The term social innovation is used in many ways, which can make it hard to pin down. At its core, it means new ideas that meet social needs more effectively than existing approaches, while also changing the relationships and systems around those needs.
Three Parts of the Meaning
Social in its ends. The main purpose is to improve wellbeing, inclusion or opportunity, rather than to generate private profit.
Social in its means. Social innovations are often developed with the people they serve and through new collaborations between sectors.
Innovative in its context. An approach can be well known in one country and genuinely new in another. What matters is that it is new and better where it is applied.
What Social Innovation Is Not
It is not simply new technology. A mobile app is a social innovation only if it changes outcomes for people. It is also not a label for any program run by a nonprofit. Many valuable programs apply proven approaches well, which is equally important but different.
Who Practices It
- NGOs testing new delivery models within their programs.
- Social enterprises building business models around social goals.
- Public bodies redesigning services or piloting new policies.
- Companies developing products for underserved markets.
- Communities organizing their own solutions, such as savings groups or cooperatives.
Why the Definition Matters
Funders and partners use the term to decide what to support. An organization that describes its work as social innovation should be ready to explain what is new about it, what problem it addresses, and what evidence shows it works better than the alternatives. Clear language and honest evidence make that case far stronger than the label alone.
Related reading: Defining Social Innovation.