Better to share or to give?
#ReCodeGood Charrette
January 24, 2012
Stanford University
Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
OLD
Private resources
for public good
=
Philanthropy and
nonprofits
NOW
Private resources for
public good
=
Sharing, investing, social
businesses, consumer
behavior, open source,
networks, open data,
(giving + volunteering)
The Social Economy
Sharing
Investing
Social businesses
Consumer behavior
Open source
Networks
Open data
Volunteering
The Five Questions for the PPT
• What will the Citizens United decision mean for nonprofits,
philanthropy, and the public good?
• How is digital technology changing our conception of public
accountability and public goods?
• How will big data, the sharing economy, and open
government influence philanthropy?
• How can we better align our regulatory frames for public
good with the technological innovations being made in
bioscience, data processing, and other rapidly advancing
fields?
• What is the 21st century policy frame we need to encourage
the private and public resources to help address our global
challenges?
Sharing Economy
Then
Now
Car sharing, co-housing,
peer-to-peer lending,
clothing swaps,
urban fruit swaps,
Twitter,
co-working spaces,
bike-sharing,
etc., etc..
Mesh Network
US Nonprofits
Source: http://meshing.it/.
Source: Lucy Bernholz, Blueprint 2012
Public benefit? Input or output
Structure
Commercial
Nonprofit
Market Focus
Peer to Peer
Biz to consumer
RelayRides
ZipCar
CityCarShare
Where’s the public good?
Structure
Activities
Outcomes
Policy Questions
• Is sharing a middle class phenomenon? What,
if anything, is it doing/can it do for lowincome communities?
• Are there policy limitations or barriers to
sharing platforms, nonprofits and
philanthropy working together?
• Are there ways that expanded sharing
platforms accelerate philanthropic goals?
Policy Question 1
When it comes to private resources/public
goods, is the sharing economy the same as
“double bottom line” companies or are there
additional public benefits?
If there is something else, what is it and what
“should” we be doing with it?
Policy Question 2
The blending of social goals and sustainable
revenue led to the creation of B Corporations
and other hybrid enterprise structures.
Does the rise of sharing portend a similar
development? What might that look like?
Policy Question 3
All of these sharing sites rely on technology
and data about their users. Many business
pundits have noted that “Data are the future.”
What are the policy implications or
possibilities of data and public good from
these sharing companies?
Your Policy Questions (and answers)