Concepts and Terms
To help visitors better understand the content on Propel Philanthropy’s website, we’ve provided explanations for some uncommon concepts and terms.
Big, Broad, Cross-cutting Solutions: These are solutions for achieving a big and broad impact. For example, Charity Navigator and champion funders who supported them increased public trust, thereby unlocking many millions of dollars for nonprofits or civil society organizations across the U.S.
Social Impact Infrastructure Organizations (SIIOs): This term expands the definition of philanthropy support organizations to be inclusive of the nonprofit and civil society sectors. Propel Philanthropy defines SIIOs as the accelerators, connectors, conveners, educators, platforms, researchers, orchestrators, and trainers that enable the rest of us to effectively impact change.
As examples, some SIIOs:
- Help their members give billions of dollars more effectively.
- Increase social impact investments
- Improve the capacities of nonprofit and civil society organizations
- Partner with governments and other sectors
- Better identify and scale our most promising innovations
- Improve fields of practice
- Conduct research and/or publish media relevant to the social sector
Potential Mega Solutions: These include the pursuit of future solutions that will cost, but with the goal of achieving game-changing social impact. As one example, imagine a major investment in platforms that positively impact one million nonprofits and civil society organizations by 2030.