Social Innovation: Strategy for Nonprofit Organisations
Ends soon! Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.
Social Innovation: Strategy for Nonprofit Organisations
Instructor: Peter Frumkin
22 reviews
22 reviews
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
5 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
There are 6 modules in this course
Transform your ideas into impactful social innovations.
Offered by the Gradel Institute of Charity at New College, University of Oxford, this course helps you define, design, test, and scale solutions that drive social change. Whether you work in a nonprofit, a social enterprise, or are launching your own initiative, you will learn how to turn vision into action using practical frameworks and tools. Guided by Professor Peter Frumkin, the course draws on his and Suzi Sosa’s graphic novel on social innovation, introducing 20 actionable tools across the four key phases of the innovation journey: define, design, pilot, and scale. You will apply these tools directly to a project of your choice, developing your ability to identify needs, create prototypes, test ideas, and plan for sustainable growth. By the end of the course, you will have a clear, evidence-based roadmap to bring your social innovation to life and the confidence to lead meaningful change in your community or organization.
Introducing Social Innovation: Strategy for Nonprofit Organisations
What's included
3 videos4 readings1 discussion prompt
3 videos•Total 9 minutes
- Course introduction•4 minutes
- Four phases introduction•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco introduction•3 minutes
4 readings•Total 15 minutes
- Welcome to Social Innovation: Strategy for Nonprofit Organisations•3 minutes
- Meet your instructor•1 minute
- Learning goals & materials•10 minutes
- Introducing Carlos and Coco•1 minute
1 discussion prompt•Total 15 minutes
- Your social innovations•15 minutes
Understand and clearly frame the social problem you want to solve
What's included
12 videos1 reading1 assignment5 discussion prompts
12 videos•Total 28 minutes
- Define phase introduction•1 minute
- Fieldwork explained•3 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's fieldwork•3 minutes
- Research•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's research•2 minutes
- Storyboard•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's storyboards•3 minutes
- Empathy Map•4 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's empathy maps•3 minutes
- Mindmap•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's mindmaps•3 minutes
- Define phase exit point•1 minute
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Define: Framing the problem you want to solve•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Define phase quiz•30 minutes
5 discussion prompts•Total 65 minutes
- Fieldwork worksheet•15 minutes
- Research worksheet•15 minutes
- Storyboard worksheet•15 minutes
- Empathy map worksheet•10 minutes
- Mind map worksheet•10 minutes
Develop practical and innovative solutions tailored to the problem
What's included
12 videos1 reading1 assignment5 discussion prompts
12 videos•Total 30 minutes
- Design phase introduction•1 minute
- Logic Model•4 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Logic Models•3 minutes
- Customer Segmentation•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Customer Segmentation•3 minutes
- Marketing Matrix•3 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Marketing Matrix•3 minutes
- Competitive Analysis•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Competitive Analysis•3 minutes
- Operational Model•1 minute
- Carlos & Coco's Operational Model•3 minutes
- Design phase exit point•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Design: Shaping a solution that works•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Design phase quiz•30 minutes
5 discussion prompts•Total 50 minutes
- Logic Model worksheet•10 minutes
- Customer Segmentation worksheet•10 minutes
- Marketing Matrix worksheet•10 minutes
- Competitive analysis worksheet•10 minutes
- Operational Model worksheet•10 minutes
Test your solution on a small scale to learn and refine
What's included
12 videos1 reading1 assignment5 discussion prompts
12 videos•Total 32 minutes
- Pilot phase introduction•2 minutes
- Prototyping•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Prototyping•3 minutes
- Financial Model•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Financial Model•2 minutes
- Stakeholders•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Stakeholders•3 minutes
- Impact Scorecard•4 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Impact Scorecard•3 minutes
- Sector Selection•4 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Sector Selection•3 minutes
- Pilot phase exit point•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Pilot: Testing ideas in the real world•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Pilot phase quiz•30 minutes
5 discussion prompts•Total 50 minutes
- Prototyping worksheet•10 minutes
- Financial Model worksheet•10 minutes
- Stakeholders worksheet•10 minutes
- Impact Scorecard worksheet•10 minutes
- Sector Selection worksheet•10 minutes
Expand your solution sustainably to maximize impact while maintaining quality
What's included
12 videos1 reading1 assignment5 discussion prompts
12 videos•Total 29 minutes
- Scale phase introduction•2 minutes
- Core Concept•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Core Concept•3 minutes
- Growth Model•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Growth Model•3 minutes
- Team Building•3 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Team Building•2 minutes
- Risk Management•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Risk Management•3 minutes
- Quality Assurance•2 minutes
- Carlos & Coco's Quality Assurance•3 minutes
- Scale phase exit point•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Scale: Growing your impact sustainably•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Scale phase quiz•30 minutes
5 discussion prompts•Total 50 minutes
- Core Concept worksheet•10 minutes
- Growth Model worksheet•10 minutes
- Team Building worksheet•10 minutes
- Risk Management worksheet•10 minutes
- Quality Assurance worksheet•10 minutes
Prepare for successes and challenges
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
1 video•Total 6 minutes
- Course summary: Succes & Challenges•6 minutes
4 readings•Total 50 minutes
- Course summary•20 minutes
- Almost there•10 minutes
- Pre-quiz video•10 minutes
- Congratulations: You’ve completed the course!•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Final quiz•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- YOUR successes and challenges•10 minutes
Instructor
Offered by
Explore more from Governance and Society
- Status: Free TrialU
University of Pennsylvania
Course
- Status: FreeU
University of Pennsylvania
Course
- Status: PreviewU
University of Cape Town
Course
- Status: PreviewU
University of Virginia
Course
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
- 5 stars
90.90%
- 4 stars
4.54%
- 3 stars
0%
- 2 stars
0%
- 1 star
4.54%
Showing 3 of 22
Reviewed on May 25, 2026
Excellent course! The material is highly relevant, well-structured, and provides practical strategies for driving meaningful impact in the nonprofit sector.
Reviewed on Jun 15, 2026
Course was very practical and easy to follow.
SafeVoice case study and scaling tools helped a lot.
Frequently asked questions
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
More questions
Financial aid available,
