@article {573, title = {Editorial: Social Innovation (July 2012)}, journal = {Technology Innovation Management Review}, volume = {2}, year = {2012}, month = {07/2012}, pages = {3-4}, publisher = {Talent First Network}, address = {Ottawa}, keywords = {charities, community sector, nonprofit, social entrepreneurship, social innovation}, issn = {1927-0321}, doi = {http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/573}, url = {http://timreview.ca/article/573}, author = {Chris McPhee and Stephen Huddart} } @article {575, title = {From Stories to Evidence: How Mining Data Can Promote Innovation in the Nonprofit Sector}, journal = {Technology Innovation Management Review}, volume = {2}, year = {2012}, month = {07/2012}, pages = {10-15}, publisher = {Talent First Network}, address = {Ottawa}, abstract = {Being a director at a nonprofit organization often means making guesses instead of properly informed decisions. One source of the {\textquotedblleft}information fog{\textquotedblright} is fragmented funding. Nonprofit organizations have multiple types of funders, most of whom are not their direct beneficiaries. Predicting funder behaviour is therefore more of an art than a science. Planning for the future, setting goals, and making decisions all suffer in the nonprofit sector because of a lack of timely and accurate information. This article examines the opportunities to use newly available digitized information to address this information deficit. It shows how the rich, variegated and fast-changing landscape of information available online can be collected, combined, and repurposed in order to deliver it in actionable forms to decision makers across the nonprofit sector. This information can significantly improve planning decisions and enhance the effectiveness of the sector. The article concludes that a cultural shift is required in order for the nonprofit sector to exploit the opportunities presented by digital information. Nonprofits and funders are enjoined to increase their numeracy and to find creative ways to use data as part of their evaluation, planning and decision making. Researchers need to be adventurous in their use of quantitative information and specifically should employ linked datasets in order to explore previously unanswerable research and policy questions. The producers of data need to collect and publish their information in ways that facilitate reuse. Finally, funders need to support a variety of projects that seek to exploit these new opportunities. }, keywords = {Ajah, charities, community sector, data mining, funding database, nonprofit, social innovation}, issn = {1927-0321}, doi = {http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/575}, url = {http://timreview.ca/article/575}, author = {Michael Lenczner and Susan Phillips} } @article {574, title = {Renewing the Future: Social Innovation Systems, Sector Shift, and Innoweave}, journal = {Technology Innovation Management Review}, volume = {2}, year = {2012}, month = {07/2012}, pages = {5-9}, publisher = {Talent First Network}, address = {Ottawa}, abstract = {Against a backdrop of various {\textquotedblleft}occupy{\textquotedblright} movements signifying civic dissatisfaction with the social contract, and in an era of fiscal restraint affecting governments and communities in many parts of the world, we need new and more effective ways to address complex social challenges. While continuous innovation is commonly understood to be a source of growth, productivity improvement, and competitive advantage in the technology and manufacturing sectors, the author{\textquoteright}s focus is on social innovation systems, designed to replace maladaptive institutions and obsolete policy frameworks with novel and disruptive means for improving outcomes on issues such as population health and climate change. This article proposes a definition of such systems, and examines how system-level tools including impact investing, open data platforms, and {\textquotedblleft}change labs{\textquotedblright} are fostering collaboration among the private, public, and community sectors. We argue that a key priority at this time is to make these and other tools and processes for social innovation available to community organizations and their government and business partners everywhere, in a manner that allows for continuous cycles of implementation and learning. The author describes one such project currently being developed in Canada by Social Innovation Generation and other partners, called Innoweave. Innoweave is a technology-enabled social innovation system for sharing the tools and processes of social innovation with the community sector. The article concludes with a call for multi-sectoral participation in social innovation systems as an investment in society{\textquoteright}s adaptive capacity and future wellbeing. }, keywords = {community sector, social innovation, social innovation systems}, issn = {1927-0321}, doi = {http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/574}, url = {http://timreview.ca/article/574}, author = {Stephen Huddart} }