Giving Compass' Take:

• Generocity reports on the Center for High Impact Philanthropy's Social Innovation Prize pitch competition, in which students from the University of Pennsylvania presented projects that would put ideas into practical use.

• Could these projects — which address food deserts, incarceration and youth unemployment — lead to inspiration outside the bounds of the competition? What can we learn from the methods that the teams used in formulating their plans?

• Speaking of competitions, here are some innovative ideas in the field of clean energy that won an award.

“How do we solve the most pressing issues that are impacting our communities?”

Katherina Rosqueta, the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP), asked this question at the inaugural Franklin SP2 Social Innovation Prize pitch competition.

Throughout the event, a few overarching themes arose from students, panelists and event organizers.

The following are two crucial ways to ensure that social innovation leads to concrete action:

  1.  Build upon past research and established resources.
  2. Collaborate with and listen to those directly affected by the issues.

According to Shmavonian, social innovation is 'a clear statement of a societal problem that leads to a focused solution and that builds in a new or adaptive approach to serve the public good.'

Read the full article about how innovation leads to action by Melissa Skolnick at Generocity.