Published in Greater Good Studio·Oct 21, 2022Unpacking Our “Why”Reflections on Measuring Impact at Greater Good Studio Prologue I co-founded Greater Good Studio because I wanted to make a dent in the social issues so evident in our society. In the beginning, I remember being confused by what felt like an extreme focus on our growth. “How big are you now?” and “How big do you want to…Impact Measurement9 min readImpact Measurement9 min read
Nov 19, 2020A Dent in the PatriarchyI changed my name when I got married. Twelve years of happy marriage later, I changed it back. Part 1 I was born Sara Lynn Cantor. Sara for my father’s grandmother, Sylvia. Lynn for my mother’s grandfather, Louis. And Cantor because my dad, and his dad, and his dad before…Feminism11 min readFeminism11 min read
Published in Greater Good Studio·May 11, 2020Human-centered (re)designHow to reboot your program for the realities of COVID-19 Many social sector leaders are dealing with the same question these days: how will we change our program to respond to both the public health guidelines and the needs of our people? Especially for those of us who work face-to-face, convene groups or host events, a lot of nonprofit programs…Social Innovation4 min readSocial Innovation4 min read
Nov 5, 2019Persistence, not perfection: The mindsets of social design vs. corporate designBefore founding Greater Good Studio, I worked for an innovation consulting firm. Our clients were mostly large corporations, and we used human-centered design (HCD) to help them grow their businesses. Sometimes we designed improvements to existing products and services; other times, we envisioned entirely new markets and categories. HCD felt…Design7 min readDesign7 min read
Published in Greater Good Studio·Mar 29, 2018The only competitors that matter“Who else does this?” At Greater Good Studio, we get the question all the time. From designers and researchers looking for meaning in their work, and from social sector folks looking for innovation in theirs, everyone wants to know who else does what we do. They’re asking about social design…Design3 min readDesign3 min read
Published in Greater Good Studio·Nov 9, 2017What do you call your people?A question for designers, and the clients that hire them. What do you call your people? The reason I ask is that it matters. Design is about people, and we spend half our days trying to understand people, build rapport and relationships with people, empathize with people, explain and advocate…Design2 min readDesign2 min read
Published in Greater Good Studio·May 27, 2016The Gut CheckBy Sara Cantor Aye, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Greater Good Studio We founded Greater Good Studio out of a strong desire to align our work with our values. We knew we wanted to make a positive impact on the world. But exactly what kind of positive impact? And just…Design7 min readDesign7 min read
