Best Stories of 2014: Staff Picks

One of the best human stories posted on Generocity.org this year. It combines personal interviews with people impacted by gun violence with a great overview of Focused Deterrence, a strategy many advocates and city officials tout as the best solution to urban gun violence.

--Alex Vuocolo
Photo by Tony Abraham

The philanthropic sector is seeing a shift in the way needs are being met. Decisions to diversify funding options will help to breath new life into the sector so it may begin to better respond to the changes. This story for me was a breath of fresh air signifying that well established foundations are taking careful note of their responsibility and acting on it even if it means changing the way it has always been done.
--Sharon Rice
Illustration by Russell Edling

As something of an outsider to the intricacies of how nonprofits, businesses, and government can work together, I was curious about this topic before I even started reading. By breaking down numerous stories of organizations coming together for a common cause, and citing other content with more granular examples, this article really helped me to conceptualize the current and possible collaboration around Philadelphia.
--Wyatt LeVine
Photo via Pete Miller

As the education system appears to be crumbling in this city, some teachers are going above and beyond. Two science teachers at two separate schools have used crowdfunding to bring their students makerspaces that can be used both in and outside the classroom. We checked in with both teachers later in the year, too, in this story, to see how the makerspaces were growing.
--Kristen Gillette
Photo courtesy of Klint Kanopka

When I think about how Philly can be better, I inevitably think about collaboration and cooperation. The partnership between Federal Donuts and Broad Street Ministry was one of my favorite stories this year, because the concept of combining an already thriving food aid service with a popular, growing local business hit all of my sweet spots of social impact. A nonprofit and a for-profit organization mutually benefit from a collaboration that helps hundreds of people in the city -- this is the kind of work that I think can transform the city.
--Mo Manklang
Photo via Rooster Soup Co.

This story resonated deeply with me because it illustrates so many dimensions of social impact. Cultural awareness, remediating food deserts, social enterprise, and corporate social responsibility. Taken together, Mr. Brown's supermarket demonstrates that doing good and doing well are decidedly not mutually exclusive.
--Dave Raible
Photo by Alex Vuocolo