T H E B E S T O F 2 0 1 5 : N O N - P R O F I T I N N O VAT I O N S

K A T H A R I N E D I A N E M C C A L L U M

2015 seemed to be the year of innovations when it came to a variety of non-profit organizations. Some came up with their own original & creative ideas to revitalize arts in underserved sections of cities or help with the fight against ebola. Others tapped into the genius of social media users, and utilized viral sensations like the “ice bucket challenge” to bring awareness to an otherwise

unknown disease.

C E R TA I N N O N - P R O F I T S S P E N T 2 0 1 5 C R E AT I N G T H E S E I N N O VAT I O N S T O B E T T E R T H E W O R L D W E L I V E I N

R E G A R D L E S S O F W H E R E T H E I N N O VA T I O N S C A M E F R O M

H E R E A R E S O M E O F M Y FAV O R I T E S

W H I L E T H E A L S I C E B U C K E T C H A L L E N G E W A S N O T A N I N G E N I O U S A D V E R T I S I N G C A M PA I G N T H O U G H T- U P

B Y T H E A L S A S S O C I AT I O N , W H I C H W O R K S T O R A I S E M O N E Y F O R R E S E A R C H O N A M Y O T R O P H I C L AT E R A L S C L E R O S I S ( A L S ) , T H E N O N - P R O F I T W A S Q U I C K T O

E M B R A C E T H E S O C I A L M E D I A S E N S AT I O N T O B R I N G A W A R E N E S S &

AT T E N T I O N T O T H E D I S E A S E . O R I G I N A L LY S TA R T E D B Y A L S PAT I E N T S &

A D V O C AT E S , T H E C H A L L E N G E Q U I C K LY I G N I T E D T H R O U G H O U T T H E S O C I A L

M E D I A S T R AT O S P H E R E . B R I N G I N G S I G N I F I C A N T AT T E N T I O N T O W A R D S T H E

D I S E A S E . I N O C T O B E R T H E A L S A S S O C I AT I O N A N N O U N C E D A N I N I T I A L C O N T R I B U T I O N O F $ 2 1 . 7 M I L L I O N T O

E X P E D I T E R E S E A R C H T O F I N D T R E AT M E N T S A N D A C U R E F O R T H E

D I S E A S E , $ 1 8 . 5 M I L L I O N O F W H I C H W A S D E S I G N AT E D F O R F O U R G L O B A L

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T S . A L L T H O S E W H O PA R T I C I PAT E D T R U LY M A D E A G R E AT,

A L B E I T F R E E Z I N G , D I F F E R E N C E !

T H E A L S A S S O C I AT I O N

“ H U N G E R F U E L S C O N F L I C T A N D C O N F L I C T I M PA C T S H U N G E R . ”

T H I S A N T I - H U N G E R C A M PA I G N W H I C H F I N A N C E S P R O J E C T S “ T O F U N D

P R I VAT E S E E D C O M PA N I E S I N A F R I C A , T O G E T N I C A R A G U A N FA R M E R S T H E L E G A L H E L P T O G E T T I T L E T O T H E I R

L A N D , A N D H A S PA R T N E R E D W I T H O T H E R O R G A N I Z AT I O N S T O G I V E

$ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 F E L L O W S H I P S T O L A U N C H I N N O VAT I V E S O C I A L - E N T E R P R I S E

P R O J E C T S A D D R E S S I N G H U N G E R A N D P O V E R T Y I N L I B E R I A , M A L A W I ,

R W A N D A , A N D S I E R R A L E O N E . ”

T H E AV E R A G E FA R M E R G E T S A B O U T 4 0 G R O W I N G S E A S O N S O V E R T H E I R L I F E T I M E , T H AT ’ S 4 0 S E A S O N S T O

G R O W A P R O F I TA B L E C R O P, 4 0 C H A N C E S T O G E T I T R I G H T. L E T ’ S

M A K E S U R E T H O S E FA R M E R S G E T I T R I G H T T H E F I R S T T I M E I N A R E A S

W H E R E I T S N E E D E D M O S T.

T H E H O WA R D G . B U F F E T F O U N D AT I O N

T H E G I R L S C O U T S O F T H E U S A

Whether you anxiously await your coworker to bring in his daughters annual order form, rush to grocery store parking lot in hopes to see a troop selling those coveted boxes, or simply know better

than to turn down a Tagalong or Samoa, the Girl Scouts have long been a

household name. Bringing their cookie sales in the twenty-first century, the girls

have brought their same charm and panache to the digital world with their

Digital Cookie program. Girl Scouts now build their own websites to sell cookies, whilst simultaneously gaining key skills

and knowledge in website design, marketing, business management,

product tracking, customer service and internet safety. These girls aren’t simply gaining badges, they’re clearly getting ready to be leaders in their generation.

T H E F O U N D AT I O N F O R D E T R O I T ’ S

F U T U R E

Detroit emergency manager Kevin Orr, a dozen non-profit organizations, and a

federal judge came together in 2015 to pump $366 million into the Motor City over the next twenty years, helping to

pull it out of bankruptcy and aid in providing government pensions as per

the city’s obligation. Benefactors making the largest impact include the Ford

Foundation, providing $125 million, and the Kresge Foundation, donating $100

million. Additionally, a handful of donors pledged $100 million to the Detroit

Institute of Art and its works, which was in danger of liquidation to pay creditors to

the city of Detroit.

H T T P : / / K AT H A R I N E D I A N E M C C A L L U M . O R G /

To learn about a nonprofit that helped the fight against Ebola in Africa by creating an interactive

mapping system, visit: