Publications

September 2009 (Revised November 2010)
Case

Endeavor: Creating a Global Movement for High-Impact Entrepreneurship

By: William A. Sahlman

This case describes a critical inflection point in the growth of an international development "mentor capitalist" nonprofit, Endeavor. As Endeavor aims to scale its high-impact entrepreneurship model globally, founder Linda Rottenberg must determine what success looks... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Social Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Nonprofit Organizations; Jordan

September 2007 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Partners in Health: The PACT Project

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer and Josh Friedman

Partners in Health is a Boston-based, not-for-profit that provides health care to people in some of the poorest regions of the world, including Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda, and Peru. In 1998, PIH established a program (PACT) in Boston to bring care to AIDS and TB patients... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Nonprofit Organizations; Non-Governmental Organizations; Developing Countries and Economies; Service Delivery; Health Industry

December 2008 (Revised March 2009)
Case

The Metropolitan Opera (A)

By: Anita Elberse and Crissy Perez

In April 2007, the New York City Metropolitan Opera's general manager Peter Gelb looks back on the first season of a daring experiment to broadcast performances live in high-definition to movie theaters across North America. While the "Live in HD" program has received... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Technological Innovation; Marketing Strategy; Nonprofit Organizations; Competitive Advantage; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

November 2002 (Revised March 2006)
Case

Global Conservation Trust, The: A Foundation for Food Security

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Biodiversity is being lost due to the delegation of the ability to store and maintain various types of plants to governments and foundations with no or little financial base. How does one develop the resources to maintain plant diversity for the future benefit of... View Details

Keywords: Food; Safety; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Nonprofit Organizations; Welfare; Finance; Environmental Sustainability; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

April 1991 (Revised April 1992)
Case

Hospital Sector in 1992

Examines the major issues facing the hospital sector in 1992. The environment surrounding the industry is one of great uncertainty and rapid change, and involves significant public policy questions. Describes recent trends, issues and new types of competitors that... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Nonprofit Organizations; Competition; Health Care and Treatment; Policy; Change; Health Industry; United States

Find at Harvard

01 Jul 2013
Research & Ideas

Crowdfunding a Poor Investment?

from large groups of people is exactly what nonprofits and political campaigns have been doing for more than a century. In today's world, though, the Internet has dramatically altered the ability for companies and independent... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

03 Dec 2012
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Against the Grain

officials, for example, feel it cathartic to go online and describe what happened. In addition to accumulating reports of corruption, the site, run by the Bangalore-based nonprofit Janaagraha, also generates heatmaps showing hotspots... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Food & Beverage

12 Dec 2006
First Look

First Look: December 12, 2006

discouraged by existing organizations, which don't see the catalytic innovators' solutions as viable. As the authors show through examples in health care, education, and economic development, both nonprofit and for-profit groups are... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

05 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 5, 2008

deeply committed to the project, but it is also struggling with the organizational issues involved in dealing with international institutions like the World Health Organization and fitting nonprofit objectives into a for-profit structure.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 1, 2007

Dot Public Schools: To Collaborate or Compete? Harvard Business School Case 307-086 In order to execute a strategy to transform the entire 768-school Los Angeles public school district, Green Dot Public Schools, a nonprofit charter school... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

Read Our Most Popular Stories of the Quarter

education nonprofit wants nothing less than to “provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere. (8,230 visits) How to Be a Digital Platform Leader The most valuable companies in the world have one thing in common: they’re... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

September 2023
Case

FoodCloud: Tackling Food Insecurity and Climate Change in One Bite

By: Brian Trelstad and Emer Moloney

In 2013, Aoibheann O’Brien and Iseult Ward founded FoodCloud, a non-profit social enterprise that aimed to address food waste and food insecurity issues. Through its technology platform, Foodiverse, FoodCloud connected surplus food from retailers with community groups... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Expansion; Technological Innovation; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Growth and Development Strategy; Green Technology Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Republic of Ireland; Europe