Programmatic Asset Transfers as a Strategic Tool for Social Impact

In the Spring 2025 edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Michelle Shumate, Lindsay Kijewski, Kate Piatt-Eckert, and Christine Thompson take a deep dive into the use of asset transfers as a tool for organizational growth and change:

Asset transfers are yet another tool in the strategic partnership toolbox. They are like the flathead screwdriver—simple, effective in a wide range of circumstances, and more versatile than its simplicity suggests. Asset transfers are distinct from other strategic partnerships in two ways: The partnering organizations are in active collaboration for only as long as it takes to implement the transfer, and transfers can be wielded effectively on their own or within a range of different contexts, including mergers, dissolutions, and the development of federated structures.

Open access to this article is made possible by the Sustained Collaboration Network. Read it here.

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