Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about A Million Dominoes.
Can This Ripple Effect Be Achieved?
We believe so, although there is no fail-proof formula for doing so. The examples featured on our Stories of Impact Page reveal several recurring patterns. These include working collaboratively, addressing solvable bottlenecks, and strengthening critical linchpins to make organizations, platforms, and networks more effective.
They Are Too Broad and Cross-Cutting
Some of the most promising opportunities are too broad to fit neatly within predetermined funding priorities, strategic objectives, or areas of focus. Although they may offer an exceptional social return on investment and unusually high leveraging capacity, they often receive far less attention than their potential impact warrants.
Horizontal Approaches are Significantly Less Familiar to Funders
Most funding involves what we refer to as Vertical Philanthropy: focusing on benefiting a single cause, population, organization, strategy, or geography. Most funders are naturally more familiar with this approach and may be less likely to recognize opportunities that operate horizontally.
Nonetheless, Horizontal Philanthropy can produce exceptionally far-reaching impact by benefiting many people, nonprofits, communities, causes, and environments with the same dollars. As examples, consider funding that supported the Charities Aid Foundation, Foundation Center, Grameen Bank, TechSoup, Charity Navigator, GoFundMe, and GivingTuesday.
Is A Million Dominoes’ Goal to Strengthen Social Sector Infrastructure?
Yes, but not as readers may think. On one hand, the social sector ecosystem could benefit tremendously from greater investment in the right kinds of infrastructure-building efforts. On the other hand, many funders are not inspired by funding infrastructure. They do not see an inspiring vision of what can be accomplished.
Identifying the Critical Linchpin
A Million Dominoes focuses on identifying critical linchpins—capabilities, strategies, partnerships, technologies, initiatives, staffing positions, and other leverage points that can unlock unusually far-reaching benefits. Exceptional ROI may be achieved when funders identify and strengthen a critical linchpin within an organization, platform, network, or system that already possesses significant reach.
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Simply funding infrastructure alone will not necessarily produce meaningful results. However, as touched on earlier, exceptional ROI may be achieved when funders identify and fortify a critical linchpin within an organization, platform, network, initiative, partnership, or system that already possesses significant reach. These linchpins may include capabilities, strategies, partnerships, technologies, initiatives, staffing positions, and other leverage points capable of unlocking unusually far-reaching benefits. (See our Stories of Impact Page found on the menu bar for examples.)
How We Help Funders and the Social Sector Ecosystem.
We share promising findings openly with interested funders. We do so free of charge as our way of serving funders and strengthening the social sector ecosystem.