Social Entrepreneurship

Most Topular Stories
Top 5 Reasons Why Coworking is for Social Entrepreneurs

SocialEarth

Genevieve DeGuzman

27 Jan 2012 | 7:30 am

Over the past five years, coworking has emerged as a movement that is changing how entrepreneurs and innovators work. Coworking has been touted as everything from a way to find [...]
10 Experts, 10 Predictions, 1 Year

What Do You Stand For?

5 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

Last month we looked back at the top trends of 2011, but now that the New Year is upon us, it's time to look forward to what 2012 has in store. We've convened the biggest and brightest minds in cause marketing, corporate responsibility, nonprofit marketing and volunteerism to share their top predictions, programs and issues for the New Year.As for our perspective, we say look out for an influx of disruptive campaigns in 2012. The cause industry continues to mature, and with the flood of new campaigns in the market, companies and nonprofits must do more to make sure their cause stands out…
Fact-Checking Obama: Is There Really '100 Years' Worth of Natural Gas in the US?

Latest Items from TreeHugger

Brian Merchant

27 Jan 2012 | 3:22 pm

A: Not likely.
Singapore: Greening Initative

Global Voices

Mong Palatino

28 Jan 2012 | 6:33 am

Singapore Sojourn mentions the programs of the government and initiatives from the private sector to make Singapore a greener city. Written by Mong Palatino · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
Weekly Roundup: Davos, Igloos and the Future of Capitalism

Dowser

Dowser

27 Jan 2012 | 12:34 pm

WEF Discusses Global Inequality in the Swiss Alps This week the world’s political leaders, policy analysts, tech titans, successful businessmen, and members of the social sector convened for the annual World Economic Forum. Despite all the wealth in the room, one of the biggest discussion points was income inequality---not surprising given the economic frustrations globally. # The big question was: Does capitalism have a future and what will it look like in the coming years? How can it be more socially responsible and inclusive? # As a result of this recession, that's lasted longer than…

Latest Items from TreeHugger
Fact-Checking Obama: Is There Really '100 Years' Worth of Natural Gas in the US?

Brian Merchant

27 Jan 2012 | 3:22 pm

A: Not likely.
Is There Any Hope For A Non-Genetically Modified Future in America, Or Africa?

Mat McDermott

27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

One one hand we have the state of affairs in the US. On the other we have the future Bill Gates would like to manifest in Africa, all in the supremely laudable goal of reducing poverty and hunger. It's not a pretty picture for people or the planet.
Coal Ash Activists Acquitted in Filipino Court

Rachel Cernansky

27 Jan 2012 | 12:43 pm

Filipino activists had been charged with trespassing in December 2009 to document toxic coal ash.
Hey, Beltway Pundits, Nobody Cares About Solyndra Anymore

Brian Merchant

27 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm

It must have been fun breathlessly trying to turn Solyndra into a scandal, but Americans still aren't buying it.
Watch Revenge of the Electric Car for Free on Hulu!

Michael Graham Richard

27 Jan 2012 | 11:20 am

You can now watch Chris Paine's sequel documentary to 'Who Killed The Electric Car?' for free!

Global Voices
Singapore: Greening Initative

Mong Palatino

28 Jan 2012 | 6:33 am

Singapore Sojourn mentions the programs of the government and initiatives from the private sector to make Singapore a greener city. Written by Mong Palatino · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
South Sudan: Urgent Steps Needed to Counter Inter-Communal Violence

Ndesanjo Macha

28 Jan 2012 | 5:38 am

Urgent steps are needed to counter inter-communal violence in South Sudan: “Inter-communal violence in Jonglei and throughout South Sudan, while traditionally cyclical in nature, is not inevitable. The causes of this violence go beyond the retaliatory nature of cattle raiding and touch upon broader issues of accountability, reconciliation, political inclusion, state effectiveness, development, and the proliferation of arms among the civilian population.” Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit ·…
Equatorial Guinea: A Story Idea for Journalists Covering the Africa Cup of Nations

Ndesanjo Macha

28 Jan 2012 | 5:31 am

Shelby Grossman shares a story idea for journalists covering the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea: ” There is a fear among those who have been in the country for a while that after the tournament the government will conduct raids and crack down on illegal immigration. The harassment of foreign West Africans is already awful.” Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
Ethiopia: Standing With Ethiopia's Tenacious Blogger

Ndesanjo Macha

28 Jan 2012 | 5:27 am

Standing with Ethiopia's jailed blogger: “It would be hard to find a better symbol of media repression in Africa than Eskinder Nega. The veteran Ethiopian journalist and dissident blogger has been detained at least seven times by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government over the past two decades, and was put back in jail on September 14, 2011…” Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
Africa: How Africa Tweets

Ndesanjo Macha

28 Jan 2012 | 5:24 am

Young people Tweeting from mobile devices are driving the growth of Twitter in Africa, according to How Africa Tweets, new research launched by Portland: “In the first ever attempt to comprehensively map the use of Twitter in Africa, Portland and Tweetminster analysed over 11.5 million geo-located Tweets originating on the continent during the last three months of 2011.” Written by Ndesanjo Macha · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Dowser
Weekly Roundup: Davos, Igloos and the Future of Capitalism

Dowser

27 Jan 2012 | 12:34 pm

WEF Discusses Global Inequality in the Swiss Alps This week the world’s political leaders, policy analysts, tech titans, successful businessmen, and members of the social sector convened for the annual World Economic Forum. Despite all the wealth in the room, one of the biggest discussion points was income inequality---not surprising given the economic frustrations globally. # The big question was: Does capitalism have a future and what will it look like in the coming years? How can it be more socially responsible and inclusive? # As a result of this recession, that's lasted longer than…
Conversations with Unreasonable Fellows: Ties Kroezen of NICE

Dowser

26 Jan 2012 | 11:35 am

Ties Kroezen lives in the Netherlands, but the fruits of his labor are in Africa. His company, NICE International, brings IT services and clean energy development to The Gambia and other African countries. Kroezen was selected to represent NICE at this year's Unreasonable Institute in Boulder, Colorado, where he was able to spend part of the summer with social entrepreneurs from around the world. He spent some time recently talking with Dowser about his company's work in Africa. # Dowser: Can you describe how NICE works? Krozen: NICE International is based in the Netherlands, where I am. We…
Waste Farmers: A Company Aims to Put Nutrients From Food Waste Back Into the Soil

Dowser

24 Jan 2012 | 12:11 pm

The United States has a topsoil problem. About 75 percent of it is gone, primarily because the large, single-crop farms that dominate American agriculture rely on chemicals and synthetic fertilizers to produce their harvests, depleting natural soil systems in the process. # John-Paul Maxfield thinks compost can help solve this problem. Environmentalists love compost for several reasons, including that it helps divert waste from landfills -- the world's largest source of human-produced methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. But for Maxfield, composting organic…
New California Law Combats Human Slavery via Supply Chain Transparency

Dowser

23 Jan 2012 | 12:10 pm

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, a time to educate people that slavery exists today and build support for the fight to stop it. But this January also happens to be the month that a new law in California has come into effect, the first of its kind in the U.S., and one that has the potential to do more than just raise awareness of human trafficking and actually make a real dent in the problem itself. # Human trafficking and forced labor are largely hidden problems, but they persist in just about every country in the world (including in the U.S.) whether it's in cotton fields that…
Weekly Roundup: SOPA and the Art of the Online Protest

Dowser

20 Jan 2012 | 11:57 am

Hearing the Different Voices on SOPA People power is back. Wednesday’s protests against the SOPA bill continue last year’s theme of the power of protest. However, this time the protesters include corporate giants, like Google, which went “black” in support of a free Internet this week. It wasn’t just the big sites that went down for the day -- countless blogs, tumblr sites, and smaller companies also shut down on Wednesday. # One blog visually captured what the Web looked like, courtesy of the SOPA protest: Another captured the power of the movement, comparing SOPA…

Ashoka In The News
Ashoka Global Competition Seeks Innovation in Empathy Education

Stephen Outlaw

23 Jan 2012 | 10:57 am

Release Date: January 19, 2012 Washington, D.C. - Ashoka Changemakers is launching a global competition today titled: Activating Empathy: Transforming Schools to Teach What Matters.read more
Bill Drayton of Ashoka Accepts Three Awards in Three Weeks from Europe, US, and Asia

Stephen Outlaw

9 Nov 2011 | 12:31 pm

Release Date: November 9, 2011 Arlington, Virginia - Bill Drayton, CEO of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public has accepted three awards from around the world honoring his work on behalf of social entrepreneurship through the organization he founded, Ashoka. At a time when the world is faced with deeply troubling challenges, these accolades celebrate read more
Four International Personalities Honoured with Entrepreneurs for the World Awards

Stephen Outlaw

7 Nov 2011 | 1:14 pm

Release Date: November 3, 2011 Singapore – Four role-models whose entrepreneurial achievements and commitment to society make them role-models for entrepreneurship creating wealth and social justice have been awarded the Entrepreneurs for the World Awards at thisread more
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed Wins World’s Largest Education Prize in Qatar

Rachel Land

1 Nov 2011 | 1:27 pm

Release Date: November 1, 2011 Doha, Qatar – In recognition of his outstanding work in the field of education, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of BRAC, has won the $500,000 WISE Prize for Education in Doha, Qatar.read more
Bill Drayton Receives John Gardner Leadership Award

Rachel Land

31 Oct 2011 | 9:42 am

Release Date: October 31, 2011 Chicago, Illinois - Bill Drayton, CEO of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, is in Chicago today to receive the prestigious John W. Gardner Leadership Award. The Award was established in 1985 to honor outstanding Americans who exemplify the leadership and the ideals of John W. Chicago, Illinois - Bill Drayton, CEO of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, is in Chicago today to receive the prestigious John W. Gardner Leadership Award. The Award was established in 1985 to honor outstanding Americans who exemplify the leadership and the…

Ashoka In The News
Red Solidaria ("Solidarity Network")

Sarah Johnson

20 Jan 2012 | 9:35 am

Release Date: January 18, 2012 Original URL: http://www.actualidadlocal.net/noticias/8045.html Publication name: Actualidad Local In Argentina, Ashoka Fellow, Juan Carr, works to create a bridge between those who need any type of ... read more
Social Entrepreneurship in Egypt: Challenges and Opportunities

Sarah Johnson

20 Jan 2012 | 9:30 am

Release Date: December 12, 2011 Original URL: http://blogs.worldbank.org/dmblog/social-entrepreneurship-in-egypt-challenges-an... Publication name: World Bank Blog Egyptian Fellow, Ehaab Abdou, discusses the three main challenges facing social entrepreneurship in the MENA region and in particular, in Egypt.
MFI Bandhan wins Skoch Financial Inclusion Award 2012

Sarah Johnson

17 Jan 2012 | 1:31 pm

Release Date: January 5, 2012 Original URL: http://www.microfinancefocus.com/mfi-bandhan-wins-skoch-financial-inclusion-awar... Publication name: Microfinance Focus Ashoka Fellow, Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, receives recognition for his work to alleviate poverty through education and microfinance.
UK ‘social stock exchange’ takes next step as Big Society fund shares out £3.1m from dormant bank accounts

Sarah Johnson

28 Dec 2011 | 9:11 am

Release Date: December 28, 2011 Original URL: http://www.socialenterpriselive.com/section/social-investment/money/20111228/uk-... Publication name: Social Enterprise A new push in Britain has been made to develop a 'social stock exchange,' designed to improve access to capital for social entrepreneurs. read more
Ahige: Los hombres lideran la igualdad de género

Sarah Johnson

28 Dec 2011 | 8:56 am

Release Date: December 27, 2011 Original URL: http://www.compromisoempresarial.com/nombres-propios/organizaciones-responsables... Publication name: Compromiso Empresarial Read more about the work being done by Spanish Fellow, Antonio Garcia Dominguez, to promote gender equality in Europe.

How to Change the World
Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK

GuyKawasaki

20 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm

Over the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are…
Design a Sam Adams beer

GuyKawasaki

20 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am

Now this is a fun project. I’m helping Sam Adams “tap” the knowledge of beer drinkers and crowd source its next brew. Join the party by getting the app and designing your beer: The final brew will be released in Austin in the first week of March. #sponsored
How to Create an Enchanting Financial Forecast #OfficeandGuyK

GuyKawasaki

17 Jan 2012 | 3:52 pm

This is the third post in my Microsoft partnership, and it’s all about numbers. The topic is crafting your financial forecast to include in your pitch. Bill Reichert, my partner at Garage Technology Ventures, created an Excel model and wrote this blog post. There’s a lesson in this too: Get the best person for the job. His grasp of financial models and how to present them exceeds mine by two orders of magnitude. The Purpose of Financial Projections When it comes to financial projections, there are two types of entrepreneurs: first, the “visionary entrepreneur” who…
How to Create an Enchanting Business Plan #OfficeandGuyK

GuyKawasaki

12 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am

Here is the second post in my series about planning, pitching, and launching a new business venture. In partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve created a Word document that outlines a good business plan. It’s saved to my SkyDrive folder here. Feel free to download it and use it as inspiration. And if you’re working with a partner, you can use the free Word Web App to stay in sync. I provided the PowerPoint document before the Word document because a good business plan is an elaboration of a good pitch as opposed to a good pitch being a distillation of good business plan.
How to Create an Enchanting Pitch #OfficeandGuyK

GuyKawasaki

9 Jan 2012 | 10:01 am

Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing as part of a partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps. Over the next two weeks, I’ll cover everything a budding entrepreneur needs to turn an idea into an enchanting investment opportunity—from the perfect pitch to a killer business plan to financial forecasts. I’m going to start with a little dissertation on creating effective PowerPoint pitches for your company. I embedded the sample deck for you to click through by using the PowerPoint Web App. When you’re ready to get started, you can download the…

SustainAbility
How Companies Can Meet the New Demand for Fair Play

26 Jan 2012 | 9:45 am

“Fair” is in the current ether. There is the Occupy Movement, raising questions about the fundamental fiduciary responsibility of corporations and government, whether they are acting (or capable of acting) in the best interests of the public, and how to hold them accountable in any event. There is the ongoing Arab Spring, where another form of citizen power (itself a key inspiration for Occupy) has been challenging and overthrowing regimes across Africa and the Middle East, with emerging reflections and rebounds appearing globally, most recently in Moscow, where suddenly Vladimir…
Rate the Raters cited in Tim Mohin's Top 10 Trends in CSR for 2012

24 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm

Tim Mohin mentions in its Top 10 Trends in CSR for 2012 blog, key findings from the SustainAbility’s Rate the Raters research program. From the article: The “Rate the Raters” report from SustainAbility.com found that more than 100 sets of ratings measure which companies are the most responsible. Read the full article at Forbes
Mark Lee writes on Leadership for Sustainable Brands

23 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

I did not think about it before sitting down this evening (January 16, 2012), but to write about leadership on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is to feel one’s own limitations… Read the full article…
Kyle Whitaker quoted on ways to offset 'conflict mineral' guilt

23 Jan 2012 | 4:08 am

“Conflict minerals” often end up in the most popular electronic gadgets. SustainAbility Manager Kyle Whitaker is featured in a BBC News article exploring how to offset ‘conflict mineral’ guilt. From the article: Whitaker said, “The funny thing about product boycotts is that it can be difficult to get your voice heard. If it is heard, it can be difficult to articulate the message clearly,.” More effective than making a non-statement by refusing to purchase an item is combining voices and resources to get a company’s attention. One way to do that is through…
USCAP Version 2.0

23 Jan 2012 | 3:58 am

The US Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), once the primary spokesman for the corporate sector on climate change in Washington, has gone dormant. Why? The reasons are multiple. Climate legislation is a nonstarter in Washington. The term itself has become toxic, that sharply divides the political left and right. The collapse of Solyndra stands as a poster child for those who wish to see an end to the idea of the “green economy.” A deep recession has pushed environmental issues, and climate change in particular, down the list of priorities among Americans. Sustainability in general is seen…

Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit
Should News Corp’s Anti-Climate Stance Impact its CSR Rating?

CSRHUB

27 Jan 2012 | 4:10 am

Is corporate activism an accurate - or needed - part of the CSR ratings picture? When companies are active in political issues, such as pursuing a negative stance on climate change, how much is this part of their overall picture of corporate sustainability?
Where Sustainability Reporting is Headed: A Preview of the E&Y and GreenBiz Survey

Cindy Mehallow

27 Jan 2012 | 4:08 am

While at the GreenBiz12 Forum in New York earlier this week, I got a sneak preview of the findings of the new Ernst & Young and GreenBiz Group survey of trends in sustainability reporting.
Coal-Fired Closures: More Plants Biting the Dust

Bill DiBenedetto

27 Jan 2012 | 4:07 am

First Energy will close six coal-fired plants this year in another victory for anti-coal groups.
Is There a Better Way to Stop Global Warming?

RP Siegel

27 Jan 2012 | 4:06 am

Most efforts to slow the impact of global warming have focused on reducing carbon emissions, because it is the largest component and, according to the EPA, the most dominant and the fastest growing greenhouse gas. But CO2 is only one of several greenhouse gases. A team of scientists suggest that an easier and possibly more effective approach, at least in the short term, would be to focus on methane and soot.
Why Biodiversity Loss Deserves as Much Attention as Climate Change

Akhila Vijayaraghavan

27 Jan 2012 | 4:05 am

Biodiversity loss is probably a challenge that is often ignored as climate change looms. Currently the world is losing species at a rate that is 100 to 1000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, further, it is currently seeing the sixth mass extinction. The previous mass extinction occured 65 million years ago, and was caused by [...]

Marc Gunther's blog
Ratings, rankings and the world’s most sustainable company

Marc

26 Jan 2012 | 10:53 am

I’m skeptical about efforts to rank and rate green or sustainable companies, and I have been for a time. [See 100 Best Corporate Citizens? What a CROck!] It’s terribly difficult to compare big and small companies, retailers with manufacturers, software firms with oil companies, etc. We once tried at FORTUNE, and gave up because we [...] >
The place in your house you don’t like to go

Marc

24 Jan 2012 | 7:34 pm

I spent the day today at the GreenBiz Forum 12 in New York. I’m a senior writer at GreenBiz, which does a great job producing events. I interviewed Dan Hendrix, the CEO of Interface, who’s picking up where the company’s legendary and visionary founder, Ray Anderson, left off; more here. And I wrote about Israel [...] >
Climate change: It’s time to get ready

Marc

22 Jan 2012 | 11:46 am

This blogpost about climate preparedness is part of the 2012 State of Green Business Report, published by GreenBiz, where I’m a senior writer. You can download a copy of the full report here. Last December, government officials, corporate executives and activists met in Durban, South Africa, for high-level climate talks. They went home with an [...] >
The sharing economy and me

Marc

18 Jan 2012 | 11:28 am

You hear a lot these days about the sharing economy and collaborative consumption, especially if you spend time in northern California. I spent last week in San Francisco, where people told me about AirBnB, which allows people to share their homes or apartments with visitors, RelayRides, Share My Ride and getaround, which allow people to [...] >
Pennies down the drain

Marc

15 Jan 2012 | 11:27 am

Imagine if you had to put a quarter in a slot every time you took a shower at home. Or 50 cents to run the dishwasher. Or $2 to water the grass. You’d think about water differently, wouldn’t you? A San Francisco startup called WaterSmart Software wants to remind people that wasting water is wasting [...] >

Global Envision
How Haiti is fighting poverty by killing cash

Margo Conner

26 Jan 2012 | 1:41 pm

With mobile money, Haitians are able to complete transactions like this one wirelessly. Photo: Karl Grobl for NetAid. This article was republished by The Christian Science Monitor. In Haiti, cash is escaping from wallets and savings accounts are breaking free from brick-and-mortar banks. Two years after 2010’s devastating earthquake, mobile money has taken off in the island nation. While the country has seen setbacks in many areas and continues to struggle, one bright spot is the transformation of the country’s traditional banking sector. Physical banks were wiped away by the quake and…
Need a book? Write your own

Jean Payton

25 Jan 2012 | 11:52 am

Children fill school libraries with their own stories. Photo: United Nations Photo (Flickr)Developing countries face overcrowded classrooms and empty libraries. Students have started addressing this issue by filling shelves with their own stories. Many children in developing countries do not have books to take home or read in class. If they do, they’re usually not translated into local dialects. This means limited use by parents at home, many of whom are also illiterate. UNESCO reported in 2010 that one in five adults is illiterate. Not only learning to read but having easy access to books…
Oliberté tops TOMS by offering fair wages, not free stuff

Monica Gerber

24 Jan 2012 | 4:30 pm

Oliberté manufactures shoes in the same areas where TOMS gives them away for free. Photo: Luke Robinson (Flickr)Last month, I called TOMS's "One for One" model a great marketing tool, but bad aid. Oliberté, a new footwear company being labeled the anti-TOMS, is proving that what Africa needs is fair jobs—not endless dependence on handouts. Oliberté is creating buzz for its commitment to fair labor practices and for the quality of its product. Tal Dehtiar, the Canadian founder of Oliberté, had experience in aid work before starting the company. He’s committed to creating jobs in…
New projects help the poor save as well as borrow

Erik Mandell

24 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

Village savings and loan schemes help the poor save in remote communities like this one in Malawi. Photo: Erik Mandell for MercyCorpsThe world's poorest have long struggled to borrow. Now, an alternative microfinance model is also making it easier for poor people to save. Microfinance institutions have provided lending services to millions of the world’s poor people for several decades. But loans must be paid back, and even traditional microlenders are hesitant to lend money to the poorest of the poor—including those living in some of the most remote and unpopulated communities.
Reinterpreting the Brain Drain

Holly McFarland

24 Jan 2012 | 10:23 am

The departure of skilled workers in the developing world may, contrary to popular belief, do more good than harm. Photo:banoiff (flickr)When educated professionals depart a developing nation, does greater wealth arrive? Some scholars in the international development community are saying farewell to the notion that the ‘brain drain’ hinders impoverished countries from expanding human capital and increasing the growth rate. Exit brain drain. Enter brain gain. The brain drain has long been perceived as a constraint on the progress of developing nations—much-needed doctors, professors,…

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society
Guatemalan National Police Archive Goes Online

25 Jan 2012 | 4:40 pm

Guest Beneblog by Ann HarrisonIn 2006, the Benetech Human Rights Program was asked to participate in one of the most important human rights data projects in the world. The Guatemalan government human rights ombudsman invited the Benetech Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) to analyze the contents of the estimated 80 million documents in the Guatemalan National Police Historical Archive or the Archivo Histórico de la Policía Nacional (AHPN). HRDAG designed a process to randomly sample the Archive and the archivists began using Benetech’s Martus software to organize and secure…
Why We're Blacking Out Sites: PIPA and SOPA

18 Jan 2012 | 9:31 am

In November, I wrote a blog post entitled: Why I’m Scared of the SOPA bill. Part of my objective was to show the unintended consequences of Internet censorship bills like SOPA and PIPA (SOPA's Senate buddy bill), responding to alerts from organizations I trust like the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The Copyright Alliance had the courtesy of engaging with multiple comments in favor of the proposed bills, but they failed to directly address (either a deliberate omission or because it was a robot) my major concerns about two of our main technology programs: the Bookshare online library…
Engineers Without Borders Canada

14 Jan 2012 | 7:36 am

I greatly enjoy talking to students, and I am now in Ottawa, Canada, just having spoken to an incredible group of students, Engineers Without Borders Canada. Now, I had heard of EWB before, but I hadn't grasped how large, sophisticated and ambitious an organization this is!I'm at the annual Canadian EWB conference (each of the EWB country groups is independent of the other), and there are hundreds and hundreds of students here. Mainly engineering students, but as EWB Canada has grown and matured, they've increased the size of their umbrella and welcome non-engineering students. Oh, and at…
A Tale of Two Angels

21 Dec 2011 | 6:59 pm

When I first started pursuing the idea that technology can be harnessed to the cause of social good, it was pretty far out. Now, more than twenty years later, what has become known as social entrepreneurship is a hot global movement that is transforming the ways in which we approach the world’s most pressing problems and in which society organizes itself to solve them. Social entrepreneurship has its own conferences, publications, academic programs and awards. We celebrate the notion that nothing is as powerful as a great idea when put in the hands of a bold entrepreneur, and the…
A Slice of the Joy of Being at Benetech

18 Dec 2011 | 1:06 pm

My job is so much fun! I get to spend most of my time talking to people about social good: what we're doing with technology, what our partners are doing and what the many cool people we get to meet are doing along the way. I realize that it's rare that I can share some of these meetings with our team and with the blogosphere, so here are few tidbits just from last week!The first group was the De Novo Group, co-founded by famed Internet entrepreneur Eric Brewer to take cool, socially beneficial software (often created at UC Berkeley) and bring it to the world. We connected at the recent…

Environmental Management & Energy News
Varian Slashes Redesign Time for RoHS, REACH Compliance

Environmental Leader

27 Jan 2012 | 9:25 am

Varian Medical Systems, a $2.6 billion manufacturer of medical devices and software, is reducing its time to implement engineering changes from 18 to five days with two sustainability products from SAP. Using the SAP Environment, Health, and Safety Management application with product compliance functionality and the SAP Product Life Cycle Management application, Varian says it’s [...]
Policy & Enforcement Briefing: Manufacturing Tax Credit, Natural Gas Drilling, Ener1 Chapter 11, Tier 3 Emissions

Environmental Leader

27 Jan 2012 | 9:25 am

The White House has released more details about the manufacturing efficiency incentives that President Obama announced in his State of the Union address Thursday. The proposed $5 billion in incentives aren’t new, but – if passed by Congress – are an extension to the Recovery Act’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit awarding a 30 percent rebate on qualified [...]
Calgon Launches Products to Control Mercury Emissions

Environmental Leader

27 Jan 2012 | 8:49 am

Calgon Carbon Corporation has launched an advanced line of its Fluepac products aimed at controlling mercury emissions in the coal-fired electric power generation market. The new line, which includes the Fluepac MC+ Ultra, Fluepac MC Maxx and Fluepac ST, can reduce carbon injection rates by 50 to 70 percent below that of standard products, while [...]
Hospital Energy Management Tips

Environmental Leader

27 Jan 2012 | 8:45 am

Ian Buckle discusses hospital energy management in this Energy Live News interview.
Software Briefing: NCC Group, Ryder, SAIC and ThinkEco

Environmental Leader

27 Jan 2012 | 8:22 am

Nordic region-based construction and property development firm NCC Group is to start using CA Technologies’ CA ecoSoftware energy and sustainability management system. NCC hopes to use the product to automate its carbon reporting and lower its emissions. Transportation and supply chain management company Ryder System Inc. has launched “RydeSmart 3.0,” the next generation of its [...]

Have Fun • Do Good
Martha Beck Interview: Finding Your Way in a Wild New World

Britt Bravo

25 Jan 2012 | 11:35 am

We’ve proliferated and thrived because we never stop playing, and the way to cope with the increasing complexity of the wild new world is to play more. --Martha Beck, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World Like many of you, I know Martha Beck fromher O Magazine column (it's the first thing I read), and her many self-help books (e.g. Finding Your Own North Star, The Joy Diet). She always delivers good advice with a healthy dose of humor. When I signed up for her mailing list in the fall of 2010, I received a PDF of the first chapter of her book-in-progress with the working title, The…
Tea, Cupcakes and Creative Bloggers in Your Town

Britt Bravo

24 Jan 2012 | 12:05 pm

A couple weekends ago I facilitated a 3-hour Tea, Cupcakes and Creative Bloggers workshop at Teahouse Studio. It was so much fun, I want to teach it again soon. I'm planning on offering it at Teahouse again in the fall, but am also looking for other venues for this spring and summer. If you know of a place that might like to host a TCCB gathering/workshop in the Bay Area and beyond, let me know in the comments, or email me at britt AT brittbravo DOT com. Maybe I can combine visiting your town with a vacation! Cupcakes by Batter and Dough Here are some of the nice things that the ladies…
Your Free Winter 2012 Big Vision Worksheet (Jan/Feb)

Britt Bravo

23 Jan 2012 | 1:06 pm

Happy Chinese New Year, Have Fun * Do Gooders! To celebrate the New Year and new moon, here's a bee-you-tea-full Big Vision Worksheet (illustrated by the hubs) for you to record some of your goals for the year, season, and lunar month. You can download the PDF for free from Dropbox by clicking here. Instead of listing numbers beneath each category (like we've done in the past), we left the space open so that you can write a little, a lot, a list, or a paragraph. Enjoy! Tweet
Juicy Blogging E-Course Starts January 25

Britt Bravo

16 Jan 2012 | 5:40 pm

Just a quick reminder for folks interested in taking the Juicy Blogging e-Course that the early registration discount ends January 18th. The class begins January 25th. You can join the e-course on brittbravo.com (gift certificates are available!), and find out about upcoming classes by subscribing to the Juicy Blogging eNews. We'll do three kinds of fun-work during the 4-week class: Reflection questions to refine your blog’s purpose Connection assignments to build community and traffic Creative and juicy blog post prompts to get you writing Past students have said…
Have You Called Your Grandma Lately?

Britt Bravo

12 Jan 2012 | 3:59 pm

My Gram I called my grandma today just 'cause she's awesome, and because I was moved by Kimberly Wilson's post i heart my gramma about her 99-year-old grandma's transition into hospice care. If you have a special older person in your life, why not give them a call, or send them a card today? I'm sure they'll appreciate it, and you can tell them how much you love them. Feel free to share a little about the awesome older person in your life in the comments. You can read a little about my grandma in my 2006 post, How to Look Fabu at Any Age: A Little Tribute to My Grandma. Tweet

Greenbang
World’s oceans sing ‘green-economy’ blues

Greenbang

27 Jan 2012 | 3:27 pm

While we’ve focused plenty of attention and energy on the need for a low-carbon economy over the last several years, one big part of the picture often gets overlooked: the world’s oceans. That’s a major oversight, considering all the sustainability challenges related to the marine environment: There is, of course, ever more dissolved carbon dioxide and the increasing acidity of ocean water — both effects of rising atmospheric carbon levels and both a threat to numerous species of marine life. Then there’s the “Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch,” a…
The secret to a green economy? Data first, then decisions

Greenbang

27 Jan 2012 | 2:06 pm

The energy revolution might not necessarily be televised, but it will increasingly be monitored, measured and automated to push “intelligent efficiency” up to once-unimaginable levels. For an idea of what that revolution could look like, consider a cluster of around 30 commercial and industrial buildings in an area west of London. Part of a £30-million project called the New Thames Valley Vision (NTVV), the investment here pales in comparison to billions pouring in to build London-area venues for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Over the long term, though, the impact of this project…
Below NYC’s East River, a test energy farm is set to bloom

Greenbang

27 Jan 2012 | 11:46 am

Imagine dozens, maybe even hundreds, of towering turbines, spinning in concert to generate a steady, non-polluting supply of electricity for a city somewhere. The array looks almost like any other wind farm … only residents of the city can’t see it. That’s because those turbines are below the surface of the city river, producing power from the continual flow of water downstream. It’s called hydrokinetic power, and there’s a growing effort around the world to tap into it. After all, with nearly three-fourths of the Earth’s surface covered by water, much of…
World energy outlook: High demand, higher prices

Greenbang

26 Jan 2012 | 6:20 pm

The US will produce 20 percent more crude oil a decade from now, become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2016 and will see energy-related carbon dioxide emissions stay below 2005 levels all the way through 2035 … if current laws and regulations remain unchanged. That’s a big if, of course. But that’s what the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) sees in the country’s energy future under status quo circumstances. Released this week, the EIA’s “Early Release Reference” case provides a sneak preview of the agency’s Annual Energy…
Is the post-cheap-oil, de-globalized future upon us?

Greenbang

26 Jan 2012 | 2:11 pm

President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address this week highlighted a lot of issues related to energy and sustainability, sandwiched between opening and closing nods to the military. Which, when you consider the oil-rich hotspots where US armed forces have been engaged lately and how much fuel the military itself consumes, is also an issue related to energy and sustainability. Coming from a leader who has emphasized the need for clean energy and advanced technology development throughout the first three years of his term, most of Obama’s speech wasn’t surprising in…

GlobalGiving Blog - News and Updates
Animals for Autism

GlobalGiving

27 Jan 2012 | 3:23 pm

In 2010, Pepsi created the Pepsi Refresh Project to support projects that have a positive impact in local communities across America. Pepsi believes good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere and anytime and so they decided to be the catalyst for bringing them to reality. The projects were voted on and chosen by Americans and the result: more than 1.2 million people impacted across the country through more than 1,000 grants awarded in 345 cities and 45 states. GlobalGiving is honored to be a part of this program. We work with agency partners and grantees to administer, disburse, and monitor…
Listening to Community Feedback

acarlman

3 Nov 2011 | 1:25 pm

By Emily Bell, GlobalGiving’s Unmarketing Intern The number of rapes and sexual assaults reported around the world each year is rarely indicative of the size and severity of the problem. In Africa especially, rape is underreported and perpetrators are seldom convicted. In his recent article In This Rape Center, the Patient Was 3, Nicholas Kristof wrotethat “women and girls ages 15 to 44 are more likely to be maimed or killed by men than by malaria, cancer, war or traffic accidents combined.” I’m not quite sure how anyone can take in that statistic. Mrembo project leaders talk…
GlobalGiving Gets More Money to the Ground with FXecute

acarlman

1 Nov 2011 | 2:20 pm

It’s a great week to be a GlobalGiving nonprofit partner (and donor!). We’re excited to share the news that we’ve launched a new system of payment disbursements that will save most of our international partners a significant amount of money. Hooray! GlobalGiving is now implementing a new donation disbursement method for our international partners called FXecute. When compared to a traditional bank wire transfer, FXecute promises to save our international partners collectively hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in wire transfer fees and currency exchange premiums, getting more of…
Learning from one another – curating dialogue on Facebook

manmeet mehta

19 Oct 2011 | 4:52 pm

Do you remember asking a classmate to help you with your homework? Perhaps they owed you a favor because you’d helped them with something else? There are many intellectual, cultural and social reasons for asking friends and colleagues for help, but what is quite fascinating to me is the manner in which we respond to one another. When we engage with others’ success and failures, we learn. Development experts have a buzzword for this type of peer learning; they call it “collaboration.” At GlobalGiving we crowdsource new partnerships with non-profit organizations that have expressed…
thank you – HP’s innovative pilot for employee recognition

nkukowski

23 Sep 2011 | 10:55 am

Volunteering and giving have always been a large part of employee culture at Hewlett Packard, whether it be Global Impact Days or through the Office of Social Innovation’s technology and education programs. Recently, HP launched a pilot program to use GG gift cards to simply say, thank you. Ahead of the curve on recently emerging Harvard Business School research on what drives employee happiness and motivation, HP is using our e-gift cards to recognize employee volunteers who report their volunteer hours each month. Every HP employee, worldwide, who reports their hours, receives a $25…

GlobalGiving Projects - Just added
Provide affordable water to villagers in Kerala

Sylas VP

26 Jan 2012 | 1:57 pm

$10 — pay for 1 construction worker daily wage$25 — provide right to construct harvesting system on a plot of land$50 — buy 25 cubic feet of sand to construct a systemSummaryBy building cost effective rainwater harvesting structures and training women to be the entrepreneurs, Rainwater for Humanity provide water to improve community health, increase financial savings and empower women in the Kuttanad region of Kerala, India.Project Needs and BeneficiariesMost of 700,000 Kuttanad residents have no access to clean water. Waste, pesticides, and…
Protecting The Protectors

Leena Fernandez

26 Jan 2012 | 10:56 am

$10 — will provide accident insurance and medical benefits to 3 forest guards for one year.$20 — will insure 6 guards against death and disability and provide medical benefits for one year.$1000 — will provide ex gratia relief to one forest guard and his family in special circumstances.SummaryBraving harsh field conditions every day, India's forest guards often risk their lives facing well-armed wildlife criminals to safeguard the country's natural heritage. Wildlife Trust of India's Guardians of the Wild project currently insures 18,000 forest…
Empower over 100 Malian children through education

Barry Hoffner

25 Jan 2012 | 2:16 pm

$10 — will provide meals for 1 student for 1 semester$15 — will allow 1 student to attend school for 1 month$55 — will pay for a chalkboard for a classroomSummaryIn early 2011, Caravan to Class built a school in Tedeini, Mali to give children in the village the opportunity to receive an education. In the first year, school enrollment in Tedeini increased by 500 percent. Caravan to Class has hired certified teachers from Timbuktu to provide the best quality education. We also provide two free meals daily as well as school uniforms and other…
Special Initiative for Girls No Abuse for Life

Nick Hansen

24 Jan 2012 | 4:18 pm

$10 — will provide a weeks supply of craft materials for one girl$25 — will provide one new set of clothes for one girl$50 — will provide support and help in the community for one girl for one monthSummaryAnother NGO working in Patna, the Bihar State Capital here in India reported that 90% of female street children disappeared from the local streets after 13 years of age. Our Staff have 15 minutes from a missing or lost girl arriving at the station to find them before someone else does. This totally new initiative aims to give female street…
Help Children with Cancer Access Treatment!

Vlad Litvinov

24 Jan 2012 | 4:06 pm

$10 — will pay for a blood test$25 — will pay for biochemistry panel$50 — will pay for blood administration setSummaryFormer Soviet Union countries, including those in Central Asia, often lack adequate facilities, medications, and trained oncologists to serve children with cancer. As a result, families have to travel abroad to nearby countries, such as Israel or Germany, to bring their children for treatment. As non-residents, they pay full costs of treatment, which is lengthy and very expensive. Our project will issue grants of up to $1000 to…

Cleantech Blog
Gartner Forecasts 100,000 Electric Car Sales for 2012

John Addison

24 Jan 2012 | 10:31 am

from original post at Clean Fleet Report Gartner, the largest technology market research firm, is forecasting 100,000 electric car sales in 2012 in the United States. Yesterday, I took in the presentation at the SV Forum and then talked with Thilo Koslowski, Vice President of Gartner’s Automotive and Vehicle Practice. He acknowledged that 100,000 is [...]
U.S. Water Infrastructure: FAIL (Almost)

Richard T. Stuebi

23 Jan 2012 | 6:57 am

The Water Innovations Alliance (WIA) recently completed an assessment of the state of the U.S. water infrastructure, which was given an overall grade of D- by the American Society of Civil Engineers in its most recent infrastructure report card. Underlying that nearly failing grade, the WIA produced some startling statistics in a recent newsletter (not yet posted to [...]
Ford Expands Customer Choice – Lowers Manufacturing Cost

John Addison

17 Jan 2012 | 8:58 am

original post at Clean Fleet Report The new Ford Fusion gives car owners unprecedented choice in powertrains and fuel economy. The Ford Fusion can be offered with an efficient EcoBoost engine or as a hybrid with better mileage than any midsized sedan or as a plug-in hybrid that allows many trips to use zero gasoline. [...]
Is Sodium Sulfur (NaS) Battery a viable Grid Energy Storage Solution?

David Anthony

16 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

On September 21st, 2011, sodium-sulfur (NAS) batteries installed at Mitsubishi Materials Corp’s Tsukuba Plant, Japan, caught on fire. It took firefighters more than 8 hours to control the blaze, and two weeks to extinguish the fire. NGK Insulators Ltd., the company that manufactured the energy storage system, said the fire authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire. NGK has suspended production of its NAS cells, and advised customers around the world refrain from using their batteries until it tracks down the cause of the fire and finds a solution.
Blue Is The New Green

Richard T. Stuebi

16 Jan 2012 | 6:21 am

I don’t know exactly when “green” became the de facto official color of environmentalism, but it dates back at least to the 1970s, when European political parties rooted in ardent environmental positions took the name “Green”. But, as Paul Markille noted in The Economist‘s excellent annual round-up of speculations for the new year — “The World [...]

Echoing Green - Think Big. Be Bold. Drive Change.
What We're Noticing About 2012 Applicants

Lara Galinsky

26 Jan 2012 | 7:32 am

Echoing-Green-What-Were-Noticing-Title.jpg It’s always encouraging and, frankly, fun to dive in the statistics of our Fellowship applicants. As one of the few open seed funding processes for social entrepreneurs, we're often one of the first to notice emerging trends in the sector. Here are a few. The 2012 Echoing Green Fellowship and Black Male Achievement Fellowship application process officially closed two weeks ago, and we’ve been hard at work evaluating all 3,508 applications—an increase of 23 percent over last year, and a staggering 228 percent increase from 2010. We had…
Advice to Aspiring Social Entrepreneurs

Jay Geneske

24 Jan 2012 | 10:01 am

Echoing-Green-Jodie-Wu-TED-Conversation.jpg Jodie Wu 2010 Echoing Green Fellow Jodie Wu recently led a conversation on TED.com centered around advice to aspiring social entrepreneurs. We've excerpted moments of the conversation below. Click here to view the full transcript. How do I know if a business is the right way to make the difference to the area I want to explore? I'd say let it grow organically. Start it on the side, and then when it starts taking off, then you turn it into a business. I started Global Cycle Solutions with intentions of going back to grad school after 6 months, but…
The Buzz 1-20-12

nidhi

22 Jan 2012 | 10:10 pm

Whispering 3-4-11.jpg Our quick read on the top tweets, news, and buzz circulating in the field of changemaking for the past couple of weeks. Tell us, what's got you talking? And what do you want to be talking about? Bronnie Ware, who has been a palliative care nurse for many years, shares the most common regrets people share on their deathbeds. You might even be able to come up with them without reading her moving essay. Don’t let them be your regrets. http://ht.ly/8CjTb Researchers at Harvard Business School have been analyzing data on social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship as a…
Social Impact Jobs: January

Lara Galinsky

20 Jan 2012 | 4:34 pm

parkouregypt.jpg A new year marks new opportunities to bring purpose to your career and life. My team and I have been discussing articles like "Five Lessons from World Changers" by John Coleman that declare the need for more purpose-driven individuals to address challenges facing the world. Coleman's Passion & Purpose survey found that one of the top three reasons graduate students chose a workplace was the "opportunity to impact the world." This is exciting to hear. If you are looking for a workplace that aligns with your purpose, take a look below. This month’s social impact job…
Time for Change in Haiti

nidhi

18 Jan 2012 | 2:58 pm

01-Haiti.jpg Peter Haas 2006 Echoing Green Fellow Peter Haas shares a powerful essay on the two year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. This post was reprinted from the TED Blog. Today is the two-year anniversary of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and I wanted to write a positive article about the good projects I have seen there. Unfortunately after reflecting, I felt that it would be a disservice to all the people still living in camps; it would be a disservice to all those who have been evicted. Things are getting better and will improve in the coming year in Haiti, but we are a long…

GreenBiz.com Green and Sustainable Business News
At Davos, Debating the Myth or Reality of Green Growth

Peter Lacy

27 Jan 2012 | 10:33 pm

Unsurprisingly, growth is an issue that's front and center at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year. But although the rhetoric about the need for innovation and resource-constrained growth is steady, progress by any measure is falling short.
California Adopts Landmark Clean Car Standards

Simon Mui

27 Jan 2012 | 2:55 pm

A rule adopted unanimously today by the California Air Resources Board will steadily and rapidly improve fuel efficiency of cars sold in the state, while also reducing the pollution they emit.
GE, Bayer, BASF Join Other Top Firms in UN Climate Adaptation Project

Tilde Herrera

27 Jan 2012 | 1:42 pm

The UN unveiled a new database yesterday spotlighting how companies around the world are adapting to climate change.
Is This the World's Best 'Greenest Companies' List?

Marc Gunther

27 Jan 2012 | 1:09 pm

Despite having long been skeptical of the ability to create any meaningful ranking of the world's most sustainable companies, I'm impressed by the list that was just put out by the Canadian magazine Corporate Knights.
Varian Puts Its Supply Chain Under the Scope Ahead of RoHS 2.0

Tilde Herrera

27 Jan 2012 | 6:45 am

With just three years available to squeeze lead, mercury, cadmium and other toxic materials from their products, manufacturers like Varian Medical Systems are scrambling to ensure compliance with the new rules.

AfriGadget
Gigantic Electronics extension cable

JKE

23 Jan 2012 | 9:20 am

“Safety First!”, you may think while watching the following video, but if the cheap (Chinese) polyethylene (?) extension cables just break too often due to rough handling and their low quality, chances are that someone will come up with an alternative. Like this young man in Kenya: (no subtitles available on this one, sorry) A young man from Kiandutu slums in Thika had always wanted to be an electrical engineer, but lack of fees denied him a chance to further his studies. And yet this has not dampen his resolve to put his mark on the world of electrical engineering.For starters,…
A mobile phone security system for your car

Erik Hersman

23 Aug 2011 | 4:07 am

In Nyeri, Kenya a young man named Peterson Mwangi has created a way to start and switch off a car engine, via an SMS command from his cell phone. This is a lot like Morris Mbetsa’s anti-theft vehicle system using SMS of a couple years ago.
Emargence Door Exit

JKE

29 May 2011 | 8:15 pm

Imagineering is what it’s all about – wouldn’t you have wanted to build your own helicopter from scratch when you were 17 years old? Joseph Omwoyo, a young Kenyan form-four student in Western Kenya, did just that and built his own version, using locally available materials. It doesn’t fly, nor does it look like it will ever take off – but what really matters is that a young boy with limited resources still had the energy to fulfill his dream: “…Omwoyo says he got the idea while in Form One when he, together with his colleagues, toured the Kisumu…
Retain, Reuse, Rejoice

JKE

12 Apr 2011 | 7:02 pm

We’re currently fighting a bug that has affected our server [Update: Fixed! ], hence the long delay in updating this wonderful blog. Also, we recommend subscribing to this blog (because the bug doesn’t show up on our feed), so if you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to the AfriGadget RSS feed. Thank you! So… “what do you do with old billboard posters”, asks Kenyan bloggger Daudi “Mentalacrobatics” Were on his Posterous site – and instantly delivers the following snapshot: “Apply Nairobi ingenuity and waterproof your…
Lamutiki

JKE

27 Jan 2011 | 9:41 pm

Anyone remembers David Mayer de Rothschild’s Plastiki, “a 60 feet (18 m) catamaran made out of 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and other recycled PET plastic and waste products” that successfully conquered the Pacific Ocean last year? Well, it seems this young man from Lamu (Kenya) had a similar idea and is in the process of building his own plastic bottle boat. Our reader Arthur Buliva from Kenya just sent us these pictures with the following explanation: I was in Lamu recently and came across this man who was making a boat out of plastic bottles and old slippers. He was…

Timbuktu Chronicles
Birritu Express - Online Money Exchange Service

Emeka Okafor

27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

Tadias reports: “Birritu Express was created by Ethiopians to meet the specific needs of the global Ethiopian community “It is designed to be the most inexpensive, convenient and secure way to transfer funds to Ethiopia from abroad.” The Ethiopian Diaspora’s annual income is estimated to be tens of billions of dollars , about equal to Ethiopia’s gross domestic product, according to Precise Consult International, organizers of The World Bank and USAID backed annual Ethiopian Diaspora business conference. Crude calculations using remittance figures ($1.1 billion in the first 9 months…
'Mediated Matter'

Emeka Okafor

26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

From the MIT Media Lab: Mediated Matter research integrates computational form-finding strategies with biologically inspired fabrication in order to enhance the relation between natural and man-made environments. The group seeks to establish new forms of design, and novel processes of material practice at the intersection of computer science, material engineering, design and ecology.
Caranda Ginger January

Emeka Okafor

25 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am

From Caranda Fine Foods,the bracing delights of Ginger Tea: Image courtesy of Caranda Ginger is a very special herb or spice with significant healing powers and soothing magic. This amazing herb enhances the teas that we have selected for you with a bright, clean taste of a mild yet spicy ginger note. The flavor is an upper note of an earthy spice in our Ginger Nectar Rooibos Herb Tea. The Rooibos introduces an even honey note. If you enjoy the kick of ginger then also travel to the world of our green teas. We are pleased to offer our Sencha Ginger Green Tea. The lemon verbena and lavender…
Activespaces | An Incubator

Emeka Okafor

25 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

The VOA reports on Activspaces: Image courtesy of Africa News Zinger Systems began as a business idea in the minds of a few Cameroonian entrepreneurs. After they spent one year developing their academic software and business model at Activspaces, a technology hub in southwest of the country, they eventually launched their business and now employ eight people. Activspaces is a shared office space where designers, software developers, artists and more can gather. “We’ve realized that many enterprising techies work in isolation in Cameroon," said the space's community manager, Al Banda.
Mifuko

Emeka Okafor

24 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

Along the Helsinki-Nairobi-axis Mifuko Oy is a Finnish design company, which co-operates with several small artisan workshops in Kenya...While the designs are done by Finnish artists they are inspired by the colours, textures and vibrancy of Africa. Every product is designed in such a way as to utilize traditional craftsmanship and available materials.

Startup Africa
Angel Hub Launches Founders Dinner

admin

26 Jan 2012 | 3:26 am

In addition to periodic ‘deal pitching’ sessions, AngelHub is launching a monthly high-touch networking platform by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs in 2012. The events are targeted at getting founders (and prospective founders) of interesting high-growth ventures together for meaningful conversations on shared experiences. Rather than a traditional networking event where one needs to delicately balance a drink and cocktail snacks in one hand while exchanging awkward handshakes and business cards with the other, Founders Dinners will take the form of, well… a casual dinner. One…
Silicon Cape – VC Office Hours

admin

20 Jan 2012 | 1:38 am

Silicon Cape has just launched VC office hours, where you as a start-up entrepreneurs can sit for 30 minutes with a VC and bounce ideas off them, discuss your project etc. I suspect #Johannesburg is going to loose the battle to be the technology hub of South Africa, unless similar projects are done soon here. As part of Silicon Cape Initiatives’s goal of creating more and better start-ups we would like to announce a new monthly initiative: VC Office Hours. This is great opportunity for you to ask an investor specific questions about the funding process, how to apply for funding, or…
Gauteng Innovation Competition

Ismail Dhorat

11 Jan 2012 | 2:20 am

The Gauteng Innovation Competition is an initiative of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development, through its agency BlueIQ and implemented under The Innovation Hub. The Innovation Hub has partnered with mLab Southern Africa for the inaugural competition. Entries are invited that include innovative technologies and solutions, or novel business and implementation models in the two themes of mobile and green technologies. Rather than simply rewarding innovation that contributes to government service delivery with a focus on Gauteng Province, the competition is aimed at growing enterprises…
African News Innovation Challenge – $ 1 Million

Ismail Dhorat

5 Jan 2012 | 3:15 am

The African Media Initiative (AMI), the continent’s largest association of media owners and operators, has announced a $1 million fund to spur innovation in the news industry. The new African News Innovation Challenge (ANIC) is designed to encourage experimentation in digital technologies and support the best innovations that strengthen African news organizations. AMI chief executive Amadou Mahtar Ba first announced the fund at the 4th African Media Leaders Forum in Tunisia on November 10. This week, Ba confirmed that Omidyar Network, Google, the John S. and James L. Knight…
Festival of Mobile – Mobile Web in Africa 2011

Khalil Aleker

1 Nov 2011 | 4:43 am

All Amber Ltd, the organiser of premier mobile-related events in Africa, today announced plans for its third annual Mobile Web in Africa conference. The series of events, which will take place in the week of 21st November 2011, will cater to the entire range of individuals involved in the African mobile sector. The events include the end of year Mobile Monday Jo’burg celebration, a day dedicated entirely to Mobile Marketing and the flagship two-day Mobile Web in Africa conference and culminate in a workshop day led by international experts Tomi Ahonen and Marc Smith. The ambitious plans…

let there d.light!
d.light makes finalist at Zayed Future Energy Prize

20 Jan 2012 | 5:29 pm

d.light was a finalist in the 2012 Zayed Future Energy Prize, which was awarded on Jan. 17 at the World Future Energy Summit, currently happening in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.We are grateful that d.light continues to receive recognition for the work we are doing to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable solar energy to the 2.6 billion people in the world who don’t have access to reliable electricity. We are honored to be on a list of amazing finalists that included Acumen Fund, one of d.light's investors.d.light would like to salute the…
It's not too late to ‘Give Light’ for the holidays

26 Dec 2011 | 8:44 pm

Our partner Kopernik, a non-profit organization connecting life-changing technologies to communities in need, has an idea for a holiday gift we can guarantee will not end up buried in a closet: a d.light S250. Kopernik is offering our flagship solar-powered lantern and mobile phone charger for a discounted holiday price. Please consider giving a gift of light to a family living without electricity.Living off-grid can impede the economic progress of families because it forces them to depend on kerosene, which is expensive, harmful to health and can cause fatal fires. Please…
We are on Forbes' 'List of the Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs'

1 Dec 2011 | 12:28 pm

Forbes has just released a list of top 30 social entrepreneurs who are changing the world, and my co-founder Ned Tozun and I are among them! Forbes says the list known as the Impact 30 is the first of its kind in the magazine’s 94-year history.“Unlike millions of us who recognize some kind of problem, feel a pang of hopelessness, and move on [the 30 entrepreneurs] shifted careers and set about fixing the problems they saw in the world,” the Forbes article says.Read Forbes’ profile of d.light and the Impact 30 list.
Help our partner Kopernik get d.light lanterns to people in need

15 Nov 2011 | 1:08 pm

Chase Community Giving is giving away $3 million in grants to 100 small local charities, and Kopernik – our partner NGO who distributes d.light solar lanterns to poor, bottom of the pyramid communities – needs your help to win. All you need to do is vote via Facebook.Voting is easy, just follow these steps:1. Click here and “Like” the Chase Community Giving App on the top left of your page.2. Click the green “Vote and share” button for your vote to count towards Kopernik.3. Encourage your friends and family to do the…
Acclaimed photographer working with d.light to document 'Life Without Lights'

9 Nov 2011 | 10:05 pm

“Electricity is the steps that allow us to walk,” Khulaf Mohammed Qochakh told me.Qochakh was an older man living in the town of Binika, in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. He was old enough to remember a time before conflict when Binika still had electricity.That was half a lifetime ago.He went on to list the ways electricity affected his small village. When they had electricity they could pump water into the village, he said. They had better schools, and the children could study longer. But when they lost electricity 17 years ago, they resorted to a community…

Untangled
[···]

jclark

24 Jan 2012 | 11:32 am
Paperwork

jclark

9 Jan 2012 | 11:10 am
You Can't Change

jclark

27 Sep 2011 | 12:09 pm
Conceptually

jclark

13 Sep 2011 | 1:14 pm
No more deckled edges?

jclark

18 Apr 2011 | 12:19 pm

Creating a World Without Poverty
Everyone Can Offer Something

grameenfoundation

24 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

Emily Gordon is a graduate of Lehigh University, where she studied International Relations, Spanish, and Business. She spent a semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina studying foreign relations and working with a human rights organization. Emily has worked with a variety of international non-profits, including interning with Grameen Foundation’s Bankers without Borders program in 2011. Emily Gordon’s experience as an intern with Grameen Foundation’s Bankers without Borders® volunteer initiative showed her that “Everyone can offer something when it comes to making the world a better…
CEOs Release “Road Map for the Microfinance Industry”

grameenfoundation

18 Jan 2012 | 9:48 am

The founding members of the Microfinance CEO Working Group — which includes the CEOs of pioneering microfinance organizations ACCION, FINCA, Freedom from Hunger, Grameen Foundation USA, Opportunity International, Pro Mujer, VisionFund International and Women’s World Banking — have just released the “Road Map for the Microfinance Industry: Focusing on Responsible and Client-Centered Microfinance.” This document outlines the Working Group members’ vision for the positive evolution of the microfinance field and underscores their commitment to raising industry standards,…
Progress In Haiti, Two Years Later

grameenfoundation

12 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am

Alex Counts is president, CEO and founder of Grameen Foundation, and author of several books, including Small Loans, Big Dreams: How Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance are Changing the World. Two years ago today, a massive earthquake devastated Haiti. Some 250,000 people perished among a population of about 9 million. Not only did this disaster kill a greater proportion of a nation’s population than any other in history, but it toppled thousands of homes and buildings, destroyed cultural treasures such as the national cathedral and killed dozens of U.N. workers,…
Giving India’s Poor a New Way to Save

grameenfoundation

5 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am

Santosh Daniel is the project manager for Grameen Foundation’s Microsavings Initiative in India. Anju Jaiswal lives in a remote village of Dheena in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, where she and her husband, Ghanshyam, own a small kirana, or grocery. Using a loan from Cashpor, a local microfinance institution (MFI), Anju is able to stock her family’s store with vegetables, provisions and other essential household items. Her store serves the surrounding agricultural community, which can make earning a regular income challenging as most of her clients have seasonal farm jobs. She…
Tackling the Challenges of Offering Voluntary Savings to the Poor

grameenfoundation

23 Dec 2011 | 9:04 am

Leo Tobias is Grameen Foundation’s Technology Program Manager of the Solutions for the Poorest Microsavings Initiative. Offering savings programs for the poor can be challenging. First, the microfinance institutions (MFIs) that want to offer these services are competing with a variety of alternatives, such as home-based savings (under mattresses, in strongboxes, etc.), or keeping money with relatives or neighbors. Second, offering savings products fundamentally changes the relationship between the MFI and its customers. When clients only want loans, making that the primary purpose for…

From Poverty to Power by Duncan Green
Wrapping up the great Nairobi guesthouse pool debate

Duncan

27 Jan 2012 | 1:22 am

Wow. Hit a nerve there. I’m both gratified and slightly appalled by the level of interest generated by Wednesday’s post on the development-critical issue of whether Oxfam should keep the pool at its Nairobi guesthouse shut. For those people without the time or inclination to trawl through over 60 comments, here’s a summary. First the voting – deeply unscientific, self selecting, but at least the software doesn’t let you vote more than once from the same machine. Of the 654 votes cast to date: •Open the pool, provided it operates at zero cost to Oxfam gets 59% •Open the pool…
The realtime challenge: some cutting edge data-gathering from the UN (yep, you heard that right)

Duncan

26 Jan 2012 | 3:31 am

Fascinating ten minute presentation of five ground-breaking data crunching exercises from the UN’s Global Pulse, aimed at following realtime events. The first uses mobile phones to survey wellbeing around the world as a first step to inform the design of more exhaustive surveys. Next up is using prices of online food (e.g. on supermarket websites) as a low-cost, realtime way to follow food prices. Third is tracking shifts in global discussions by tracking news coverage via key words and phrases and watching how they evolve over time. Fourth is using online conversations (eg blogs, twitter)…
The great Nairobi guesthouse swimming pool dilemma – cast your vote now……

Duncan

25 Jan 2012 | 3:09 am

Nairobi is a major NGO hub, currently the epicentre of the drought relief effort, and Oxfam’s regional office realized some years ago that we could save a pile of money if we ran our own guesthouse, rather than park the numerous visitors in over-priced hotels. It’s nothing fancy, definitely wouldn’t get many stars, but it’s much more relaxed than a hotel and a brilliant place to meet the kind of people I profiled recently. It’s really rather unique. But there’s a problem. As a large converted house in a nice part of town, and like most such houses in…
Best blog awards; Dodd-Frank and Africa; India miscellany – high tech, low tech and anti-corruption; creme that egg: links I liked

Duncan

24 Jan 2012 | 1:15 am

Nominations for the ABBAs – Aid Bloggers’ Best Awards (how contorted an acronym is that?) are now open, asking for suggestions in about a dozen different categories – closing date is 27 Jan, so get stuck in. And while we are navel-gazing, here are last year’s ABBA winner Chris Blattman’s ten steps to better blogging – nothing revelatory, but useful Todd Moss summarizes the good and bad bits for Africa of the US Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation India miscellany: The Economist hails the efficiency of India’s ‘unique identity’ (UID) biometric scheme, which this…
What’s going on with global inequality? Let’s ask Andy Sumner……

Duncan

23 Jan 2012 | 1:05 am

When I was asking around about last week’s paper on the G20 and inequality, ace number cruncher Andy Sumner emailed to say that talking about inequality in terms of the Gini index is terribly old hat, and these days, everyone is trying out different indicators. So I went back to his July summary of the latest research on within-country inequality on Global Dashboard, and I have to say, it is brilliant. Some highlights http://www.globaldashboard.org/2011/07/01/what%E2%80%99s-really-happening-to-inequality/ ‘What’s happening to within-country inequality isn’t immediately clear. The new…

CIPE Development Blog
A Democratic Opportunity in Kuwait

Dina Abi-Rached

27 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am

Democracy can be messy, and Kuwait has been called a “mess.” Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya have recently shown how hard it is to build new democracies on the rubble of authoritarian systems. But unlike citizens of those countries, when Kuwaitis go to the polls on February 2, they will have a history of real (if flawed) democracy to guide them.
Egypt, One Year Later

Nate Grubman

25 Jan 2012 | 4:55 pm

The year that has followed the Egyptian uprising has been contentious and pocked by crises, in some ways making elusive that better life that Egyptians seek. By agreeing that delivering a better life to the average person should be the top priority, however, Egyptians may find ground for consensus that could make their transition smoother.
Women’s world

Anna Nadgrodkiewicz

23 Jan 2012 | 12:33 pm

In his recent reaction to Angelina Jolie's new movie In the Land of Blood and Honey, Steve Clemons, Washington editor at large for The Atlantic and editor in chief of Atlantic Live, talks about the broader issues it raises: the issues of women’s empowerment around the world. He explains how initiatives such as CIPE's editorial cartoon contest can increase awareness and generate a viral edginess...
Growing through Governance

Lauren Citrome

20 Jan 2012 | 10:35 am

How do countries make economic growth work for everyone? Some point to improving access to quality education and other programs that level the playing field for those born with fewer opportunities in life. More than specific social policies, however, are necessary to sustain inclusive economic growth over extended periods of time. Democratic governance in economic decision-making is essential.
Good News on Corruption

Jon Custer

19 Jan 2012 | 1:38 pm

It's unusual to hear good news when it comes to corruption, but 2011 was an unusual year. With citizens around the world rising up to protest against tyrants, dictators, fixed elections, and economic inequality, perhaps one of the most overlooked stories has been that average people are now beginning to fight back against corruption as well.

ODI Opinion
‘What works’? Systematic reviews in international development research and policy (ODI Blog Posts, 27 January 2012)

27 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am

'Systematic reviews can ultimately add value to development research: in addition to reducing researcher bias and increasing rigour, they place empirics centre-stage within literature reviews. But their strengths must be balanced against a number of practical and fundamental limitations.' View full details
Gates and innovation in agriculture – is money the issue? (ODI Blog Posts, 26 January 2012)

26 Jan 2012 | 9:30 am

‘While more needs to be spent on generating better technology for farmers in the developing world … efforts to implement new solutions must focus not only on constraints to delivery but also those to uptake.’ View full details
The climate-security nexus: ‘operation enduring narrative’ (ODI Blog Posts, 25 January 2012)

25 Jan 2012 | 2:30 am

'2012 is set to be an interesting year for unpacking the climate-security nexus, but the overriding framing of that nexus is still very much up for grabs.’ View full details
An agenda for change in service delivery (ODI Blog Posts, 19 January 2012)

19 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

"Understanding why teachers do not show up in schools or what motivates health professionals to keep up with latest professional standards and procedures is key to better supporting service delivery." View full details
This year we need a bolder approach to energy (ODI Blog Posts, 16 January 2012)

16 Jan 2012 | 8:30 am

' ‘The Future We Want’ contains much that is to be welcomed ... However, in this year particularly, a bolder approach to energy for sustainable development is required.' View full details

Zerodivide
I Love You...Even Though I Can't Pronounce Your Name...

Timothy C. Wu

27 Jan 2012 | 7:06 pm

The Problem: A name that no one can pronounce (Oh-nay-gun? Oo-nee-gin? On-ee-gan?), based upon a Russian poetry novel written almost 200 years ago, and performed in a medium (ballet) that some people still think of as arcane, inaccessible, and exclusionary to broad audiences. Oh goodie. Give me more of that, right? The Solution: Twitter, Tumblr, and Unrequited Love. Tonight, the San Francisco Ballet - the oldest professional ballet company in America (and in the spirit of full disclosure, I sit on the ballet's board of directors) - begins its 79th season with its premiere of…
Charitable Daikon Radishes, Zynga.org, and a Cockroach Named After Your Ex

Timothy C. Wu

24 Jan 2012 | 6:17 pm

Would you go online to buy a virtual daikon radish? If your answer to this question is "Yes," then you're in good company; nearly 500,000 people spent between $5 and $40 each to buy limited edition daikon radish crops last year on internet gaming company Zynga's popular "FarmVille" franchise. Of course, as in all things in life (well, almost all things...Kim Kardashian and Jersey Shore are exceptions...but I digress), proper context makes even the most seemingly bizarre and odd concepts understandable. The daikon radishes sold on "FarmVille" were the brainchildren of a group…
A Different Kind of SOPA and PIPA

Timothy C. Wu

20 Jan 2012 | 4:55 pm

Internet advocates across the country celebrated today as Senator Harry Reid announced that he was indefinitely delaying a vote on the PROTECT IP Act - and then a few hours later, Rep. Lamar Smith shelved any further action on the Stop Online Piracy Act. Online policy advocacy groups across the country immediately heralded the news; my favorite banner headline was from arstechnica.com, which featured crumbling tombstones engraved respectively with SOPA and PIPA. Well, as our British friends across the pond would say, "Bully for the Internet!" (I just got back from London, so…
Why the Internet is [kinda] shut down today

Jeff Perlstein

18 Jan 2012 | 9:26 am

Today is the largest online protest in the history of the Internet. Why?Wikipedia, Reddit and many other websites are going dark today to protest legislation moving rapidly through the U.S. Congress that seeks to stop online piracy – legislation that many believe is at too great an expense to free speech, innovation and the integrity of the Internet. The legislation is known as the PROTECT IP Act in the Senate, and as SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, in the House. Portrayed by some as “Hollywood versus Silicon Valley,” the breadth of opposition to SOPA/PROTECT IP extends way beyond…
10 Tips for Integrating Twitter Into Your Convening

Jessica Eting

12 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am

Recently ZeroDivide was asked by one of our foundation partners to help them integrate Twitter into a convening to meet two main goals:To introduce convening participants to the power of social mediaTo model the benefits of using Twitter to promote a shared learning experience and create additional engagement between the participants and the foundation The majority of the audience was not currently using Twitter and had a varied familiarity with social media. Considering the audience and the goals of the foundation, we compiled a list of tips in order to help them integrate Twitter and…

Sustainable Industries: All Content
Future Measures

Cindy Mehallow

27 Jan 2012 | 8:41 am

While at the GreenBiz12 Forum in New York earlier this week, I got a sneak preview of the findings of the new Ernst & Young and GreenBiz Group survey of trends in sustainability reporting. The soon-to-be-released survey validates much of what I’ve seen firsthand in my work preparing sustainability and corporate responsibility reports for Fortune 100 companies in various industry sectors.There’s been no slowdown in the number of reports being produced, despite the poor economy, noted John DeMelis, a sustainability assurance partner with Ernst & Young. DeMelis kicked off the…
Eco-label evolution

Andrea Newell

26 Jan 2012 | 1:50 pm

In 2007, Timberland pioneered eco-labels on their apparel, modeling them after USDA nutrition labels. The imitation was deliberate, said VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mark Newton. With the wealth of green information that is currently tracked, measured, analyzed and debated, the intent was to capture the essence of several large categories on a very small parcel of garment real estate. The absence of numbers keeps consumers from getting bogged down by a figure that would need a detailed explanation and wouldn’t be consistent with measurements on other ecolabels.This way,…
Love your lawyer

24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

This article is part of the Building a Sustainable Business series about starting and running a sustainable business. Read all the articles hereIgnore Shakespeare. Do not kill all the lawyers. You need yours in good health, walking around, and capable of keeping your business on track.Too many people think of lawyers like a legal AAA. They only call when total disaster has struck. But that’s too late. If you are running a company you need to check in with your lawyer before you make a mistake, not afterwards. Think of your corporate lawyer as your best friend who will be there to guide…
More productivity, no benefits

Maggie Winslow

24 Jan 2012 | 2:41 pm

Increasing labor productivity is generally hailed as a positive outcome of technological innovation. The production of more goods and services with fewer hours worked allows for both higher standards of living and decreased inflationary pressure, since wage increases can result from increased productivity and are not translated into higher costs for goods and services. Increased labor productivity has been promoted through government policy, such as tax breaks for capital investment and direct investment in technological innovation. It has also been promoted ideologically by both the left…
Shrinking footprints

Bill Roth

22 Jan 2012 | 11:23 pm

“Our business revenues are directly tied to winning competitive bids,” explains Elizabeth Barry, Chief Sustainability Officer of Marsh & McLennan Companies. “Over the last couple of years an increasing number of our customers are inserting into their bid packages questions that seek documentation of our company’s sustainability commitment.”Barry’s comments reflect the growth of the green supply chain beyond manufacturing into professional services companies like Marsh & McLennan Companies which provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and…

Hildy's Blog
Blog Roundup: Creating the Future’s New Blogs

Hildy

22 Jan 2012 | 11:47 am

As we transition this blog to become Hildy’s blog (vs. Creating the Future’s blogs), we will share highlights of what is going on at those other blogs. If you find these topics interesting, please link to those blogs and subscribe there! Philanthropy There are two new posts at the blog Philanthropy that Creates the Future: Philanthropy as “Love of Humanity” If we assume that “philanthropist = donor,” are we suggesting that only those of means can “love humanity”? What would it make possible if that were not the case? Do We Really Want “Donations”? Do the unspoken…
Google: Already Putting SOPA into Action

Hildy

18 Jan 2012 | 3:18 pm

Reminder: Hildy’s blog is no longer the official blog for Creating the Future. Please link here to find all the great Creating the Future posts you may be missing! What follows is a story of what it looks like when a well-respected organization fails to walk its own talk. And it is a story with direct application to anyone who runs an organization or a business of any kind. If you used the internet at all today, you noticed something different. Wikipedia’s site is blacked out. Google has a huge black bar across its page. The darkness is a protest of 2 pieces of legislation that are so…
Being Human

Hildy

8 Dec 2011 | 12:16 pm

A new post has been added at our new blog, Walking the Talk to Create the Future. Being Human In a post in Inc. Magazine, Jeff Haden talks about feeling “completely out of your depth.” The post is about simple words of praise and reassurance – how those words can make all the difference, and what an easy gift they are to give. Read more here… We hope you will subscribe to receive ongoing posts at that new blog. And please check out our other new blogs, accessible from this page. We look forward to continuing to connect there!
Payroll – and a New Blog

Hildy

5 Dec 2011 | 8:59 pm

Hello, dear readers – I have missed you! Over the past few months, we’ve been working on several projects that have kept me from blogging. The good news is that you are going to love the results of those projects (and even more, you will find them incredibly useful!). The first is a series of blogs at Creating the Future, to replace this one. After 4 years of being the sole voice representing Creating the Future’s work, I will now be just one among many voices, writing at several blogs. Those blogs will be posted at Creating the Future’s site, and I’ll be…
I Am Not An Optimist

Hildy

13 Oct 2011 | 1:16 pm

I’ve stopped thinking of myself as an optimist. That will surprise those who know my work, but there it is. I am prompted to share this because of a thoughtful-as-always post by Jean Russell, wherein she reflects on the power of positive thinking. To which I will share that I also no longer believe in the power of positive thinking. Here is what I DO believe: I believe in the power of PRACTICAL thinking. And from that, I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. I am simply a pragmatist. Focusing on how badly life sucks is simply impractical for moving forward to create anything of use.

Dani Rodrik's weblog
"Beggar-thy-neighbor" versus "beggar-thyself" policies

Dani Rodrik

18 Jan 2012 | 9:22 am

There is an important difference between domestic economic policies that create benefits by imposing costs on other nations ("beggar-thy-neighbor policies") and those whose economic costs are borne primarily at home though they might affect others as well ("beggar-thyself policies"). Beggar-thy-neighbor policies need to be regulated at the international level because a nation, left to its own devices, has the incentive to pursue zero-sum policies at the expense of others. This is the strongest argument for subjecting China’s currency policies or large macroeconomic…
Gülenists will get you, one way or another

Dani Rodrik

22 Dec 2011 | 9:47 pm

This time the Gülenists were caught red-handed. In March 2009, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) serving on an air force base in the central Turkish town of Kayseri confessed to planting forged documents on a military computer, on instructions from his Gülenist mentor. His detailed account provides a rare glimpse of how Gülenists use their network to infiltrate the military and frame targeted officers with fabricated material. Equally important, the aftermath of the episode shows how Gülenists are able to manipulate the judiciary to cover up their tracks and turn the…
An article in Dutch

Dani Rodrik

25 Nov 2011 | 2:58 pm

This is an article in Dutch about the Globalization Paradox and my views on the eurozone crisis. The picture is horrible, but I am told the writeup is pretty good.
Oh, where have all the competent forgers gone?

Dani Rodrik

23 Nov 2011 | 11:20 am

Pity the mafia that is staging what is probably the most significant political trial in modern Turkey’s history – a show trial in which more than three hundred Turkish military officers stand accused of plotting a military coup back in 2003. Since early 2010, the mafia has produced three different batches of evidence to put the defendants behind bars. Alas, each batch contains such obvious signs of forgery that they seem rather the handiwork of a bunch of crooked Keystone Kops. Naturally the only thing that keeps the trial going is the heavy support of the AKP…
Europe's next nightmare

Dani Rodrik

9 Nov 2011 | 9:22 am

As if the economic ramifications of a full-blown Greek default were not terrifying enough, the political consequences could be far worse. A chaotic eurozone breakup would cause irreparable damage to the European integration project, the central pillar of Europe’s political stability since World War II. It would destabilize not only the highly-indebted European periphery, but also core countries like France and Germany, which have been the architects of that project. Read the rest here.

PHILANTHROPY 2173
Shaking up the long tail

Lucy Bernholz

12 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

Donors who use cell phones to make donations do more than give, they talk about it. They actively encourage others to give. They may not do much due diligence themselves, but they sure do spread the word. Those insights come from a new report looking at text donations made to Haiti after the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. More than $43 million was raised through mobile giving for that disaster. Given how many of us carry our phones everywhere, it seems likely that we’ll do more of this. The research, conducted by the Pew Center for the Internet and American Life, The…
Bonus buzzword buster and RPOs

Lucy Bernholz

6 Jan 2012 | 3:57 pm

A few random philanthropy observations to start your weekend off right. Buzzword buster In conversation with some friends I realized there is one buzz phrase (not exclusive to philanthropy) that drives me batty. That term? Thought leadership (and its derivatives, specifically "thought leader"). Anyone who uses this phrase or claims to "thought lead" is, by definition, not. I guarantee that no one whose ideas have actually sparked other ideas or contributed to lasting change in the world ever identified him or herself as a thought leader.* There is no such thing as thought leadership. There…
2011 - the year in pictures (sort of)

Lucy Bernholz

30 Dec 2011 | 12:32 pm

I wasn't going to blog today but I'm several days into a nasty head cold and can't do much of anything else. To say goodbye to 2011, a year in which #infographics made the #buzzword list, I thought I'd share a few special ones. First, there is Beth Kanter's collection of #philanthropy and #nonprofit related infographics - in wiki format - so that everyone can share. Second, The WildAid machine (pictured below) is a virtual Rube Goldberg machine, drop your donation in one end and watch it "spit" out the results. The "WildAid Machine" must be the ultimate intersection of #infographics and…
Buzzword 2011.10 - #

Lucy Bernholz

27 Dec 2011 | 6:46 pm

The final buzzword of the year is # - the Twitter hashtag. Philanthropy finally got really hip to Twitter this year (as did so many people, thanks to the Arab Spring and Twitter-enabled TV shows). So the humble hashtag, the pound sign, the # is our final buzzword of the year. One great example of how this Twitter convention has become part of the regular lexicon - The Case Foundation's end of year #GoodSpotting campaign - born to be sticky, hashtag and all. Forget about folks fumbling to come up with "bumper sticker" statements or even sound bites. #Whatmattersnowisthehashtag. We've…
Giving with Brian Lehrer

Lucy Bernholz

20 Dec 2011 | 7:11 pm

Will Kickstarter raise more money for the arts in 2012 than the NEA provides? Is there a new generation of assumptions about where good comes from? Is technology changing our definitions of good and evil? Will the future of philanthropy be found in brown paper bags? Listen in on this Skype discussion with Brian Lehrer and colleagues from The Awesome Foundation, DonorsChoose, and KickStarter to learn more. Also introduces Stanford's Philanthropy, Policy and Technology Project and our #recodegood project. …

Social Business Blog
Has SRI gone mainstream?

Rod Schwartz

27 Jan 2012 | 4:51 am

Before Christmas, the Financial Times reported on an announcement from Henderson Global that its socially responsible investment team was likely to leave the company. It was the latest in a series of similar developments that had seen many others, including JP Morgan and UBS Securities, making cuts to their social and environmental teams. The most instinctive response is to view this news as a sign of an industry losing faith with socially responsible investing. However, I’d suggest there are several other ways to look at it. One alternative would be that the SRI sector is now so…
Making a leap of faith: investing in developing countries

Malcolm Johnston

25 Jan 2012 | 6:52 am

Malcolm Johnston of Angello Capital Partners explains why a leap of faith can kickstart growth in the developing world. Three years ago, a group of professionals set out to achieve something few people would have even imagined: to start a new investment fund supporting small businesses in Moldova. It might have sounded crazy, but three years in, we’ve managed to make it to first base. Initial funding is in and we’re already making first investments. For us Moldova represents an ideal testing ground for a model we believe can bring transformative change to countries throughout the…
Social enterprises and VAT

Tom Cropper

23 Jan 2012 | 8:42 am

Here are three little letters to strike fear into the heart of anyone: VAT. It’s something that many public sector workers will never have had to confront, but for those taking up the opportunity to spin out into a social enterprise, it’s something they need to get right. In advance of our upcoming Breakfast Briefing on dealing with VAT, we spoke to Andrew Norman of accountancy firm Buzzacott to see what these new social enterprises need to consider. What do social enterprises need to consider? One of the major things we’ll be getting across in the briefing is that social enterprises…
Word on the streets: listening to young people

Michael Otadende

20 Jan 2012 | 4:04 am

In 1996, the renowned political scientist Samuel Huntington predicted a future in which international relations would be marked, not by a clash of states, but of civilisations. Today in Britain I would argue we’re seeing just such a clash – between the Government on the one hand, and the nation’s youth on the other. Cast your mind back to August 2011 when, for a few days, the capital resembled a scene straight out of an Armageddon style movie. Riots spread across the city and eventually the entire country – giving the world a harrowing glimpse of the city which, in less than a year,…
Content marketing: telling tall tales

Tom Cropper

11 Jan 2012 | 8:24 am

A new year calls for new thinking which is why it’s interesting to note this change of direction from Coca Cola. In a two part video it outlines a proposed new strategy for content marketing. Aside from the somewhat dry corporate speak from the narrator, it does contain a number of interesting ideas – most particularly the notion of creating a narrative about what exactly Coca Cola stands for. Now, for me – and I suspect the millions of people who have grown up with it – Coca Cola stands for a fizzy drink and nothing more. Not that there’s any shame in that? Making fizzy…

Socializing
Learning More About Hospice

23 Jan 2012 | 2:26 am

I learned about a new film via Help the Hospices. Check out the trailer of Life Before Death, which I hope to see in a few weeks in London.The bigger website seems a bit odd, but I support all efforts to talk more comfortably about the issues.
Obama, Elizabeth Warren and Beyond

23 Jan 2012 | 2:12 am

This is a good article on the rise of Elizabeth Warren in politics and thinking about ideals in the Obama and post-Obama world: "Heaven Is a Place Called Elizabeth Warren".But many of the people looking to Warren, as they did to Obama before her, are expecting material things — like readable credit-card pitches or safe bridges or jobs or a vote on a bill to create jobs — that are, at the moment,
Conflicted...

19 Jan 2012 | 11:47 am

Read this article on money flowing to people who voted for same sex marriage in New York.I am both elated by the vote, as it turned out, but highly suspicious of the "flow of money". How can anyone be for getting money out of politics, but also donate to causes or politicians who are making social change happen? Flip the issue to cash flowing to Democrats getting money for voting on limits to
You Won't Miss It!

18 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am

This is power (this is the link you click on when you see this on wikipedia today).Our purpose here isn't to make it completely impossible for people to read Wikipedia, and it's okay for you to circumvent the blackout. We just want to make sure you see our message. I saw it! Not only do I feel impelled to read more about this, my mind realizes the power of a site like wikipedia to funnel our
Super PAC Survey

13 Jan 2012 | 3:18 am

Who named these things? And, more importantly, if you had to vote just based on the name, which one would get your money?Red, White and Blue Fund.Our Destiny.Make Us Great Again.Restore Our Future.Winning Our Future.I really like the Definitely Not Coordinated with Stephen Colbert Super PAC, now run by Jon Stewart."I am excited to take the reins of this completely independent organization, and

Acumen Fund Blog
20 questions every fundraiser must be able to answer

Sasha Dichter

27 Jan 2012 | 10:17 am

Photo Credit: http://enspiral.tumblr.com Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on Sasha Dichter’s blog on January 25, 2012. (subtitle: this is why I can’t for the life of me understand how “fundraiser” became synonymous with “not totally integrated with the core work of the organization”) What are your top three priorities right now? Where will the organization be in 5 years? What’s your annual operating budget? Walk me through it. What does success look like for the organization? How will my donation make an impact? How much do you spend on overhead? What’s…
Lighting Up Bihar

Blair Miller

26 Jan 2012 | 11:34 am

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on Blair Miller’s blog, on January 14, 2012. I just got back from a three day trip to Bihar, India where I was visiting Acumen Fund Global Fellow, Neha Kale, as part of my work on leadership at Acumen Fund. Neha is currently working for Husk Power System (HPS), an Acumen Fund investment that uses rice husks to electrify rural villages in India (check out how they do it here). Husk is located in Patna, Bihar the poorest and darkest state in India and probably the place most in need of light. Patna is a few hours flight from Mumbai so…
A View from East Africa: Living in a Shanty Town – Breaking the Poverty Cycle

Pauline Wanja

25 Jan 2012 | 1:14 pm

A section of Kibera; the white high rise afar is the decanting site for KENSUP Acumen Fund launched the East Africa Fellows program to identify and train the next generation of leaders united by a common mission of harnessing the power of social innovation to create solutions to East Africa’s most pressing problems. We received over 500 applications from the East Africa region in response to our call. Each of the 19 Fellows we selected for this inaugural class has a unique approach to solving problems in the region. We have invited each of our fellows to share their story and social change…
Orb Energy, d.light design, and Acumen Fund recognized by the Zayed Future Energy Prize

Acumen Fund

24 Jan 2012 | 11:37 am

An Orb Energy installation Last week, Orb Energy was honored as an innovator in the renewable energy sector at the award ceremony for the Zayed Future Energy Prize, held in Abu Dhabi at the World Future Energy Summit. The Zayed Future Energy Prize aims to catalyze innovation to create a new, sustainable energy future, and to inspire entrepreneurs to create a vision for a more environmentally responsible and socially-just energy sector. Orb Energy was recognized as First Runner-Up in the Small and Medium Enterprise/Non-Governmental Organization category of the Zayed Future Energy Prize. The…
Seen & Heard – What you might be missing

Rohit Gawande

20 Jan 2012 | 3:59 pm

Seen & Heard Around Acumen Fund January 1 – January 20, 2012 Seen & Heard is a collection of recent headlines in the news about our world, our work, and the spaces and places in between. In each post, we also share a list of job openings at Acumen Fund and in our sector. Seen & Heard appears twice a month on the blog. For those of you who like keeping a pulse on the latest news as it’s happening, please consider following us on Twitter and Facebook! Finally, if you have ideas for how we can improve Seen & Heard, please don’t be shy and leave a comment below to let us…

Oxfam News Blog
Bill Gates on the truth about foreign aid

Al Kinley

27 Jan 2012 | 6:14 am

Abdi Rashid, aged 3, arrives at Dadaab camp with his family during the East Africa food crisis. His laugh was infectious and brought a rare smile to the surrounding people's faces. Photo: Jo Harrison/Oxfam The New York Times has an interesting piece by Bill Gates today, about Oxfam and Save the Children’s report “A Dangerous Delay“, on the cost of late responses to early warnings in the 2011 East Africa drought. Gates says: The very fact that $2.1 billion has been donated to help the victims of the famine is a testament to human beings’ generosity. But that fact of our…
Children across India take part in ‘9 is Mine’ campaign

Ian Sullivan

26 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am

This blog is written by Oxfam GB Youth and School’s coordinator, John Mclaverty, and originally appeared on the Youth Action blog. Children in India are showing the rest of us a thing or two about campaigning with their huge ‘Nine is Mine’ campaign. They’re holding the Indian government to account over their promise to allocate 9% of government spending to education and health. Nine is Mine kicked off in 2006 when twenty inspirational children met with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and asked him to keep to his promise to give all children in India access to health and…
The Oxfam Nairobi swimming pool dilemma – cast your vote…

Duncan Green

25 Jan 2012 | 6:30 am

Nairobi is a major NGO hub, currently the epicentre of the drought relief effort, and Oxfam’s regional office realized some years ago that we could save a pile of money if we ran our own guesthouse, rather than park the numerous visitors in over-priced hotels. It’s nothing fancy, definitely wouldn’t get many stars, but it’s much more relaxed than a hotel and a brilliant place to meet the kind of people I profiled recently. It’s really rather unique. But there’s a problem. As a large converted house in a nice part of town, and like most such houses in Nairobi, it has a swimming…
Oxfam number three in Top 100 Best NGOs

Robert Fox

25 Jan 2012 | 3:39 am

Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada’s Executive Director, discusses The Global Journal ranking of Oxfam as number three on the world’s Top 100 Best NGOs list. Just a coincidence that it’s Oscars time in Hollywood, but we’ve had our own moment in the spotlight with The Global Journal ranking Oxfam number three on the world’s Top 100 Best NGOs list. Given the number one pick is the Wikimedia Foundation and number two is Partners for Health, a small but highly respected NGO that works only in Haiti, being chosen number three is an important recognition of Oxfam’s global…
Brass Bands blow their trumpet for the Get Together campaign

Lorna McBride

24 Jan 2012 | 11:44 am

Last Wednesday, female brass band members from across the North of England got together in St George’s Square, Huddersfield to support Oxfam’s new fundraising campaign for International Women’s Day. Braving the rain (and the odd flyaway feather boa!) the ladies put on a fantastic show, performing a wide variety of songs over the 30 minute set. Ladies from Northern brass bands get together for Oxfam in Huddersfield Quite a crowd gathered on the steps of Huddersfield station to get a glimpse of the performance, and it was great to have the chance to chat to so many passers-by about Get…

Mercy Corps
A simple solution makes a big impact for Ethiopia's farming families

Erin Gray

27 Jan 2012 | 5:34 pm

More grain is kept fresh and usable thanks to new plastic coated bags used for longterm storage. Erin Gray/Mercy Corps When drought hits and families are struggling to survive, the solutions don’t always have to be complicated or expensive. As I learnt from our team in Ethiopia last year, something as simple as a sack can mean the difference between hunger and happiness for a farming family. Halima Abdi and Meymouna Abdi say their families eat better now that more of their harvest is not ruined by pests and mold. Erin Gray/Mercy Corps Watch a video of the bags in action. Our team has been…
Horn of Africa crisis update

26 Jan 2012 | 12:59 pm

Mercy Corps teams in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have already helped more than 1.5 million people caught in the grip of drought and hunger. But six months after this emergency first hit international headlines, there’s still much more to do. Hear from Mercy Corps team leaders on what the situation looks like on the ground now and the challenges our teams face as they help communities not only get through this current crisis, but find ways to reduce the impact of future drought too. Find out more about the Horn of Africa and how we're helping on our Horn of Africa update page. Video Filed…
I am the Arab Spring

24 Jan 2012 | 10:21 pm

On January 25, 2011, the people of Egypt took to the streets for a 'Day of Rage.' Thousands of young people took part in this protest and the huge movement of people calling for change across the Middle East and North Africa now known as the Arab Spring. One year later, we asked youth from around the world to share what the Arab Spring means to them. Young people involved with Global Citizen Corps—the Mercy Corps program empowering youth and engaging them in local and international actions across various nations—and our partners at PBS sent in their images and thoughts on the theme: 'I am…
Teaming up with DC Entertainment to launch “We Can Be Heroes”

Salma Bahramy

23 Jan 2012 | 11:53 am

Mercy Corps today announced that it will be one of the nonprofit partners of “We Can Be Heroes” – an unprecedented campaign launched by DC Entertainment to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa. Mercy Corps is one of three humanitarian organizations selected by DC Entertainment to benefit from the campaign that will equally share a corporate donation of at least $2 million over the next two years comprised of cash donations and consumer matching funds. The other partner organizations are Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee. “We…
From relief to recovery: Images from two years in Haiti

11 Jan 2012 | 1:46 pm

It's been two years since the earthquake in Haiti. Since then Mercy Corps has helped more than 1.1 million people, with projects ranging from emergency relief and aid to economic and community recovery. Take a look at these photos and our two year Haiti update to see the difference we're making. Previous Next 1 of 8 Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps On January 12, 2010 Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake. Many thousands lost their lives, homes and loved ones. Today, two years on, work is still continuing to help the people of Haiti rebuild and…

(BLOG) RED - Buy (RED). Save Lives.
#BillsLetter.

27 Jan 2012 | 1:07 pm

In his annual public letter released this week, Bill Gates highlighted some of the greatest challenges facing humanity – fighting HIV/AIDS, eradicating polio, preventing infant deaths and agricultural development — and how innovation is the key to overcoming them. He discusses the AIDS community's focus on prevention and treatment while work for a cure continues. Mr. Gates explains there are many ways to prevent new infections. One key approach that works well is using treatment as prevention — in other words, giving people living with HIV/AIDS early access to…
A Mother with a Mission: Doris' Story

13 Jan 2012 | 10:51 am

Doris and Michael at home in Ghana. Doris is HIV positive and her son Michael is HIV negative thanks to treatment that prevented Doris from transmitting HIV to her son. Doris is busy raising her healthy and active 4 year-old boy. Michael enjoys playing football and reading books. When he grows up he would like to be a soldier, but Doris would prefer for him to be a pilot. Doris serves as an advisor to the president of Wisdom Association, a Global Fund financed support group in Ghana. When Doris shares her story with newly diagnosed patients, she says “there is hope for people living with…
Do You Want to Put Your Digital Skills to Work at (RED)?

12 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pm

(RED) is seeking an energetic, passionate, social media obsessed Digital Intern based in New York. We’re looking for juniors, seniors, or 2011 graduates who can commit to 2- 5 days per week.    The intern will work with the (RED) Digital Team on a variety of creative projects.    The intern will: · Assist with digital marketing, communications campaigns, and organization · Create digital assets for (RED) properties and campaigns · Update www.joinred.com via a Content Management System · Research/utilize latest social media to engage and inform our…
The Ellen Degeneres Show Welcomes Bono on World AIDS Day

19 Dec 2011 | 3:18 pm

On World AIDS Day, Bono appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show for the very first time to talk with Ellen about her new role as a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness and the progress that has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As the world is at a critical moment in this fight, Bono discusses the beginning of the end of AIDS and states "it's such great news to be able to say that the end of AIDS...is in sight". Watch the clip here.
Director of the Global Fund, Michel D. Kazatchkine on Funding an AIDS Free Generation

19 Dec 2011 | 3:15 pm

Guest blog by Michel D. Kazatchkine, Global Fund Executive Director On World AIDS Day 2011, Michel Kazatchkine blogged for the Huffington Post reminding us that delivering an AIDS Free Generation will take continued and increased funding, and that each person can do his or her part by buying (RED), joining ONE, or donating directly to the Global Fund through joinred.com. You can read his piece below: In a modern, globalized world, the country in which you live or the income you earn should not determine whether or not your child will become HIV positive. And yet in my country, France,…

Women Thrive Worldwide
Event Invitation: Bridging the Gender Technology Gap

26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pm

Women Thrive Worldwide invites you at our February Gender Roundtable event, Access Denied: Bridging the Technology Gap. Click through for...
International Women's Day 2012

16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pm

In honor of International Women's Day, Women Thrive Worldwide, along with Honorary Co-Chairs Senator John Kerry, Representative Ted Poe...
International Women's Programs and the FY 2012 Spending Bill

2 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pm

The 2012 budget negotiations preserved programs supporting the poorest worldwide and also included strong provisions on gender equality and fighting...
Women Thrive Welcomes U.S. Action Plan on Women and Children in Conflict

19 Dec 2011 | 5:00 pm

Women Thrive Worldwide welcomes the release today by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of the U.S. National Action...
The Year of Gender Integration?

15 Dec 2011 | 10:12 am

There has been a lot of rhetoric in Washington this year about the importance of women. How has...

ONE
ONE Act a Week: Create an anti-poverty Internet meme

Malaka Gharib

27 Jan 2012 | 12:35 pm

Action: 27. Time: 10 minutes. Level of difficulty: Moderate. This week, we thought it would be fun to ask our ONE members to create their own Internet meme based on our issues. In case you don’t know what a meme is, it’s a concept that spreads swiftly via the Internet. It’s the funny cat pictures you’ve been sharing. It’s the “S%@! Girls Say” offshoot videos you’ve been watching. It’s Rebecca Black’s “Friday” song you’ve been listening to. Most Internet memes are funny, crazy and let’s be honest —…
Proofs: Performing miracles at Ghana’s Tema Clinic

Morgana Wingard

27 Jan 2012 | 11:31 am

Life happens here at the Tema Clinic in Accra, Ghana. Babies trade a death sentence for life. Mothers transform their sickly skeleton figures to healthy, able bodies. Tema offers hope in a place that was once hopeless and ravaged by AIDS. Funded by the Global Fund through financial support from Product (RED), Tema Hospital cares for 2,200 people living with HIV. We recently visited their facility again –- their work never ceases to amaze me. The Global Fund make it possible for the hospital to provide ARV treatment and PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child-transmission). Thanks to these…
What We’re Reading: African leaders say continent ready to lead world growth

Emily Walker

27 Jan 2012 | 10:31 am

African leaders say continent ready to lead world growth – African leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos declared that they are ready to “play a new role in the global economy as a powerful driver of growth.” While much still needs to be done to improve Africa’s infrastructure and education system, Africa’s economy is already expanding rapidly. According to Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, “the fastest growing continent in the world is determined to keep reforming and innovating.” (AFP, Dave Clark) Business, social media to prevent babies with HIV – Business and social…
Cocoa can save the world

Michael Gerson

27 Jan 2012 | 9:17 am

Senior ONE Adviser Michael Gerson is on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this blog post, he writes about the benefits of cocoa crops on the country’s economy. A farmer from the Greenhouse project in Beni separates raw cacao beans from an opened cacao pod to be washed, fermented, dried, and shipped. We traveled down dirt roads near the town of Beni, in eastern Congo, close to the Ugandan border. Militias are active in the region, so our group was protected by an armed escort. Interactions at checkpoints along the road are unpredictable. In the town of Beni itself, a…
New & Buzzworthy: Where people live on less than $1.25 a day

Malaka Gharib

26 Jan 2012 | 4:47 pm

A roundup of the week’s most talked-about international development content from ONE, partners and the web, January 20 to 26. Where people live on less than $1.25 a day. Bono, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and more look back on 10 years of the Global Fund. ONE’s CEO Michael Elliott talks to Facebook about social media and advocacy at the World Economic Forum. A lovely photo album from our time at the Sundance Film Festival. A moving a capella song devoted to the famine in the Horn of Africa. Bill Gates’ annual letter. ONE Campus Challenge, Part 2. This shocking statistic.

Changed by Design
How to choose charitable investments more wisely

editors

13 Jan 2012 | 3:44 am

All too often, great design solutions for the developing world fall victim to dependency on charitable giving to achieve their goals. Few social enterprises have a truly sustainable business plan, so it is no surprise that there is no flood of wealth coming from traditional investors to fund these enterprises. This post focuses on understanding the investor’s two bottom lines, which will yield a Part 2 post advising social enterprises on how to attract more funding. A recent Harvard Business Review article on “Funding Social Enterprises” opened my eyes with a new perspective…
Emily Pilloton gives Stephen Colbert a new pair of specs

editors

20 Jan 2010 | 1:20 am

We were delighted to see Emily Pilloton, founder of Project H Design and author of Design Revolution, appear as a guest on the Colbert Report last night. The highlight of the interview was the rousing response from Pilloton’s call for a new measure of success according to “the triple bottom line: Planet, People and Profit”. Pilloton chose excellent visual aids to show Colbert how design can improve lives. Selected from her book, Design Revolution: 100 Products that Empower People, Colbert walked to the interview table wearing Spider Boots, donned a pair of Adaptive Eyewear,…
The Project H Redesign of Hippo water transport

editors

28 Oct 2009 | 8:06 pm

In a recent interview with Hippo Water founder Cynthia Koenig, we learned a bit more about the recent re-design of the Hippo Roller. It was a dream experience for this blog. The challenge In third-world countries, women and children must haul water over long distances in order to supply their communities with clean, safe water. Alternative sources like wells are only functional 6-8 months of the year, and well pumps are unreliable or fuel to power them can be difficult to obtain The first version of the Hippo Roller multiplied the hauling capacity of a single person but the cost of…
Hippo Water: Smarter and ready to go further

editors

14 Oct 2009 | 3:14 pm

We’ve had the fortune of interviewing Cynthia Koenig, founder of Hippo Water International, to learn more about their recent re-design and their latest plans to spread Hippo technology to more communities outside South Africa. Before we dig in, Hippo most urgently needs your vote for a much-needed scouting trip in India to exchange ideas and advice with other social entrepreneurs and establish critical distribution partners. The contest is hosted by JustMeans, offering an India Social Entrepreneurship Journey with Journeys for Change, for which Hippo Water is currently in the Top 5…
Chicken a la Carte

editors

22 Jul 2009 | 3:33 am

Sometimes, a well-told story can do just as much good for a problem as a well-designed solution. This principle attracted me to switch careers from engineering to advertising years ago…I’m still so far from becoming like the storytellers I so admire. This short film makes Ferdinand Dimadura one such storyteller. I won’t spoil it by telling you what’s in it, but I will say that people have been inspired to share this video so much that it has been viewed nearly 10 million times. In fact, I found this from my aunt who forwarded it to my entire extended family! View this…

Jolkona Blog
On The Road With Jolkona in South America: Awamaki Part 2

Guest Contributor

26 Jan 2012 | 9:30 am

Note from editor: Post written by Chi Do, a passionate Jolkona volunteer. Nested in the foothill of the mountains leading to Machu Picchu is a small town called Ollantaytambo. We visited Awamaki, a non-profit grass roots organization that was revamped in 2009, yet its beginnings are decades old. Their mission is to provide support for highland communities, especially of benefit to the women and children who reside there. Awamaki’s aesthetically decorated store brings weaving and knitting products to consumers. These materials and pieces come from communities deep in the mountainside,…
On The Road With Jolkona in South America: Awamaki Part 1

Guest Contributor

24 Jan 2012 | 7:59 am

Note from the editor: this post was written by the brilliant Nancy Xu, one of our dedicated Jolkona volunteers. My hands run through the pasadizo, a rectangular weaving the Andean women wear across their back. The yarn, made of alpaca, feels soft; yet at the same time, the tight weaving lends it strength. The edges curve up slightly. I think about its creator – the hand which dyed each bundle of yarn, the colors of which are all natural, like carcass of beetle (red), or plant fungus (turquoise). I think about each individual weave being made, row by row, as patterns and designs emerge. It…
On The Road With Jolkona In South America: ADCAM – Its Beginning And Its Future

Guest Contributor

12 Jan 2012 | 4:01 pm

Note from the editor: this post was written by Jolkona volunteer Zanoon Nissar, sent all the way from Manuas, Brazil. Our second partner visit in Brazil was in Manaus, the largest city in the province of Amazon. After driving through the poorer regions of the city, we came to ADCAM, a multi-faceted school with apprenticeship, college, high school and youth programs. When we arrived, we couldn’t believe how beautiful the campus looked compared with the rest of Manaus. There were well kept gardens, acres of land, and happy students walking through the halls. This was clearly a special place…
The Battle for Amazon Will Be In Classrooms

Adnan Mahmud

29 Dec 2011 | 9:30 am

Earlier today we visited ADCAM in Manaus. Manaus is the 4th major economic zone in Brazil after Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. The factories of major companies Suzuki, Sony, and Nokia are driving the growth of Manaus. Favorable tax rates have attracted many companies to this region over the last 30 years. As companies set up their factories, the opportunity for labor positions surfaced. Many people from the surrounding regions migrated to Manaus in hopes for a job. However, they faced very difficult circumstances. Many of them didn’t get hired due to lack of experience or…
Comunidade em Ação- A View of Grassroots Community Empowerment

Rekha Ravindran

27 Dec 2011 | 9:52 am

Education has always been one of the primary methods of empowering individuals to improve their conditions in life. The United Nations even list it as part of their Millennium Development Goals, aiming to provide universal education by 2015. Brazil, a rapidly developing country, unfortunately falls short when faced with issues in educational disparities. It’s aiming to provide public and private education for all citizens, yet there is still a large gap between the privileged and the poor. Public schools especially are unable to provide adequate education and ensuring a student’s…

What Do You Stand For?
Corporate Philanthropy: Looking Beyond the Check

25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

While charitable giving is finally back on the rise, so too are the pressures facing nonprofits in appealing to corporate partners. Gone are the days of writing checks to the CEO's favorite "pet" charity, as companies look deeper into the business case for philanthropy. Two new studies released this week demonstrate that employee engagement and ROI from product donations are often key drivers in determining which nonprofit organization to support. A recent study by Forbes Insights found that 72 percent of the 311 global senior executives surveyed said they primarily donate to…
Eco-labeling: Is There an App for That?

19 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

From "Farm Verified Organic" to "USDA Organic," "Processed Chlorine Free" to "Totally Chlorine Free," eco-labels are proliferating and consumers are having a tough time keeping them all straight. Cone's 2011 Green Gap Trend Tracker found 51 percent of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of environmental messages in the marketplace, and no wonder there are more than 5,000 products currently on the shelves touting green claims and more than 400 green labels in the market.What was once a solution for effective green marketing has become a contested topic among marketing experts and…
#whatsinyourstuff: Transparency Predictions for 2012

17 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

Its no secret almost all of the products Americans buy are produced by workers in developing countries; workers who often receive low pay, work long hours and live in questionable conditions.87% of consumers say theyll hold companies accountable for ensuring human rights in their supply chains. Yet, when it comes to our favorite brands, many of us are willing to look the other way. We explored this topic at Cone Communications #whatsinyourstuff event, and, even among a crowd of transparency enthusiasts, the majority admitted they own and would continue to purchase Apple products regardless of…
Are You Listening?

12 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

From ponytails to braids, long locks to updo's, Barbie's hair often reflects the trends of the times. But, according to some consumers, there's one style the iconic doll is long overdue for: going bald. A new Facebook page "Beautiful and Bald Barbie: Let's see if we can get it made," has cropped up online, driven by two women affected by cancer. The group, now more than 87,000 "likes" strong, is asking toy maker Mattel to create a bald Barbie to support children with cancer and help them deal with situations when they or loved ones lose their hair. Although Mattel has yet to publicly enter…
10 Experts, 10 Predictions, 1 Year

5 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm

Last month we looked back at the top trends of 2011, but now that the New Year is upon us, it's time to look forward to what 2012 has in store. We've convened the biggest and brightest minds in cause marketing, corporate responsibility, nonprofit marketing and volunteerism to share their top predictions, programs and issues for the New Year.As for our perspective, we say look out for an influx of disruptive campaigns in 2012. The cause industry continues to mature, and with the flood of new campaigns in the market, companies and nonprofits must do more to make sure their cause stands out…

Helping Help
Real Leaders Inspire Ongoing Action

16 Jan 2012 | 6:49 pm

The day after MLk day is more important than the holiday itself. It is the day that we truly see who the real leaders are. It is the day that the celebrating masses give way to the nonconforming minority of change-makers. MLK taught us to lead fearlessly, selflessly, and righteously. His accomplishments - and sacrifice - is worth celebrating and remembering, and I am proud that we take a day every year to do it. But celebrating is easy. The day after MLK day is where true leaders shine. And they continue to shine for the weeks and months in between celebrations. Right now, the world doesn't…
Passionate Leaders are Better Leaders

9 Jan 2012 | 8:05 pm

Leadership Passion Pyramid To be a truly inspiring and effective leader, you must have passion. But not any passion will suffice, the best leaders focus their passion on 4 main areas: Passion for the development and fulfillment of the people they lead Passion for the cause they are working towards Passion for making an impact Passion for their own personal growth The ordering is just as important as the area of passion. Why? Nothing happens if the people you lead don't make things happen. Be invested in the people you lead, as their happiness and…
Look Back Before Moving Forward

24 Dec 2011 | 10:40 am

At the end of every year, I dedicate a day to looking back. I think about a lot of things, and I use Who, What, Where, When, Why, How as a framework... Who slowed me down Who helped me What I set out to do What I did When I was struggling When I was happiest Where I tripped Where I soared Why I failedWhy I succeeded How I lost motivationHow I inspired, motivated, and empowered others and myself I look within myself to find balance, and I look outside to find knowledge. I listen and learn from experts in all fields, knowing the diversity of…
Inspire Others To Exceed Their Expectations

17 Dec 2011 | 6:12 pm

Forbes.com just published a brilliant article on leadership that was written by Russell Raath. In it, Russell share a scene from the movie Invictus where Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela: Morgan Freeman’s Mandela offers some final words of wisdom. “We need inspiration,” he says, “because in order to build our nation, we must all exceed our own expectations.” You can read the full article on Forbes and I highly recommend it. The takeaway is simple and powerful. As a leader, your job is to do more than just setting and achieving goals. Your imperative is to inspire and…
Increase Motivation, Inspire Action and Drive Behavior

4 Dec 2011 | 4:09 pm

No matter your position, role, and responsibilities - you have the ability to motivate others and inspire action. There are thousands of books, research reports, and case studies on this topic - and out of all of them that I have come across, the three best resources are the following two videos and link Dan Pink on the Surprising Science About What Motivates Us (video) Simon Sinek on How Great Leaders Inspires Action (video) Chip and Dan Heath on How to Change Things When Change is Hard (book, and article) Here are the videos and book summary for your convenience: Dan Pink on the…

Kiva Stories from the Field
20 Years in 2012: A Celebration of Serving the Filipino Poor

The Musings of a Sponge

22 Jan 2012 | 6:51 am

The new year is already in full swing and resolutions are being met or failed as we speak. This New Year’s celebrations, for me, was a little different as I got to spend a full week with Center for Community Transformation staff as they celebrated 20 years of growth and successful service to the poor in the Philippines. President Ruth Callanta spent time reflecting on the past but also casting vision for the future as CCT hopes to transform more communities in the Philippines and reach more marginalized people groups. There was a three-part theme set to guide the educational and…
Celebrating the Epiphany in New Orleans

charlottemakoff

12 Jan 2012 | 10:36 am

I expected Christmas to be different in New Orleans and I was right. The people of New Orleans celebrate everything with flourish and style and of course Christmas is no different. So what’s so different about Christmas? Well, it’s the King Cake tradition. It involves a special cake, a tiny baby and a party. The tradition of having King Cake Parties has evolved through time, but no one in New Orleans ever remembers a time when there weren’t King Cake parties after Christmas. The tradition started in New Orleans, no doubt, with the French Catholics. It celebrates the twelfth…
Perks + Atatürk + My hero

act4impact

11 Jan 2012 | 5:03 pm

By Kim Strathearn, K16, Turkey Perks! Perks of some sort are a part of every job. Recently one of the loan officers brought back these cookie samples from a potential client. YUM! Cookıe samples = Perks! Mustafa Kemal Atatürk died at 9:05 a.m. on November 10, 1938 at the age of 57. He was the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first president. Every year on November 10, daily life and traffic stops at 9:05 a.m. for two minutes as sirens wail, traffic stops and people observe two minutes of silence out of respect to Atatürk”s memory. Independence Monument in Taksim…
What’s next for KF16? (Part 2)

laurie4485

8 Jan 2012 | 10:54 pm

Compiled by Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia Last week you read about about what six of the fellows from KF16 were doing once their fellowships ended. Read on to see what adventures 2012 will bring to some more! Jill Hall, CCT, Phillipines My Kiva fellowship has really been a joy and I am sad to see this time come to a close. I have a desire to continue to work in development and non-profit work and so the next few steps after my Kiva fellowship is to contribute to that goal. After Kiva I will spend the next couple of months visiting friends who are working at various NGO’s and…
Typical Day of this Kiva Fellow . . . in New Orleans

charlottemakoff

4 Jan 2012 | 7:13 pm

I interned at the Kiva Headquarters in San Francisco for six months. If you have six months to spare this is a very worthwhile experience. Never had I met so many great people working toward a common goal. And being an unpaid intern was one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. Kiva depends on teams of volunteers, and it is very appreciative of its teams and expresses it on a daily basis. Sure, I did some collating and copying, but I also was invited to brainstorming sessions, wrote country memos, wrote articles for the Kiva Fellows Alumni newsletter, vetted Fellows’…

Change Your Life | The Change Blog
Why Everybody Should Embrace Their Creative Potential

Srinivas Rao

27 Jan 2012 | 6:30 am

Photo by Eddi van W. By Srinivas Rao In the earliest days of our childhood we spent a good amount of time doing creative things. We were continually building and creating things like lego castles, forts made of household items, and works of art. Somewhere along the way the importance of this takes a backseat and it’s written off as “that’s a good hobby, but not something you do to make a living.” Before long we stop creating and turn into sponges that absorb information that is rarely put to use. We go through the motions, doing what we’re told, and are left scratching our heads as…
Being Me

Noch Noch

25 Jan 2012 | 6:30 am

Photo by digitalpimp. By Noch Noch I advocate that we be true to ourselves, and be who we really are inside. My personal theme for 2012 is: be me. But, how do I “be me”? In fact, how do I even know who I am inside and who is “me”? I have always had a particular image of myself – I was impatient, generous, versatile, adaptive, kind, friendly, strong… I also created an image for others to see, whether it was in the social or professional world – easy going, efficient, trustworthy, a manager, a leader, a friend… I thrived on these qualities I attributed to myself. Yet I wonder…
How I Beat Anorexia

Anne - Sophie Reinhardt

23 Jan 2012 | 6:30 am

Photo by Mitya Kuznetsov By Anne - Sophie Reinhardt About a year ago, I made a decision that not only changed, but saved my life. I committed to healing my shattered soul. I have been suffering from anorexia nervosa for 14 years. My childhood had been anything but peaceful. Growing up with a brother who tortured me both mentally and physically every single day of my young life was nothing but hell. Not knowing how to endure this daily struggle, my mind searched for ways of coping. Around the age of ten, I started to obsess over food, calories and exercise. How much I was eating and how many…
The Importance of Play

Deborah Fike

19 Jan 2012 | 6:30 am

Photo by muha… By Deborah Fike “It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson I’ve been reading way too many child-rearing books recently. It’s comes with the territory of being a new mom and wanting to give your child every advantage in life. With all the advice I’ve read, one that strikes me as particularly solid is to foster your child’s creativity and problem-solving skills through free play. No one tells you what to do. You simply use your imagination and the environment around you as inspiration. There are no ribbons to be earned, no goal set…
Changing Your Life in 2012

Peter Clemens

16 Jan 2012 | 8:04 am

By Peter Clemens It’s the beginning of a new year, and if you are like me, you’ve probably thought about how you want to make changes in your life this year. Maybe you want to finally commit to exercise or getting healthy. Maybe you want to find your passion or purpose in life. Maybe you want to simplify, find self-confidence, or improve a relationship. Maybe you want to do all of these things. What if you had the support of some of the top coaches, counselors, and self-improvement experts to achieve your goals and dreams? What if you had access to their courses, books, videos,and guides…

SocialEarth
Top 5 Reasons Why Coworking is for Social Entrepreneurs

Genevieve DeGuzman

27 Jan 2012 | 7:30 am

Over the past five years, coworking has emerged as a movement that is changing how entrepreneurs and innovators work. Coworking has been touted as everything from a way to find [...]
New Ashoka Fellow addresses failing environmental programs

Guest Author

27 Jan 2012 | 2:11 am

Minneapolis, MN – “Understanding that ‘knowledge and determination to solve problems’ is where progress will come from” has earned the founder of Recycle Across America™, Mitch Hedlund election to Ashoka’s global fellowship [...]
seToolbelt Resource of the Week: Social Enterprise Explained

Lindsay Miller

26 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am

OK, maybe we got a bit ahead of ourselves. Maybe we should have kicked off with this resource right from the start. But, it's never too late to re-do. This [...]
The Recipe for Sustainable Development

Sabrina Natasha Premji

25 Jan 2012 | 9:09 pm

The only thing worse than the smell of a dead rat is not knowing where the dead rat is. I can sadly say this with conviction, for I have been [...]
From Idea to Impact

23 Jan 2012 | 11:04 pm

For the last 6 months, I have spent countless hours looking at social innovations in primary health care settings in Kenya. I have come across leading organizations harnessing the capabilities [...]

Andrew Wolk
Why?

Andrew

24 Jan 2012 | 3:13 pm

Why is it that in a country with so many resources, and government and nonprofit programs devoted to education, economic prosperity, and health and well-being—social issues we know to be essential to our success—are we unable to spread what works faster? As of 2008, nearly one-quarter of the American population failed to finish high school, 21 percent of American children lived below the poverty line, and the U.S. health care system ranked 37th in the world—lower than any other developed nation. With 1.4 million tax exempt organizations in the country working towards these social…
A Social Issue-Based Approach to Finding and Funding Social Innovation

Andrew

10 Mar 2011 | 10:48 am

The establishment of the Social Innovation Fund last year marked a great milestone for the field of social innovation in the United States. As the Corporation for National and Community Service is receiving applications for its 2011 Notice of Funds Opportunity, I want to share a few insights that I believe are relevant to any effort to make investments that foster social innovation and support what works. Over the past few years, Root Cause’s Social Impact Research department, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, has developed a methodology for identifying…
End-of-Year Reflections on Social Innovation and Investing in What Works

Andrew

29 Dec 2010 | 4:33 pm

As 2010 draws to a close, I have found myself reflecting on the journey that the field of social innovation and entrepreneurship has experienced. In February of 2011, Root Cause will celebrate its seventh birthday. It is amazing to me to consider how far we have come as a community working to advance the field of social innovation and entrepreneurship. Here are some of the developments that I believe we, as a field, can be proud of: Social innovation is continuing to capture the attention of new stakeholders in nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and business. When I started Root Cause…
Social Innovation: The Next Chapter

Andrew

19 Aug 2010 | 9:14 am

With the establishment of the White House Office of Social Innovation, the announcement of the Social Innovation Fund awardees earlier this summer, and last week’s article on social innovation in the Economist, social innovation is now officially the hot term of the day – so hot that there is a danger that it will end up meaning nothing. The emergence of “social innovation” as the term that has gained mainstream attention is not surprising. For decades, “innovation” has been a glamorous term used by business and government to excite business leaders, entrepreneurs, and the general…
A New Role for Government … and Foundations

Andrew

28 May 2010 | 4:11 pm

Yesterday, I was at the White House to attend First Lady Michelle Obama’s announcement of the first round of philanthropic commitments Social Innovation Fund. By now, especially for those of us working to bring the sectors together to invest in what works, the Social Innovation Fund is not news. But it was hard not to feel the thrill of the new opportunities signaled by Ms. Obama’s remarks. To start, there was the Obama Administration’s commitment forging a new role for government, which was evident in her words. As Ms. Obama put it at one point: “With a little nudge from…

Social Velocity
9 Ways Board Members Can Raise Money Without Fundraising

Nell Edgington

27 Jan 2012 | 1:02 pm

I’ll admit it, I’ve been on a board fundraising kick lately in the blog (here and here). I just think that if your nonprofit is going to become more strategic and financially sustainable, you have to start from the beginning (or the top, as it were). In my last blog post I discussed how to overcome excuses for why a board member can’t bring money in the door. But the fact remains that a majority of people don’t like to (or simply won’t) ask for money. The good news is that there are lots of other things board members can do to bring money in the door. And…
Overcoming Board Fundraising Excuses

Nell Edgington

25 Jan 2012 | 1:13 pm

It’s a point of debate in the nonprofit sector whether all board members of a nonprofit should be required to help raise money. Bill Ryan (co-author of the book Governance as Leadership) argued that the fundraising requirement of many nonprofit boards is “a giant, fast-growing myth that ends up choking good governance to death.” And I often hear from nonprofit leaders and board members that requiring every single board member to participate in money-generating activities just isn’t realistic. I strongly disagree. I’m a firm believer in a give/get requirement for…
Do You Understand Your Nonprofit’s Place in the Market?

Nell Edgington

20 Jan 2012 | 10:49 am

Until recently, market research, or understanding the marketplace in which a nonprofit operates, had no place in the nonprofit sector. Once the sole purview of entrepreneurs and corporate brands, market research is quickly (and rightly) becoming a skill set that nonprofits must embrace. Because in an increasingly competitive landscape, if you don’t understand the needs of your clients, who else is addressing those needs, what your funders are looking for, who else they are funding, where policy makers and decision makers are moving, you are sunk. But for many nonprofit leaders market…
Financing Not Fundraising: Jump Start Your Board

Nell Edgington

18 Jan 2012 | 1:22 pm

In part 12 of our on-going Financing Not Fundraising blog series we’re talking about activating an often under-used nonprofit financing resource: the board of directors. The words “fundraising” and “board” can sometimes seem so incongruous that it results in a lot of eye-rolling on the part of an executive director. As a general (and probably optimistic) rule, nonprofit boards of directors are not very helpful at bringing money in the door. It is often a chicken or the egg scenario that leaves many nonprofits at an impasse. But I believe it is up to the…
10 Great Social Innovation Reads: December

Nell Edgington

11 Jan 2012 | 12:32 pm

Although December was a “shorter” month because of the holidays, there was still much to read, particularly about what the new year might bring. Below are my 10 favorite reads from the past month, but as always, please tell me what I missed in the comments. And you can read other months’ 10 Great Reads lists here. Since December was the last month of the year, there were lots of look back and look ahead posts. The PhilanTopic blog did a whole series of posts on 2011 Year in Review: What To Expect in 2012. And there is also 50 Economic Numbers from 2011 Too Crazy to Believe.

America Forward
David Bornstein calls LIFT “one of the most innovative organizations working to re-imagine poverty alleviation.”

America Forward

13 Jan 2012 | 1:51 pm

America Forward Coalition member LIFT was recently featured by David Bornstein in The New York Times as an innovative organization that is fighting the growing issue of poverty in our nation and achieving incredible results. Read more here about LIFT’s approach to transforming thousands of lives.
America Forward Welcomes White House Domestic Policy Advisor Cecilia Munoz

America Forward

10 Jan 2012 | 1:34 pm

America Forward Executive Director Deborah Smolover released the following statement today: “America Forward was encouraged to see today’s announcement naming Cecilia Muñoz as the new White House Domestic Policy Advisor. We are deeply appreciative of the broad legacy of passion for domestic policy issues left by Melody Barnes and feel confident that Ms. Muñoz’s dedication to creating opportunity throughout her career makes her well positioned to build upon Ms. Barnes’ achievements in this vital role. “Ms. Muñoz assumes this position at a time where communities…
America Forward Congratulates Forbes’ Impact 30

America Forward

14 Dec 2011 | 3:02 pm

America Forward Executive Director Deborah Smolover released the following statement in response to Forbes’ new list of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs: “America Forward was thrilled to see Forbes Magazine recognize the outstanding work of 30 of the nation’s leading social entrepreneurs in its recent ‘Impact 30.’ As government at all levels struggles with decreasing funding in the face of growing challenges in areas related to education, youth development, healthcare and environmental impact, it is these leaders who are providing the innovative solutions and…
America Forward Education Coalition Releases Statement on the Senate HELP Committee Mark-up of the ESEA Reauthorization

America Forward

25 Oct 2011 | 5:03 pm

America Forward Executive Director Deborah Smolover released the following statement today on the Senate HELP Committee’s passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization: “The America Forward Education Coalition is pleased with the Senate HELP Committee’s decision to vote a bipartisan education bill out of committee. This bill is a critical first step in moving education reform forward. We are grateful to Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Enzi and HELP Committee Senators who voted in favor of passage for their leadership in the effort to ensure all of our…
America Forward Education Coalition Continues to Gain Momentum

America Forward

19 Oct 2011 | 8:46 am

The America Forward Education Coalition continues to gain momentum as the U.S. Senate prepares for the markup of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming). The Coalition – which represents 25 of the nation’s leading innovators in the education sector in an unprecedented partnership – sent a letter to Sen. Harkin and Sen. Enzi this week thanking them for their bipartisan leadership on reauthorizing ESEA. This letter comes on the heels of months of work around ESEA reauthorization by the Coalition. For a recap…

THEmollybuckley.
I Need Assistance With A Real Life Math Problem

Molly Buckley

26 Jan 2012 | 1:23 pm

I used to be an English teacher. I am terrible at math. READ: T-e-r-r-i-b-l-e. I still have to count on my fingers. I need help with a real life math problem. Sure, I could ask people I know, but hey, I figured it would be interesting and fun to see what my blog readers suggest / figure out! See that table? This is an example of the tables we are using for our reception. Okay, here are the stats: There are 11 pairs of two short farm tables together – each pair measures a total of 7′ long There are 15 pairs of two longer farm tables together – each pair measures a total of…
MARRIED = One. Month. From. Today.

Molly Buckley

18 Jan 2012 | 10:31 am

February 18th, 2012. That’s one month from today. I’m ’bout to get mushy, y’all. A month from today I will walk down the aisle and marry a man who challenges me to be a stronger, better, and more godly woman. He makes me laugh. He doesn’t make me cry (unless I am crying from laughing). He helps me grow in areas where I am weak. He hugs me and tells me it’s gonna be alright when I’m being crazy Molly. He tells me I’m funny when I’m telling ridiculous stories (even though he probably zoned out 20 minutes earlier). He laughs at my jokes. He…
Excited + Grateful

Molly Buckley

13 Jan 2012 | 11:26 am

I am so excited for this weekend I almost can’t stand it. So many of my favorite people in the entire world are coming to town for me. FOR ME. WHAT? That’s crazy. Tomorrow is my bridal shower and bachelorette party. I am so excited. SO. Excited. But the only feeling I have more of right now than excitement is gratefulness. I am so flipping grateful. Yeah, I’m ’bout to get mushy again. First: my unbelievably amazing sister and awesome friend Kristin are throwing my bridal shower. Seriously, now, I don’t know details or what all has gone in to the planning, but…
Hot Glue + “Frame” of Mind

Molly Buckley

10 Jan 2012 | 11:06 am

39 days. I’m getting married in 39 days. I am so excited / nervous / excited / pumped / excited / nervous / excited all at the same time. For serial. The more we prepare and talk about making a life-long commitment to each other, the more ready I am and the more I just can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. We’re on the same page. We’re in the right frame of mind. We talk about everything – good and bad – what scares us, what excites us, what to pray about, how important God is to us and how important He will be to us in our marriage.
Oh Snap! I’m Telling Stories @DSIComedy!

Molly Buckley

5 Jan 2012 | 11:07 am

So, it’s #TRUTH that I have not been on a stage doing comedy bits in many, many months. Almost a year actually. I still love to make people laugh, but I knew that the format through which I were to do that was changing and so I took a break. It’s been a good break, but I got really excited a couple weeks ago when the inimitable Paula from DSI Comedy Theater emailed me to ask if I would be interested in being a guest for MISTER DIPLOMAT, the FREE flagship show at DSI. I jumped at the chance! I’m really excited to see old friends and hang out with funny people for an evening!

Matthew Alberto's "Change the World"
3 Search Engines to Target for Search Engine Marketing for Nonprofits

Matthew Alberto

27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

I’ve been helping a number of Australian nonprofits with their online fundraising campaigns, and one aspect of that has been via search engine marketing. Major Search Engines You Need to Target From my experience so far, there are only 3 major search engines that your nonprofit, business, or social enterprise should really focus on. They are: Google’s search engine Yahoo!’s seach engine Microsoft Bing’s search engine Nonprofit Marketing on these 3 Search Engines If you were to just target one of them due a limited budget, the best search engine to taget would be…
Online Fundraising Gets Results: Case Study of EveryClick

Matthew Alberto

27 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

Recently, I was contacted by a major global animal welfare organization to help them with their online fundraising campaigns. I’m totally excited about it, but the eagerness of this organization and of others that I am currently helping demonstrates to me the importance of online fundraising for nonprofits and social enterprises today. Online fundraising can take on a number of various ways, as the internet is filled with creative ideas. Today, we examine the business model of Everyclick, a UK search engine with a cause. Online Fundraising Case Study: EveryClick – the Search…
Risks of Social Entrepreneurship 101

Matthew Alberto

26 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

Social entrepreneurs are constantly balancing the risks and rewards of their decisions. If you haven’t thought and understood the risks of your startup venture yet, then discover the 101 basics of social entrepreneurship risks here. Navigating the Risks of Social Entrepreneurship Today’s organizational leaders and young social entrepreneurs are facing economic hardship and uncertainties which increase the risks of social entrepreneurship at a time when it’s needed most. The ability to understand when to take a risk and when to manage risk is a critical component to success.
3 Examples of Social Entrepreneurship in Education

Matthew Alberto

26 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am

Growing up, my mum drilled it into me that education was important. In hindsight, I appreciate her efforts because it helped me learn new things and become the man I am today. So because education is important in the lives of children, today let’s look at 3 examples of education-related social entrepreneurship: 1. Social Entrepreneurship in Education at Mycelium School The Mycelium school, planned for Asheville, NC, will incorporate social entrepreneurship in education in an innovative way. The school will use hands-on learning, community service and a social entrepreneurship-based…
Social Enterprise of the Year 2011 – Enterprise Community Partners

Matthew Alberto

25 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

As we continue on with the new year of social entrepreneurship in 2012, it’s always helpful to reflect back on some of the successful social enterprises that marked 2011. Why was Enterprise Community Partners named social enterprise of the year in 2011? Enterprise Community Partners Named Social Enterprise of the Year 2011 Enterprise Community Partners has been named social enterprise of the year for 2011 by Fast Company magazine. Community Enterprise Partners, based in Columbia, MD, has worked tirelessly over the past 25 years to provide sustainable housing for impoverished Americans.

Ventureneer - Social Entrepreneurship
Choosing Your Legal Form Is a Strategic Decision for Social Good Businesses

Geri Stengel

18 Jan 2012 | 11:20 pm

Social entrepreneurs -- those using business skills to accomplish social good -- have many choices these days. New York and California recently joined five other states in allowing social good to be given as much weight as corporate profit by approving Benefit Corporations in which the well-being of all stakeholders (employees, community, clients, environment), not just shareholders, are legally taken into account when decisions are made. read more
A Social Enterprise Learns, Grows From Its Mistakes

Geri Stengel

11 Jan 2012 | 11:20 pm

Editor’s note: To help social entrepreneurs anticipate and avoid some of the problems of starting a social-good business, Ventureneer is doing a series of blogs about the progress of Greenway Grameen Infra, a social enterprise in India. When last I wrote about Greenway Grameen Infra, its non-polluting stove, fuel efficient stove for rural homes in India was just on the market and hopes were high that 50,000 units would be sold by March 2012. read more
Slum Dwellers Inspire Hope for the Future of Urban Poor

Geri Stengel

2 Jan 2012 | 11:20 pm

With gray skies and gray economic news, one could feel a bit dismal about 2012 and the prospects for a brighter world. Design with the Other 90%, an exhibit at UN Headquarters in New York City dispels that grayness. read more
How a B-Corporation Grew Its Business and Its Social Impact

Geri Stengel

28 Dec 2011 | 11:20 pm

I love it when a company built on social responsibility surges ahead. That’s the case with Recyclebank, a company whose business model is cleaning up the planet by encouraging people to recycle. It’s a company that truly combines social value with good business. read more
Good holidays from Ventureneer

Geri Stengel

15 Dec 2011 | 11:20 pm

Social Enterprise by
State of Social Enterprise: 2012 by Rolfe Larson

Rolfe Larson

19 Jan 2012 | 3:58 pm

With President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address earlier this week, we thought this would also be a good time for us to evaluate the state of the social enterprise sector. Emerging For-profit SE Sector While SE began in the nonprofit sector, the approach is now firmly rooted in the private sector as well. We’re meeting more social entrepreneurs who are interested in the flexibility of private sector business models as their vehicle for social change. On campus there’s been an upsurge in SE interest as a private sector strategy. We’re also seeing new…
Directory of Social Enterprise Directories by Rolfe Larson

Rolfe Larson

10 Nov 2011 | 2:47 pm

One sign that the social enterprise field is maturing is the emergence of guides and directories. And one sign that the field has a ways to go is a lack of consistency in how to define social enterprise (if they define it at all) or what information they present about each listing. But now there are enough directories in circulation to create a, well, directory of directories, all in one place. This is that place: Social Enterprise Shopping Guide* was created this fall by the npEnterprise Forum for those who would prefer to make online purchases that create positive change in the world.
New! Social Enterprise Shopping Guide by Rolfe Larson

Rolfe Larson

26 Oct 2011 | 9:56 pm

Have you ever gone online to order something and then wondered if you could buy it from a social enterprise? We often have, which is why the npEnterprise Forum created the Social Enterprise Shopping Guide. Support the SE sector while shopping online! Here’s the web address for the Guide: http://bit.ly/qsDUzN It’s only a start, with less than 30 entries. We’re sure there are dozens (hundreds?) more out there. So if you have favorites to add to the Guide, email them to Rolfe@RolfeLarson.com. To qualify, the SE needs to have a web page that lists products for the…
What Is NOT a Social Enterprise by Rolfe Larson

Rolfe Larson

17 Oct 2011 | 5:01 pm

Steve Jobs once said: “I am as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.” So also it should be for the social enterprise sector. There are plenty of great things that are not SEs. To gain credibility and traction in the marketplace, the SE field cannot be all things to all people. That’s the path to becoming nothing at all. For this blog, we’ve used the Social Enterprise Alliance definition: “SEs directly address social needs through their products and services or through the numbers of disadvantaged people they employ. SEs use earned revenue…
ShoreBank Demise Dissected: “Too Good To Fail” by Rolfe Larson

Rolfe Larson

27 Sep 2011 | 1:34 pm

In August 2010, ShoreBank, the nation’s first, largest, and leading community bank, was shut down by regulators. It was a major blow to the social enterprise sector. For almost forty years, ShoreBank made more than $4 billion in mission investments and financed more than 59,000 units of affordable housing. It spearheaded the national movement of community development financial institutions, played a significant role in federal policy around community investment, and was the role model f or dozens of smaller progressive banks in the US and abroad. And yet it failed. Why? And what…

Care2 Causes » Trailblazers For Good
Care2 Blogger Reunion in London

Cynthia S.

27 Jan 2012 | 10:28 am

It wouldn’t be right to be working out of London and not have the honor of meeting our bloggers who live here. I thought you might want to meet them yourselves: Paul Canning first and then Steve Williams. That other person is me.
Share Retweet Repeat: Care2 Book Giveaway

Care2 Causes Editors

26 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm

Editor’s note: Here is the introduction of John Hlinko’s new book, Share Retweet Repeat. Care2 is giving away 5 copies! Leave your comment below for a chance to win. Why do some online messages spread like wildfire, while others fall flat? Why do some people spread those messages far more effectively than others? And [...]
High School Students Send Lego Man Into Space (VIDEO)

Shannon McKarney

25 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

“To prove that we could do it.” That’s why two Toronto-area students, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, decided to build a weather balloon with a video camera and send it into space. The students launched their weather balloon two weeks ago from a Newmarket soccer field, and waited as their little Lego man bearing a [...]
Going Halfsies

Utne Reader

24 Jan 2012 | 4:30 pm

Written by Margret Aldrich How many times have you ordered an entrée at a restaurant only to leave a pile of food on your plate, dump the remains into a doggie bag, or stagger out the door with your pants unbuttoned? The new program Halfsies hopes to cut portion sizes for a good cause. [...]
Educate! Preparing Uganda’s Next Generation of Leaders

Nicole Parisi-Smith

20 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

I got to meet social entrepreneur Boris Bulayev while covering SOCAP11 for Care2. I loved hearing this story. In 2002, Boris and Eric Glustrom co-founded Educate!, a Boulder, CO based nonprofit that is developing the next generation of Ugandan leaders. The organization’s Ugandan Mentors spend two hours per week in each classroom, reaching a total [...]

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)
Building Credibility with E-Commerce Customers You Can’t See

Anthony Saladino

27 Jan 2012 | 2:30 am

Handshake © by buddawiggi (2003) The abundant emergence of Internet business is not a coincidence; companies see how lucrative e-commerce can be and are jumping at the opportunity. Corporations are moving their store fronts to desktops and raking in the cash in the process. Easily navigated websites, organized inventory and the convenience of shopping from the privacy of one’s home has online business catapulting. Without the costs of rent and other overhead expenses, businesses are even able to pass the savings down to their customers; however, none of this is feasible unless you have…
How I Did It: Matt Wilson on Launching Under30CEO

Matt Wilson

26 Jan 2012 | 2:30 am

Shovels © by Joe Shlabotnik (2007) As an ambitious young hopeful, Matt Wilson started to act on his entrepreneurial aspirations while many were still figuring out what to major in at college. As a business management student at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., Wilson founded the Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization, a network of fellow college students who shared his disdain for working for a monolithic, corporate company. Growing to about 150 students, the group hosted networking events, workshops, an elevator pitch competition and a CEO speaker’s series with keynotes from…
How To Start Actively Marketing Yourself

Steph Auteri

25 Jan 2012 | 3:00 am

Magazines © by Sean Winters (2007) Despite all my preparations, when I finally became my own boss, I didn’t know a damn thing about drumming up work. As I had always done before, I scoured the job ads for freelance work, dutifully sent out cover letters and resumes, worked several permalance gigs that gave me a feeling of stability and, otherwise, waited for the work to come to me. Somehow, it worked. Despite myself, and within only six months, I had matched my previous corporate salary. But being a business owner is nothing like being an employee, and I couldn’t sustain my…
From Six-Figure Salary to Bootstrapped Startup: Entrepreneur Week

Gary Whitehill

24 Jan 2012 | 2:30 am

Bullseye © by Sean Hobson (2010) New York City’s economy was turbulent in 2009, to say the least: the finance industry was imploding, jobs were being lost by the tens of thousands, consumer confidence was nearing an all-time low and unemployment was at its highest rate in decades. Being somewhat naive to the implications of these macro-level factors on businesses, I chose to forgo my six-figure salary and invest my life savings into a startup idea called Entrepreneur Week. As a digital media and events company, we had a simple thesis: the economic downturn created opportunities for…
The $100,000 Chris Rock Story

Ramit Sethi

23 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am

401K © by 401K (2011) Telling a story about Chris Rock helped me earn over $100,000 in scholarship money to attend college. During senior year of high school, my parents — immigrants who raised four kids and didn’t have money to send us to college — encouraged us to apply to every scholarship we could find. Since I’m a big weirdo, I built a system that allowed me to apply to over 60 scholarships in a few weeks (I’ve detailed parts of the system I used to get so many college scholarships). The largest scholarship I received had an extensive application process. First,…

Return On Now
Anchored Links: What You Need To Know for SEO

Tommy Landry

16 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am

Anchored links are good for helping direct users to the right part of a web page right when they click through to view the materials. This post explains the basics of anchored links and how they impact SEO. Continue reading →
3 Keys to Balancing User Experience and SEO

Tommy Landry

12 Dec 2011 | 9:00 am

I cover a variety of SEO topics on Return On Now, but it is often important to take a step back and consider the full realm of online marketing. While SEO is most important for presenting your best game face … Continue reading →
Subdomains vs. Subfolders: Which is best for SEO?

Tommy Landry

21 Nov 2011 | 11:00 am

Subdomains and subfolders are handled completely differently by search engines. Learn when and how to use each the right way. Continue reading →
White Hat SEO vs. Black Hat SEO

Tommy Landry

3 Nov 2011 | 11:00 am

What is the difference between White Hat and Black Hat SEO? Here is one SEO's quick response to that exact question. Continue reading →
Website Traffic – The Power of Buzz

Tommy Landry

18 Oct 2011 | 11:00 am

We talk about search engine optimization (SEO) quite a bit on here, but SEO is (obviously) not the only way to drive web traffic. You could also invest in various paid placements such as PPC, display, or sponsored white papers … Continue reading →

Blog Write Now!
Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Audrey Wyatt, Startup Strategist

16 Jan 2012 | 2:30 pm
Merry Christmas!

Audrey Wyatt, Startup Strategist

23 Dec 2011 | 12:16 pm
Don't Hate the "B" Word!

Audrey Wyatt, Startup Strategist

10 Nov 2011 | 8:20 pm
Kauffman Is Looking for the Magic Sauce

Audrey Wyatt, Startup Strategist

26 Oct 2011 | 4:46 pm

I will be following Kauffman Foundation's research on entrepreneurship even closer as they are in pursuit of the "Magic Sauce". Here are some of the questions they are asking: Can we democratized the process of entrepreneurship so that it would be easier for people to pursue? What would it take for new firms to be more successful? How do we make companies grow faster? We know the ingredients, but if they come up with something tasty, I will be sure to pass it along.
Have you met invention's mother yet?

Audrey Wyatt, Startup Strategist

1 Oct 2011 | 2:22 pm

Finch Blogs
Lessons Taken From My First (24) Years

Finch

27 Jan 2012 | 10:45 am

I can remember only embarrassing figments of my last few birthday celebrations, and sometimes I consider that a blessing in disguise. Between the ages of 18 and 22, I must have untagged enough photos to fill an entire hard drive with scandal. Yesterday by comparison, my 24th birthday, was a relatively sedate affair. Instead of scraping pizza from a beer-sodden kitchen counter, I carved steak from a pool of watercress and braised shallots. Instead of being spanked, and whipped, and publicly abused by Geordie strippers with candles not designed for cakes, I enjoyed the quiet company of my…
Building Backlinks: The Fastlane To Insanity

Finch

23 Jan 2012 | 6:15 am

This weekend, I decided to engage in some research that never fails to get my blood boiling. What better way to spend your Sunday afternoon than by crawling the web making notes on how to boss Google’s search rankings? SEO is to Finch, what the slaughterhouse is to cows. It’s where I go when I feel like throwing my business plans before the judge and pleading for a stay of execution. “Dear Google, please take pity upon thee.” So I loaded up on Victoria Sandwich, pointed my browser at Yahoo Site Explorer, and prepared mentally for the skullbreakingly arduous task of…
The Future of Premium Posts

Finch

21 Jan 2012 | 4:47 am

As I wrote several weeks ago, sales on my affiliate marketing Premium Posts have been going strong. That’s still the case. I’m glad they’ve exceeded the template of one hit wonder! The latest release, covering how to make money from dating offers, seems to have been received very well. So, I’m excited to begin work on Volume 4. The theme is simply going to be ‘Outside The Box‘. I want to steer affiliates away from the idea that they can only be successful on Facebook and Plentyoffish. In reality, it’s much easier to be successful away from these…
Stop Reading Blogs, Start Reading Books

Finch

19 Jan 2012 | 9:59 am

Since caving in to the lure of a Kindle, my personal goal has been to read 100 pages of literature every day. It’s something I recommend every blogger should consider. If you run a blog, or produce any kind of web content, you should be reading regularly to enhance your own output. In fact, if you have any entrepreneurial instinct whatsoever, you will greatly improve your chances of success by reading regularly. Most people accept that good writing comes from practice and lots of reading. What they often ignore is that bad writing is just as easy to inherit. Unfortunately, bad writing…
Buying a Yacht vs. Defaulting On Your Argos Card

Finch

13 Jan 2012 | 3:25 pm

There seems to be a lot of discussion in the Internet Marketing world over how best to create a lasting business, and particularly where to reinvest your profits if you create one that works. Knowing as many affiliates as I do, this is great to hear. It’s nice that people are waking up to the reality that reinvestment is critical for long term business growth. Unfortunately, life is rarely as simple as spend spend spend. Many of us, through starting businesses and throwing balls to the wind, have taken on large amounts of personal debt. So, when is a good time to reinvest, and when is a…

Livity Africa
Wanted: Sales and marketing manager for Live Mag SA

Gavin

25 Jan 2012 | 8:06 am

An exciting new marketing and advertising sales role working on a new magazine title that is taking South Africa by storm. Originally from the UK, Live Magazine is a new SA-wide youth magazine title that launched across the country in mid-November. We are now looking for a marketing and advertising professional to develop, follow-up and close advertising leads, create and grow partnerships with brands, come up with creative brand solutions… as well as mentoring a young team of marketing interns. Working with the MD and Project Director, you’d be responsible for developing leads,…
Nicola Daniels: Live SA’s editor in CitiPress

Gavin

23 Jan 2012 | 10:56 am

From yesterday’s Citypress newspaper, Live Magazine South Africa’s editor Nicola Daniels is called ‘the future of media’.
Live Mag SA coverage in the Sunday Times

Gavin

8 Dec 2011 | 1:44 pm

Sunday Times, December 4th 2011
Behind the scenes at Live Mag SA

Gavin

30 Nov 2011 | 10:25 am

Meanwhile, while most of the team were beavering away producing issue one, seven intrepid recruits, mainly from Khayelitsha, were busy working on shooting, editing and filming video content for the launch of Live Magazine SA’s YouTube channel. Every week they’ll be uploading video specials: both related content from the print version and exclusive one-offs… check out their look behind the scenes at our HQ here Subscribe now at www.youtube.com/LiveMagSA
Live Mag SA is recruiting!

Gavin

21 Nov 2011 | 8:39 am

Wanted: magazine journalism mentor to help change the world Part-time role for someone who is passionate about magazines, able to relate to young people, and encourage, support and help nurture young talent. Live Magazine is a new SA-wide youth magazine title launching mid-November – all created by young people themselves. We are now looking for a magazine journalist to become our part-time editorial mentor, overseeing the team of trainee journalists as a mentor and facilitator. Live Magazine is a quarterly publication originally from London: a glossy youth magazine featuring an…

i4c campaign blogs
u4c Video: The Wild Animal Sanctuary

i4c campaign

26 Jan 2012 | 1:39 pm

A new [i4c] Campaign interview has been posted on our YouTube Channel. This interview is with The Wild Animal Sanctuary from Keenesburg, CO. Who is The Wild Animal Sanctuary? Find out more about them by checking out their website: http://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org or visit them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wild-Animal-Sanctuary
January Cause of the Month: Keep the Arts in Public Schools

i4c campaign

25 Jan 2012 | 1:12 pm

There is no doubt that there is a big problem in funding for public schools. Teachers are losing jobs quicker than anyone can measure, and every time we lose a teacher our children lose another opportunity to excel. read more
u4c Video: Simple Energy

i4c campaign

23 Jan 2012 | 5:11 pm

A new [i4c] Campaign Interview has been posted on our YouTube Channel. This interview is with Simple Energy from Boulder, CO. Who is Simple Energy? Find out more about Simple Energy by checking out their website: http://utilities.simpleenergy.com/ or visit them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SimpleEnergy
Keep Your Jeans Green

i4c campaign

23 Jan 2012 | 9:15 am

No item of clothing better embodies American fashion than the classic blue jean. Almost everyone you know owns at least one pair, if not a whole closet full of these denim classics. An item that is so widely used presents the perfect opportunity to do something eco-friendly. read more
Green, Now Available in Black

i4c campaign

19 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm

It’s award season once again, and celebrities in partnership with some of the most sought-out designers are doing their part to help charity. read more

Changemakers Ideas ExChange
The solution to the latest bullying headlines? Forget legislation: It's time to Start Empathy.

cmblog

27 Jan 2012 | 3:46 pm

Earlier this week, reports surfaced about an 11-year-old boy with autism, who was beaten up by a fellow student while waiting at the bus stop. The event was filmed on a student’s cell phone, as his peers egged on his attacker, and subsequently uploaded to Facebook. It later emerged that Kaleb Kula, the victim of the assault, had endured similar taunts beginning in the 1st grade, and his parents had repeatedly contacted the administration expressing their concern. On the surface, the school had followed procedure, obeying the letter of the law. Maryland’s Cecil…
Early Entrants & Honorable Mentions come together on Google+ Hangout

25 Jan 2012 | 4:38 pm

The early entry winners and honorable mentions of the Inspiring Approaches to First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learning competition were announced here a few weeks ago. Last week, these entrants came together for the first time to discuss the state of innovation in their communities, and the methods that they see are improving the lives of those around them.The entrants came from across Canada, and by the end of the meeting they were conspiring to find ways to bring their programs together. read more
Meet The Early Entry Winners of the Innovations for Health Competition

23 Jan 2012 | 4:14 pm

A few months ago, Ashoka Changemakers and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio launched the 'Innovations for Health' competition. Today we are happy to announce the early entry winners:read more
Growing to the Next Level of Change

benwald

22 Jan 2012 | 8:10 pm

Editor's note: This post was written by Ashoka Changemakers chief executive partner Ben Wald.I am excited to let you know that Changemakers.com is about to get a new look.Starting next week, the action opportunities for all who visit Changemakers are expanding from finding new innovations (through collaborative competitions, where Changemakers pioneered the open source method for recognizing and refining the best solutions to the world’s most critical issues) to connecting with a network that directs resources to the most promising solutions so they can grow.read more
Activate Empathy and Join the Movement to Teach What Matters

EmilyTav

20 Jan 2012 | 8:44 am

Empathy. em·pa·thy [em-puh-thee] It’s a beautiful word, derived from the suffix -em (meaning “to make into, to put into, to get into”) and -pathy (meaning “suffering”).What I consider especially beautiful about this word is that, unlike “sympathy” (which translates literally to “with” + “suffering”), “empathy” is more internally focused, and action-oriented. It describes the transposition of the suffering, emotion, feeling, or experience of another person into oneself – and how it manifests itself through ones behavior toward others.Here at…

Dutiee
Davos: Ushahidi Grows Its Global Crowd-sourcing Platform, Slams Twitter Censorship

27 Jan 2012 | 3:44 pm

Ushahidi, the incredible crowd sourcing platform which came out of Kenya. Starting with just a handful of countries in 2009, it’s main product, Crowdmap, is now used in hundreds of countries
Meet Mr. Toilet: The Man Trying To Make Commodes A Global Status Symbol

27 Jan 2012 | 3:37 pm

Toilets. You might take them for granted, but in a lot of the world, not only do people not have them, they don't even want them.
Who Is The Most Unreasonable Entrepreneur of Them All, Not the Mirror - You Decide

27 Jan 2012 | 2:03 am

Unreasonable Institute, the famous social startup accelerator has picked 46 finalists from the hundreds of applications they received for their batch of 2012 and would now like you to pick the final 25
Gates Donates $750 Million to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

26 Jan 2012 | 4:44 pm

The Gates Foundation will inject $750 million into the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Powered By Caffeine: A New Technology To Extract Energy From Coffee

25 Jan 2012 | 7:13 pm

People drink a lot of coffee, and that creates a lot of waste. But if that waste could be converted to power? Then one addiction (coffee) could help get us off our other (oil).

Charles Lee
A Look Into The Higher Education Bubble

Charles

26 Jan 2012 | 12:10 pm

There’s no doubt that cost for higher education is skyrocketing. Take a moment to look at the following video and two infographics on what economists have discovered about the current reality and possible trajectory of higher education. Created By: Education News Education News Education New
Book Update Video & Free Sample

Charles

25 Jan 2012 | 9:42 am

My book “Good Idea. Now What?” is less than 3 weeks away from launching on Feb. 14th! First of all, thank you so much for your continual support of this project! It’s been so encouraging to see many people pre-order the book and/or read early copies of it! As we get closer to the official launch date, our team put together a quick video (below) describing why this book was written and for whom. Please take a moment to watch the video and share it with people you think would benefit from a book like this. Also, click the following link to download a free sample of the book:…
Teamwork Is Not Egalitarian

Charles

24 Jan 2012 | 11:42 am

Egalitarianism is often defined as a social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people, especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs. While this is something that we should strive for when it comes to human rights, I think this philosophy can be detrimental if applied to a context of working with a team in an organization or business. In theory, it sounds wonderful to have “equal” voice in leadership. Nevertheless, organizations and businesses that thrive tend to have clear understanding of the pecking order of leadership. The egalitarian…
Can Apple Save Education?

Charles

23 Jan 2012 | 8:02 am

Apple recently announced some of its plans to introduce new software technology (e.g., iBooks 2, iBooks Author, Interactive Textbooks, etc.) into the classroom experience. As a company known for innovating new solutions, could this commitment to education be the beginning of something revolutionary? Here’s a infographic that highlights some of Apple’s efforts, both past and present. Via: OnlineEducation.net
New Voices at Ideation Conferences

Charles

19 Jan 2012 | 11:45 am

The amazing list of presenters for Ideation Conference (May 7-9) in Chicago continues to grow! Here’s a quick snapshot of some of the recent additions to our event: Claire Diaz Ortiz | Leads Social Innovation at Twitter & Author of Twitter for Good Patty Huber | G-Team Director at Groupon Jeremy Cowart | Celebrity Portrait Photographer & Founder of Help-Portrait Brent Freeman | Founder & CEO of Roozt.com Catherine Rohr | Founder & CEO of Defy Ventures Shaun King | Founder of HopeMob More will be announced shortly… Be sure to register by tomorrow to get our lowest…

In Search of Sanuk
How much FUN are we creating together this year?

Dwight Turner

20 Jan 2012 | 8:16 pm

This week I got a call from a woman whose family we’ve been helping. Now I don’t want to seem heartless, but I was a little annoyed when the phone was ringing. I often get calls at random times of the day with random requests. Sometimes it’s the 7am call to say thank you for paying for our rent, a lovely gesture from a few thankful hearts which may drive me INSANE. I work full time and have my share of a social life, but the nature of caring for people is you can’t really pick your hours. So I always leave my phone on and field calls from families saying everything…
Video Report from Children’s Day 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand

Dwight Turner

14 Jan 2012 | 7:14 pm

Saturday afternoon was a great Children’s Day celebration with the Yommarat community. A pair of awesome volunteers, Pilar and Nicole, organized games and crafts for the kids and about 15 other volunteers who joined. Watch the video below (Or click here: In Search of Sanuk Children’s Day 2012 in the Yommarat Community) Volunteers got lots of hands on interaction with the community’s kids, parents, grandparents and passerby’s who heard all the fun we were having. The highlight for me was being able to help seven families by giving out gift certificates to a local…
Kick Starting 2012 with Volunteering and Fundraising

Dwight Turner

7 Jan 2012 | 11:54 pm

Always good to start the year out with some momentum. We’re doing just that next weekend when Thailand celebrates Children’s Day. Every year on the second weekend of January, Thailand celebrates Children’s Day. This year we’re making plans to do some activities in the Yommorat community in Bangkok. [Take a look back at what we've done in the past: Children's Day 2010] Yommarat is a community full of kids. The majority of the kids who attend our Saturday school are from this neighborhood, but there are many more kids in the community who are unable to attend because we…
Year End Party and Happy Holidays from In Search of Sanuk

Dwight Turner

1 Jan 2012 | 12:22 am

In Search of Sanuk Christmas Party For the second year in a row, we threw a big party for the families we’ve been helping. [You can flashback to last year's Christmas by watching this video: Stealing Back Christmas 2010] The aim of the party is really to provide holiday cheer for families who wouldn’t have much of a celebration otherwise. That meant plenty of food and fun festivities for everyone! Christmas Angels One volunteer bought and had over forty gifts wrapped! Thanks Santa! [See more photos here: In Search of Sanuk Facebook Page] The party was a great end to a…
I’m not a Missionary, not a NGO or a Hero

Dwight Turner

9 Dec 2011 | 9:43 pm

I’m NOT a missionary. On the contrary, I don’t have a fraction of the faith the people I’m helping possess. I’m NOT a NGO. There’s no staff, no backup plan, and without the support of a handful of personal friends—no budget. And I’m definitely not a hero. Showing up with food, water and help with rent doesn’t mean I have super powers or even make me particularly intuitive. I’m a lot like you. I don’t fit so easily into people’s boxes and grow tired of explaining why. I love wearing lots of hats, but I’m truthfully…

maternova.net
Using Maternova Products with Maasai Women at the last mile in Tanzania

Maternova

27 Jan 2012 | 10:12 am

This is truly the 'last mile' as they call it. Here is a note from a recent trip to Northern Tanzania: "Our (a M. D. and myself) work in Northern Tanzania was difficult but fulfilling. We were providing services in a Maasai area that people have to walk more than 10 miles to get medical services. Even in a car it takes 45 minutes because the roads are so bad. The government has set up a clinic out in this area, but besides building the building, they don’t really keep it stocked or staffed. Most people don’t even go because they can’t do anything. We had people walking over ten miles…
Argentinean car mechanic's inspired idea for safer birth: The Odon Device

Maternova

19 Jan 2012 | 12:01 pm

odon device The following post is cross- posted with permission from the Healthy Newborn Network's Technology and Innovation for Maternal and Newborn Health. It was originally posted on (USAID's IMPACT blog)[http://blog.usaid.gov/]. It all started with friendly bet amongst friends – who could get a cork out of an empty wine bottle with only a plastic bag? The friends had seen the trick on YouTube earlier and wanted to re-enact it. Somehow, Saving Lives at Birth finalist Jorge Odon, an Argentinian car mechanic with no medical background, drew a connection between the trick and obstructed…
120 year old Method of Fetal Monitoring where there is no Electricity

Maternova

17 Jan 2012 | 10:59 am

pinard horn Fetal heart rate is an important indicator of fetal health. For this reason, significant resources have been employed adapting ultrasound machines for use in low-resource settings. However, for over a century doctors and midwives have successfully monitored fetal heart rate using a more basic method—a type of stethoscope known as the pinard horn. This simple device can be made from wood, plastic or aluminum, and is inexpensive, portable and durable in comparison to ultrasound machines. On one end is a cone-shaped opening, which is placed on the pregnant abdomen. On the other is…
A simple recipe to save 40% of newborns and 50% of mothers

Maternova

11 Jan 2012 | 8:54 am

Let’s sum it up simply—to save mothers we need to manage postpartum hemorrhage, eclampsia and sepsis. To save newborns it’s: breastfeeding, antenatal care and close management of hypothermia and pneumonia. During October’s MH Buzz Meeting, Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta of Pakistan’s Aga Khan University drove home the value of simple, evidence-based interventions for maternal and newborn health and the work out of Aga Khan. Based on the 2006-07 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (the first to examine cause-specific maternal and child mortality), he reported that the leading cause of…
Ummul-gargaar: “Help for a new mother who has just given birth”

Maternova

18 Dec 2011 | 7:45 am

Misoprostol is part of the WHO’s List of Essential Medicines for the prevention of post-partum hemorrhage (PPH). In addition, multiple studies have proven that misoprostol is a safe, effective alternative for oxytocin. But to date, very few countries have established nationwide misoprostol programs. Population Services International (PSI), however, has utilized its expertise in social marketing to tackle the barriers preventing the widespread deployment of misoprostol. PSI operates programs in Nigeria, Somaliland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, which promote, distribute and train providers in…

the1monthproject.wordpress.com
Wikipedia And The New Form Of Protest

the1monthproject

19 Jan 2012 | 11:36 am

Yesterday’s protest by the big names in the internet world got a lot of people talking. It was protest on mass, delivering the message to hundreds of millions of users worldwide and prompting people to contact their congressional representatives in droves – so many Wikipedia claims, that it overloaded switchboards and email servers. For the first time perhaps in American history, the lobbyists and corporate voices have been truly 100% outshone and outdone by dare I say it, more socially responsible business and not-for-profit organisations. Never before has there been…
8 Steps To Staying Motivated At All Times

the1monthproject

17 Jan 2012 | 7:33 am

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit” Aristotle Staying motivated and inspired is one of the most important aspects of a healthy working life. It is essential to staying positive and completing the tasks you want to complete, without finding them a chore – and enabling you to find some genuine satisfaction in what you are doing. But it’s something that many of us struggle with despite realising how important it is. Perhaps this has something to do with how easily one can be distracted by a negative thought or emotion.
What Does 2012 Have In Store For Us?

the1monthproject

2 Jan 2012 | 3:08 pm

Really this title should read: “What do we have in store for 2012?”. I think it is going to be a year which is determined by the general feelings and state of mind of the general public rather than decisions made by those in ‘power’. Of course, this is technically true of any year, but somehow it feels more important than ever that people find the energy they need to put their thoughts, desires and ambitions into action. 2011 and the couple of years that preceded it have been years of crises (or so we were told) which has created strong feelings of doom and gloom…
London’s New Routemaster

the1monthproject

16 Dec 2011 | 8:29 am

I’m usually no fan of government spending projects, but the speed at which the replacement Routemaster or “Boris Bus” has been created is pleasantly surprising. When the initial plans were unveiled it looked impressive, but then again these things often do at the ‘moneys no object’ concept stage. It has however turned out remarkably close to the concept design – an attractive, glossy, practical and truly British invention, custom made for the capital. The original Routemaster was iconic, known around the world for its feminine, curvy physique and a…
The 1 Month Project News

the1monthproject

1 Dec 2011 | 5:42 pm

Hi Everyone, Its been a while since I last posted a news update so here we go: We’ve started to see our visitor numbers increase substantially over the last few weeks, so thanks to all our new readers for joining us and we hope you’ll find something of use here. If you want to be kept updated with what’s going on, please enter your email address in the subscribe box on the right hand side. We’ve been a bit delayed in setting up our monthly Meetup but we’ll to be onto it soon, and it will be great to meet some of our followers in person. Project 1 is starting…

The Official Rang De Blog
Rang De’s Anniversary Video Featuring You!

admin

20 Jan 2012 | 8:15 am

Today Rang De is what it is because of our social investors. On completing four years of knocking out poverty through microcredit, we are making a video which will feature you. We have provided three demos for you among which you can choose one and record yourself. All you have to do is : Record a video of yourself with your message using a webcam or your video camera. Upload your video on www.youtube.com. Send an email to pratibha@rangde.org with your link. Our demo videos Demo 1: Demo 2: Demo 3:
Socionomics – Social Investing as a Pension Plan!

admin

14 Dec 2011 | 3:16 am

By Rakesh Khemani, Social Investor, Bangalore I believe in social investing as a means to knock down poverty, to help people help their families, to support the enterprising with a relatively affordable resource, to help those who believe in a dignified existence and are willing to work hard for it, to do my bit for the society and derive the vast sense of satisfaction and purpose; the reasons are equal to the number of individuals who believe in it. However, beyond and in addition to the altruistic objectives for social investing, can it be viewed using the pragmatic lens of sound financial…
My Experience with Rang De

admin

5 Dec 2011 | 5:30 am

By Sukhdev Gupta, Rang De Social Investor I was always inclined towards doing something in the social sector. After retiring from Govt. service in 1997 I settled in Gurgaon where I worked as a consultant for nearly four years. In 2003, I came in contact with GOONJ, and got actively involved, helping it expand its reach in Gurgaon. In 2007, I also joined Khushboo Welfare Society, an NGO for mentally and multiple challenged children. About a year back, I heard about Rang De from my brother. I studied the model closely and was fascinated by it. Its governing board consists of eminent…
Your Small amount can go a Long way!

admin

16 Nov 2011 | 11:05 pm

By Ishi Sodhi, Rang De Social Investor I was born and raised in India. Hence, poverty was never a myth for me. It was a harsh reality that (fortunately) did not affect me directly. I had my own set of problems to deal with which seemed grave then. Some of these included getting into the best school, obtaining highest marks in my class, celebrating my birthday every year of course with a bang. Getting a good education felt like my birth right. Having access to meals four times a day was not an issue for me. Yes, I am your upper middle class girl who had her own set of problems. …
A little more enthusiasm is all we need!!

admin

9 Nov 2011 | 12:51 am

By Chetan Agrawal, Rang De Volunteer It had been three years since I celebrated Diwali in India. So when I got the chance this year, I decided to make it one of the memorable events for rest of my life. I chose to go for a ‘Rang De Field Trip’. In the past three years I have spoken to over 300 people, introducing them to Rang De but each time I talked about it, people used to ask whether it really worked, are people really getting benefit out of this venture, how the field partner worked etc. These questions are often faced when anyone tries to introduce Rang De to an individual. The…

Nate Riggs is Social Business Strategies | Content Marketing and Social Media Consulting
Mobile App Utility: The Secret to Winning the Hearts & Habits of Consumers

nateriggs

25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am

According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, the share of adult cell phone owners who have downloaded an app to their phone nearly doubled in the past two years – rising from 22% in September 2009 to 38% in August 2011. Couple that with Pew’s data from a May 2011 survey that showed that 35% of adults in the U.S. owned smartphones, and you have a picture of just how important using Mobile applications are becoming to consumers. High usage breeds high competition by app developers, as well as the brands who wish to capture consumer attention in the…
Case Study: Go Viral on YouTube with Shock & Awe Content

nateriggs

24 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am

I was turned 0n to this video on YouTube when I sat on a panel at a co-branded Columbus AMA and AdFed event a few weeks ago. Since that time, I’ve been much more aware of wearing my seat belt on every drive. It works because it’s shock and awe content. Watch. Case Study: Go Viral on YouTube with Shock & Awe Content This is incredible video content production work to support the Embrace Life campaign being executed by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnershipover in the UK. It’s an incredible example of the how to harness the power of shock and awe in your content. While…
Joe Paterno: The Tragic & Swift Death of an Iconic Human Brand

nateriggs

23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

I started to learn about brand early on in my career by working in a retail design agency. One of the mantras of that company has always stuck with me over the years. “It can take years for you to build a brand, and only an instant to destroy it.” Sounds pretty serious, huh. The truth is … the statement wasn’t simply a brochure scare tactic designed to make clients and prospects think. It’s absolutely true. Lasting Impressions Are Hard to Come By Joe Paterno’s death is on the mind of millions today, saddened by the news late last night that the famous JoPa…

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