famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.” Thomas Watson, the CEO…
Less Than 21% of Rural Zimbabwe is Electrified. Once the sun sets, which happens remarkably quickly in this southern African country, if you don’t live in an urban hub, there’s a four in five chance…
Funding innovation for sustainable development; what have we learned… This post shares some lessons from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on how to design a lean innovation fund that doesn’t create additional hurdles for innovators….
In her debut piece in this series about the challenges of Lean Impact Ann Mei Chang identifies impact measurement as one of the top 10 challenges for social innovation. “Quantifying impact” she says, “is much…
Iterate. Iterate. Iterate. Although better solutions tend to come from iteration, it can often be a counter-intuitive way to work in large-scale development projects. Not because those who work in the sector don’t see or…