Who are the influential people in your social network or community? I ask this question of every business with whom I work. Every industry has their “players” – whether it’s the food and beverage industry, alpaca ranching, or Wall Street. Each has someone in their field who leads the pack. These people influence the masses, [...]
Good
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What Gives!?
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Finding Influence…
9 Feb 2010 | 8:30 am -
Wild Wings Provides Sanctuary…
8 Feb 2010 | 2:43 pmEditor’s Note: Our pal and filmmaker, Rory Gordon, was recently shooting (with a camera…) at a bird of prey refuge in upstate New York. She was very intrigued by Wild Wings, and after reading a little about them myself, I could see why… Thousands of birds of prey are injured in the U.S. every year. If [...] -
Starting A Social Media Journey For Your Cause…
8 Feb 2010 | 10:06 amWhen I was student body president in junior high school, my farewell speech about our new journey into high school included a quote from Muhammad Ali: “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” I knew it would be a long journey and wanted my fellow students to [...] -
SOS Help Haiti Telethon is Live!
5 Feb 2010 | 5:28 pmThe SOS Help Haiti Telethon on BET is live on the air right now with performers @MaryJBlige @Wyclef @IAmDiddy @IAmQueenLatifah @IndiaArie @NeYoCompound @songzyuuup. You can watch the telethon right now on BET, or head over to BET.com for the livestream! There are a ton of ways to get involved with the telethon. You can call 1-877-6-SOS-NOW, [...] -
Out of Tragedy Comes A Lesson in Marketing…
5 Feb 2010 | 12:30 pmIt has been nearly three weeks since the terrible tragedy occurred in Haiti. The earthquake of that fateful day will ever change the course of Haitian history. It has also made us all more aware of how precious life is, and how a single event can change the way we look at the world. Since [...]
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Have Fun • Do Good
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How to Start, or Join a Social Action Book Club
5 Feb 2010 | 3:33 pmThis week two fellow BlogHer Contributing Editors (Virgina DeBolt and Elana Centor), and BlogHer co-Founder (Elisa Camahort Page), and me had a virtual book club call to discuss Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Half the Sky, which discusses sex trafficking, forced prostitution and gender-based violence is a tough read, and we all agreed that discussing it together really helped to process the information.We've decided to read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer together next. If you'd like to join us, email me at… -
Supporting Have Fun Do Good with TranquiliT and the Right Brain Business Plan
2 Feb 2010 | 8:08 amI'm trying out an experiment, and have added a couple digital ads to the sidebar of Have Fun Do Good for creative women entrepreneurs whose work I believe in: Jennifer Lee's Right Brain Business Plan, and Kimberly Wilson's eco-fashion company, TranquiliT. Both women, along with Lisa Sonora Beam and myself, are planning a 2010 creative women entrepreneur retreat together.Basically, if you click on the ads and make a purchase, I get a portion of the sale, which will help support my writing Have Fun Do Good, and my producing the Big Vision Podcast.I took Jennifer Lee's Right Brain Business Plan… -
How Did You Decide to Help Haiti for the Rest of 2010?
31 Jan 2010 | 8:26 amLast week in my post, Keeping Your Balance While Helping Haiti, I suggested that you research organizations working in Haiti that you would like to support by donating, volunteering, or helping in some other way throughout 2010. We need to support the people of Haiti now, but also in the future, when the hard work of rebuilding begins.Although I have a particular interest in grassroots organizations, I decided to donate to a large organization, CARE. CARE is a humanitarian nonprofit that works in poor communities. They focus on women and children. I contributed to their Haiti Emergency… -
Your Feedback Requested on The Have Fun Do Good Guide
28 Jan 2010 | 12:11 pmHello Have Fun Do Gooders!One of my 2010 New Year's resolutions is to complete either a book proposal, or a self-published e-book that I am tentatively titling, The Have Fun Do Good Guide.You have no idea how scary it is for me to share that with you. Yikes!Anyway, I am writing The Have Fun Do Good Guide because:1. I've always wanted to write a book.2. I want to explore how to add more having fun and doing good into my own life.3. I want to share stories, ideas and resources that are inspiring and useful to other people.I have my own ideas about what I would like to include in the book, but I… -
Keeping Your Balance While Helping Haiti
22 Jan 2010 | 4:15 pmWhen a tragedy like the earthquake in Haiti happens, and the images and stories are so disturbing, it is normal to feel extreme emotions: despair, depression, anxiety that help isn't getting their fast enough, guilt, even denial. The thing is, extreme emotions are not always the most productive ones. Eventually, Haiti will be out of the 24-hour news cycle, but its people will still need support. Make a commitment this month to do your part to help over the long term, in a balanced way.Below are five ideas for how to keep your balance, while helping Haiti, or any cause you are passionate…
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Good Guide
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GoodGuide Lists and Widgets
29 Jan 2010 | 3:02 pmGoodGuide has a cool new feature where you can create your own lists of favorite products - or products to avoid. And then publish these lists in a simple “widget” format on any blog or website. Here is the list I created in 3 minutes. <style> .goodguide-widget-link { position: absolute; top: 40%; left: 0; z-index: 1; } .goodguide-widget { position: relative; width: 250px; height: 350px; background: white; text-align: center; } .goodguide-widget iframe { width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none; z-index: 2; position: relative; } </style> <iframe… -
FDA changes its stance on Bisphenol-A
19 Jan 2010 | 11:01 pmFor a long time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been very slow in acting on emerging chemical concerns. As many GoodGuide users have heard, Bisphenol-A is increasingly associated with a range of human health impacts, particularly on child development. Just last week, a new US study concluded that BPA exposure at even very low levels could exacerbate adult heart disease. In response to consumer demands, many plastic bottle manufacturers are voluntarily eliminating BPA from their products. Yet, under President Bush, the agency insisted in an assessment in 2008 that BPA was safe. -
Tips to Picking the Best Deodorant (and Antiperspirant)
12 Jan 2010 | 9:41 amSweat itself is almost odorless—it is the bacteria feeding on the sweat that emits an odor. Antiperspirants reduce sweat, deodorants prevent bacterial growth or in some cases bind to foul smelling molecules to eliminate odor. Sometimes scents are also used to mask unpleasant odors. Here are tips you might want to consider when choosing your deodorant or antiperspirant. Stay away from Triclosan. Many deodorants use an added chemical called Triclosan to kill odor-causing bacteria. The wide use of Triclosan may also be promoting a Triclosan drug resistance in that same bacteria. Drug… -
Wearing Hundreds of Chemicals Without Knowing It
14 Dec 2009 | 4:20 pmRecently, a British poll shed light on the potentially large exposure to chemicals that many women may face because of their heavy use of personal care products. The deodorant company, Bionsen, funded a survey of 2000 women that discovered the “average” British woman wears 515 chemicals on her body daily. These chemicals come from the multiple ingredients contained in personal care products such as lipstick, perfume, deodorants, and moisturizer. The study found that most of the chemicals were present on the face or head of the women. This means that women can breathe or ingest the… -
New Protocols to Enhance Product Testing
8 Dec 2009 | 12:36 pmWe want to apologize again for comparing our test results with federal standards that are based on a different testing method. We realize this was a mistake and I’m writing to tell you about the steps we have taken to correct this. We are announcing new protocols today for strengthening our testing procedures. December 8, 2009 — San Francisco — GoodGuide, which provides health, environment and social responsibility ratings for consumer products, announced today that it has implemented new protocols to enhance testing of consumer products. “GoodGuide remains steadfast in its commitment…
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The Greater Good Blog
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Social Services
3 Feb 2010 | 6:09 pmAttending religious services might make you feel holier, but does it make you feel healthier? That’s what a group of researchers from University College London in the United Kingdom recently tried to find out. In their study, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, the researchers looked at a survey taken of 39,701 individuals ages 15 and over in 26 European countries. Those people reported how frequently they attended religious services (of any denomination and kind, besides social occasions like weddings or funerals) and assessed their own health; they also provided other… -
Touching Research
31 Jan 2010 | 10:15 pmWe all know how much emotion can be conveyed by a simple touch, whether we’re stroking our partner’s hand or receiving a soothing backrub from a friend. But research has largely ignored the role of touch in communication, instead focusing on communication through facial expression and tone of voice. Until now. A recent study published in the journal Emotion offers the first investigation of the emotional expressiveness of touch in a natural setting, and its results are striking. In the study, researchers asked participants to communicate a series of emotions to a randomly assigned… -
Want Brain Fitness? Stay Active and Turn Off the TV
29 Jan 2010 | 10:15 amThe New York Times this week reports on two studies that highlight the varied benefits of getting off your butt for some physical activity. In one of the studies, published earlier this month in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 8,800 people who were 25 and older were followed for six and a half years. The study found that each hour of television they watched daily was associated with an 18 percent increase in deaths from heart disease and an 11 percent increase in mortality rates overall. What’s more, as the Times reports, “those who watched television four… -
The Compassionate Instinct — Live! Tonight! In SF!
25 Jan 2010 | 12:06 pmWant to get your week off to a compassionate start? Then come see Greater Good Contributing Editor Jeremy Smith talk about The Compassionate Instinct tonight at The Booksmith in San Francisco. If you haven’t read about it yet, The Compassionate Instinct is a collection of some of the best essays to have appeared in Greater Good over the past five years, featuring contributions by Daniel Goleman, Steven Pinker, and Desmond Tutu. A collection of personal stories and empirical research, the book will make you think not only about what it means to be happy and fulfilled but also about what…
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how to save the world
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Hacking Massively Complicated Systems
6 Feb 2010 | 11:19 amAs most of my readers know, I’m in the process of retiring, and reorienting my life towards three sets of practices, illustrated above and inspired by the work of Joanna Macy. These three sets of practices are: Competency and capacity-building (personal and collective) New model creation (developing working models of better ways to live and make a living) Activism (work to undermine industrial systems so that they collapse and make room for the new models) One aspect of this third set of practices that I’m hoping to focus on is what might be called ‘hacking massively complicated… -
Why is Community So Hard?
1 Feb 2010 | 8:37 pmIn a recent article, I discussed one of the great challenges of creating model communities that might, when our civilization collapses later in this century, show the survivors a better way to live and make a living than the fragile, hostile, globalized, centralized, dependent, anonymous, suspicious urban and ex-urban agglomerations most of us live in now. That challenge was and is the cult of individualism – the bizarre worldview that holds that we have a ‘right’ to acquire, possess, ‘enjoy’ and refuse to others, anything (and, if we were to be honest, anyone) we can ‘afford’… -
… and miles to go before we sleep
29 Jan 2010 | 7:42 pm -
Words and Pictures (and Music)
28 Jan 2010 | 11:40 pmNow that my amazing new home is basically furnished and functional, I’m getting down to my reconnection practices. I’ve been exploring the rainforest next door, resuming my regular 5k runs, and beginning my meditation and presencing practices, both outdoors in ‘my’ park with the brooding stone circle, and indoors, where I have a view from my living room of the town of Gibsons and the mountains of the Sunshine Coast across Howe Sound (astonishing at night), and of the mountains of Cypress Provincial Park across Queen Charlotte Channel out the adjacent window. In the… -
Living Alone
22 Jan 2010 | 5:22 pmSo here I am, suddenly living alone for the first time in thirty years, winding down to retirement in a matter of weeks after thirty-five years of full-time work, living in a new community for the first time in thirty years, and parentless for the first time, ever. A lot of change in a month! I am writing this, as is my wont, standing up, in the great room of my new home. The view in front of me is this one, and there’s a similar view to my right. To my left and behind me there is garden and forest, rising into the mountains. There is forest, in fact, all around me, and here it stays green…
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What's a BOPreneur?
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5 Steps to be H.E.R.O.ic
4 Feb 2010 | 2:17 pmActually, Tina,* we do need another hero. A lot of them. And we need the right kind of heros. I am talking about H.E.R.O.s: those Human and Environmentally Regenerative** Organizations that do good by cleaning up bad, so that no matter how much they grow, the earth and human society are better off.Imagine enterprises whose goods are good, and whose services serve. Who produce clean water like Water Health International. Who produce clean air like Envirofit. Who produce healthier children like JustMilk and A-Z Textiles. Who produce better sanitation like Ecotact. Who produce sight like Aravind… -
Big Questions
23 Jan 2010 | 4:04 pmThere are a lot of big questions out there. For some, I have no answers. For some, I believe I at least have some insight. And I use those to organize* my MBA course.So, here are some biq questions about innovation and new ventures that I plan to ask some 300 MBAs this semester:1. What on earth is an idea worth?2. What do start up teams do?**3. How do you make a business model?4. Bake it in or bolt it on?5. Can you have it all- value, values and valuation?6. Can founders and funders get along?7. Are start ups pretty when they are born?8. Can you keep your job while you start a new venture?9. -
Ending Poverty (period)
8 Jan 2010 | 8:49 pmIt seems like ending poverty has become quite fashionable in recent years. Movie stars, politicians, and economists are all getting in on it. No doubt, it's a great sound bite, and who could possibly criticize it? For much of recent history, it has been articulated as goal of any modern society.As humans moved from rural agricultural societies to urban industrial societies, wealth began to be created at levels that made the elimination of poverty possible, at least theoretically. Inspired, we have had "wars on poverty" and much important literature, as well as social and religous movements,… -
Charity
31 Dec 2009 | 3:52 pmAs many of you know, I am a pro-business kind of guy. Entrepreneurship... capital... new business models... sustainable product design- these are the topics I write about with respect to tackling the challenges of the BOP. My bleeps know I also believe there is a role for charity (see my "Matrix" post). So, what does my family do for charity? Where do we "invest"? What organizations do we support? We focus our charity in 5 areas, which I list below, along with the specific organizations to which we gave, and my twitter length rationale. Careful readers will also note that many of these… -
What if?
14 Dec 2009 | 10:28 amWhat if? This is one of my favorite two word questions.* An artist's question. A builder's question. How might we...? This are my favorite three words to start a question. Implies a team. To me, a team provides fuel for any innovative spark I am lucky enough to have. And it implies a problem to be overcome. Who could help us? A really good four word question to ask. How do we get started? An essential five word question. Coming up with new ideas and teams is simple. But not easy. Really? [a one word question]._________Of course, bleeps, "What Sucks?" is also one of my favorite questions, and…
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Gail Lynne Goodwin's Blog
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Fundacion La Puerta- Making a Difference in Tecate
8 Feb 2010 | 12:36 pmA few days ago I was inspired by the smile of a small boy named Diego, who lives in a poor community of Tecate, Mexico. I spent last week in Mexico as a guest of Rancho La Puerta. Our group of 18 bloggers visited Diego’s community last Thursday. As a border town, Tecate is known as a migrant town and is highly transient. The average worker earns $5-10 per day. Diego and his family live in the outskirts of Tecate where people can still acquire land by squatter’s rights. Diego’s neighborhood is crammed with one tiny home after another, many without running water. Poverty is… -
The Incredible Deborah Szekely of Rancho La Puerta
3 Feb 2010 | 10:18 amRecently I had the privilege of meeting Debrorah Szekely, the founder of Rancho La Puerta. I’ve been enjoying a luxurious week here at the ranch in Tecate, Mexico, as a part of a group of 18 women lifestyle bloggers. Deborah is an incredible woman and a mentor to all of us. The life story of Deborah is as full of achievements as it is improbable. Born in Brooklyn in 1922 and raised in New York City, Tahiti, and Marin County, California, Deborah found herself at age 18 jouncing down a dusty road in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, in an old car with her husband, Edward, a 34-year-old… -
Inspiration from Rancho La Puerta
1 Feb 2010 | 9:26 amAh…. morning inspiration from Rancho La Puerta…. While on a walk yesterday, I found a permanent exterior chalk board that is the ranch’s version of InspireMeToday.com. This board is about 3′ by 3′ in a stone monument with inlaid tiles. The artwork is exquisite! Each day they feature a different inspirational quote. Today’s quote “The soul is not where it lives, but where it loves. “ It was so beautifully done that I wanted to share it with you…… with hopes that some of the peace I’m feeling this morning comes through this… -
Blogger Bliss at Rancho La Puerta
31 Jan 2010 | 9:25 pmA few weeks ago I was invited to visit Rancho La Puerta, in Tecate, Mexico. I’m here this week as a part of an international group of bloggers to experience this incredible resort and spa. I am truly excited to share Rancho La Puerto with you as I’m inspired just being here. We met yesterday at the San Diego airport and boarded a coach bus for the hour-long ride to the ranch, just over the border in Tecate, Mexicao. The light at the end of the tunnel, on in this case, the resort at the end of the very windy bus ride, was certainly worth the wait. The grounds are beautiful…. -
“O”, I “LOVE” the Magic of Cirque du Soleil!
26 Jan 2010 | 10:10 pmI am so grateful for my InspireMeToday.com family! Because of this blog, I had the great honor and the incredible privilege of being spoiled in a really big way. Cirque du Soleil "O" My friend Jessica with Cirque du Soleil gifted us with tickets for “O” and backstage passes and great seats for “LOVE” too! I want to share this amazing experience with you and sincerely hope that you too will find a way to experience the magic of Cirque du Soliel for yourself. You may remember I had the honor of interviewing the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Lalaiberte for…
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The Road to the Horizon
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A day in service of Haiti
6 Feb 2010 | 3:32 pmYesterday, my day started at 3 am trying to catch up with emails. At 7 am I was off to a dentist as one of my teeth gave me a problem. Waited for 30 minutes and the dentist did not show up. Back to the office, getting a hang of the things to do during the day. We got requests to find 1 million bracelets to be used in Haiti for a food distribution. We only found half a million, but it was too late. The food distribution crew in Haiti had changed their plans already. We are now looking at paper coupons to be used for the distribution, in different colours, printed in a particular way so we… -
Haiti emergency: Another day in the fast lane
6 Feb 2010 | 3:31 pmI woke at 3 am today. An ideal quiet time to connect to the wireless network here in the hotel in Santo Domingo, to catch up with my backlog of Email, and to catch the first Emails coming in from our HQ in Rome. In the Emails, there is a series of exchanges on call-forwards of staff on standby for deployment. Unblocked the deployment of two staff due to arrive asap to help us set up the communications here in the office, and updated the list of another four staff the buro is sending in. Wrote some quick terms of reference for them and just worked my way through some outstanding issues. 8 am:… -
The pipeline into Haiti
28 Jan 2010 | 5:43 pmEight days ago, which seems a lifetime ago right now, we were meeting in Rome, with the operational group, briefing about the Haiti earthquake emergency. The initial response teams had already been deployed, and the reports we got from the ground gave us a clear view of the enormity of the catastrophy, and the size of the humanitarian response it would require. During the meeting, we realized that the destruction of the infrastructure inside Haiti would not allow us to bring humanitarian aid straight into the country, neither by air or sea. I stressed the need to beef up the logistics and… -
Update from Santo Domingo - the 2nd wave.
27 Jan 2010 | 1:42 amIt seems "the first wave emergency response" for the Haiti earthquake is over. Two weeks after the disaster, the first-responders who flew in to Haiti will slowly start to demobilize, to be replaced by new staff to stay for the next months. At the same time, the structures of the response is now gearing for a longer term support. Teams are being reorganized, communications and facilities are being set up catering for an influx of staff and supplies, and things start to be more organised. The main focus of our team right now is to ensure the relief supplies (for us, mainly food aid, and… -
Haiti: When aidworkers need aid
18 Jan 2010 | 3:15 pmColleague Roxanne wrote an excellent post about the complexity of the humanitarian operations in Haiti. I can add this: I just got of the teleconference with our staff on the ground in Haiti. When the earthquake struck, they saw buildings collapsing all around them. Of the UN compound only one building remained half standing up. It took over a day before anyone had any overview if we accounted for all the staff, leave alone their family members, national and international staff alike. While the enormity of the humanitarian needs was immediately clear, staff started to provide humanitarian…
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Tactical Philanthropy
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Innovation & Effectiveness in Philanthropy
9 Feb 2010 | 7:39 amThis is my most recent column in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. You can find an archive of my past columns here. More Than Money, a Lack of Research Hampers Nonprofit Innovation By Sean Stannard-Stockton | Chronicle of Philanthropy The federal government will soon release guidelines to spell out how it will award $50-million through its new Social Innovation Fund, one of the Obama administration’s signature efforts to aid promising, innovative nonprofit groups. But if the draft version of the guidelines, released in December, is any indication, the fund’s approach is geared toward a view… -
Philanthropy Daily Digest
8 Feb 2010 | 5:01 pmCorporation for National and Community Service 2011 Budget The proposed 2011 budget for the Social Innovation Fund is $60 million, up from 2010's $50 million. Many people have pointed to the SIF's $50 million budget as too small, but if it is truly $50 million a year (with potential for annual increases), it is comparable to a $1 billion-plus endowment. (tags: philanthropy) Haiti Crisis Prompts Fresh Talk of Pooling U.S. Relief Money – NYTimes.com Stephanie Strom highlights how the Red Cross out-fundraised Partners in Health even thought PIH seems better positioned to help in… -
Words That Describe Philanthropy
8 Feb 2010 | 8:37 amWow! Thanks so the more than 25 of you who submitted an entry to our mini-contest in search of words that describe philanthropy. You can click on the link above to see a Wordle made from the entries. The entries covered a lot of ground. Here’s a couple that jumped out at me: By Jeanine Buford Gracious When it’s at its best, philanthropy is gracious, graceful, and administered with a light touch. When we think of grace, apart from the religious connotations, we think of support given with seriousness of purpose, but with a light touch. Graciousness supports without judgment, without pity,… -
Words That Describe Great Philanthropy
5 Feb 2010 | 9:03 amOn Wednesday, I asked readers to submit words that they thought best described great philanthropy. You will find all the details here. On Monday, we’ll be randomly selecting a reader who submitted a word and give them a $50 gift certificate to Vittana.org (microfinance for student loans in developing countries). Here’s a couple of entries so far: By Rich Polt Passion Passion is the lifeblood of good philanthropy because it sustains ones giving over the course of a lifetime. Effective philanthropy, like anything in life, requires experimentation and long term commitment. Some things work. -
Philanthropy Daily Digest
4 Feb 2010 | 5:01 pmThe Overhead Question: The Future of Nonprofit Assessment and Reporting Here's the recording of the conference call I did today with Bob Ottenhoff, Guidestar, Ken Berger, Charity Navigator, Lucy Bernholtz, Blueprint R & D, Peter Campbell, TechCafeteria, Christine Egger, Social Actions, David Geilhufe, NetSuite, and Holly Ross, NTEN. (tags: philanthropy) Stanford Social Innovation Review : Highlights of 2009: Top Five Articles The Stanford Social Innovation Review offers fantastic, thought provoking articles. Here's their five most read articles of last year. (tags: philanthropy)…
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Skip A Lunch
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Coca-Cola and the Boys & Girls Club
28 Jan 2010 | 4:48 pmCoco-Cola, through a special partnership with Facebook, is giving us a way to contribute to the Boys & Girls Clubs and a chance to get a sneak peak at one of their upcoming Super Bowl spots. If you’re like me, not only do I love the Super Bowl commercials but I love Coca-Cola commercials. In order to participate you need to visit the Live Positively tab on the Coca-Cola Facebook fan page. From here you can share a virtual gift with your friends. By sharing a virtual gift, Coca-Cola will do the following: Coca-Cola makes a one-dollar donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. -
McHappy Day … Just One Dollar Makes a Difference!
16 Nov 2009 | 10:18 amDear readers, what a perfect charity that symbolizes Skip a Lunch. Just one dollar, not even half a latte! Let’s all get together and support the McDonald’s charity event known as “McHappy Day”, from November 10th to the 20th. Purchase a hand for $1 or certain food items and your dollar will help make a difference to a child in need. McDonald’s has raised nearly $150 million since 2002. You can donate online or learn more here. If you purchase a hand, take a photo with your mobile phone and email it to blog [at] skipalunch.com and we’ll post it here. Mmm, now… -
2009 America’s Giving Challenge
14 Oct 2009 | 12:45 pmThe Case Foundation, Causes, and PARADE magazine launched the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge on October 7th and has already surpassed 10,000 donations and raised $250,000. Imagine that, in just one week they’ve achieved this! Let’s get involved with this great program! Details on the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge: America’s Giving Challenge participants will compete for 30 days to bring in the highest number of donations for their nonprofit cause through the Causes application on Facebook. Causes that net the most donations will receive a total of $170,000 in prize money… -
Ask.com Breast Cancer Search for the Cure
13 Oct 2009 | 1:03 pmAsk.com has a great program running from September 13th to December 31st, 2009 called “Search for the Cure“. Ask.com will donate up to $100,000 in addition to monies raised by folks answering breast health questions and those who adopt the special homepage skin. From this program, Ask.com has pledged to invest at least $1 million through the “Search for the Cure” program and sponsorship of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series. So, all we have to do is adopt the skin, answer questions, and make a difference! For those that are not aware, the Susan G. Komen for… -
The Fresh Air Fund – a Summer 2009 Update
22 Sep 2009 | 1:00 pmWow, The Fresh Air Fund had nearly 8,000 children enjoying their best summer yet. If you recall, we featured The Fresh Air Fund back in July for the NYC Half-Marathon they hosted. Check out the latest here. The Fresh Air Fund 2009 Summer Memories video is worth the visit. From their News Facts section: 2009 Summer Highlights: • Nearly 8,000 children enjoyed their best summers yet • 370 students participated in the Career Awareness Program • 11 counselors-in-training spent three days on the Appalachian Trail • 168 young people were Leaders-in-training That’s what I call a…
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Timbuktu Chronicles
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Farmers Speak-Veronica Sianchenga
9 Feb 2010 | 6:34 amVeronica Sianchenga highlights the improvements to her to crop yields which are largely the result of the IDE inspired "Mosi-o-Tunya" pressure pump: -
Appeal of Peel
8 Feb 2010 | 5:53 amIn New Agriculturist:Rubbish and food waste dumped on the roadside is not only a health hazard for those living nearby, but also a wasted resource. Vegetable peel, fruit skins and other waste can be turned into animal feed, or even a source of fuel.More herephoto courtesy of New Agriculturist -
BioChar contd.
7 Feb 2010 | 5:32 amAt Poptech founder of Re-Char Jason Aramburu on promise of BioChar: -
Waistbeads
6 Feb 2010 | 4:39 amWaist Beads by Swera "...uses large stones and various natural materials like shells, feathers, and bone and semi-precious stones..."Fatimata writes: In my country, Senegal, women start wearing them as babies, it is said to shape their waist...It has also a contraceptive power in some traditional cultures...As women, we enjoy them as a spice -
Renewable Energy Ventures
5 Feb 2010 | 5:02 amAfromusing spoke with Joseph Nganga whose:...company Renewable Energy Ventures (KE) currently a resells an innovative lighting solution called ‘The Solantern’. He was kind enough to give me a brief demo over lunch and I got to play a bit with a new solar device. It’s wonderful to see this device, because 2 years ago in Arusha we had a conversation about solar energy, gadgets, etc… I commend him for getting his business going, do look out for more collaborations from his company on a consumer guide for solar gadgets.Solantern from afromusing on Vimeo.
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Echoing Green Blog
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PopTech Application Open for Nominations
5 Feb 2010 | 7:20 amThe 2010 PopTech Social Innovation Fellows Program application is now open! PopTech is looking to invest in the leadership of people with big ideas and innovative solutions to economic, environmental, and social challenges. PopTech Social Innovation Fellows recieve training from influential, prominent leaders in the social sector. Additionally, fellows participate in the annual PopTech conference (October 20-23, Camden, ME) where ideas and inspiration are spread. Five Echoing Green Fellows were a part of the Social Innovation Program Class of 2008. You can view the "popcasts" of… -
Change.org’s Zach Knowling on How to Land a Political and Advocacy Job
3 Feb 2010 | 2:32 pmIn the third second edition of the Jobs for Change partnership, Britt Bravo interviews Zach Knowling, a consultant for M+R Strategic Services. In this episode, they discuss the following questions: What are some tips for landing a job on a political campaign? If internships are important, what tips do you have for getting one? Don't forget that you can subscribe to the podcast to get all of our latest updates. To submit a question for consideration in a future episode, head to http://jobs.change.org/questions. Stay up to date by following us on Twitter: Echoing Green (@echoinggreen) Jobs for… -
Cheryl Dorsey in U.S. News Leadership for the Next Decade Series
28 Jan 2010 | 1:09 pmEchoing Green President Cheryl Dorsey is featured in this week's U.S. News Leadership for the Next Decade series. Cheryl discusses how social entrepreneurs have the ability to unite people across sectors for a specific cause, and the impact social entrepreneurs have in post-disaster regions like New Orleans and Haiti. The U.S. News podcast series, Leadership for the Next Decade, interviews leaders from multiple sectors who are inspiring change in America. To read more, check out The U.S. News article "Cheryl Dorsey: Social Entrepreneurs Already Helping to Rebuild Haiti" and listen… -
Buffalo fellows featured in ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
22 Jan 2010 | 1:43 pmThis Sunday at 8PM EST, be sure to tune in to ABC for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This week is a special two-hour edition that features a home renovation in Buffalo, NY. The lucky recipient of the makeover is Delores Powell and her four children. Delores is a Buffalo resident and board member of PUSH (People United for Sustainable Housing), the organization founded by 2005 Echoing Green Fellow Aaron Bartley. Her home was selected for an makeover with a strong emphasis on sustainability and community organizing. Her original home was deconstructed by Buffalo ReUse (founded by… -
Two fellows talk earthquake-resistant housing with the New York Times
21 Jan 2010 | 9:04 amTwo Echoing Green Fellows were featured on Monday in an article titled, Managing Disasters with Small Steps. The article highlights “innovative approaches to building or rebuilding infrastructure in developing countries, to help forestall disasters or, as in Haiti, recover from one." Elizabeth Hausler, a 2004 Echoing Green Fellow and founder of Build Change, discusses her bottom-up approach to designing and implementing earthquake resistant housing that’s culturally sensitive. Pete Haas, a 2006 Echoing Green Fellow and founder of AIDG, talks about modifying their upcoming…
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World Economic Forum
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Davos 2010 in numbers
1 Feb 2010 | 2:23 amThe World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010 has opened up to the wider world through the cutting edge use of social media. The global public had the opportunity to follow debates live, send their video and text comments in specific sessions and discuss on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Overall the Forum has reached a worldwide audience of 430 million readers online through the use of social networks. Facebook The Forum tapped into the collective wisdom of the 350 million strong Facebook crowd. In several key sessions, the social networking platform Facebook ran real-time… -
Davos Kick-off for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
30 Jan 2010 | 10:14 amA truly Davos Moment,The Davos kick-off for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The video says it all. -
End Female Genital Mutilation Now campaign comes to Davos
30 Jan 2010 | 8:42 amMore than three million girls’ genitals are forcibly cut every year and approximately 140 million women are living with mutilated genitals. Maternal mortality and infection are just two of the many health effects they suffer. This issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was brought to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting by Julia Lalla-Maharajh who runs the campaign www.endfgmnow.org. Julia entered her cause into a competition run by the Forum and YouTube, The Davos Debates, to find a person with a cause worthy of the world's attention. Her FGM cause won the global vote. “In… -
The Gender Agenda: Putting Parity into Practice
30 Jan 2010 | 2:03 amTwo teams. One challenge. How can business put gender parity into practice? The session was a CNBC debate that had its audience engaged and on edge. Presenter Ross Westgate started by laying out the fact that only 2% of Fortune 500 companies have a woman in charge, and if parity equals profits, where are the women? Team One led by Sir Martin Sorrell of WPP, Carlos Ghosn of Renault-Nissan Alliance and Orit Gadiesh, Chairman of Bain & Co, made the case for gender parity. “Equality in the workplace makes good business sense,” Sorrell said. Ghosn explained the three steps all business… -
Bill and Melinda Gates Pledge US$ 10 Billion in Call for "Decade of Vaccines"
29 Jan 2010 | 10:16 amBill and Melinda Gates announced that their foundation will commit US$ 10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world’s poorest countries. “We must make this the decade of vaccines,” said Bill Gates, speaking at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. “Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries.” Bill and Melinda Gates were joined at the press conference by Julian Lob-Levyt, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (the GAVI Alliance), which was launched at…
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Green Parent Chicago
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A Bitter Fruit: A child's plea to the city
8 Feb 2010 | 1:25 pmThe little locavore delved into political activism last night, writing his first letter to a political official. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the issue that piqued his ire was food-related.As many of you have already heard, Chicago's health department engaged in some boneheaded, yet ultimately unsurprising, behavior on Thursday. In the course of a health inspection, the city inspectors destroyed twelve hundred dollars worth of granola bars and seven thousand dollars of frozen local fruit owned by small business owners Sunday Dinner Chicago and Flora Lazar, respectively. This… -
Lincoln Park Zoo to Offer Summer Nature Camp Scholarships
4 Feb 2010 | 10:59 pmIf you're looking for a wildlife camp experience for your child this summer, but concerned about the cost, you may want to consider applying for one of Lincoln Park Zoo's 2010 Conservation Camp scholarships. 30 one-week scholarships will be offered this spring to attend the Zoo's summer Conservation Camps, which are open to all children from preschool (beginning at age 4) to eighth grade. Scholarship recipients may register for a second week of camp at 50 percent off the regular cost. The program will consist of two week-long sessions. "The Web of Wildlife" will explore… -
Swap-O-Rama-Rama: 2-day DIY Workshop and Clothing Swap Extravaganza Returns
3 Feb 2010 | 12:50 pmAfter a one year hiatus, Swap-O-Rama-Rama, the weekend-long clothing swap and do-it-yourself workshop promoting creative reuse through clothing recycling is returning to Chicago this spring. This year's SORR event will be held at Chicago Waldorf School March 19, 20 and 21. With the mantra "Creators Not Consumers" the event is part of an international movement and was first held in New York City in 2005. Organizers plan to make the Chicago event annual each spring.The weekend will include two-days (Saturday and Sunday) of clothing swaps and handcraft workshops. In addition,… -
Winter Fun In Chicago With Snow, Ice...and Flowers
28 Jan 2010 | 9:27 amWhat do you get when you mix young children and cold weather? Cabin fever. If your kids seem to be bouncing off the walls with energy and you all need a breath of fresh air, check out these upcoming family events beginning this weekend and next for a healthy dose of activity.Second Annual Snow Days Chicago:Snow Days Chicago is a free three-day winter festival running Friday Jan 29 to Sunday Jan 31 on Michigan Avenue in Grant Park. It features a snow sculpting competition, dog sled demonstrations, a snowboard rail jam and kids activities. Hours are Friday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and… -
New Workshop Helps Parents-to-Be Learn Greener Living for Baby
18 Jan 2010 | 1:18 pmAn all new series of workshops will begin next month to help expectant parents, parents planning to adopt, and those trying to conceive learn how to green their lifestyle before the arrival of baby. The new 4-part workshop, "Going Green for Baby and Me", begins February 11 at Bellybum Boutique in the city's Lincoln Square neighborhood. In partnership with Northside Parents Network and Bellybum Boutique, Cecelia Ungari, an educator with The Green Mama will lead the course designed for women and their partners who want their pregnancy, birth and new baby's arrival to…
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Acumen Fund Blog
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Another round-up: Upcoming awards and events
9 Feb 2010 | 5:55 amInvestee VisionSpring will be honored with the CASE Award for Social Enterprise Innovation from Duke University. IDE India, the organization behind our drip irrigation investment GEWP, will be featured in an upcoming BBC World News series. More details on where/when to watch, but in the meantime, you can catch a preview here. If you’re in the New York area, Jacqueline Novogratz will be speaking at the New School on February 17. The event is open to the public; RSVPs are required. -
News Round-up: Speaking of Faith, food, Fellows and for-profit business
3 Feb 2010 | 4:38 amCEO Jacqueline Novogratz was interviewed recently for the NPR program Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett. Check out the show’s website for a podcast and lots of supplementary material. In a special section on business and food security, the Financial Times featured two Acumen Fund investments: drip irrigation company GEWP here and nutrition company Insta here. Similarly, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) includes an interview with Acumen Fund’s Ajay Nair in its latest newsletter. Talent Manager Blair Miller was recently interviewed on Dubai radio about the… -
Diving into Ripple Effect in India (with video)
1 Feb 2010 | 5:48 amSangeeta Chowdhry is Acumen Fund’s Ripple Effect manager. The India phase of Ripple Effect included pilot programs by 5 organizations, the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation among them. The Ripple Effect project presented the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation (JBF) in the Thar desert of Rajasthan with quite a challenge: Improve access to safe drinking water in the area in just 8 weeks. Not only did they meet this challenge but they went a step further - and added an additional goal – to create livelihood opportunities for women in the process! The story of JBF is an inspiring one — as can be… -
Photo auction for Haiti
28 Jan 2010 | 4:41 amOur good friends at Nuru Project, who put on the DIGNITY event with Acumen Fund’s New York chapter, are putting on a photo auction and benefit for Haiti and Partners In Health on February 4th. If you are in the New York area, we encourage you to come out for a good cause. -
Seeking Summer Associates
27 Jan 2010 | 5:46 amThe application process for summer associates in Acumen Fund’s New York office is now open. We are currently accepting applications for the following positions for Summer 2010: Portfolio Associates - New York (3) Communications Associate - New York (1) Applications will be accepted until 5:00PM EST on February 3, 2010. If your school subscribes to The MBA-Nonprofit Connection’s summer jobs program, please apply through that channel (a list of participating schools can be found at: http://mnconnection.org/schools/partner-schools.html). If your school is not a member of MNC, please…
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PSD Blog - The World Bank Group
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The Evolution of Private Enterprise: Russian McDonald's Edition
2 Feb 2010 | 12:56 pmMcDonald's is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Russia this week. One of the most interesting aspects of McDonald's' Russian adventure is the evolution of its supply chain, which has developed remarkably in the past 20 years. Today, McDonald's sources all of its ingredients from outside purveyors, an 180 degree shift from when the company opened its first outlet in 1990: The company celebrated a different milestone earlier this year by outsourcing the last product — hamburger buns — it had made at a proprietary factory outside Moscow called McComplex. It was built… -
Utilizing Volunteer Technical Communities in Haiti
1 Feb 2010 | 12:36 pmEditor's Note: This post was written by Cristina Gonzalez, a Communications Consultant within the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) who is presently supporting the World Bank Haiti Situation Room. The success of World Bank’s engagement with Volunteer Technical Communities (VTCs) is nothing short of remarkable. In a very short period of time VTCs achieved extraordinary results in building an information base about Haiti and useful applications that were applied in the response effort. In the aftermath of the massive Haitian Earthquake, this information and… -
The dubious link between privatization and mortality
1 Feb 2010 | 12:10 pmLast March, Ryan questioned the veracity of an article in the British medical journal the Lancet, which claimed that privatization in post-communist countries was responsible for massive numbers of deaths. He included rebuttals from both The Economist (subscription required) and John Earle: Earle points out that a very basic link in the chain of reasoning of the Lancet authors is missing - namely, mass privatization did not lead to substantial job loss. In fact, the effects on employment were typically neutral or positive Still skeptical? A new paper by Scott… -
What to do about Haiti's debt?
1 Feb 2010 | 7:32 amPSD alum Tim Harford links to an article by David Roodman at the Center for Global Development, arguing against the cancellation of Haiti's debt: The practical question for citizens, officials, politicians, campaigners, and other players is whether to push for that. On a few days’ reflection, I say no. I would go so far as to describe such pressure as harmful. Why? For starters, the benefits of debt relief over the next few years, however done, will be tiny…That’s why cancellation does little good in the short run. It is not a coherent response to crisis. Meanwhile, there are… -
Weekend Reading
29 Jan 2010 | 1:53 pmWhat is the meaning of the word "friendly"? Greece: It's a bailout! Unemployment today vs The Great Depression. Leonardo da Vinci's CV. Is Botswana in trouble? Holden Caulfield's State of the Union Address. (See previous post for his Davos speech) Our CGAP blog has an excellent account of how cash transfers from the United States literally make it people in Haiti. Nouriel Roubini and friends discuss the "new normal for growth" at Davos. Readers can learn more about the "new normal" for job creation at this year's World Bank Finance and…
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Wokai News
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Have two minutes to spare?
4 Feb 2010 | 12:27 pm(Image: net_efekt) We'd like to kick off 2010 by hearing from you! Tell us what you like about this blog and what you'd like to see more of. All you have to do is fill out this super quick survey. -
Wokai Beijing - January 2010 “Drinks for a Better World” Recap
19 Jan 2010 | 1:17 amFeatured speaker Calvin Chin (leftmost) with Wokai volunteers The Beijing chapter kicked off this year’s first “Drinks for a Better World” event last Tuesday at the trendy D-Lounge bar in Sanlitun.Over 70 supporters of Wokai demonstrated their commitment to microfinance by braving the record cold temperatures in Beijing.The event continued to attract an eclectic group of professionals, students, and microfinance enthusiasts. Calvin Chin, the CEO of Qifang (www.qifang.com), the first Chinese online student loan community, discussed how his company got started and how it plans to address… -
Should China redraw its poverty line?
9 Jan 2010 | 4:37 amAccording to this fairly recent China Daily article, the country might be facing a much grimmer plight of poverty than what the official numbers declare... The bottom line is, no matter how the Chinese government defines poverty, there are still 150 million people in this country - or roughly 10 percent of the Chinese population - living on less than $1 a day. The number of people in China defined as poor would at least triple if not for the country's decades-old poverty line, a top agriculture expert said. China's poverty line of 1,196 yuan ($175) per capita net income a year is said to be… -
RECENT HEADLINES ON POVERTY RELIEF IN RURAL CHINA… JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED THEM
5 Jan 2010 | 6:04 amViewers of this blog are likely familiar with Wokai’s continuous efforts to combat rural poverty in China through a person-to-person platform.Wokai works in two specific areas of rural China—Yilong, Sichuan Province and Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. But “rural China” is a broad and sweeping term that can apply to anywhere between 300 to 450 million people. Even if the number of organizations and people willing to lend a hand to those in need expanded exponentially, there would still be left behind with inadequate resources. The work of international organizations such as Wokai (registered… -
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! AND DON’T FORGET TO GIVE A WOKAI GIFT VOUCHER
19 Dec 2009 | 1:50 amWishing everyone out there in Internetland a happy holiday from the Wokai team. And if you haven't managed to finish your present shopping, head to our gift cards section to send a gift that keeps on giving (um, literally!)
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So what can I do?
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Change the world.
6 Oct 2014 | 3:52 pmHow will you make our world a better place?* Health and education* Economics, social entrepreneurship, and microfinance* Food and water* Energy and technology* Women, children, and family* Environment, land, and sustainability* FaithAnd don’t forget to visit the So What Can I Do Bookstore. Your efforts can change the world.”Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mohandas GandhiPlease visit http://sowhatcanido.blogspot.com to offer your comments and suggestions, forward this post, and peruse the archives. Thanks for reading "So what can I do", the public service weblog promoting… -
Join the So What Can I Do blood donation team.
20 Jun 2009 | 8:40 pmI went to the Red Cross blood center today and gave a pint. Regular readers and regular donors know that blood donation is a fast and easy way to save up to three lives. You never know when you or someone you know will need blood. So please consider donating blood, platelets, or red cells. And if you do, you’re invited to join the So What Can I Do Red Cross Racing Team. Here’s how:• Visit redcrossracing.com .• After you register scroll to the bottom and click “Team Competition.”• Enter the So What Can I Do team code: O?67SO .• Remember to log your donations to win points and… -
Celebrate World Free Your Mind Day – June 19th.
18 Jun 2009 | 9:07 pmI spent this Juneteenth thinking about what my family would have been like if my great-great-granddaddy Griffin Henry Belk hadn’t walked off that plantation when he did. I expect it would have made a huge difference, because when Griffin Henry Belk left, he was able to travel (searching for his parents), purchase land (160 acres for $11 in Ozan, Arkansas), and generally prepare to provide for his wife and five children to come. So I woke up Juneteenth morning and told my daughter about her great-great-great-granddaddy. Even though she’s only two, I expect it resonated with her, or will… -
Make Kiva microloans in the US.
11 Jun 2009 | 9:04 pmI’ve written frequently about microloans - how the concept spread as a tool for economic development, how to lend and get your money back – sometimes with with interest, making a loan a no cost to you, etc. But my most popular post on the topic discusses microloans in the US. I’m pleased to report that there is now another option for those interested in making microloans in the US. Kiva now offers the opportunity to make microloans in the US. If you’re in the US, this is a great way to help your neighbors move ahead through entrepreneurship. And if you need a microloan, this means… -
Be the match: Join the Marrow Registry for free June 8-22.
25 May 2009 | 7:58 pmEarlier today when I wanted to forward my post on cord blood donation, I realized that most of the links had gone dead. While updating them, I was pleased to learn about the upcoming Marrowthon from the National Marrow Donor Program. NMDP has set a goal of adding 46,000 new members to the marrow registry during this drive. Each new member increases the odds that someone with a life threatening blood disease will live, and live well – disease free.Joining is easy: just take the eligibility quiz, fill out a form, and swab your cheeks for a cell sample. (I had to give a bit of blood for…
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Worldchanging: Bright Green
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De-Industrializing the City
8 Feb 2010 | 12:27 pmOne of my favorite quotes by Bjarke Ingels: "Engineering without engines. We should use contemporary technology and computation capacity to make our buildings independent of machinery. Building services today are essentially mechanical compensations for the fact that buildings are bad for what they are designed for—human life. Therefore we pump air around, illuminate dark spaces with electric lights, and heat and cool the spaces in order to make them livable. The result is boring boxes with big energy bills. If we moved the qualities out of the machine room and back into architecture’s… -
Vote Today and Help Us Win $5K!
8 Feb 2010 | 11:43 amJust by clicking a button, you can help us win a $5,000 grant from Brighter Planet. Worldchanging's project proposal, Advocate for Climate Neutral Cities, has just been accepted for Brighter Planet's Project Fund, which provides seed money for people and projects working to help others fight or adapt to climate change. Our idea to create a climate neutral cities mini-magazine is one of nine projects up for the grant money. Brighter Planet members decide—as a community—which projects to fund. The project with the most votes at the close of a voting period receives the grant. Join today to… -
Visions Desirable, Present and Future
8 Feb 2010 | 11:03 amHere at WorldChanging, we often have conversations about how best to envision desirable futures. Not just on how to collaborate on designing them, or accelerate development on the kind of technology that would get us there, but how to portray inspiring green futures that people would want to live in. Help us change the world - DONATE NOW! (Posted by Mark Tovey in Features at 11:03 AM) -
Headlines from Worldchanging Canada (December 2009 - January 2010)
8 Feb 2010 | 10:32 amTop stories from our Canadian blog: Tokyo's Transforming Tower | Madeline Ashby "I wish there were a way to combine these shutters and some form of external cladding, but in a year both the tower's designers and its inhabitants will understand how best to exploit this building's transformation potential." Event Summary - 2009 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference | Stefanie Bowles We feature notes from Stephanie Bowles on a couple of talks from the 2009 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change (BECC) conference in Washington DC. Bowles, quoting Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez: "... the BECC… -
Where Did We Go Wrong on "Green Jobs"?
5 Feb 2010 | 6:12 pmI was in a meeting today with some smart folks that got me thinking again about "green jobs," specifically Van Jones' message about the intersection of environmentalism and social justice. They're not polished thoughts, but I thought I'd share them and see what folks think. Ever since Van Jones got essentially lynched by Glenn Beck's teabaggers, I've been wondering why it was so easy to target him, why the green jobs message (which seemed to me at the time uncontroversial) so clearly failed to connect, and why the green jobs conversation in Northern Europe seems to be going so much better.
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Social Business Blog
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Global Interest in Recent CIC Changes: Better Does Not Yet Mean Good
24 Jan 2010 | 1:46 pmI recently wrote an article for Third Sector magazine on Community Interest Companies (CICs) for Third Sector Magazine. Since then I have received numerous calls from parties here in the UK and abroad asking about this corporate form and my thoughts about them–and if they have changed in light of the Governmental reforms. There are now three things I think about CICs: First, they are better than before. Second, they are still not very attractive. Third, the Government is doing a great job of marketing the idea and has tapped into an international interest in coming up with something for… -
Social Enterprise Tetchiness: Not a Helpful Trait
7 Jan 2010 | 1:41 pmYesterday I read a blog posted recently by Patrick Butler of the Guardian about the Novas Scarman Group, a Social Enterprise which had seen its CEO resign, amid what Butler describes as “one of the most inglorious chapters in the recent history of social enterprise”. I took instant umbrage. Whatever the issue at Novas Scarman, why did Butler have to bring its organisational form up at all? Of what relevance was it? When a conventional firm is, like the Novas Scarman Group (NSG), accused of “alleged cronyism, nepotism, bullying and mismanagement”, according to a report… -
Announcing ClearlySo in Romania: Why do we do these Mini-Blogs?
6 Jan 2010 | 6:49 amRecently we posted a new mini-blog on the ClearlySo site; ClearlySo in Romania. We were privileged to have an exceptional intern–Romanian-American Sandra Barbosu, and she worked on the five posts which have just gone up earlier in 2009. Romania is a very poor country that is nevertheless a recent member of the EU with excellent soil, breathtaking views and a rich and interesting history. I had the good fortune to do a tour of the country myself in 2006, just before it became an EU member, and felt two things profoundly. First, it had enormous potential, but second, there was a great… -
Are Social Enterprises Different When it Comes to Industrial Relations?
1 Jan 2010 | 1:17 pmTowards the end of last year I wrote about industrial action by the labour union Unite against the HCT Group, a company I advise (let me get that disclosure right out of the way). I challenged the contention, made by officials at Unite that HCT was getting “fat on basement level wages for its workforce”. David Floyd, commented on my blog post and, to his credit, admitted that he did not think the getting fat quote was Unite’s finest hour, but raised a very substantial question in his comment (which I reprint in full below) that he was, “dubious that the claim that the… -
Arise Nigel Kershaw, Officer of the British Empire (OBE)
31 Dec 2009 | 8:07 amI had not intended to post again this year, but scanning the Honours List this year, stripped marvellously of most of its bankers (all but one, apparently) was a name I recognised, that of Nigel Kershaw, who is listed as Chairman of the Big Issue, but is better known recently for his work in building Big Issue Invest, a specialised lender to social enterprises and the trading arms of charities. I am delighted for Nigel, as I am sure this recognition means a great deal to him, but I also think this is a wonderful way for the decade to end for the social enterprise sector. In the past ten years…
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Gimundo.com
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Electric Planes Could Provide Eco-Friendly Flight
8 Feb 2010 | 4:15 pm -
Five Incredible True Love Stories for Valentine’s Day
7 Feb 2010 | 5:25 pmIn honor of Valentine's Day this Sunday, we've rounded up five of our favorite true love stories we've published on Gimundo. They're bound to melt even the iciest of hearts. -
Coral Rock Castle: The House that Heartbreak Built
7 Feb 2010 | 3:07 pmAfter getting dumped at the altar, Ed Leedskalnin devoted the rest of his life to building a giant rock monument for his lost love. The weirdest part? He built it with no assistance, even though many of the rocks weigh 30 tons. -
Couple Celebrates 50 Years of Once-Forbidden Love
7 Feb 2010 | 2:59 pmWhile most young couples held hands on the streets, Laurence and Lena Nelson were forced to hide their relationship. In an era of segregation and blatant racism, it was a dangerous time for an interracial couple to be in love. But for Laurence and Lena, it was worth the risk. -
Couple Married for 75 Years Pass Away on the Same Day
7 Feb 2010 | 1:37 pmThe wedding vows say til death do us part. But that wasn't good enough for J.C. and Josie Cox.
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How I changed the world today.
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LA Arboretum
8 Feb 2010 | 7:01 amI re-newed my membership to the Arboretum today. Its a great place to hang out, love the peacocks, and its good to keep nature in our lives. -
Kiva
6 Feb 2010 | 8:57 amMade a few more Kiva loans. Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this blog, been really busy. Money has gotten a bit tight and I'm supporting a few people and its keeping me busy. But life is grand, I have the opportunity to work and make things happen and I am still doing really well compared to many others in the world. I am still dropping off snacks at the VA, they need them more than ever. Loan Purchase of $25 to Norma (business id=174160)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Tatiana Arroyo Bejarano (business id=174136)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase… -
Kiva loans
2 Feb 2010 | 6:17 pmI made a few kiva loans today. Just randomly chose them. Loan Purchase of $25 to Khoem Veurn (business id=168239)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Batzul Galsan (business id=173153)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Brigida Herrera Herrera (business id=171499)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Sandra Galvez Muñoz (business id=172965)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club -
Girl Scout Cookies and Soldiers
28 Jan 2010 | 7:18 pmI bought 6 boxes of girl scout cookies today to support a friends daughter's troop. I am having them shipped directly to soldiers overseas. Its a win/win situation, I support my friends, the soldiers get cookies. -
Kiva
24 Jan 2010 | 7:40 amKiva has run out of loans again (YAH!), but I managed to get in one one to Luis in Tarma, Peru.Luis is 23 years old. He is single, and he is an enterprising and very enthusiastic young man. He lives in a rented house near the highway exit for his town. In spite of the fact that he was not able to complete higher education as a mechanic because of a lack of money, he wants to continue moving forward with the hope of making progress. For the past year, he has worked as an assistant to an auto mechanic, and he believes that he now has the necessary experience to open his own workshop. This is…
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NextBillion
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Overwhelming Response to the NextBillion Case Competition
9 Feb 2010 | 8:19 amAuthored by: Moses LeeThe date for submitting intention to compete forms for the first annual NextBillion Case Writing Competition has come and gone. At the onset, the editors and I were unsure of how many people would submit."I'd be happy if we got ten," I told the Rob and Francisco. Well, I'm pleased to let the NextBillion community know that we more than doubled that number with over 20 submissions from teams all over the world! We had submissions from Washington University in St. Louis, Xavier Institute of Management, Dehlhi Technological University, Indian Institute of… -
Senior Manager, Business Development, Global Business Division
8 Feb 2010 | 8:01 pmOrganization: IntuitLocation: Bangalore, INAbout Intuit Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) is the world's leading provider of software and web-based services for consumers and small businesses. Our flagship products and services include well-known brands such as TurboTax, Quicken and QuickBooks. Founded in 1983, Intuit has annual revenues of over $3 billion and reaches over 25 million customers with ~8,000 employees in several countries. Fortune Magazine recognized Intuit as "America's Most Admired Software Company" and one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the last several years running. -
Introducing NextBillion’s Newest Managing Partner: WDI
8 Feb 2010 | 12:35 pmAuthored by: Bob KennedyAs announced in January (link), The William Davidson Institute (WDI) has joined the World Resources Institute and Acumen Fund as co-Managing Partners of the NextBillion.net site. The Managing Partners set strategy, fund enhancements to the site, manage the site, and work together to grow the NextBillion community. This post is intended to introduce WDI to the NextBillion community and to invite you to explore ways to engage with the Institute. WDI is a think tank located at the University of Michigan (UM) that focuses on business and policy issues in… -
Market Linkages: The Achilles' Heel of Livelihoods
8 Feb 2010 | 6:55 amAuthored by: Sriram GuttaOver the last two decades, models for livelihoods for the poor have come of age and many organizations have focused their efforts on reducing the vulnerability of marginalized communities. A lot of these activities have been through the efforts of NGOs, international funding agencies, and local organizations working in specific regions and with specific segments. Though these models have been successful in creating employment, they haven't scaled to realize their true potential. One such example is of Chamba chappals where over 500 artisans make sturdy and beautifully… -
Portfolio Servicing Associate
7 Feb 2010 | 6:09 pmOrganization: Root CapitalLocation: Cambridge, MA, USSupervisor: Director, Loan Operations Start Date: April 2010 Contact: Jen Stine Director, Human Resources and Administration jobs@rootcapital.org SUMMARY Root Capital seeks a detail-oriented Portfolio Servicing Associate to join Root Capital's growing portfolio servicing team based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Associate will coordinate closely with different teams within…
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Social ROI: A Social Entrepreneurship Blog
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Here’s an excellent post on why you should not judge charities by their “administrative costs.”
21 Jan 2010 | 7:00 pmGood Intentions are Not Enough. hat tip to Marginal Revolution -
Analytics X Prize – Enabling social change through analytics
7 Jan 2010 | 7:56 pmEnabling social change through analytics Reading about Analytics X and thought I’d share here: The Analytics X Prize is an ongoing contest to apply analytics, modeling, and statistics to solve the social problems that affect our cities. It combines the fields of statistics, mathematics, and social science to understand the root causes of dysfunction in our neighborhoods. Understanding these relationships and discovering the most highly correlated variables allows us to deploy our limited resources more effectively and target the variables that will have the greatest positive impact on… -
Browse For A Cause
15 Dec 2009 | 5:18 pmBrowse For A Cause is a browser add-on that collects affiliate revenue (usually 3-5%) from sites like Amazon to help charities. For example, if you buy a $20 DVD, the affiliate revenue equates to about $1 which is donated to the charity of your choice. You can support as many charities as you’d like, and revenue will be split between them. Continue reading… -
Sites to bring in billions in holiday donations
8 Dec 2009 | 7:54 pmIn the United States, cumulative online donations to charities could hit more than $4 billion during the holidays, according to a survey released Tuesday by marketing firm Convio. More than than 63 percent of those surveyed said they plan to donate money via the the Internet over the holiday season (November 1 through December 31, 2009), up from 51 percent in 2008. Continue… -
Vittana- “Ultimate Game Changer in Philanthropy”
5 Dec 2009 | 7:10 pmVittana, which beat out such well-known charities as DonorsChoose and people like Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, is building a student loan business for microfinance institutions that cater to poor people in the developing world. It uses a model similar to that of Kiva.org, a nonprofit organization that funnels loans to individual borrowers through microfinance institutions. The method is to solicit individual lenders for money that will back loans to young adults seeking college educations. Continue reading…
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JUST CAUSE - make some good news™
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JUST CHATTING With Sheila Kelley
8 Feb 2010 | 12:18 pmSexy women turn me on. You know it when you see it, right? read more -
Life After Rape
8 Feb 2010 | 11:59 amTwenty-three years ago - when I was 17 and had just graduated from high-school - someone broke into my house while I was sleeping, came into my bed, climbed on top of me, held a gun to my head and rap read more -
The Food at The First "Thanksgiving."
23 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pmFor most Americans, a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal includes a turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie (or sweet potato pie if you hail from the South). read more -
Imagine There's No Healthcare
19 Nov 2009 | 9:25 pmImagine there's no healthcare, it's easy if you try. Now, imagine there's no pill to take. That might be more of a stretch of the imagination. read more -
JUST Chatting With Bill Hemmer
18 Nov 2009 | 6:39 pmLike most people, I have created a life in which I am, for the most part, surrounded by people who think like me. read more
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Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy - Institute for Food and Development Policy
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The Biofuels Bailout: (M)ethadone for our Fuel Addiction?
4 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pmThe recent announcement by the Obama Administration of renewed support to the bloated biofuels industry has the Brazilians jumping for joy. The Brazilians? Wait a minute... Yep, here are the latest headlines from UNICA, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association: Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Welcomes U.S. EPA's Renewable Fuels Rules read more -
Lawsuit: U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminating against Hispanic farmers
1 Feb 2010 | 6:36 pmby Brad Woodard / 11 News Updated Wednesday, Jan 27 at 11:01 PM HOUSTON—In the shadows of the mountains near El Paso, where New Mexico’s border meets Texas, the remnants of a simple farming life sit mostly idle. Lupe Garcia and his ancestors have been working the land there for centuries. "The Spaniards came in the 1500s, and my family came with the Spaniards," Garcia said. "We were here before the Pilgrims." In 1955, Garcia’s father, a decorated World War II veteran, managed to buy a farm. In its prime, the family was working 1,000 acres. But times have changed. read more -
Who Will Feed Us? Questions for the Food and Climate Crises
27 Jan 2010 | 2:34 pmThis report by the ETC Group was released in November 2009. http://www.etcgroup.org/upload/publication/pdf_file/ETC_Who_Will_Feed_Us... -
To the governments and organizations gathered in Montreal on the situation in Haiti
26 Jan 2010 | 10:34 amJanuary 25, 2010 The recent tragedy in Haiti shocked the people of the world for its destructive impact, the environmental and social consequences, and especially for the loss of human lives. Unfortunately, natural disasters are not new in that Caribbean country, which was impacted in 2008 by hurricanes Hanna and Ike. Nor is it the first time we have watched the international community make pledges of cooperation and assistance to Haiti. We are concerned, as organizations and social movements and on the basis of permanent read more -
Grassroots Voices: Linking farmers' movements for advocacy and practice
25 Jan 2010 | 4:05 pmEric Holt-Gimenez Guest Editor The contributors to this Grassroots Voices article include: Roland Bunch; Jorge Iran Vasquez; John Wilson; Michel P. Pimbert; Bary Boukary; Cathleen Kneen read more
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Chris Blattman
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Many wives reduces AIDS risk?
9 Feb 2010 | 6:05 amJacob Zuma has been catching heat for fathering a child outside his (polygynous) marriage. HIV/AIDS activists criticize the Zulu custom of marrying many wives. There are good reasons to discourage polygyny, but it’s Zuma’s philandering outside marriage and not his multiple marriages that poses the real AIDS risk. In fact, a new paper just published suggests that polygyny is associated with lower HIV transmission: HIV prevalence is lower in countries where the practice of polygyny is common, and within countries, it is lower in areas with higher levels of polygyny. Proposed… -
And he says Haiti made a pact with the Devil…
8 Feb 2010 | 5:22 amFormer Liberian president Charles Taylor, testifying in his war crimes trial in The Hague on Thursday, said that his government had awarded American televangelist Pat Robertson a gold mining concession in 1999 and that Robertson later offered to lobby the Bush administration on the government’s behalf. Robertson denies the quid pro quo. See the Washington post report. Hat tip to Libby Wood. -
The other Superbowl
8 Feb 2010 | 2:22 amWhile everyone else watched the Superbowl last night, I watched the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Or, rather, Clint Eastwood’s take on South Africa’s sport, politics, and forgiveness: Invictus. In my defense, I didn’t actually know it was Superbowl Sunday. (Oh wait. Maybe that’s not such a great defense. I plead Canadianitis.) For those who don’t know the film’s premise: Mandela becomes President of South Africa, turns an Afrikaner game (rugby) into a national symbol, victories abound, and many white people hug black children. I emerged happy. It effectively… -
Do boys explain high savings in China?
7 Feb 2010 | 12:06 pmThere are approximately 122 boys born for every 100 girls today, a ratio that means about one in five Chinese men will be cut out of the marriage market when this generation of children grows up. …Our study compared savings data across regions and in households with sons versus those with daughters. We found that not only did households with sons save more than households with daughters on average, but that households with sons tend to raise their savings rate if they also happen to live in a region with a more skewed gender ratio. Even those not competing in the marriage market must… -
Can mentoring help female assistant professors?
7 Feb 2010 | 5:35 amEconomics isn’t known for gender balance among senior faculty. So six years ago, the Committee for the Status of Women in the Economics Profession started a randomized controlled trial of a mentoring program for young, female economists. The results? After five years the 2004 treatment group averaged .4 more NSF or NIH grants and 3 additional publications, and were 25 percentage points more likely to have a top-tier publication. There are significant but smaller effects at three years post-treatment for the 2004 and 2006 cohorts combined. The NBER paper is here. Ungated here. Another…
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...My heart's in Accra
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links for 2010-02-08
8 Feb 2010 | 3:03 pmStill Counting? 27 More Websites Opened in Xinjiang | Xinjiang: Far West China The internet in Xinjiang opens up a little bit… but as a constrained, whitelisted network. Is this the shape of things to come? Or specific to one of the more restive corners of China? (tags: internet censorship xinjiang china whitelist freespeech) Born Poor? | Santa Fe Reporter Interesting overview of Economist Sam Bowles on the need for American economic theory to consider inequality and build strategies that lessen it, otherwise we'll waste money on sectors of the economy which essentially exist to… -
Geocaching: Augmenting Reality for Enhanced Serendipity
1 Feb 2010 | 8:13 pmWe turned off the snowmobile tracks half a mile back, as they bent to the west and GPS pointed north to our destination. The trackless snow is knee-deep and I’m sweating as we push forward, one heavy footstep after another. 250 feet from destination. We scramble up a ridge, heading towards an outcropping of rocks beside a small stand of pine. 74 feet north by northeast. As we approach the largest of the rocks, the GPS reads “Arriving at destination”. One step ahead of me, Kris kneels down and extracts a box from a cavity behind the boulder. A nine-inch square tupperware… -
Offline… yet again…
1 Feb 2010 | 12:24 pmHi everyone. I’m going offline for about a month to recover from retinal surgery, which will take place tomorrow morning. I’ve had this surgery twice before – once in April 2008, and again in August 2009. This surgery is a repeat of August’s surgery, which was – unfortunately – not entirely successful, and I’ve continued to have vision problems with my left eye. There’s background on the procedure I’m having – vitrectomy – and the reasons I’m having the procedure in this blogpost here… and the success I had on the… -
Yahoo!, Moniker: why is Mowjcamp.com still offline 6 weeks after hack attack?
1 Feb 2010 | 6:19 amUPDATE. Mowjcamp.com is back up! Friends at EFF were able to broker a conversation between Yahoo, Moniker, Melbourne IT and Access Now. The situation is complicated, and I’m still trying to understand the details of the resolution, but it’s fantastic news that the site is back up. Special thanks to friends at Yahoo! who ended up taking the brunt of the criticism for the downtime. That wasn’t fair, and was in part my fault for not understanding everyone’s role in the situation. Yahoo! worked extremely hard to resolve the situation after being called out and deserve… -
Julie Cohen – Internet policy and human flourishing
26 Jan 2010 | 9:05 pmProfessor Julie Cohen of Georgetown Law School is visiting at Harvard Law this year and working on a book, “Configuring the Network Self”. Speaking at Berkman today, she explains that she’s had two motivations to undertake this work – an understanding of information technology possibility framed through the idea of the “structural conditions of human flourishing”. One is a sense that discourse about IT policy (in the US – she distinguishes US from European disrouce) tends to use “grandiose language” about poicy choices for free speech and…
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Tworque
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The Need for Well-Rounded, Holistic Thinking
30 Jan 2010 | 8:06 pmAbove, a typical sight in Indian (or other developing country) toilets. The lack of running water and improper drainage means the toilets clog and don't work. Would you use this toilet?? Below, a woman sweeps raw sewage that is blocking a drain. Right next to it, runs a water pipeline. Both are cases of irresponsible design and engineering.The "Aid World" (i.e. all the organizations/companies involved with the collection, distribution, and disbursement of international aid) desperately needs more holistic thinking. Without it, little sustainable change will happen.Recently I was approached by… -
Skoll Foundation Awards for Social Entrepreneurship - Deadline Feb 17, 2010
6 Jan 2010 | 3:38 pmGot this in my email backlog. If you know anyone who might be qualified, feel free to pass this on.The Skoll Awards for Social EntrepreneurshipThe Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship support social entrepreneurs whose work has the potential for large-scale influence on critical challenges of our time: tolerance and human rights, health, economic and social equity, peace and security, institutional responsibility, and environmental sustainability. These issues are at the heart of the foundation’s vision of empowering people to create a peaceful, prosperous, sustainable world. Within… -
Disappearing again for a bit, so...
24 Dec 2009 | 6:51 am...Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to all :-)though considering where I am, this is FAR more appropriate: -
Links I liked from my two month backlog: Part II (India-centric International Development)
23 Dec 2009 | 3:52 amContinuing on:1. The Top 10 Gadgets of the Year:2. Home-made tools of a bicycle-maker: 3. I'm a passionate believer that infrastructure is necessary for proper economic development (this is why I do what I do). Here, WB economic advisor offers his views on how South Asia can overcome its infrastructure shortfall.4. Loved this look inside the changes in the Indian Post Office. Let me tell you, you can judge a LOT about a country's development based on how well the postal system works, and how much it is used (which are obviously related!!).5. Loved this nifty anti-clogging drain device. -
You've got to watch Ryan Lobo on TED
22 Dec 2009 | 3:24 am(photo source: photobucket)Ryan Lobo was one of the stars of TEDIndia, in my opinion. His presentation was not only spot-on point, but hauntingly beautiful and poignant. It was wonderful to come across someone so young and talented, and brave enough to go in a direction that his soul dictated. In the process he has collected a jewelled archive of stories; three of which he shared with the audience.I've had the opportunity to interact since then with Ryan on a personal level; away from TED, in a more relaxed atmosphere, he indulged me in more stories over steaming cups of chai. I was moved by…
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globalhealthideas.org
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Missing Populations in Global Health
1 Feb 2010 | 6:57 pmPost by David Van Sickle, guest blogger. Please see his very popular previous post: 7 Steps for Building Low-cost Open Source Technologies for Global Health. (Thanks to Andre of Pulse and Signal fame for cross posting this) Missing Populations: I’m currently in the United Arab Emirates, attending a conference sponsored by the UAEU in Al-Ain to raise awareness of global health problems in the Middle East and neighboring Asia, and to draw attention to the region and its populations and health problems among the global health community. As a result, I’ve been thinking about the scope of… -
Tales of Water in Africa: Innovation vs. the Boring Stuff
31 Jan 2010 | 6:44 pmCross post by Alex from over at Tales of Water in Africa: Over the last year or so, I’ve encountered a tremendous push for innovation in the fields of development and disaster relief. Organizations big and small are looking for the ideas that will catapult millions of people out of poverty. The next clever gadgets that will cheaply and quickly filter water, prevent malaria, and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. These ideas are almost by definition just over the horizon – because once an idea has been around for a few months, it’s not that innovative anymore. And so what happens to those… -
GSK “Open Innovation” Strategy for Global Health
21 Jan 2010 | 4:41 amYesterday we were invited to sit in and meet the CEO of GSK, Andrew Witty, as he announced the new GlaxoSmithKline Open Innovation Strategy To Aid Poor Countries. The following entry is by one of our new bloggers, Sarah Searle (@sarahsearle on twitter) from the Johns Hopkins International Health program: “Big Pharma as a Catalyst for Change”: GSK “Open Innovation” strategy It’s estimated that one-third of the world’s population go without essential drugs–often drugs for treating diseases that disproportionately affect the world’s poorest. The… -
Bringing ICTs and Solar to Rural Uganda
7 Jan 2010 | 5:30 amRepost: “Bringing ICTs and Solar to Rural Uganda” Reposted from Melissa Ho’s ICTDChick blog (information technology, health care and Africa), which among other tidbits, documents the birth pangs of a PhD dissertation in western Uganda. Dembbe Clinic WECARE Solar and Netbook Deployment While my study hasn’t quite officially started yet (most of my equipment is en route via Cairo right now) I’ve started deploying some computers and mobile phones in a few health facilities, just to give them some time to familiarize themselves with the equipment, and to give myself and idea of what… -
Forum 2009, No. 6: A Physical Therapist Headed to Tecate (#GFHR09)
17 Dec 2009 | 12:03 amThe Global Forum for Health Research Forum 2009: Innovating for the Health of All took place in Havana, Cuba from 16-20 November. This is the sixth and final in a series of posts from the conference. It’s now been a month since Forum 2009, so it’s time to wrap up any remaining thoughts from the meeting. My intention with these posts was never to provide a comprehensive view of the conference. If you’re looking for that, or simply additional insights into the meeting, I recommend the following resources: Priya Shetty’s coverage of Forum 2009 for the SciDev.Net blog,…
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All Day Buffet
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Reinventing The Feast
19 Jan 2010 | 4:47 pmThe Feast gathers the world’s greatest innovators from across industries and society to empower, inspire and engage each other in creating world-shaking change. The Feast was started to inspire action and create world-shaking change. Over the years, it began as a conference but now has the opportunity to extend itself into so many new opportunities and be more than just an “event.” I spent the afternoon strategizing the future of The Feast, and thinking about where to take it the next couple of years. This is where you come in to help. We’ll be submitting a final… -
History and Future of All Day Buffet
18 Jan 2010 | 7:59 pm“It’s a simple idea. Inspire action. Change the world. Have fun. Because doing good shouldn’t feel like a chore.” Those were the words that started our company… A couple of years ago, Jerri Chou and I had a great idea to expand All Day Buffet. We wanted to channel our creative energy into a company that allowed us to filter all of our charitable ideas through one company. I dug up an interview from 2007 I did with Influx Insights that goes over this into a little more detail… We noticed that even though people wanted to do good, the options to… -
Marketing’s chance to change the world
17 Dec 2009 | 7:57 amFor the first time in a long time, the marketing & advertising sector have the opportunity to do a lot of good (gasp). I know, here’s why. It’s a hugely powerful medium — the power of persuasion. If the people behind Coke can convince millions that drinking the stuff will make you happy — anything’s possible. But, despite sounding like a cliche super hero reference, like any powerful force, it can be used for good or evil. There’s a huge camp of people who blame many of the problems of society on advertising. It’s notorious for creating false… -
Holiday Gift from Lovely Day
15 Dec 2009 | 12:33 pmAs we move into 2010, our team at Lovely Day has put together a short list of ideas and examples of doing well by doing good that we’re giving away to the top Fortune 500 companies as a special holiday bonus. Our goal? Encourage global brands to support social innovation as a new way of doing business in 2010 and beyond. If you’re new to Corporate Social Innovation, check out our presentation on (human) brands. COLLECTIVE ACTION: ADD ADDITIONAL IDEAS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. WE WILL FORWARD THE LIST TO FORTUNE 500 BRANDS TO TAKE ACTION ON CORPORATE SOCIAL INNOVATION IN… -
The Three I’s of Corporate Social Innovation
11 Dec 2009 | 9:08 amThe world of business is changing. Consumers are demanding more — more value, more quality, more responsibility — and more companies are striving to keep up. As information becomes more transparent, people are starting to realize that brands are not siloed and that businesses touch many parts of our world and society. A bank is no longer just a bank; it’s an international institution that can directly affect our daily lives (and livelihoods), which mean its operations are important to us. The more a business remains an opaque brand, the bigger the disconnect between what it…
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GOOD
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TeachDesign: Making Ideas Real
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amAfter teaching local high-school students the benefits of design, a team of frog designers helps them realize a goal. As mentioned in our first post on this blog, “Why We Should Teach Design Early,” our initiative, TeachDesign, is a collaboration between a team of designers from the Austin studio of frog design, architects from SHW Group, and the Austin Digital Media Council. The team is currently working with a group of students at McCallum High School to imagine a common space on campus that is useful, interactive, and inspiring. At the end of January, we sat down with the students to… -
Maybe Obama Did Turn Unemployment Around
9 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amWhen you look at the unemployment numbers like this, it makes the Obama team look pretty bad. But when you look at them like this: ...it's actually pretty impressive. What you're seeing in the chart above is a turnaround in the rate at which jobs are being lost each month that coincides almost exactly with Obama taking office. That said, the financial crisis is much too complex a situation to give full credit to any particular person or policy. -
Intermission: Another Thing
9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amThe architect Andrew Burgess projects an image of the Icelandic parliament building onto the building itself and then mucks with it in various interesting ways. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4rrXMxpnb8[/youtube] Fun fact: "Thing" means "parliament" or "assembly" in Icelandic. So the projection is another thing, literally. Via Archinect. -
A Flatpack Housing Concept for Haiti
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amArchitect Andres Duany, best known for work designing New Urbanist communities has shifted gears a bit to create a light, expandable shelter known as the “core house” for Haiti’s homeless. The house, designed to stand up to earthquakes and hurricanes isn’t Duany’s first foray into disaster relief housing: several years ago he helped develop the prefabricated “Katrina Cottage” as an alternative to the widely criticized FEMA trailers. Duany’s house for Haiti is small– 8′2″ x 8′2″ x 19′8″—but can sleep 8. Essential for cost-reduction and ease of… -
Zero Rupee Note Battles Corruption in India
9 Feb 2010 | 5:30 amWe've been hearing a lot about these Zero Rupee Notes, which Indian citizens have been handing to corrupt officials who demand bribes. They were created by a University of Maryland professor and distributed by the "corruption killer" NGO 5th Pillar. I was at first skeptical that they could be effective, until I read this explanation of their success from The World Bank: First, bribery is a crime in India punishable with jail time. Corrupt officials seldom encounter resistance by ordinary people that they become scared when people have the courage to show their zero rupee notes, effectively…
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CRIN News Feed - Home - English
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CHINA: Court sentenced activist who investigated children's deaths in 2008 quake
8 Feb 2010 | 9:38 pm[BEIJING, 9 February 2010] — A Chinese court Tuesday sentenced an activist who investigated the deaths of thousands of schoolchildren in the country's massive 2008 earthquake to five years in jail for inciting subversion of state power, the man's lawyer said.The United States deplored the s -
ARMED CONFLICT: Take action to achieve universal ratification of OPAC
8 Feb 2010 | 6:35 pmToday, child soldiers are fighting in at least 14 countries around the world. Boys and girls alike are forced into combat, exploited for their labor, and subjected to violence and mistreatment. Ten years ago, the United Nations adopted a treaty banning the use of children under age 18 in ho -
EUROPE: Disappearing, Departing, Running Away: A surfeit of children in Europe?
8 Feb 2010 | 6:05 pmStudy carried out in Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland on the disappearances of unaccompanied foreign minors placed in institutions. -
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Rights Commission seeks annulment for child bride
8 Feb 2010 | 1:57 am[JEDDAH, 8 February 2010] - Saudi Arabia's human rights commission has hired a lawyer to help a 12-year-old girl annul* her marriage with her 80-year-old husband, the lawyer said, a move activists hope will lead to a ban on child marriages.Saudi Arabia, a patriarchal society that applies an auste -
ASEAN: Indonesia seeks candidates for Children's Commission
7 Feb 2010 | 8:54 pm[JAKARTA, 6 February 2010] - The Indonesian government is seeking candidates to sit on the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children. "The 8th meeting of ASEAN's Committee on Women agreed that member countries must submit the names of their re
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Angel Covers
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Finally!!
6 Feb 2010 | 3:37 pmMonths ago (ok, maybe even a year ago or more) Angel Covers started "selling" bricks at the new Angel Cottage. The idea was that for a donation of $10 or more, you could have your name engraved into a brick at the new home. These bricks would not only help complete this much needed home, but would also provide a beautiful visual aid to the students, showing them just how many people around the world love and support them. Many bricks were purchased, both to have our own names on them, or in honor of those we love. While this project was hugely successful, it took much longer than any of us… -
Empower a Girl with Mama's Wish
26 Jan 2010 | 9:13 amWe are delighted to welcome several new girls to our Mama's Wish Education Program. These very smart and determined girls have beaten all the odds, and we would love to find new sponsors for them as soon as possible.These bright girls come from very poor villages in rural QingHai Province in China - where attending school is often just a dream, especially if you are a girl. Without this opportunity for education, most of these girls would have been forced into marriage at a very young age, and work in the fields to support their struggling families. With our help they now aspire to be… -
Working Together
18 Jan 2010 | 7:45 pmThe end of last week, the children who attend Humble Hearts returned to the school to see the destruction. Parents and children cried together as they came to better understand all that was lost. As the official opening of the school, parents were eager to find ways of moving the school forward for their children.These parents come from the extreme poverty, rarely have enough food for their families, live in tin shelters, and many lost their homes to the bulldozing as well. However, these families united behind the school and it's needs. Families with little for themselves came together and… -
Humble Hearts will soon reopen!
11 Jan 2010 | 10:15 amIn the past 10 days since my last update, emails have been flying back and forth between the US and Kenya. Beatrice and I have been working hard to not only get the word out about what happened at Humble Hearts, but to also find a solution so children can start school as soon as possible. Fortunately many possibilities have been presented to us and everything seems to be coming together so the children can start school again this week. In the past 10 days we have learned that it wasn't the government at all how bulldozed HH and the surrounding homes and businesses, and this certainly wasn't a… -
An update on Humble Hearts
28 Dec 2009 | 1:32 pmYesterday I received unbelievable pictures of Humble Hearts...or where Humble Hearts used to be. It was completely shocking to me to see literally nothing left. I only received 2 pictures, but they really show that nothing remains.Beatrice told me today that the attorneys involved are associated with organizations like Amnesty International who pay for the services. Part of the problem right now is that offices are closed due to the holiday so they are simply having to wait before they talk to anyone. She also said that many of the building in the pictures you see still standing either…
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PopTech Blog
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FLAP Videos from a Navajo Reservation
9 Feb 2010 | 7:44 amEditor's note: For more on the FLAP off-grid solar project, see the PopTech FLAP page. One might think of living at the “base of the pyramid” as an unimaginably difficult situation confined to those in the developing world, but there are plenty of people living at the base right here in the United States in the 21st century--people like Pat Boone. I met Pat Boone just outside of a ceremony his community was holding in order to heal his brother’s abdominal pains after traditional medicine failed to provide relief. Pat is a tiny man with laughing eyes that are partially blind, leaving him… -
Paving a Nuanced Path for Online Privacy
5 Feb 2010 | 10:54 amMake no mistake: the privacy debate is hotter (and louder) than ever. The recent uproar over Facebook’s new Terms of Service – and then, even more recently, Twitter’s new service terms – is all about privacy, says Helen Nissenbaum, an associate professor in NYU’s Department of Culture and Communication and a Senior Fellow of the NYU Information Law Institute. But what people really care about today when they complain that their privacy has been violated, Nissenbaum says, is not the fact that their personal information has been shared, but that it’s been shared inappropriately. -
A New PopTech Fellows 2009 Video
4 Feb 2010 | 11:19 amWe announced a call for nominations for the 2010 class of PopTech Social Innovation Fellows this week, so I edited a video to accompany the email announcement. Typically during the PopTech conference I’m running around with the camera crew, missing all the edifying and moving moments taking place on stage, so I was excited to finally watch the 2009 Fellows’ videos in their entirety while pulling this short piece together. Editing always involves a dance between what’s being said, where the camera was focused when the great moments took place, and how each piece fits with every other… -
Apply Now to be a Global Citizen Year Fellow
4 Feb 2010 | 7:59 amEditor's note: Wil Keenan heads up communications and technology at Global Citizen Year, an organization led by PopTech Social Innovation Fellow Abby Falik. Watch Abby's PopTech talk to learn more. Each year, Global Citizen Year (GCY) selects and trains a corps of HS grads and supports them in apprenticeships across Asia, Africa and Latin America during a bridge year before college. Our first corps of Fellows launched last fall and now we're searching for our 2010 Fellows. Do you know any high school seniors or educators who might be interested? Help us spread the word! Since the 2009 Fellows… -
The Grand Disappointment: Apple and Obama after Hype and Hope
1 Feb 2010 | 9:47 pmSome languages are more precise than others. German's word for disappointment, “Enttäuschung,” for example, literally translates as “disillusion” and thus implies that the prerequisite of any disappointment is excessive (and false!) expectation. As if that needed any further evidence, Apple’s iPad presentation and President Obama’s first State of the Union address last Wednesday marked the preliminary culmination of an obvious trend: disappointment as a widespread sentiment and cultural subtext at the dawn of this young decade. Both Apple and Obama are…
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quoteflections
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The Who of the Half Time Superbowl XLIV
9 Feb 2010 | 5:01 amThe special effects propped up the aging Who, but it was their classic songs which propelled the memorable 12 minute medley of songs. Peter Townshend, 64, and Roger Daltry, 65, helped form the group in 1964 and catapulted its distinguished legacy with sales of 100 million albums.Jon Pareles of the NYT writes, "They were songs about prowess, determination, desperation and rage at how revolutions fail: an arc of verbal frustration defied, and explosively overcome, by musical assertiveness, with the power chords that the Who made ring worldwide."Here are some of the lyrics from their memorable… -
Bridging Cultural Divides
8 Feb 2010 | 7:01 pmGlobal Voices Online (The world is talking. Are you listening?) is an international network of bloggers and citizen journalists that follow, report, and summarize what is going on in the blogosphere. It is a non-profit, website project started by the Beckman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School.Its objectives are to enable and empower a community of bloggers who can make a bridge between two languages and cultures. A team of regional editors aggregate and select interesting conversations ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. There is a focus on non-western, underrepresented… -
Mind Fix Monday
7 Feb 2010 | 7:01 pm- For the motorcycle enthusiast, this is the ultimate trip, a 248 day supported journey spanning 30 countries, 5 continents and costs $101,000 excluding air fare. A journey of extremes, the Discover Our Earth tour will travel through one of the driest deserts in the world (the Atacama in South America), the highest national capital in the world (La Paz, Bolivia) and the southernmost city in the world (Ushuaia in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego). It will also cover some of the planet’s most famous routes, including the Pan-American Highway network and Asia’s ancient Silk Road. It's the… -
New Genre: Imagepoems
6 Feb 2010 | 7:01 pmI have noticed a new genre develop online; let me call them imagepoems. In the old days poets would sit in the privacy of their studies and create poems filled with images created through simile and metaphor...Now these poets have digital cameras at the ready and knowledge of Photoshop etc. to be able to morph images with poetic verse.A parallel interest has been the explosion of sites like Flickr which have empowered thousands of users like Diane Cordell to post their still life photographs online and to join 365 forums.Out of this interest in digital photography people are stepping forward… -
Did You Know?
6 Feb 2010 | 5:43 amHere is an anthology of some interesting links:-Taiwan is home to over 15 million butterflies. It is a rugged island, with dense forest cover over half the territory and a mountainous central spine that reaches almost 4,000 meters high and stretches 400 kilometers from north to south. It's home to 423 species and is known as the Kingdom of the Butterfly. An annual migration occurs because the differences between northern and southern winters is typically stark. One is damp and chilly; the other balmy which is necessary for butterflies to survive. ~ Robert Kelly, Wall Street Journal- Totem…
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the Change.org Blog
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Meet The Changemakers
13 Jan 2010 | 4:48 amToday we are excited to announce the launch of Changemakers on Change.org! For the past three months, more than 100,000 Change.org members have participated in nominating and voting for the leaders who they feel best personify a Changemaker, resulting in a remarkable network of people. For those of you who haven’t been following along at home, [...] -
Change.org Welcomes Five New Faces
8 Jan 2010 | 5:42 pmWe’re a pretty eclectic bunch over here at Change.org. Some of us write haiku, others enjoy communicating in emoticons – but one thing that brings us all together is our desire to make the world a better place. So naturally, when we find others who share this desire and want to join our team, we [...] -
Change.org’s Predictions for the New Decade
3 Jan 2010 | 2:44 amIt’s a new year and a new decade, and there’s no better time to take a look toward the future of social change. What will be the defining moments of 2010, and what victories might we be celebrating come 2020? Will this be the decade that the world finally sees a vaccine for HIV or a [...] -
Change.org’s 2009 Year in Review
31 Dec 2009 | 3:14 pmIn a few hours, it’ll be out with the old and in with the new as we welcome the start of a new year, filled with new opportunities to create change. But, before we put on our party hats and launch into a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne, we wanted to take a look [...] -
Top 10 Victories on Change.org in 2009
28 Dec 2009 | 1:07 pm2009 was a year in which the Change.org community emerged as a powerful force for social change. Our rapidly growing community of more than 1 million activists won dozens of campaigns over the past year, successfully pressuring multi-billion dollar companies to adopt more responsible and non-discriminatory practices, convincing federal departments to change outdated policies, and impacting [...]
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Gift Hub
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Why is Community So Hard?
8 Feb 2010 | 2:38 pmDave Pollard: The idea that we are individually and collectively responsible for the well-being of all life in our community and through it for all-life-on-Earth, now and for generations to come, is unfathomable. He has this filed under "Preparing for Civilization's End." Palin supporters will say we must defend what we own. The strong prevail, the weak perish. -
5 For Fairness
8 Feb 2010 | 1:44 pmThe Big Idea of 5 for Fairness OUR VISION is a world where girls share fully in the best humanity has to offer: education, human rights and the opportunity to live healthy, productive and meaningful lives.OUR STRATEGY is unique. When members join our group, they contribute a minimum of $5 to our Grant Account. As the Account balance grows, members of the community create Teams for organizations they believe deserve a 5 for Fairness grant. When the Account reaches $5000, the community votes where to send the grant, choosing from among the five Teams with the most supporters. Then the whole… -
Second Act for Entrepreneurs
8 Feb 2010 | 1:09 pmFolio: The management team at Irvine, California-based Entrepreneur magazine is gearing up for a product launch that puts the team outside its usual business-minded comfort zone. This spring, the magazine is planning to launch SecondAct.com, a Web site targeted to an older audience that’s looking to begin a “second act” in life. If life expectancy is 85-90 these days, then "retiring" at 55-65 leaves a lot of living to do, and perhaps the second act can top the first, c.f, Bill Gates. Counseling entrepreneurs about what comes next is interesting and challenging, particularly if… -
Corporatism
7 Feb 2010 | 4:21 pmImaginary Magnitude reviewing a book by J.R. Saul: The Unconscious Civilization lays out in dense, history-shifting references, the problems and origins of corporatism and how it has become an increasingly acceptable means to run modern societies, in spite of its history of stifling democracy and rewarding conformism. Perhaps civil society is the alternative to a society managed by companies, lobbyists, think tanks, advertising, and media. The case in point would be the tea-baggers, I suppose. What they call for is more Freedom. The most recent progress in Freedom has been in giving companies… -
Superbowl Sexism Watch
7 Feb 2010 | 2:29 pmGloria Steinem in Superbowl sexism watch.
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TheGiveWell Blog
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Economic empowerment grants awarded
5 Feb 2010 | 9:14 amWe have completed the process of allocating $250,000 in grants for economic empowerment organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. 49 organizations applied for our grant, out of 157 invited. From these, we felt that two stood out in making a strong, evidence-based case that they are improving the financial situations of low-income people in the developing world. We have awarded $125,000 to each. The Village Enterprise Fund is a microenterprise organization providing cash grants as well as business training and mentoring services to extremely poor business owners in rural Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. -
Haiti “room for more funding” at the organization level: not enough information
4 Feb 2010 | 5:39 pmIn a previous post, we asked whether Haiti earthquake relief has “room for more funding” and concluded that, in general, it isn’t clear. (For more on the general topic of “room for more funding,” see our 5-post series on the topic.) Of course, it probably makes a big difference which organization we’re talking about. We’ve seen a lot of different charities soliciting funds in the context of the Haiti earthquake, and some of them may have greater abilities than others to translate funding into relief assistance. The problem for donors is that by and… -
Does Haiti earthquake relief have room for more funding?
1 Feb 2010 | 9:15 amDonors have given more than $560 million to charities “to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.” How much of that money has funded/will fund earthquake relief efforts in Haiti? How much should? Money isn’t the only thing needed to deliver relief Reports from the relief effort have stressed logistical challenges, such as blocked roads and limited access for planes and boats. See, for example, this interview on Reuters AlertNet from the 18th: ” The capacity of the Port-au-Prince airport is about to be increased but it is still a small airport. It’s very… -
Haiti earthquake relief seems less cost-effective than everyday international aid
29 Jan 2010 | 7:25 amThe disaster in Haiti - and the media coverage of it - pull at the emotions in a way that everyday suffering in the developing world does not. However, our rough calculations suggest that in fact, a donor can have a bigger impact for less money by funding top charities’ everyday activities to reduce unnecessary death and debilitation. We estimate a “generous” cost-effectiveness figure for a donation to Haiti is by considering (a) the total amount given and (b) the total number of people affected by the disaster. Total amount given: It’s hard to find definitive figures… -
Can choosing the right charity double your impact?
28 Jan 2010 | 12:11 pmReader Evan writes: I’ve been thinking about how best to donate to Haiti, and I reviewed some of the materials on your website and found them pretty helpful and persuasive. So thank you! But then my law firm announced that it would match donations to the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders. Given that, I think I have to donate to one of those orgs: even if my money would probably be better spent elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine that it would be more than twice as well spent. Do you disagree? My intuition here is different than Evan’s. My guess would be that giving to one of…
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The Hero Workshop
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Anti-Bullying Ad From Canada
7 Feb 2010 | 2:21 pmDo something. -
John Terry is a Bad Person
5 Feb 2010 | 4:27 pmI don’t often call someone a bad person. I think most people labeled as such are merely responsible for making bad decisions. I don’t think that is the case for the now ex-captain of the England soccer team. Terry has been dropped as captain of the team after it was revealed that he had been having an affair with the girlfriend (now ex) of a team mate and friend. What made this worse was the fact that he spent many hours and much money to keep this fact suppressed by taking newspapers to court. Clearly he understood what was at stake. It has also come to the surface that… -
An Enormous Challenge
31 Jan 2010 | 6:39 pm280 heroes in 28 days. The Gallery of Heroes is not large enough for my liking. So I’ve set myself a challenge. The month of February will see 280 heroes added. That’s 10 a day folks. Clearly I’ll need some help with it. Kit and James have committed to helping out, but we’re unlikely to be able to get through it ourselves. So, I ask you, my loyal readers, to help out. Have a look at the current list of about 130 and work out who’s missing. Then write up a profile or hero’s journey and we’ll have plus one. Repeat as needed. Add a… -
Closing Some Tabs
25 Jan 2010 | 2:13 pmI’ve had these tabs open for a while, meaning to dedicate a blog post to them. Unfortunately, I can’t love them as much as I should, so they’re being put into one post. Bullying affects bystanders as much as the targets. Some new research coming out shows that those seeing bullying happening are as likely to be affected negatively down the line as the those being bullied. “Rivers’ team said their study suggests school psychologists should consider the effects of bullying on bystanders, not just on those directly involved.” This is an important… -
Anderson Cooper – Real Action Hero
22 Jan 2010 | 7:19 amAnderson Cooper hosts the annual CNN Hero Awards every Thanksgiving. He is exposed to hundreds of heroes from around the world. This week, he became one while on duty in Haiti. The following is from his blog. I saw a looter on the roof of the store they’d broken into throw what I think was part of a concrete block into the crowd. It hit a small boy in the head.I saw him collapse. More chunks of concrete were being thrown at the looters on the roof. The injured boy couldn’t get up. He’d try and then collapse again. Blood was pouring from his head. He was conscious but…
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Article 13 Ltd.
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Transparency and Anti-Corruption resource centre
31 Jan 2010 | 2:30 pmAs part of UNGC advocacy efforts, Article 13 keeps abreast of the latest developments in the areas of bribery, corruption and transparency. This resource centre is regularly updated with links and information about governments, NGOs, industries and companies that are taking action and initiatives to address these issues. -
UNGC Communication on Progress 2009
24 Jan 2010 | 2:30 pmArticle 13 is pleased to announce the launch of our 2009 UNGC CoP, in which we report on our performance against the ten Global Compact principles in the categories of labour, human rights, environment and anti-corruption. -
Article 13 Environment Report 2009
10 Jan 2010 | 2:30 pmArticle 13’s 2009 Environment Report details carbon emissions resulting from our activities and highlights our progress on previous years, looking at our reduction strategy and the effects. Our carbon footprint, calculated from ongoing reporting, is annually offset with a staff-selected carbon offset programme. -
Suez Environment: integrating transparency and anti-corruption throughout its water operations and activities
13 Dec 2009 | 2:30 pmTransparency in business case study 5: The fifth case study in our transparency and anti-corruption series looks at Suez Environment, an early signatory of the UN Global Compact and a member of the world’s leading water coalition, Water Integrity Network. Since the creation of the 10th UNGC principle on anti-corruption, Suez Environment has increased its efforts to build its sustainable development strategy on a strong ethics policy. -
Road to Copenhagen: Sharp targets greener electronics
8 Dec 2009 | 2:30 pmSharp has set its sights on comprehensive improvement in the environmental performance of its products. Its efforts include energy savings and creation, effective resource use, safety and piece of mind, and health and comfort.
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Worldchanging: Bright Green
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De-Industrializing the City
8 Feb 2010 | 12:27 pmAlex Steffen: One of my favorite quotes by Bjarke Ingels: "Engineering without engines. We should use contemporary technology and computation capacity to make our buildings independent... -
Vote Today and Help Us Win $5K!
8 Feb 2010 | 11:43 amWorldChanging Team: Just by clicking a button, you can help us win a $5,000 grant from Brighter Planet. Worldchanging's project proposal, Advocate for Climate Neutral Cities,... -
Visions Desirable, Present and Future
8 Feb 2010 | 11:03 amMark Tovey: Here at WorldChanging, we often have conversations about how best to envision desirable futures. Not just on how to collaborate on designing them, or accelerate... -
Headlines from Worldchanging Canada (December 2009 - January 2010)
8 Feb 2010 | 10:32 amMark Tovey: Top stories from our Canadian blog: Tokyo's Transforming Tower | Madeline Ashby "I wish there were a way to combine these shutters and some... -
Where Did We Go Wrong on "Green Jobs"?
5 Feb 2010 | 6:12 pmAlex Steffen: I was in a meeting today with some smart folks that got me thinking again about "green jobs," specifically Van Jones' message about the intersection...
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Social Citizens
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Millennials: Looking for More Than Just a Job
8 Feb 2010 | 8:21 pmWith the economy still in uncharted territory and families struggling to make ends meet, we have watched as individuals and organizations alike have been forced to do more with less. At the same time, we are witnessing what many believe to be the beginning of a new era of problem solving and social entrepreneurship – as Millennials demonstrate that it’s not just one sector that will help solve some of our most challenging social problems, but rather a look at blending sectors and structures to create meaningful impact. The Case Foundation kicked off a new blog series last… -
A Lost Generation of Entrepreneurs? I think I found them.
1 Feb 2010 | 2:29 pmLast week BusinessWeek posted an article by Jeff Bussgang, a seasoned investor and entrepreneur, who shared his concern that we are suffering from a lost generation of entrepreneurs. It seems he tried to make a list of significant entrepreneurs under 35 and wasn't able to get very far. Jeff argues that since the 2000s were lean years that did not produce many substantial start-ups, that generation of 20-somethings was not able to develop company-building skills. He says we have not had the opportunity to see success at a young age or learn the important lessons of start-up leadership, so our… -
As 2010 Census Begins: Will the Millennials be Counted?
25 Jan 2010 | 9:26 pmAs director of the US Census Bureau, Robert Groves, arrived by dog sled on Monday to Noorvik, Alaska to kickoff the 2010 Census, I wondered why this remote Inupiat Eskimo Village located 3,000 miles from Washington, DC would be the staging for the launch of this important decennial event. The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like: hospitals, schools, bridges, tunnels, and emergency services. Not to mention, it also determines how many seats each US state will get in… -
Up Next for Millennials: Coming of Age, Losing the Hype, and Being Better for It
21 Jan 2010 | 7:49 pmHowe and Strauss, authors of Millennials Rising, predict that based on generational trends, the Millennial generation’s “complete breakout” will be around 2010. We should be hitting our peak right now, really coming into our own, and attracting a lot of attention for it. And I think, in many cases, we are. Many of the conferences and affinity groups in our sector are starting to provide significant roles and development opportunities for the “next generation,” our generation’s role in the 2008 election is still being analyzed by experts, and let’s not… -
Make it a Day On(line): MLK Day Virtual Town Hall
17 Jan 2010 | 2:40 pmOn Monday, the Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network will bring the nation together in service, dialogue and reflection during the MLK Day Virtual Town Hall to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King. For those of you who have made it a “Day On” already and have found a service project in your community, thanks for your service. For those of you who are stuck in front of your computers on Monday, don't worry, you can tune in and join the interactive dialogue here. The MLK Day Virtual Town Hall will begin at approximately 8:00 a.m. EST and will feature service…
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Operation NICE
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Ask Me Anything
8 Feb 2010 | 2:11 pmHi guys! Since I can't seem to avoid a good time suck, I joined formspring.me. On the right hand side of this page, you can see a little "Ask Me Anything" box. Feel free to submit any questions you may have, and I'll do my best to answer them. I've already really enjoyed answering the questions I've received thus far! It made me think more deeply about this project, which was kind of, well, NICE! -
NICE Assignment: Give Valentines
8 Feb 2010 | 5:24 amI admit it. I love Valentine's Day. Nine years ago on February 14th, my husband and I started dating, so of course it holds a special place in my lovey-dovey heart. But my appreciation for this holiday started at a much earlier age. February 14, 1987 — It was my second grade year at Veteran's Memorial Elementary School in Bricktown, NJ. We set up envelopes on the backs of our chairs for collecting valentines from our classmates. After they were all distributed, I started tearing through those mini cards. Care bears. Strawberry Shortcake. All with love from my 7 year old friends. But one… -
NICE Film: A Small Act
3 Feb 2010 | 10:49 amI received an email the other day from Emily with a link to this post on Mental Floss. A Small Act is a documentary film that was recently in competition at Sundance. From the website:THE STORY When Hilde Back sponsored a young, impoverished Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it. She paid roughly $15 dollars per term to keep him in primary school. She certainly never expected to hear from him, but many years later, she does. Chris Mburu has been thinking of his “angel” Hilde since he was a boy. The small contribution she made paid off – Chris went all the way to Harvard. Now, he’s… -
NICE Assignment: Rock the (Pepsi) Vote
1 Feb 2010 | 6:19 amHappy Monday! I just heard about Pepsi's Refresh Everything project, and I wanted to share it with you. Pepsi is giving away $1.3 million in grants to folks like you and me who have an idea that will improve their community (or even their world). The cool part is that it's divided up so that quite a few projects will have the opportunity to take shape. They accept new ideas every month. (Hmm, maybe an Operation NICE grant would be helpful!)Today's Assignment: Rock the VoteHelp make these dreams come true by participating in the voting process! Just go to Refresh Everything and check out the… -
NICE Stuff: Between Me and You Journals
15 Jan 2010 | 9:15 amHappy Friday! Are you guys ready for the weekend? I signed up for a yoga class that starts tomorrow. I'm a little nervous about it because I'm probably the least flexible, least athletic person that will ever step foot into that studio. But hopefully after five classes, I'll come close to touching my toes. It was a great excuse to buy a cute mat, bag, and outfit. :) Have you seen these Between Me and You journals before? They are filled with thought-provoking questions that the recipient fills out, and then the book is returned back to you, and you are given insight into the mind of your…
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Case Foundation - Investing in People and Ideas that Can Change the World
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Target gets charitable for Valentine's Day
4 Feb 2010 | 7:57 amThis week, Target announced its newest charitable giving initiative taking place on Facebook, launched for Valentine's Day. Similar to the campaign it launched last May, when the retailer asked its Facebook fans to help decide how it would divvy up $3 million amongst 10 charities, the Valentine's Day campaign asks its Facebook fans to help it divvy up $1 million to organizations, with a focus on educational programs. The campaign, which is also tied into the Super Bowl, has a slight twist from its first Facebook voting contest - users are asked to choose the charity they think should get the… -
Nonprofit Jobs: Perspectives and advice on where to find them and how to land them
1 Feb 2010 | 3:05 pm2010 has just begun and already we've seen numerous reports that the job market is still looking, well ... bleak. It's hard not to describe it this way when the headlines from major news outlets are describing the job outlook in these terms - Economy still bleeding jobs (Wall Street Journal), Job outlook for 2010 grads: still stinks (CNN Money), and Grim job outlook turns bleaker (MSNBC). But, what does this mean for the nonprofit sector and its 1.8 million nonprofit organizations, or, to look at it another way, 1.8 million employers? There's no doubt that the economic challenges have hit… -
Rethinking hydro-philanthropy
25 Jan 2010 | 2:20 pmGuest blogger Ned Breslin is CEO of Water For People, a nonprofit international humanitarian organization that supports the development of sustainable safe drinking water resources and improved sanitation facilities in developing countries. In October 2009, Water For People announced an investment from the Case Foundation to accelerate and expand its efforts to provide innovative, sustainable water solutions in Africa. The water sector is dominated by pictures of happy children drinking water from a tap. This is of course the goal, but is it the reality? Sadly not. The picture above of a… -
AGC Success Stories: Five Star proves you don't have to be a social media expert to win online competitions
25 Jan 2010 | 8:06 amIn the research we conducted after the first America's Giving Challenge in 2007-2008, we found that a hallmark for many successful efforts was a combination of online and offline outreach to mobilize supporters. It's no surprise that the combination of tactics beyond just online to generate donations was once again successful for many of this year's winners. One such effort that inspired us was the work of Five Star, a youth leadership development program in Michiana, the region in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan, which has been hit hard by the economic crisis. Five Star is mentoring… -
HOPE in Haiti
25 Jan 2010 | 7:38 amAlongside the stories of devastation and trauma due to the recent earthquake in Haiti are stories of personal and community strength, compassion and hope. It has been heartening to see the world - including individuals, businesses and institutions, governments, and the nonprofit community - rally to help this country in distress through the rapid pace and significant amount of dollars raised for relief efforts. Yesterday, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that over the past 13 days, donors have contributed more than $470 million to relief efforts in Haiti, with the record-breaking…
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Ode Magazine
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Tips for making peace with Valentine’s Day
8 Feb 2010 | 4:50 pmBy: PeaceCorso V-Day isn’t always a delight for everyone. Not everyone has drunk the koolaid of our couple society. More to the point, a lot of us are d-o-n-e with coupledom. What to do? Tip #1: Acknowledge how you feel about Valentine’s Day even if it’s only in your bathroom mirror. Don’t dwell on it, but tell yourself the truth about it. There are as many responses to this holiday as there are souls. Your feelings are yours, and they’re legitimate. Tip #2: If you must, throw a pity party for yourself. I mean it. Wallow in how sad, how lonely, how much you fear this will never… -
Save Our Sisters promotes social change for disadvantaged women around the world
8 Feb 2010 | 8:21 amBy: PaulaW Save Our Sisters (SOS) is a non-profit organization that promotes urgent social change for extremely disadvantaged women all over the world. Through activation of small, women-to-women groups, we empower U.S. women with an awareness of vast global injustices to women and girls all over the world. We inspire SOS members to action, and show them how, by impacting small and seamless changes in their own lives, they have the power to impact women all over the world. We seek to support members in cultivating compassion within their own children and within their cirlce of influence. -
Book reviewers wanted for the New Consciousness Review
8 Feb 2010 | 8:21 amBy: JulieKay The New Consciousness Review was created for people with a lively curiosity about things outside the mainstream: things like a direct connection to our spiritual source; alternative health practices; how science and consciousness interact, cosmic laws like karma and the Law of Attraction; inter-dimensional travel; being the best you and making a better world. Our goal is to guide you to the most interesting, inspiring and even life-changing books and films through our reviews and those of holistic bookstores, magazines and readers around the world. Book reviews are at the heart… -
The Esperanza Project: The carbon offset conundrum
5 Feb 2010 | 12:53 pmBy: tracybarnett Much has been written about the pros and cons of carbon offsets. The idea, if you haven't been following, is that you pay money to a nonprofit organization to plant trees or invest in renewables or otherwise reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere in an attempt to offset the carbon you've generated. There are many calculators online that help you to figure out how much carbon you've generated and where you should donate it. Carbon Footprint is a nice flexible one that lets you calculate individual aspects of your life as opposed to doing a whole audit - both can be… -
Reflections inspired by 12 Angry Men
5 Feb 2010 | 12:47 pmBy: KTopakian Last night, my partner Peg and I watched the 1957 Sydney Lumet classic, 12 Angry Men. It's about 12 jurors. All men. Who must determine the guilt of a young man accused of killing his father. All but three minutes of this 96-minute film take place in a 16 by 24 foot jury room. On a day that is predicted to be the hottest on record. Each of the three windows sits closed unless two men can heave them up and open. The single wall mounted fan remains still. And the stifling New York City heat permeates. They sweat and sit and talk; pontificate, lecture and question and accuse until…
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Causecast - Latest News
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Seafood For The Future Teaches Causecast How To Cook With Sustainable Seafood (VIDEO)
8 Feb 2010 | 2:50 pmby BRANDON BUCK, Causecast Video Producer Causecast recently had the pleasure of having a visit from Seafood For The Future, a nonprofit based out of the Aquarium of the Pacific, who stopped by our headquarters to prepare a meal made from local vegetables and sustainable seafood. As chef Andrew Gruel and marine biologist Dave Anderson cooked, the video team captured them on camera talking about the history of their organization, why it's important to maintain seafood as a part of a healthy diet and how they're going about convincing the fishing industry and the restaurant industry to go… -
International Violence Against Women Act Re-Introduced In U.S. Congress
8 Feb 2010 | 1:52 pmby SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer Violence against women is an ongoing international problem. In some areas of the world, women are raped and then punished for the crime of adultery. In other regions, rape and other violence against women is used as a method of genocide. When women are robbed of their basic human rights, the consequences reverberate throughout all aspects of society. Gender-based violence destroys families, creates major health concerns, economic development issues and has other negative impacts on the health of a community as a whole. The World Health Organization reports… -
The Boy Scouts Celebrate One Hundred Years Of Service
8 Feb 2010 | 12:47 pmOriginally posted by Anne Driscoll, Tonic. From Harrison Ford to Neil Armstrong to Barack Obama, some of America's most well-known celebrities and well-respected leaders have worn a Scout uniform. As the Boy Scouts celebrate 100 years, Tonic takes a look at the history — and values — of an organization that shapes our nation for the better. Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone pledged to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent? In the past 100 years since the Boy Scouts of America was founded, 112… -
Ten Things You Should Know About Organic Farming
8 Feb 2010 | 10:44 amby ELIZAH LEIGH, Contributing Writer USDA certified organic foods are grown in only .08 percent of the world's total farmland. While this percentage is incredibly small, for certain regions in the United States, organic farming is on the rise. The more educated society become about the benefits of organic farming, the more eco-conscience and health conscious people will be. Here's what you need to know: 1. Since the late 1940s, farmers across the United States have cultivated farmland using biodiverse methods to produce minimally processed fruits and vegetables free of pesticides,… -
Take Action To Improve Public School Lunch Programs
6 Feb 2010 | 1:24 pmby ERIN SWAN, Causecast Editor Despite decades of efforts to make lunches healthier in public schools across the U.S., obesity remains on the rise and budget cuts leave many public schools falling short of providing students with nutritious meals. Because of the recession, some students can no longer afford school lunches, while districts are also forced to reduce the amount of aid they can give. Unfortunately, unhealthy processed foods are cheap. Obesity statistics from 2009 reveal that the number of overweight American children has more than tripled since 1980. Poor eating habits negatively…
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Honolulu Twestival 2009
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Twestival 2010 Coming Up!
7 Feb 2010 | 5:00 pmHonolulu is proud to be hosting its second annual Twestival Global event on March 25, 2010! If you’d like to help organize this fantastic social media meetup and fundraiser, or volunteer at the event itself, please join the Honolulu Twestival mailing list. And if you’d like to sponsor the Honolulu Twestival, please get in touch! As you know, 100 percent of the ticket sales go toward the global charity, Concern Worldwide. So the Honolulu Twestival itself is made possible only through the support of forward-thinking, web-savvy local sponsors. We’re about to announce our… -
Honolulu Twestival is On!
12 Feb 2009 | 12:44 pmOnly through the power of Twitter — and a group of fantastic volunteers, and many wonderful and generous sponsors — could something like the Honolulu Twestival come together in just two weeks. And tonight, it all comes together at Oceans 808 at Restaurant Row. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., people will come together to prove the power of social media to bring social change. We’ll eat, drink, enjoy some great music and meet some cool people… and raise money for charity: water in the process. As of 10:30 a.m. HST, we’ve raised $3,060. It costs $4,000 to drill a well to provide a… -
Come to the Fete, Win, Eat!
11 Feb 2009 | 10:20 amThe list of fantastic prizes that will be given out at the Honolulu Twestival keeps getting better and better! Thanks to DK Restaurants, you could win a “Taste of the Steak House” gift certificate to d.k Steak House or a “Taste of Sansei” gift certificate to Sansei. These gift certificates are good for a dinner for two, featuring a pre-set menu including several courses of each restaurant’s most popular dishes! Get your tickets now, and join us tomorrow to meet up, rock out, eat, drink, and do good. -
Win Handmade Jewelry from The Bead Gallery
10 Feb 2009 | 10:52 pmMahalo to Jamie of The Bead Gallery for donating two beautiful handmade jewelry pieces to the Honolulu Twestival. You could win one of them just by showing up, or increase your chances of winning them (and our many other fantastic prizes) by buying more tickets for $5 each. All proceeds go to charity: water! On the left, the peach necklace is “Sundara” (beautiful in sanskrit). Features Bali silver links, natural-color mauve freshwater pearls, and a laser etched shell pendant. On the right, the green necklace is “Forever Green.” Features freshwater pearls, shell… -
eHawaii.gov Sponsors Honolulu Twestival
10 Feb 2009 | 10:48 amWe’d like to thank the team at eHawaii.gov and the Hawaii Information Consortium for sponsoring the Honolulu Twestival. The Hawaii Information Consortium has run the Hawaii state internet portal since 2000 and has deployed over 40 applications, including business filings and name searches, tax filings, camping permits, online ID services, professional and vocational license searches, wedding permits, and more. “Twitter is a great tool for many government applications,” says Russell Castagnaro (@rcastag), General Manager of eHawaii.gov. “As we work with all of the state…
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London Twestival 2009
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iomart Hosting is Twestival London’s headline sponsor
9 Feb 2010 | 3:42 amVery exciting news today, we’d like to welcome iomart Hosting as the headline sponsor of Twestival Global London in March. iomart are planning something really fun for the 25th March event, so keep your eyes on the blog here and @LDNTwestival for announcements. We’re so pleased to have the iomart Hosting team supporting Twestival London! Phil Worms, Director Corporate Communications, iomart Hosting said: “iomart Hosting is delighted to be associated with this year’s London Twestival as headline sponsor. Twestival perfectly demonstrates that when used effectively, the internet… -
Let’s go! Twestival Global London - 25th March 2010
9 Feb 2010 | 2:54 amWelcome to the relaunched Twestival Global London site! We’re getting ready for a fantastic event on Thursday 25th March 2010 supporting the education projects of Concern Worldwide. London will be joining hundreds of cities around the world in raising money and awareness for the vital work Concern does in some of the poorest communities in the world, including right now in Haiti. So, how can you get involved? In the next few days we’ll be calling for sponsors and volunteers to help make Twestival London a truly awesome experience. So if you’re keen to get help in that way,… -
Local Recall - Twestival London
7 Feb 2010 | 10:52 amAs we start gearing up for the next Twestival Global London (on March 25th – put it in your diary!), we thought a small reminder of the last Twestival Local London event was in order. For those who didn’t attend or for those whose recollection of the evening may be hazy (and thanks to generous donations from Barefoot Wine (via @thirstforwine) and Magners, that could be a few of you), Leap Anywhere have handily provided this great video to remind you. Click here to view the embedded video. Entertainment on the night was provided by a wide variety of acts, including headliners The Hours and… -
Thanks to our Sponsors
6 Feb 2010 | 9:59 amToday sees the launch of our new Twestival theme! Hope you like it. While the site is being put in order it presents the perfect opportunity to give a big thank you to all the sponsors of the last London Twestival Local without whom the event would not have been possible. So watch this space and in the meantime a big shout out to all the Twestival Local 2009 London sponsors and our Local 2009 Charity cause. @b33god Charity Cause Headline Sponsor Major Sponsors Sponsors Supplier Sponsors Supporters -
Tweet with ScribbleLive
10 Sep 2009 | 7:36 amTwestival has teamed up with ScribbleLive, the live publishing platform, to support the city events around the globe. With ScribbleLive’s technology, we will be able to capture, in real-time, all Tweets made by anyone using the #ldntwestival hashtag. Text and photos included in the post will instantly be published at http://twestival.scribblelive.com/London . This will provide a stream of experiences as the evening unfolds and an archive of the cities events around the globe afterwards. We have just set up our ScribbleLive page so be sure to bring your iPhones, Heroes or whatever new…
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San Francisco Twestival 2009
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Announcing…
6 Feb 2010 | 6:42 pmAs we begin our preparation for Twestival 2010 Global, we are happy to announce a few things: We have secured our venue! @HorizonLounge will be donating their space to us once again. We couldn’t be thankful enough for their kindness and generosity for all that they have done for us with the previous event, and are looking forward to working with them again. A few returning sponsors and in-kind donors are also returning: @EyeFiCard - you can’t go to an event and be without an Eye-Fi card! These cards will help youre photos wirelessly upload to flickr and twitter immediately via a… -
March 25th!
4 Feb 2010 | 1:44 pmThe announcement has been made, March 25th we will be at it once again! Coming together on one date, at the same time, globally. This time, we are raising money for @concern. Stay tuned for more details. -
Thank You from @Adventuregirl
29 Sep 2009 | 8:46 amTo Everyone at Twestival SF I was so honored this year when I found out that Operation Smile, and my 140Smiles.org campaign was chosen as the organization that would benefit from fundraising efforts at the 2009 San Francisco Twestival. As many of you know, this cause is very close to me, as my brother who died, had a cleft palate. He had passed before he had his surgery, and what remained for my parents was years of regret, helplessness and grief over his loss. When Renee Hamilton- Operation Smile’s social media guru came to me to work with Operation Smile as their Twitter Smile Ambassador,… -
#followfriday #twestivalsf Celebration Background
11 Sep 2009 | 11:08 amSeen quoted by @calamari yet again “Tonight’s the night!! @twestivalSF starts in t-minus 8 hours! Here’s the final free Twitter background - http://is.gd/39Egd See you tonight!” Click on the graphic to download. -
Free Animoto Credit for Twestival Attendees
10 Sep 2009 | 12:45 pmAnimoto is fantastic and a great way for people to make videos easily with any of their photos and videos from the events. You will get some cool stuff back that you’ll be able to post on your blogs and all around. Plus they are giving part of the proceeds to charity: water - so a win for everyone. For more info and make your video, go to http://www.animoto.com/go/twestival Create Animoto Videos and share them on Twitter! Do you like taking photos and video clips with your camera or iPhone? Want to share your photos and videos in the form of an awesome music video? If you’re coming to…
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Nashville Twestival 2009
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Twestival 2010
3 Feb 2010 | 10:11 pmGet ready for Twestival 2010! It’s another global Twestival, and we have some exciting things planned for Nashville’s event. Mark your calendars for March 25! More info will be coming soon. -
Raffle Sponsors For Tomorrow’s Twestival!
9 Sep 2009 | 10:05 amTwestival Nashville is rapidly approaching, and we’re excited to announce some of our raffle prize sponsors for the event tomorrow! We have some high dollar prizes lined up, so remember, the more ducks you adopt, the more entries to the raffle you get! + Fruition Salon: Gift bag including a $50 hair cut gift certificate and $150 in Shu Uemura hair products. Follow them on Twitter @FruitionSalon! + Hutton Hotel: 2 night weekend stay in a King suite, includes champagne, strawberries, breakfast for 2 each morning, and candlelight turndown. Follow them on Twitter @HuttonHotel! + Loews… -
Twestival Local: Nashville, Let’s Get Quacky!
31 Aug 2009 | 12:00 pmWhat time is it? It’s Twestival time! Following a very successful worldwide Twestival in February, we’re excited to announce Nashville’s Twestival v2.0: Twestival Local! We’re going to go through this Q&A style, and if you don’t see an A for your Q, drop it in the comments and we’ll fill in the blanks. Without further ado… Q. Huh? What is Twestival? A. Because we’re lazy, we ganked this from the Twestival site: A Twestival or Twitter-Festival is a global series of events organized by volunteers around the world under short timescales, which… -
Twestival Local: Coming To Nashville On September 10
21 Aug 2009 | 9:45 amAfter a successful Twestival in February, we’re excited to announce that Nashville will be hosting a Twestival Local event on September 10. This time, we’re reaching out to a partner with a local nonprofit as the beneficiary of our fundraising. We have some ideas in mind, and are pleased to be heading back to the Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar for this event. Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for more details coming first thing next week! If you’re interested in volunteering or would like to sign on as a sponsor, please fill out this VOLUNTEER form. Thanks! -
Tonight Is The Night!
12 Feb 2009 | 9:29 amWe’re sure that you know the drill by now. Twestival is tonight from 5-8pm, and we’re tying up our last minute loose ends right now. Raffle prizes are still coming in - We picked up two $10 gift certificates from Edgehill Studios Cafe this morning! Tickets will be available at the door (cash or card), or you can still purchase online. Come on out, and bring a friend! Follow @twestivalnash on Twitter, and throughout the evening you can tweet in the @twestivalnash feed by simply sending a direct message to @twestivalnash. See you there.
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Houston Twestivl 2009
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Twestival Global 2010 Benefiting Concern Worldwide
4 Feb 2010 | 1:24 pmTwestival Houston Details: WHEN: March 25, 2010 : 5:30pm-11:00pm WHERE: Caroline Collective : 4820 Caroline, Houston 77004 | http://carolinecollective.cc | @carolineco For updates, please follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/twesth and become a fan on Facebook at http://facebook.com/twestivalhouston. What is Twestival™? On Thursday 25 March 2010, people in hundreds of cities around the world will come together offline to rally [...] -
Help Us Help the Houston Area Women’s Center : Become a Sponsor for Twestival Houston!
6 Sep 2009 | 9:28 pmTHANK YOU to the following Sponsors for Twestival Houston 2009: Caroline Collective (venue) - @carolineco | http://www.carolinecollective.cc Saint Arnold (beverages: 2 kegs of beer) - @saintarnold | http://www.saintarnold.com Sweet Leaf Tea (tasty tea) - @sweetleaftea_1 | http://www.sweetleaftea.com Tacos A Go Go (food) - @tacosagogo | http://www.tacosagogo.com Culture Pilot (design & posters) - @culturepilot | http://www.culturepilot.com Royalty4Daniela (YNH sponsor) - http://www.royalty4daniela.org Twestival Houston’s [...] -
Support HAWC at Twestival Houston Sep 13!
2 Sep 2009 | 1:57 amDonate to Houston Area Women’s Center & get your tickets to Twestival Houston now! Twestival Houston’s goal is to raise $3000 to help Houston Area Women’s Center in their mission to end domestic and sexual violence. Every dollar raised through Twestival Houston will support HAWC’s Children’s Court Services program, the advocacy service for children who have [...] -
Twestival Houston Set for September 13, 2009!
10 Aug 2009 | 8:04 pmTWESTIVAL HOUSTON DETAILS: * WHEN: September 13, 2009 : 3:30pm - 8:00pm * WHERE: Caroline Collective : 4820 Caroline, Houston 77004 | http://carolinecollective.cc | @carolineco * WHAT: An exciting afternoon of entertainment, art, and community, featuring: - Headlining Houston bands performing outdoors - Raffle prizes donated from local theaters, museums, and restaurants - Bounce palace and games for children - Performances and [...] -
Nominations Have Closed : Vote for Your Fave!
29 Jul 2009 | 11:49 pmNominations for the local non-profit organization to benefit from Twestival Houston have closed. You can vote for your favorite among the nominees at http://poll.fm/130jb - voting ends Friday, July 31, at 12pm. The winning charity will be announced at Coffee Groundz (2503 Bagby) at 7pm, during their 2nd Anniversary party! There have been some concerns as [...]
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Cornwall Twestival 2009
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Announcing Cornwall Twestival Global 2010
8 Feb 2010 | 2:38 amCornwall-based social media fans, mark your diaries - a brand new Cornwall Twestival (@twestivalcor) event is planned for Thursday 25th March 2010. Building on the success of two very well attended Cornwall Twestivals in 2009, the Vertigo Bar in Truro will play host to Cornwall Twestival Global 2010 on the evening of Thursday 25th March. Truro will join hundreds of cities around the world as Twitter users and other social media fans come together in the ‘real world’ to have fun and raise money for a global cause. Find out more about Twestival Global 2010. Twestival Global 2010… -
Who’s coming to the party?
10 Sep 2009 | 5:18 amWell we are reaching the final build up to Saturday’s big event and what an amazing line up we have instore for you! As you will have read in our previous post and tweets, we have some outstanding local talent lined up for your entertainment on Saturday. Many of you have already booked your tickets and we can’t wait to welcome you on the night. So let’s give you a quick run down of who’s coming to the party… Special Guests and Performers Sophie Stokes Sophie’s smooth blues and soul-inspired style, comparable to that of Devon superstar Joss Stone, makes her the… -
Miss Cornwall shows her support for Cornwall Twestival
4 Sep 2009 | 8:02 amThe recently crowned Miss Cornwall, Charlotte Holmes, will be showing her support for all things Cornish at Cornwall Twestival Local as she joins forces with Pirate FM’s James Martin to host the evening’s three auctions. As well as holding the title of Miss Cornwall, Charlotte also had the honour of being named Miss Cornwall Charity after raising the most amount of money in the run up to the final in June. Already a keen supporter of Cornwall Twestival’s nominated charity, CHICKS, Charlotte is hoping she can help the organisers raise as much money as possible for CHICKS on… -
Full line-up announced for Cornwall Twestival Local
2 Sep 2009 | 9:52 pmWith just nine days to go to Cornwall Twestival Local on Saturday 12th September, we’re delighted to bring you the full line-up of the event’s activities, auction prizes and star performers. Held at the spectacular Bedruthan Steps Hotel near Newquay, the Twestival will kick off at 7:30pm with a welcome drink courtesy of St Austell Brewery. Until 8.30pm you’ll be treated to a live performance from one of Cornwall’s top up-and-coming singer-songwriters, Sophie Stokes, as you mingle and sample a delicious buffet. Sophie’s smooth blues and soul-inspired style, comparable… -
New Sponsor - Newquay Cornwall Airport
27 Aug 2009 | 12:02 pmHuge thanks from all of us on the Cornwall Twestival Local team to Newquay Cornwall Airport, who came on board today as our final event sponsor. As the largest commercial airport serving Cornwall, Newquay offers a real alternative to the long and frustrating land journey by offering flights to up to 20 European and UK destinations for both business and leisure travellers. Its newly refurbished terminal offers passengers enhanced facilities including an executive lounge, new cafes and retail. The airport is continuing to go from strength to strength and is committed to ensure this is delivered…
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Asheville Twestival 2009
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Next Meeting, February 8th
8 Feb 2010 | 1:59 pmJoin us for the third Twestival Global meeting this Monday, February 8th at Asheville Pizza on Coxe Ave at 6:30 PM. Discussion will include event planning & pre-event fundraising. View Asheville Pizza & Brewing -
Next Meeting February 2nd, 2010
31 Jan 2010 | 8:33 amFirst meeting was a great success! Thank you all for coming out to share your ideas and offering your services in support of Concern Worldwide. Join us for the second Twestival Global meeting this Tuesday, February 2nd at Asheville Pizza on Coxe Ave at 6:30 PM. Discussion will include event planning & pre-event fundraising. View Asheville Pizza & Brewing -
Twestival Global 2010 is on!
20 Jan 2010 | 5:23 pmPress Release here. After two successful events in 2009, Twestival Global & Twestival Local, Asheville’s Twitter community is once again joining the push to raise awareness and funds for Concern Worldwide. Join us Tuesday, January 26th at Asheville Pizza on Coxe Ave at 6:30 PM to learn more about Twestival Global 2010 and how you can help further the education of thousands of children. If you’re not sure what Twitter or a Twestival is check out this video from last year’s Twestival Local: Click here to view the embedded video. -
Thank you Thank you Thank you
13 Sep 2009 | 10:23 amWe’re busy typing up all of the thank yous for today’s Twestival. Here’s a very incomplete list just to get a sense of how lucky (and grateful!) we are to be part of Twestival Local in Asheville. Expect detailed thank yous for each of our generous community members throughout the day. Sponsors & Donors LOFT Figs and Ginger Nine Mile Greenlife Bruisin Ales Type A Mom Conference Bourne Media Paul Van Heden Lusty Monk Tomato Jam Cafe High Farms Sweet Life Bakeshop Cake Websites Strange Bird Labs Applied Solutions Asheville PhotoBooth Costume Shoppe Asheville Pizza and… -
Sweet Life Bakeshop donates delicious Fruit Torte
13 Sep 2009 | 9:45 amAsheville Twestival would like to thank Sweet Life Bakeshop for donating a spectacular Fruit Torte for our cakewalk. Not only does the torte taste like it was made in a heavenly oven (one of the organizers tried a piece!) it was made with ingredients from Saturday’s Farmer’s Market. The dessert has Italian plums, blackberries and peaches from family-owned McConnell Farms in Hendersonville, NC. Sweet Life Bakeshop pastries are sold only at the Asheville City Market. This provides owner, Cynthia Pierce, with the perfect opportunity to meet and interact directly with local farmers…
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Reading Twestival 2009
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First Planning Meeting
1 Feb 2010 | 12:28 pmTwestival Global 2010 is scheduled to take place on 25th March. This year we will be raising money for Concern. If you would be serious about helping to organise the Reading event, feel free to come along to the first planning meeting this Wednesday at 7.30pm before the regular Tweetup at Glo. Thanks @TheSourceress
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Newcastle Twestival 2009
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Twestival 2010
3 Feb 2010 | 8:57 amTyneTwestival - 25th March @7pm The date has been set, the charity chosen, the team are powering through a list of catering companies, sponsors and activities. All in all, I’d say that @TyneTwestival is going to be the best one yet! Before we go any further, I think it’s only fair to explain what Twestival is. It started as an impromptu meet up of Twitter users in support of a charity and, in a very short space of time, Twestival has spawned over 500 events in over 250 global cities. We’ve raised hundreds of thousands for charities who support those in desperate need of…
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Edinburgh Twestival 2009
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Calling all Scottish Twitterers (again)
2 Feb 2010 | 9:26 amWelcome, welcome. Its going to be a hard act to follow but we’re very pleased to announce that, after the enormous success of Edinburgh Twestival Global 2009, the amazing “Internet” will yet again be bursting forth into our fair city in the form of…. …Edinburgh Twestival 2010! The date to put in your diary is 25 March 2010 and this time we’ll be joining cities around the globe to raise money for the international humanitarian charity Concern Worldwide We’ll be revealing more details soon - not least where it’s going to happen… Meanwhile,… -
Prizeswinners and Thanks!
13 Sep 2009 | 11:46 amDear all, Sorry for the delay in announcing the prizes. Firstly - wasn’t Thursday 10 September - an absolutely fantastic night? There are so many people to thank for helping the evening come together. Our Sponsors It wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsors @bigmouthmedia, @convergenceuk, @channel6, @uservision - thank you so much! Electric Circus We also want to thank the amazing venue @circusedinburgh for hosting us and helping the evening to run so smoothly. Especially the lovely Jason who put up with our lots of visits during the organisational process! Our… -
Prize Update for tonight
10 Sep 2009 | 3:39 amDear all, As promised - here is the update on the top five prizes (announced on the night) and extra prizes confirmed since the last blog. Top Prizes @colingilchrist at Redress - One user licence for Tweetabits - value £495 Tweetabits is: 1. designed for businesses who want leads come to them – a new way of reaching potential or existing customers 2. based on locality so you can search for customers in your area for direct targeting 3. a way you can tag and flag tweets as a way of sorting and streamlining leads and interesting tweets 4. brings the leads to you rather than you having to do… -
It’ll be alright on the night
9 Sep 2009 | 2:26 pmHi all, We really do hope that you are as excited as we are about the #edtwestival on Thursday 10 September! There are still a couple of tickets free at the moment, but we’re guessing that they won’t be there for long. We are on our last couple of blogs about the night itself, this one in particular about all the fab things happening (as well as the great bands and music). Get Them In Every participant will receive a voucher for a free beer generously donated by GetThemIn With the “Get Them In” application on Facebook, you can buy and send your friends real drinks… -
Event Sponsors - User Vision
9 Sep 2009 | 9:24 amHello all, Just some final information about our event sponsor User Vision. Uservision As with most charity events, getting the EdTwestival off the ground would be tough without the generous support of it sponsors. Edinburgh-based User Vision has stepped up to be our Event Sponsor, covering the cost of all the behind-the-scenes tech stuff that will help make the EdTwestival a night to remember. So, here’s a big thanks to User Vision and a few words about who they are and what they do: User Vision is Scotland’s leading user experience consultancy with offices in Edinburgh and London and a…
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Stoke Twestival 2009
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March 25th 2010
8 Feb 2010 | 12:25 amThe Stoke team is re-emerging form under snowy glaciers and getting ready for the second Stoke Global Twestival on March 25th. If you would like to be involved, please sign up here! Check out the introduction to Twestival -
Videos
13 Feb 2009 | 12:51 am@carlplant talks about Stoke Twestival -
Sponsors of February Twestival 2009
13 Feb 2009 | 12:34 amRaffle prizes (links to be added. Promise):Thank We’d like to thank all our sponsors and generous supporters for the first Stoke-on-Trent Twestival: The Leopard Hotel, our hosts The Burslem School of Art, providers of the PA Blurb, Stoke Bands, Pitsnpots, BBC Stoke & Staffordshire. All the following offered raffle prizes: The Regent Theatre - MOORCROFT - MARK BRERETON - AERIAL EYES - BADSHA RESTAURANT - BEAT THE COLD - THE GOLD DISC - ARTWAVES - DAYVE DEAN - Michelle Saxon -
So, what does a Twestival look like?
12 Feb 2009 | 11:58 pmThere will be a lot of video and photos to come, but let the writer here give a few impressions for all those wondering ‘what the hell was that all about?’. What I really enjoyed was what a relaxed evening it was. Nobody came expecting some slick, New York-style disco (at least, I hope they didn’t) and many people came with something to offer to the night - notably Julie Gould, who gave her body to the creative talents of those present. I’ll leave that to your imagination until the photos go up. We had the Trent Vale Poet, the voice of Stoke-on-Trent, holding the night… -
Your final reminder!
12 Feb 2009 | 12:09 am1.1 billion people around the world don’t have access to clean water. Today, 187 cities around the world are gathering today to raise money to change that. It’s called Twestival and it has been organised very quickly by thousands of people making small efforts and small donations for a single cause: charity:water. In Stoke-on-Trent, we will be holding our Twestival at the very historic Leopard Hotel in Burslem, following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin - whose 200th birthday is also today - Josiah Wedgwood - who held some of the meetings about the campaign to end the slave…
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Philadelphia Twestival 2009
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Philadelphia Twestival Global 2010 information
1 Feb 2010 | 5:43 pmOn Thursday, March 25, 2010, Philadelphia will once again participate along with hundreds of cities around the world in Twestival Global to benefit the charity Concern Worldwide. On February 12, 2009, 202 cities around the world, including Philadelphia, held the first Twestival Global to benefit charity:water. Over $250,000 was raised, resulting in over 55 wells being built in Uganda, Ethiopia, and India, directly impacting over 17,000 people. In Philadelphia, we held a Rock Band tournament with over 100 people in attendance and raising $1600 for charity:water. Twestival is 100% volunteer… -
Updated raffle prizes!
9 Sep 2009 | 7:20 pmEach attendee will get 1 raffle ticket with their admission ($10 in advance, $15 at the door). Buy your tickets HERE. Huge thanks to those who have donated raffle prizes so far to us! If you wish to donate a raffle prize, please DM @phltwestival or email phillytwestival AT gmail.com. *A copy of Chris Brogan’s new book, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, donated by Chris Brogan *Two copies of The Ripple Effect by Steve Harper, donated by Steve Harper (book is not out yet, winners will get a certificate with Steve’s contact… -
Raffle prizes so far!
6 Sep 2009 | 9:06 amHuge thanks to those who have donated raffle prizes so far to us! If you wish to donate a raffle prize, please DM @phltwestival or email phillytwestival AT gmail.com. *A copy of Chris Brogan’s new book, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, donated by Chris Brogan *Two copies of The Ripple Effect by Steve Harper, donated by Steve Harper (book is not out yet, winners will get a certificate with Steve’s contact information and will be mailed their copies of the book when it comes out) *Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by… -
Tickets and Goal
3 Sep 2009 | 7:09 amTickets are now on sale! $10 in advance, $15 at the door: Buy here. Our goal is to raise enough money to sponsor 10 families to each be able to stay 1 week at Gift of Life Family House. This means our goal is $2800. Please help us reach that goal by buying tickets to the event. 100% of the price of your ticket goes to Gift of Life Family House. At the event, buy raffle tickets! 100% of the price of your raffle ticket also goes to Gift of Life Family House! Let’s sponsor some families of organ transplant patients in need! -
We have a venue!
1 Sep 2009 | 6:28 pmPhiladelphia Twestival Local 2009 will be held Saturday September 12, 2009 at Lucky Strike Lanes at 1336 Chestnut Street from 1-3PM. Attendees will get buy one get one free bowling (which is $4.95 a game!) and free shoe rental. We will also have raffle prizes. Stay tuned for ticket information and for what awesome raffle prizes we’ll have. If you want to sponsor Philadelphia Twestival and donate a raffle prize, please contact phillytwestival AT gmail.com. All attendee ticket sales and raffle ticket sales will go to Gift of Life Family House.
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Nottingham Twestival 2009
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Nottingham Twestival is back!
8 Feb 2010 | 4:52 amNottingham Twestival 2010 is being held on Thursday 25th March 2010. We are looking for volunteers to help organise the event in the coming weeks. We are also looking for generous companies to donate raffle prizes and sponsorship. Please follow @nottstwestival for updates. -
On The Night
13 Sep 2009 | 10:48 amThe event was warmed up with a great soul set from @carldavis. Colin Hazelden (@impact_tarmac) introduced the event and got the sale of raffle tickets off to a flying start. Everyone loved the acoustic set from Neon Sky. We then joined into the Second Life set from The Drome. During the night everyone was posting to Twitter with the hashtag #nottstwestival. The raffle seemed doomed from the point when we ran out of raffle tickets and had to handcraft some emergency tickets. The same winners tickets kept being drawn from the champagne bucket and dropped back in again until a new winner was… -
Nottingham Twestival Lineup
8 Sep 2009 | 6:35 amWe are very excited to announce that Nottingham Twestival tickets are on sale now. Tickets are £5 each for the Twestival Local event on Thursday 10th September 2009 at Muse, Hockley (view map), starting at 7.30pm. All proceeds from tickets will be going to The National Autistic Society, Nottingham. The venue is opposite the Broadway cinema and the event will take place in the upstairs room. Thanks to our event sponsor, PCM Creative. Lineup The evening will be compared by BBC East Midlands presenter Colin Hazelden (@impact_tarmac). Neon Sky will be playing an acoustic set DJ sets - Carl… -
Nottingham Twestival Tickets on Sale Now
7 Sep 2009 | 6:01 amWe are very excited to announce that Nottingham Twestival tickets are on sale now. Tickets are £5 each for the Twestival Local event on Thursday 10th September 2009 at Muse, Hockley (view map), starting at 7.30pm. All proceeds from tickets will be going to The National Autistic Society, Nottingham. The venue is opposite the Broadway cinema and the event will take place in the upstairs room. We are hoping to have a couple of bands and DJ’s to provide entertainment for the night. Full line up to be announced! If you are unable to attend but would still like to donate, you can use the… -
Raffle Prize Donation Thanks
6 Sep 2009 | 1:00 pmWe are very grateful to Just The Tonic comedy club (@justthetonic), Yo! Sushi (@yosushinotts) and Eden Hall Spa for their kind donations of raffle prizes for Nottingham Twestival with all proceeds going to The National Autistic Society - Nottingham.
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Kansas City Twestival 2009
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About Twestival Global 2010
5 Feb 2010 | 11:08 pmOn Thursday 25 March 2010, people in hundreds of cities around the world will come together offline to rally around the important cause of Education by hosting local events to have fun and create awareness. Twestival™ (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good. All of the local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go direct to projects. @Concern Worldwide has been selected by the Twestival global team and local organizers to be the recipient because of their comprehensive and well respected approach to education. This is an… -
About Concern Worldwide
5 Feb 2010 | 11:06 pmConcern Worldwide was founded in 1968 to meet the needs of people living in extreme poverty, for whom every day is a fight for survival. Concern is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of poverty. Their mission is to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives - improvements they can sustain without ongoing support. Concern meets the needs of these people in a caring and personalized manner, respecting their human and cultural dignity. They are…
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Bristol Twestival 2009
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Bristol Twestival: We’re back!
22 Jan 2010 | 1:54 pmIt is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since Bristol’s Twitter community came together in just five weeks to organise a fantastic party and raised over £1,500 for charity: water. If you missed it or fancy reminiscing about what was a wonderful evening, watch this short film: Click here to view the embedded video. We were one of 185 cities around the world which took part. Twelve months on we’re doing it all again and who knows how many locations will get involved?! The theme of this year’s Twestival, which takes place on Thursday 25 March, is education and… -
How your money is making a real difference
14 Apr 2009 | 3:19 pmTwo months have now passed since the world celebrated Twestival; events in 185 cities to raise money for charity: water. And what a day it was! In Bristol, almost 200 of you joined us at The Lanes, one of the city’s newest and most exciting venues, for an evening of dancing, eating drinking, CoolBoard balancing (only those who came will know what that is!) and, most importantly, money raising. In total, we collected £1,510 which is a massive achievement given that we started organising the event less than five weeks before it took place! If you haven’t yet seen it, here’s… -
The morning after the amazing night before
13 Feb 2009 | 4:49 amWell, what can I say. The Bristol Twestival was a truly fabulous night. Around 200 people showed up and Bristol, you certainly know how to party if the state of The Lanes at 1.30am is anything to go by! The entire organising team was overwhelmed by how many people joined us and dug deep into their pockets for charity: water. Our fundraising target was £1,000 but we’re delighted to announce that we smashed it! In total, you raised £1,482.10. Bristol, you should be very proud of yourself! Checking out the Twitter stream it’s clear that fun was had by all. We’re glad to… -
Bristol Twestival: Everything you need to know
11 Feb 2009 | 9:11 amThe date Thursday 12 February The time 7pm to 1am The Place The Lanes, 22 Nelson Street, Bristol, BS1 2LE Tickets Tickets to the event cost £5 with 100% going to charity: water. We will be selling tickets on the door between 7pm and 8pm but to avoid having to queue (and maybe miss out on a goodie bag!) we urge you to buy tickets in advance here. The running order 7pm - 8pm: DJ Twang 8pm - 8.30pm: Raffle part one 8.30pm - 9.15pm: Mango Factory 9.30pm - 9.45pm: Raffle part two featuring Kerry McCarthy MP 9.45pm - 10.30pm: Fortune Drive 10.45pm onwards: Leisure Allstars The sponsors Sift… -
Our timetable of events
10 Feb 2009 | 8:08 amThe wait is over! Here are the timings for events at the Bristol Twestival on Thursday. 7pm - 8pm: DJ Twang 8pm - 8.30pm: Raffle part one 8.30pm - 9.15pm: Mango Factory 9.30pm - 9.45pm: Raffle part two featuring Kerry McCarthy MP 9.45pm - 10.30pm: Fortune Drive 10.45pm onwards: Leisure Allstars Timings are approximate but we will try as far as possible to stick to the above. We hope you all have a fantastic evening. Over 110 tickets have now been sold and remember, we only have 150 goodies bags to give away. If you haven’t done so already, get your ticket now!
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Barcelona Twestival 2009
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Se paga una entrada? How much is the entrance?
9 Feb 2010 | 7:09 amTwestival es un evento sin animo de lucro, el dinero recaudado se destina a la ONG “Concern Worldwide“. En el 2009 era posible conseguir una invitación al evento de forma gratuita (solo un numero limitado) y mas tardes con ofertas libre de dinero. Es posible que para Twestival 2010 adoptamos la misma formula. Os informaremos pronto! Twestival is a NO PROFIT event, funds collected will be destined to the NGO “Concern Worldwide“. In 2009 it was possible to get an invitation for the event for FREE (only a limited number) and later on with free donations. It’s… -
Let’s have fun for a good cause!
9 Feb 2010 | 3:52 amTodo el dinero recaudado durante el Twestival irá para una buena causa! With Twestival we are going to support a good cause! For more infos: http://www.concern.net/ -
Follow us on Twitter!
6 Feb 2010 | 11:48 am@TwestivalBCN A partir de ahora mas informaciones tambien via Twitter! You can follow us on Twitter for more infos! -
Twestival Barcelona 2010
6 Feb 2010 | 5:23 amHey everyone The next Twestival Barcelona will be on 25th March 2010- put the date in your agendas! Based on feedback from last year’s event, we will hold the party as centrally as possible and start earlier. Watch this space! -
Promo video!
9 Feb 2009 | 1:15 amClick here to view the embedded video.
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A Volunteer's Guide to Changing the World
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A Call for Nonprofits: Ask less, give more
4 Feb 2010 | 10:22 amWe know budgets are reduced and giving is down. Asking for more won't help. Sending more emails, planning more events, and hosting more auctions are signs of desperation.People don't need to give money. People don't need to raise money. People NEED to belong to something special. People NEED to be recognized for their contributions.Communicate a mission that people can support. Provide a place where people feel like they belong, and are recognized. Create a community where people get more than they give. Only by doing that can nonprofits grow their network... and with a larger network be… -
RE: Online Outreach on a Budget
28 Jan 2010 | 12:46 pmMore than ever, online outreach is VITAL to your and your organizations ongoing success. I hope this post provides you valuable information and tools to stay ahead of the curve.Currently, there is a nonprofit blog carnival sweeping the Internet... Its full of great information, tips, and tools for nonprofits and volunteers. This month, IssueLab collected some amazing posts about improving online outreach.I recommend reading the full and original post by going to the Issue Lab blog, but if you are strapped for time, here are some of the highlights:Webinar Recap: Connecting Advocacy to… -
Creative Crowdsourcing Empowers Non-Profits to Spread the Word
22 Jan 2010 | 4:58 pmCrowdsourcing has been a growing trend and its a wonderful way to find new volunteers. There are a variety of different types of crowd-sourcing that fit almost any need that a nonprofit might have. Recently, National Association of Federal Credit Union leveraged a crowd-sourcing group to help launch advertisements to promote its nonprofit branches across the nation. I thought the crowdsourcing methodologie was very interesting and invite you to read this guest post from the creator of the program Peter H. LaMottePersonally, I have never working with GeniusRocket nor do I receive any incentive… -
3 Rules for Nonprofits: Belonging belonging belonging
13 Jan 2010 | 2:38 pmJust like the first three principles of real estate are priority, priority, priority, the first rule for nonprofits to engaging volunteers and donors should be BELONGING, BELONGING, BELONGING!This rule is inspired by Marsha Shenk, and her presentation, Brain, Body and Business.You can see the full presentation here:View more presentations from marsha shenk. -
3 Sites That Make a Difference
12 Jan 2010 | 12:47 pmIncreasingly, you can do the things that you like to do, and do them in the name of a charity or cause. I have recently experimented with the following and I love what these groups are doing. I encourage you to check them out. And if they haven't listed your favorite cause, contact your cause and see if you can get them enabled.(NOTE TO NONPROFITS: If you haven't connected with sites like this, you are behind the times. Its free money, and it increases your social media presence...)Rec.fm | rec.fm is a tool that simply allows you to make great recommendations to your friends and help your…
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Sublime Goodness
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"Major Leagues" by Pavement
7 Feb 2010 | 6:52 amI've been thinking and listening to Pavement a lot recently - one of my favorite bands of the nineties. They broke up in 1999...but are actually and amazingly reuniting this year to play some select shows (one in Chicago even!).Anyway, they have a wealth of songs that would fit in the Sunday Sublime songs category, but it feels right to have a song off their last album included here on the blog.Close your eyes and listen:Have You Downloaded the Sublime Goodness Mixtape yet? -
"I Met the Walrus" - Video
28 Jan 2010 | 7:58 pmAs a Beatles fan (and John Lennon fan too), this video is really cool to watch and listen to. Enjoy.In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced him to do an interview. 38 years later, Levitan, director Josh Raskin and illustrators James Braithwaite and Alex Kurina have collaborated to create an animated short film using the original interview recording as the soundtrack. A spellbinding vessel for Lennon's boundless wit and timeless message, I Met the Walrus was nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Animated Short… -
"Let Yourself Feel" - Video
22 Jan 2010 | 6:03 pmHad a long day at work? Enjoy:let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo.Related Sublime Goodness Posts:Piano Stairs - VideoGrocery Store Musical - VideoAquarium Awesomeness"Deadline" Stop-Motion Video"Sorry I'm Late" Stop- Motion Video -
Haitian Siblings Survive Earthquake & Meet Adopted Parents
19 Jan 2010 | 5:47 pm> Read More about the Haehre Family> Support Relief & Development in Haiti through the Red Cross -
10-Year-Old Raises Money to Help Poor Kids Dance
14 Jan 2010 | 6:04 pmI know what you are thinking - "Is it youth week at Sublime Goodness?" No, just serendipity that I came across two inspirational stories about two activist kids in the span of a few days. Here is the caption from the AP for the photo above:Drew Buckley, 10, a Patel Conservatory ballet student separates ballet shoes she has collected for students at Metropolitan Ministries Partnership School before a dance class Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 in Tampa, Fla. Buckley collected $1,700, with the help of her mother, to buy new ballet shoes for the kids, some who live in a homeless shelter, others who live…
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Kiva Stories from the Field
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Hopeful and committed
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amBy Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala Two of my favorite Spanish words are homonyms: Esperar - to hope; to wait Compromiso- a commitment; a compromise One of my lasts tasks as a Kiva Fellow was to do a journal update an incarcerated Kiva entrepreneur. Kiva’s field partner in Guatemala City, FAPE, has a program where they give women in jail trainings and a loan for their businesses while incarcerated. About one year ago, FAPE initiated this program in the jail in Guatemala City, four of the women were Kiva clients. Training programs were given. Hand-made goods like those on the left were… -
Do you need more fun in your life?
9 Feb 2010 | 12:53 amI am not sure if it is an East Coast thing or a Catholic school thing but when I was in grammar school I loved field day. In kid language Field Day = “No more classes, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks.”A day full of watermelon to eat and games to play – a clear demarkation that summer and weeks of PLAYTIME were on the way – This was only the beginning! Ahhhh the yester years of Playtime…. In our busy ADULT lives, it seems playtime often falls off the radar. How many times have you thought, “I need more fun in my life.” Perhaps you have chosen to… -
Day 0: A Kiva Fellow’s reflections
8 Feb 2010 | 12:03 amBy Vishnu Hariharan, KF10, Philippines As I sit at a local internet cafe in Cabanatuan city, Philippines (where I am surrounded by five kids all reading out loud from the Kiva Fellows blog site on my computer screen!), I find myself reflecting more on what I hope to learn when I’m in the field. Back in July when I applied to be a Kiva Fellow, my goals from the program were generally to learn more about microfinance in developing countries and the use of financial tools to enact social change. From speaking with alumni, Kiva staff and attending training last week, the immersion of… -
Offense Defense
7 Feb 2010 | 7:12 pmBy Kimia Raafat, KF10 Paraguay With Super Bowl Sunday upon us, I have begun to think of life as a football game. Closer analysis of the sport inevitably leads to two topics of deliberation: offense and defense. Sunday night, the Colts and the Saints will be rotating their players based on their specialized roles in the field. We will see the offense attack, take control and engage the opposing team with the objective of scoring points. Then there is the defense, guarding their possession and protecting it from attack. As I thought about these two “ways of life”, I realized, I… -
Cusco on My Mind
5 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pmIf you haven’t heard, there have been terrible floods in Cusco, Peru in the past week. Since we are in the thick of La Epoca de la Lluvia (the rainy season), rain is expected but the level of destruction seen in the area is unimaginable. Tourism is the main industry in Cusco, and the damage produced by the rain does substantial damage on the Cusco economy. From the February 3rd warden message from the U.S. Embassy in Peru, I read that Machu Picchu is closed and the rail line between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes is closed due to landslides until possibly March. I also read that tourists…
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Cluttercast - Connecting through Clutter
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Mind Over Money
3 Feb 2010 | 1:22 amOvercoming the Money Disorders that Threaten Our Financial Health—in case you can’t read the subtitle. I was on a conference call the other day with the author of the book, Dr. Brad Klontz, one of the experts for H & R Block. He is a financial psychologist—an area of expertise I’ve never heard of but seems desperately needed, considering how many people have problematical relationships with money. Obviously, someone with clutter issues probably also has money issues—-which is why I’m offering this book to anyone who thinks they need it more than I… -
Cluttercast update: Clarity? Closure? Or Clueless?
30 Dec 2009 | 12:55 amIt’s your call— after you read what I just posted on my personal blog: Are you making a New Year’s Resolution? Exactly one year ago, as my New Year’s resolution, I started my other blog, Cluttercast. Every day I posted an item from my clutter, and gave it away to someone who wanted it. It was a big success—-most of all, for me. This was the first time in my entire life I successfully kept my New Year’s resolution. At least for 6 months. That’s about when I went from cluttercasting daily……to sporadically…..to rarely. A year later, I wish I could… -
A Comrade in Clutter
13 Oct 2009 | 8:26 amWhile I’ve been slacking off, someone else is picking up the ball and taking Cluttercast to a whole new level. I first “met” Kim on Twitter, then for real at BlogHer…and now this makes her the all-time Guest Cluttercaster. You MUST see what she’s doing on her blog,: where she calls her version of cluttercast: “The Great Free Crap Giveaway.” Don’t miss it!! -
Just Checking…..
3 Oct 2009 | 11:06 am….in. And just checking that you’re still awaiting the return of Cluttercast—which will happen soon. The problem is clutter….not the clutter in my house, but the clutter in my brain—which is filled with too many other projects, all going on simultaneously. Lots of people have the same problem; they handle the overload by being organized. Then again, if I were organized, I wouldn’t have all this clutter in the first place. In the meantime, thanks for your patience! -
Catching Up….
20 Sep 2009 | 5:37 pmWhile I’ve been procrastinating, my clutter is still circulating….so here’s some catching up—with posts in general and Cluttercatchers in particular: IQ test: The kids are back in school and that includes Lilli, whose mom thought she would enjoy the Mensa game. Lilli and her mom Denys first played at home over the summer—and now Lilli has taken the game back with her— to Harvard. Speaking of Harvard, which was the setting for “Love Story”, here’s the Cluttercast version: Girl meets boy while she is studying abroad in the US one…
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Changed by Design
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Emily Pilloton gives Stephen Colbert a new pair of specs
19 Jan 2010 | 11:20 pmWe 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
28 Oct 2009 | 6:06 pmIn 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
14 Oct 2009 | 1:14 pmWe’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
22 Jul 2009 | 1:33 amSometimes, 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… -
Three mobile solutions to development challenges
30 Jun 2009 | 8:00 amTwo thirds of the world’s 3.3 billion mobile phones are owned in developing countries. Social changemakers recognize this opportunity to reach those in need with information, tips, and resources that would otherwise be inaccessible at large scale. Here, we profile three innovative uses of mobile technology to combat developing world challenges. A Twitter tip informed me of Project Masiluleke in South Africa. Due to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS in South Africa, individuals avoid getting tested and 90% of those infected are not getting treatment. In the KwaZulu Natal province, >40%…
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ItStartsWith.Us
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Dropping Love Bombs
6 Feb 2010 | 8:56 amLast week the ItStartsWith.Us team tried out a new kind of mission. We wanted to find a person online who seemed to be going through a rough patch in life, and let him or her know that there are people out there who care about them. The idea behind this type of mission is to amaze someone with the generosity of the human spirit and the kindness of strangers. They may be going through a really tough situation, but if they get a massive love bomb dropped on them by hundreds or thousands of people from all over the world, they’re going to remember this time in their lives not only for the… -
Guest Post On “Escaping Mediocrity”
4 Feb 2010 | 7:03 amYesterday I was invited to write a guest post for Sarah Robinson on her “Escaping Mediocrity” site. It’s part of her “30 Days To Changing Your Game” series, with a guest author every day. My article is titled “Changing Your Game, Changing The World.” Check it out, and feel free to join in the big discussion afterwards.Similar Posts: Skip It And Give It Surprised By Joy: My Introduction To The Service Industry (Part II) A Note To New Readers DailyChallenge.org And 12for12k: Events This Week Share Your Stories Share this article with others: -
ItStartsWith.Us 2009 Year In Review
31 Jan 2010 | 6:27 pmI would like to pay tribute to all the members of the ItStartsWith.Us community who joined the team in 2009 and spent 15 minutes a week making a difference in the lives of the people around us. Because of you, we were able to accomplish some amazing things for others this past year. Below you’ll find a yearbook of sorts, highlighting some of our best work from 2009. Take a look; you may find yourself in there. It is an honor and a privilege to serve on this team with each and every one of you. Thank you so much for your help this year in making ItStartsWith.Us a success. This is how we… -
Small But Meaningful Actions: My Kids Show Me The Way
25 Jan 2010 | 10:54 pmEarlier this evening I was eating supper with the kids, and I told them I was going to write an article tonight, but I didn’t know what to write about. I asked them what they thought, and the boy said, “Maybe you can write about people helping other people.” I said that was a good idea, but I still didn’t know exactly who to write about. We all sat around puzzled for a moment, and then I said, “How about we each do something after supper to help one other person, and then I’ll write about what we all did?” There was an excited chatter of agreement, and the matter was settled. -
Our First ItStartsWith.Us Meetup
17 Jan 2010 | 3:06 pmSome of the ItStartsWith.Us team at our first meetupOne of my goals for 2010 is to build a more connected community around ItStartsWith.Us. We have somewhere above 900 members globally right now, all of whom are doing their small part to change the world. When I first started this group, I thought it would be kinda cool for this gigantic team to be working together without knowing who else was on it . . . kind of like this big secret underground thing. But as we went on completing our missions and helping others, I realized that it would actually be much more valuable to our team members if…
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The GiveWell Blog
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Economic empowerment grants awarded
5 Feb 2010 | 9:14 amWe have completed the process of allocating $250,000 in grants for economic empowerment organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. 49 organizations applied for our grant, out of 157 invited. From these, we felt that two stood out in making a strong, evidence-based case that they are improving the financial situations of low-income people in the developing world. We have awarded $125,000 to each. The Village Enterprise Fund is a microenterprise organization providing cash grants as well as business training and mentoring services to extremely poor business owners in rural Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. -
Haiti “room for more funding” at the organization level: not enough information
4 Feb 2010 | 5:39 pmIn a previous post, we asked whether Haiti earthquake relief has “room for more funding” and concluded that, in general, it isn’t clear. (For more on the general topic of “room for more funding,” see our 5-post series on the topic.) Of course, it probably makes a big difference which organization we’re talking about. We’ve seen a lot of different charities soliciting funds in the context of the Haiti earthquake, and some of them may have greater abilities than others to translate funding into relief assistance. The problem for donors is that by and… -
Does Haiti earthquake relief have room for more funding?
1 Feb 2010 | 9:15 amDonors have given more than $560 million to charities “to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.” How much of that money has funded/will fund earthquake relief efforts in Haiti? How much should? Money isn’t the only thing needed to deliver relief Reports from the relief effort have stressed logistical challenges, such as blocked roads and limited access for planes and boats. See, for example, this interview on Reuters AlertNet from the 18th: ” The capacity of the Port-au-Prince airport is about to be increased but it is still a small airport. It’s very… -
Haiti earthquake relief seems less cost-effective than everyday international aid
29 Jan 2010 | 7:25 amThe disaster in Haiti - and the media coverage of it - pull at the emotions in a way that everyday suffering in the developing world does not. However, our rough calculations suggest that in fact, a donor can have a bigger impact for less money by funding top charities’ everyday activities to reduce unnecessary death and debilitation. We estimate a “generous” cost-effectiveness figure for a donation to Haiti is by considering (a) the total amount given and (b) the total number of people affected by the disaster. Total amount given: It’s hard to find definitive figures… -
Can choosing the right charity double your impact?
28 Jan 2010 | 12:11 pmReader Evan writes: I’ve been thinking about how best to donate to Haiti, and I reviewed some of the materials on your website and found them pretty helpful and persuasive. So thank you! But then my law firm announced that it would match donations to the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders. Given that, I think I have to donate to one of those orgs: even if my money would probably be better spent elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine that it would be more than twice as well spent. Do you disagree? My intuition here is different than Evan’s. My guess would be that giving to one of…
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What Do You Stand For?
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Where Did All the Cause Ads Go?
7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmEvery year, we watch the Super Bowl with great expectations for cause marketing, which has become more prominent in the sought-after advertising spots. Although Pepsi received much of the pre-Super Bowl advertising buzz for not buying spots and instead investing in its cause program, the Cone team felt disappointed there weren't more cause efforts during the big game. Check out the video below to hear what they had to say: -
Go Red or Go Home
4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmThe country is awash in red today as millions support the fight against heart disease by uniting for National Wear Red Day. This icon day is a cornerstone event of the American Heart Associations (Cone client) year-round Go Red For Women initiative and has helped raise millions of dollars - and supporters - for the cause. The Cone team goes red for National Wear Red Day 2010 Go Red For Women has transformed the issue of heart disease - the number one killer of women in America to be more approachable and engaging through a multi-faceted program. Todays sweeping support of… -
The Race is on to Catch Foursquare Enter CauseWorld
1 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmGeolocation apps for mobile devices are one of the rising social media trends du jour and Foursquare is the undisputed leader of the pack. But Shopkicks latest free iPhone app, CauseWorld, delivers geolocation technology with a philanthropic twist - it allows users to make charitable contributions just by walking into stores. Launched in December of 2009, CauseWorld works in the same way as apps like Foursquare and Gowalla. Using geolocation, the app will show the user a list of nearby participating stores. The user enters the store, checks in on their phone, and earns karma no purchase… -
Rising to the Transparency Challenge
28 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pmTransparency is a critical issue for corporate leaders, one that separates the compliers from the leaders in corporate responsibility reporting. It is a difficult aspect to measure, but Corporate Knights has tried to do just that with a new and improved release of its annual study, The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. The Corporate Knights added a unique measure this year, called a Transparency Indicator. The number quantifies how easy it was to find information for the 10 other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), therefore indicating the level of disclosure… -
Practical Tips for Selling Cause Partnerships to Corporate Sponsors
25 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pmCause sponsorship remains the fastest-growing slice of the sponsorship pie, projected to grow 6.1% in 2010, according to IEG. As a nonprofit, finding the support to keep your organization growing is more crucial than ever. No matter your size, now is an ideal time to tap into the power of cause marketing by aligning your organization with like-minded companies who see the strategic value of association with a cause. Here are a few tips for getting started on your selling journey: Create guidelines. While corporate partnerships are a proven method to grow revenue, expand relevance and…
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A Volunteer's Guide to Changing the World
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A Call for Nonprofits: Ask less, give more
4 Feb 2010 | 10:22 amWe know budgets are reduced and giving is down. Asking for more won't help. Sending more emails, planning more events, and hosting more auctions are signs of desperation.People don't need to give money. People don't need to raise money. People NEED to belong to something special. People NEED to be recognized for their contributions.Communicate a mission that people can support. Provide a place where people feel like they belong, and are recognized. Create a community where people get more than they give. Only by doing that can nonprofits grow their network... and with a larger network be… -
RE: Online Outreach on a Budget
28 Jan 2010 | 12:46 pmMore than ever, online outreach is VITAL to your and your organizations ongoing success. I hope this post provides you valuable information and tools to stay ahead of the curve.Currently, there is a nonprofit blog carnival sweeping the Internet... Its full of great information, tips, and tools for nonprofits and volunteers. This month, IssueLab collected some amazing posts about improving online outreach.I recommend reading the full and original post by going to the Issue Lab blog, but if you are strapped for time, here are some of the highlights:Webinar Recap: Connecting Advocacy to… -
Creative Crowdsourcing Empowers Non-Profits to Spread the Word
22 Jan 2010 | 4:58 pmCrowdsourcing has been a growing trend and its a wonderful way to find new volunteers. There are a variety of different types of crowd-sourcing that fit almost any need that a nonprofit might have. Recently, National Association of Federal Credit Union leveraged a crowd-sourcing group to help launch advertisements to promote its nonprofit branches across the nation. I thought the crowdsourcing methodologie was very interesting and invite you to read this guest post from the creator of the program Peter H. LaMottePersonally, I have never working with GeniusRocket nor do I receive any incentive… -
3 Rules for Nonprofits: Belonging belonging belonging
13 Jan 2010 | 2:38 pmJust like the first three principles of real estate are priority, priority, priority, the first rule for nonprofits to engaging volunteers and donors should be BELONGING, BELONGING, BELONGING!This rule is inspired by Marsha Shenk, and her presentation, Brain, Body and Business.You can see the full presentation here:View more presentations from marsha shenk. -
3 Sites That Make a Difference
12 Jan 2010 | 12:47 pmIncreasingly, you can do the things that you like to do, and do them in the name of a charity or cause. I have recently experimented with the following and I love what these groups are doing. I encourage you to check them out. And if they haven't listed your favorite cause, contact your cause and see if you can get them enabled.(NOTE TO NONPROFITS: If you haven't connected with sites like this, you are behind the times. Its free money, and it increases your social media presence...)Rec.fm | rec.fm is a tool that simply allows you to make great recommendations to your friends and help your…
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How I changed the world today.
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LA Arboretum
8 Feb 2010 | 7:01 amI re-newed my membership to the Arboretum today. Its a great place to hang out, love the peacocks, and its good to keep nature in our lives. -
Kiva
6 Feb 2010 | 8:57 amMade a few more Kiva loans. Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this blog, been really busy. Money has gotten a bit tight and I'm supporting a few people and its keeping me busy. But life is grand, I have the opportunity to work and make things happen and I am still doing really well compared to many others in the world. I am still dropping off snacks at the VA, they need them more than ever. Loan Purchase of $25 to Norma (business id=174160)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Tatiana Arroyo Bejarano (business id=174136)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase… -
Kiva loans
2 Feb 2010 | 6:17 pmI made a few kiva loans today. Just randomly chose them. Loan Purchase of $25 to Khoem Veurn (business id=168239)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Batzul Galsan (business id=173153)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Brigida Herrera Herrera (business id=171499)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club Loan Purchase of $25 to Sandra Galvez Muñoz (business id=172965)Counted towards KIVA Shopping Club -
Girl Scout Cookies and Soldiers
28 Jan 2010 | 7:18 pmI bought 6 boxes of girl scout cookies today to support a friends daughter's troop. I am having them shipped directly to soldiers overseas. Its a win/win situation, I support my friends, the soldiers get cookies. -
Kiva
24 Jan 2010 | 7:40 amKiva has run out of loans again (YAH!), but I managed to get in one one to Luis in Tarma, Peru.Luis is 23 years old. He is single, and he is an enterprising and very enthusiastic young man. He lives in a rented house near the highway exit for his town. In spite of the fact that he was not able to complete higher education as a mechanic because of a lack of money, he wants to continue moving forward with the hope of making progress. For the past year, he has worked as an assistant to an auto mechanic, and he believes that he now has the necessary experience to open his own workshop. This is…
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Kiva Stories from the Field
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Hopeful and committed
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amBy Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala Two of my favorite Spanish words are homonyms: Esperar - to hope; to wait Compromiso- a commitment; a compromise One of my lasts tasks as a Kiva Fellow was to do a journal update an incarcerated Kiva entrepreneur. Kiva’s field partner in Guatemala City, FAPE, has a program where they give women in jail trainings and a loan for their businesses while incarcerated. About one year ago, FAPE initiated this program in the jail in Guatemala City, four of the women were Kiva clients. Training programs were given. Hand-made goods like those on the left were… -
Do you need more fun in your life?
9 Feb 2010 | 12:53 amI am not sure if it is an East Coast thing or a Catholic school thing but when I was in grammar school I loved field day. In kid language Field Day = “No more classes, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks.”A day full of watermelon to eat and games to play – a clear demarkation that summer and weeks of PLAYTIME were on the way – This was only the beginning! Ahhhh the yester years of Playtime…. In our busy ADULT lives, it seems playtime often falls off the radar. How many times have you thought, “I need more fun in my life.” Perhaps you have chosen to… -
Day 0: A Kiva Fellow’s reflections
8 Feb 2010 | 12:03 amBy Vishnu Hariharan, KF10, Philippines As I sit at a local internet cafe in Cabanatuan city, Philippines (where I am surrounded by five kids all reading out loud from the Kiva Fellows blog site on my computer screen!), I find myself reflecting more on what I hope to learn when I’m in the field. Back in July when I applied to be a Kiva Fellow, my goals from the program were generally to learn more about microfinance in developing countries and the use of financial tools to enact social change. From speaking with alumni, Kiva staff and attending training last week, the immersion of… -
Offense Defense
7 Feb 2010 | 7:12 pmBy Kimia Raafat, KF10 Paraguay With Super Bowl Sunday upon us, I have begun to think of life as a football game. Closer analysis of the sport inevitably leads to two topics of deliberation: offense and defense. Sunday night, the Colts and the Saints will be rotating their players based on their specialized roles in the field. We will see the offense attack, take control and engage the opposing team with the objective of scoring points. Then there is the defense, guarding their possession and protecting it from attack. As I thought about these two “ways of life”, I realized, I… -
Cusco on My Mind
5 Feb 2010 | 1:00 pmIf you haven’t heard, there have been terrible floods in Cusco, Peru in the past week. Since we are in the thick of La Epoca de la Lluvia (the rainy season), rain is expected but the level of destruction seen in the area is unimaginable. Tourism is the main industry in Cusco, and the damage produced by the rain does substantial damage on the Cusco economy. From the February 3rd warden message from the U.S. Embassy in Peru, I read that Machu Picchu is closed and the rail line between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes is closed due to landslides until possibly March. I also read that tourists…
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the Change.org Blog
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Meet The Changemakers
13 Jan 2010 | 4:48 amToday we are excited to announce the launch of Changemakers on Change.org! For the past three months, more than 100,000 Change.org members have participated in nominating and voting for the leaders who they feel best personify a Changemaker, resulting in a remarkable network of people. For those of you who haven’t been following along at home, [...] -
Change.org Welcomes Five New Faces
8 Jan 2010 | 5:42 pmWe’re a pretty eclectic bunch over here at Change.org. Some of us write haiku, others enjoy communicating in emoticons – but one thing that brings us all together is our desire to make the world a better place. So naturally, when we find others who share this desire and want to join our team, we [...] -
Change.org’s Predictions for the New Decade
3 Jan 2010 | 2:44 amIt’s a new year and a new decade, and there’s no better time to take a look toward the future of social change. What will be the defining moments of 2010, and what victories might we be celebrating come 2020? Will this be the decade that the world finally sees a vaccine for HIV or a [...] -
Change.org’s 2009 Year in Review
31 Dec 2009 | 3:14 pmIn a few hours, it’ll be out with the old and in with the new as we welcome the start of a new year, filled with new opportunities to create change. But, before we put on our party hats and launch into a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne, we wanted to take a look [...] -
Top 10 Victories on Change.org in 2009
28 Dec 2009 | 1:07 pm2009 was a year in which the Change.org community emerged as a powerful force for social change. Our rapidly growing community of more than 1 million activists won dozens of campaigns over the past year, successfully pressuring multi-billion dollar companies to adopt more responsible and non-discriminatory practices, convincing federal departments to change outdated policies, and impacting [...]
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So what can I do?
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Change the world.
6 Oct 2014 | 3:52 pmHow will you make our world a better place?* Health and education* Economics, social entrepreneurship, and microfinance* Food and water* Energy and technology* Women, children, and family* Environment, land, and sustainability* FaithAnd don’t forget to visit the So What Can I Do Bookstore. Your efforts can change the world.”Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mohandas GandhiPlease visit http://sowhatcanido.blogspot.com to offer your comments and suggestions, forward this post, and peruse the archives. Thanks for reading "So what can I do", the public service weblog promoting… -
Join the So What Can I Do blood donation team.
20 Jun 2009 | 8:40 pmI went to the Red Cross blood center today and gave a pint. Regular readers and regular donors know that blood donation is a fast and easy way to save up to three lives. You never know when you or someone you know will need blood. So please consider donating blood, platelets, or red cells. And if you do, you’re invited to join the So What Can I Do Red Cross Racing Team. Here’s how:• Visit redcrossracing.com .• After you register scroll to the bottom and click “Team Competition.”• Enter the So What Can I Do team code: O?67SO .• Remember to log your donations to win points and… -
Celebrate World Free Your Mind Day – June 19th.
18 Jun 2009 | 9:07 pmI spent this Juneteenth thinking about what my family would have been like if my great-great-granddaddy Griffin Henry Belk hadn’t walked off that plantation when he did. I expect it would have made a huge difference, because when Griffin Henry Belk left, he was able to travel (searching for his parents), purchase land (160 acres for $11 in Ozan, Arkansas), and generally prepare to provide for his wife and five children to come. So I woke up Juneteenth morning and told my daughter about her great-great-great-granddaddy. Even though she’s only two, I expect it resonated with her, or will… -
Make Kiva microloans in the US.
11 Jun 2009 | 9:04 pmI’ve written frequently about microloans - how the concept spread as a tool for economic development, how to lend and get your money back – sometimes with with interest, making a loan a no cost to you, etc. But my most popular post on the topic discusses microloans in the US. I’m pleased to report that there is now another option for those interested in making microloans in the US. Kiva now offers the opportunity to make microloans in the US. If you’re in the US, this is a great way to help your neighbors move ahead through entrepreneurship. And if you need a microloan, this means… -
Be the match: Join the Marrow Registry for free June 8-22.
25 May 2009 | 7:58 pmEarlier today when I wanted to forward my post on cord blood donation, I realized that most of the links had gone dead. While updating them, I was pleased to learn about the upcoming Marrowthon from the National Marrow Donor Program. NMDP has set a goal of adding 46,000 new members to the marrow registry during this drive. Each new member increases the odds that someone with a life threatening blood disease will live, and live well – disease free.Joining is easy: just take the eligibility quiz, fill out a form, and swab your cheeks for a cell sample. (I had to give a bit of blood for…
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Worldchanging: Bright Green
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De-Industrializing the City
8 Feb 2010 | 12:27 pmOne of my favorite quotes by Bjarke Ingels: "Engineering without engines. We should use contemporary technology and computation capacity to make our buildings independent of machinery. Building services today are essentially mechanical compensations for the fact that buildings are bad for what they are designed for—human life. Therefore we pump air around, illuminate dark spaces with electric lights, and heat and cool the spaces in order to make them livable. The result is boring boxes with big energy bills. If we moved the qualities out of the machine room and back into architecture’s… -
Vote Today and Help Us Win $5K!
8 Feb 2010 | 11:43 amJust by clicking a button, you can help us win a $5,000 grant from Brighter Planet. Worldchanging's project proposal, Advocate for Climate Neutral Cities, has just been accepted for Brighter Planet's Project Fund, which provides seed money for people and projects working to help others fight or adapt to climate change. Our idea to create a climate neutral cities mini-magazine is one of nine projects up for the grant money. Brighter Planet members decide—as a community—which projects to fund. The project with the most votes at the close of a voting period receives the grant. Join today to… -
Visions Desirable, Present and Future
8 Feb 2010 | 11:03 amHere at WorldChanging, we often have conversations about how best to envision desirable futures. Not just on how to collaborate on designing them, or accelerate development on the kind of technology that would get us there, but how to portray inspiring green futures that people would want to live in. Help us change the world - DONATE NOW! (Posted by Mark Tovey in Features at 11:03 AM) -
Headlines from Worldchanging Canada (December 2009 - January 2010)
8 Feb 2010 | 10:32 amTop stories from our Canadian blog: Tokyo's Transforming Tower | Madeline Ashby "I wish there were a way to combine these shutters and some form of external cladding, but in a year both the tower's designers and its inhabitants will understand how best to exploit this building's transformation potential." Event Summary - 2009 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference | Stefanie Bowles We feature notes from Stephanie Bowles on a couple of talks from the 2009 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change (BECC) conference in Washington DC. Bowles, quoting Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez: "... the BECC… -
Where Did We Go Wrong on "Green Jobs"?
5 Feb 2010 | 6:12 pmI was in a meeting today with some smart folks that got me thinking again about "green jobs," specifically Van Jones' message about the intersection of environmentalism and social justice. They're not polished thoughts, but I thought I'd share them and see what folks think. Ever since Van Jones got essentially lynched by Glenn Beck's teabaggers, I've been wondering why it was so easy to target him, why the green jobs message (which seemed to me at the time uncontroversial) so clearly failed to connect, and why the green jobs conversation in Northern Europe seems to be going so much better.
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Green Tech
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Toyota adds 2010 Prius to global recall list
9 Feb 2010 | 6:27 amRecall to affect more than 400,000 hybrid models, including the latest Prius, as Toyota seeks to fix a problem with the regenerative brakes, which help charge the cars' electric batteries. -
Survey: More people looking for help on recycling
8 Feb 2010 | 11:26 amReport from Earth911.com shows more people with questions on how and where to recycle in 2009, with PCs, batteries, and TVs topping the list of search queries. -
Areva buys solar-thermal start-up Ausra
8 Feb 2010 | 9:43 amStrong in nuclear power, Areva purchases concentrating solar-power company Ausra to expand its renewable energy portfolio. -
Israeli gas stations to swap Better Place car batteries
8 Feb 2010 | 7:20 amElectric-car services company Better Place forges ahead with plan to install tens of thousands of charging stations and battery-switching locations in Israel by next year. -
Turn your office expense reports into toilet paper
6 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amEver feel like the paper you handle at work every day isn't worth wiping your butt with? Well, a Japanese machine can turn it all into toilet paper. Magically. Originally posted at Crave
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GoodGuide - Home
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GoodGuide Lists and Widgets
29 Jan 2010 | 3:02 pmGoodGuide has a cool new feature where you can create your own lists of favorite products - or products to avoid. And then publish these lists in a simple “widget” format on any blog or website. Here is the list I created in 3 minutes. <style> .goodguide-widget-link { position: absolute; top: 40%; left: 0; z-index: 1; } .goodguide-widget { position: relative; width: 250px; height: 350px; background: white; text-align: center; } .goodguide-widget iframe { width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none; z-index: 2; position: relative; } </style> <iframe… -
FDA changes its stance on Bisphenol-A
19 Jan 2010 | 11:01 pmFor a long time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been very slow in acting on emerging chemical concerns. As many GoodGuide users have heard, Bisphenol-A is increasingly associated with a range of human health impacts, particularly on child development. Just last week, a new US study concluded that BPA exposure at even very low levels could exacerbate adult heart disease. In response to consumer demands, many plastic bottle manufacturers are voluntarily eliminating BPA from their products. Yet, under President Bush, the agency insisted in an assessment in 2008 that BPA was safe. -
Tips to Picking the Best Deodorant (and Antiperspirant)
12 Jan 2010 | 9:41 amSweat itself is almost odorless—it is the bacteria feeding on the sweat that emits an odor. Antiperspirants reduce sweat, deodorants prevent bacterial growth or in some cases bind to foul smelling molecules to eliminate odor. Sometimes scents are also used to mask unpleasant odors. Here are tips you might want to consider when choosing your deodorant or antiperspirant. Stay away from Triclosan. Many deodorants use an added chemical called Triclosan to kill odor-causing bacteria. The wide use of Triclosan may also be promoting a Triclosan drug resistance in that same bacteria. Drug… -
Wearing Hundreds of Chemicals Without Knowing It
14 Dec 2009 | 4:20 pmRecently, a British poll shed light on the potentially large exposure to chemicals that many women may face because of their heavy use of personal care products. The deodorant company, Bionsen, funded a survey of 2000 women that discovered the “average” British woman wears 515 chemicals on her body daily. These chemicals come from the multiple ingredients contained in personal care products such as lipstick, perfume, deodorants, and moisturizer. The study found that most of the chemicals were present on the face or head of the women. This means that women can breathe or ingest the… -
New Protocols to Enhance Product Testing
8 Dec 2009 | 12:36 pmWe want to apologize again for comparing our test results with federal standards that are based on a different testing method. We realize this was a mistake and I’m writing to tell you about the steps we have taken to correct this. We are announcing new protocols today for strengthening our testing procedures. December 8, 2009 — San Francisco — GoodGuide, which provides health, environment and social responsibility ratings for consumer products, announced today that it has implemented new protocols to enhance testing of consumer products. “GoodGuide remains steadfast in its commitment…
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TreeHugger
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Toyota Recalls 437,000 Hybrids Worldwide, Mostly 2010 Prius Models
9 Feb 2010 | 8:45 amPhoto: Toyota Ouch We all knew it was coming, but now it's official. Toyota has formally filed a voluntary recall for 437,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide. Most of those are third generation Prius hybrids, but they're also recalling the few Prius PHEV out there (the plug-in hybrid version, more details here), the Lexus HS 250h, and the SAI in Japan. This breaks down to about 223,000 hybrids recalled in Japan, 150,000 in North-America, and about 63,000...Read the full story on TreeHugger -
Are The Joneses Green Shoppers? Interactive Website Let's You Spy on Your Neighbor's Spending Habits
9 Feb 2010 | 8:30 amImage via Bundle Ahhh, keeping up with the Joneses - spending more so you can match up with your neighbors. But does it always have to be that way? When it comes to smart metering, experts have shown that knowing how much electricity your neighbors are using can spark up the competitive spirit, and you're likely to reduce your energy consumption just to "bea...Read the full story on TreeHugger -
Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week Goes Carbon Neutral
9 Feb 2010 | 8:17 amMercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week may be bidding a final farewell to Bryant Park and for the last hurrah, IMG Fashion, Tetra Pak, and natural beverage supplier O.N.E. ™ Natural Experience, have announced that the entire production will be -- for the first time ever -- a carbon neutral event. Continue reading the full announcement, made at a press conference this morning, after the jump: ...Read the full story on TreeHugger -
8 Ways to Create City Utopias for Peds and Cyclists (Or At Least Stop Killing Them...Us)
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amPhoto credit Tim Green aka atoach @ flickr. Without even knowing it, you are daily performing, probably at least a little bit, the death-defying act of pedestrianism. (And the most fatal area for peds? D.C.) Traffic fatalities -
India Suspends First GM Food Crop Introduction - Environment Minister Wants More Tests
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amphoto: Kirsten via flickr. Genetically-modified cotton has been grown in India since 2002, but until today it appeared that the nation's first GM food crop would be introduced in 2010. BBC News and other outlets are reporting that the start of GM brinjal (eggplant or aubergine, call it what you like...) has been suspended, with environment minister
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Green Inc.
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Siemens Touts Growth in Renewables and the Value of the American Market
9 Feb 2010 | 7:56 am"We want to be one of the leading companies on the American market," said Andreas Nauen, the chief executive of Siemens Wind Power, told Green Inc. on Monday. -
Good Energies Invests in Massachusetts Clean Energy Firm
9 Feb 2010 | 5:20 amNexamp, a Massachusetts clean energy company, announced Tuesday that it has raised $6.5 million in venture financing from the Dutch-Swiss investment giant Good Energies and other investors. -
Nuclear Power Giant Buys Solar Firm
8 Feb 2010 | 12:24 pmAreva, French nuclear power company, has bought Ausra, a small manufacturer of solar thermal systems that can be used for electricity production or industrial steam. -
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Says Pika Not Imperiled by Climate Change
8 Feb 2010 | 12:01 pmThe Obama administration has determined that the American pika, a small rabbit-like mammal that lives on alpine mountain ranges in the West, is not threatened by climate change. Environmentalists disagree. -
Quebec's Vehicle Emission Law Is Disputed
8 Feb 2010 | 5:14 amCanada's environment minister has denounced Quebec's vehicle emissions rules, calling them "counter-productive."
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Social Citizens Blog
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Millennials: Looking for More Than Just a Job
8 Feb 2010 | 8:21 pmWith the economy still in uncharted territory and families struggling to make ends meet, we have watched as individuals and organizations alike have been forced to do more with less. At the same time, we are witnessing what many believe to be the beginning of a new era of problem solving and social entrepreneurship – as Millennials demonstrate that it’s not just one sector that will help solve some of our most challenging social problems, but rather a look at blending sectors and structures to create meaningful impact. The Case Foundation kicked off a new blog series last… -
A Lost Generation of Entrepreneurs? I think I found them.
1 Feb 2010 | 2:29 pmLast week BusinessWeek posted an article by Jeff Bussgang, a seasoned investor and entrepreneur, who shared his concern that we are suffering from a lost generation of entrepreneurs. It seems he tried to make a list of significant entrepreneurs under 35 and wasn't able to get very far. Jeff argues that since the 2000s were lean years that did not produce many substantial start-ups, that generation of 20-somethings was not able to develop company-building skills. He says we have not had the opportunity to see success at a young age or learn the important lessons of start-up leadership, so our… -
As 2010 Census Begins: Will the Millennials be Counted?
25 Jan 2010 | 9:26 pmAs director of the US Census Bureau, Robert Groves, arrived by dog sled on Monday to Noorvik, Alaska to kickoff the 2010 Census, I wondered why this remote Inupiat Eskimo Village located 3,000 miles from Washington, DC would be the staging for the launch of this important decennial event. The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like: hospitals, schools, bridges, tunnels, and emergency services. Not to mention, it also determines how many seats each US state will get in… -
Up Next for Millennials: Coming of Age, Losing the Hype, and Being Better for It
21 Jan 2010 | 7:49 pmHowe and Strauss, authors of Millennials Rising, predict that based on generational trends, the Millennial generation’s “complete breakout” will be around 2010. We should be hitting our peak right now, really coming into our own, and attracting a lot of attention for it. And I think, in many cases, we are. Many of the conferences and affinity groups in our sector are starting to provide significant roles and development opportunities for the “next generation,” our generation’s role in the 2008 election is still being analyzed by experts, and let’s not… -
Make it a Day On(line): MLK Day Virtual Town Hall
17 Jan 2010 | 2:40 pmOn Monday, the Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network will bring the nation together in service, dialogue and reflection during the MLK Day Virtual Town Hall to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King. For those of you who have made it a “Day On” already and have found a service project in your community, thanks for your service. For those of you who are stuck in front of your computers on Monday, don't worry, you can tune in and join the interactive dialogue here. The MLK Day Virtual Town Hall will begin at approximately 8:00 a.m. EST and will feature service…
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Change.org's Global Health Blog
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When 'Charity' in Haiti Kills Children
9 Feb 2010 | 6:05 amIt's gotten even worse. Okay, we knew that the case of the misguided 10 Baptist missionaries was a sideshow with the maddening ability to vacuum up an excessive number of media hits. But now, it turns out, the case has become something of a main event in its own right -- in fact, it's literally killing children. That's right. Since the missionaries were arrested last month, the misbegotten travails of ringleader Laura Silsby & co. have had a chilling effect on doctors, aid workers and government officials (you know, the people who have a legitimate mission in helping Haiti with the… -
Behind Haiti's Orphan Crisis, Government Neglect
8 Feb 2010 | 11:24 amThanks to the much-ballyhooed case of missionaries who went kid-snatching in Haiti, the plight of Haiti's orphans has gotten a lot more press in recent days. Not very discriminate coverage, though -- more of the shallow, headline-grabby variety. Which is why it's so refreshing to see the Stars and Stripes taking a deeper dive for readers in their latest story. Prior to the earthquake, Save the Children estimated there were 380,000 Haitian children living in orphanages. And since the earthquake, the number of children who've lost their parents has more than doubled. Long before the Jan. 12… -
In Haiti, Aiding the Aid Workers
8 Feb 2010 | 9:36 amFor a small nonprofit seeking to assist disaster recovery efforts in Haiti, where do you start? With 200,000 tents needed, rampant sanitation issues and 460,000 people living in makeshift camps, the prospect of setting a spade down anywhere can seem overwhelming. That's why the nonprofit HELP seeks to target its efforts on one group that's frequently mentioned in the news, but whose needs are less-talked about: aid workers. As director Randy Roberson tells Change.org, "In disasters, the immediate victims aren't the only ones. By helping relief teams sustain their efforts for greater periods… -
Why Less Funding for HIV/AIDS Isn't as Bad as It Seems
6 Feb 2010 | 12:42 pmWhen the White House announced its 2011 budget this past week, the response among the HIV/AIDS community to the 9% increase in global health funding was, you could say, somewhat short of elation. While global health programs managed to escape Obama's federal spending freeze, critics were quick to point out that at just 2.6%, the increase for HIV/AIDS funding was less even than what occurred under the Bush administration. Especially given fears that the global recession will cause donor funding for HIV/AIDS to plummet, a U.S. commitment is more vital than ever. What's more, new World… -
A Growing Global Health Corps
5 Feb 2010 | 2:10 pmJonny Dorsey is on a quest. As the 20-something co-founder and executive director of the Global Health Corps, he's working with a team of just four full-time staffers to produce an ambitious goal: an ever-growing network of young leaders in the fight for global health. Global Health Corps is a relatively new organization -- founded just two years ago -- but already it has 22 fellows in the field, each paired with different health organizations across Rwanda, Tanzania and Malawi. The idea to incubate a global network of leaders that will eventually number in the thousands and weigh in with…
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Change Becomes Change
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Cooking with Kids: How Are You Growing Lil' Foodies?
8 Feb 2010 | 9:20 pmI want to share with you some of the incredible work that my friend Michelle is doing to encourage parents cook with their children. Michelle owns a company called What's Cooking that offers healthy cooking classes to kids in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her classes teach kids and their families to enjoy delicious home-made foods, and motivate families to use food and cooking to help those less fortunate. She just started a new feature on her website called What's Cooking With YOUR Kids to showcase how other families are doing this. Here's some of my recent chat with Michelle to learn more… -
Michelle Obama Tackles Childhood Obesity
4 Feb 2010 | 9:37 pmOur first lady has recently announced that she’s launching an initiative this month to bring solutions and improvement to a growing problem in America: childhood obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16% of children (over 9 million) 6 to 19 years old are overweight or obese -- a number that has tripled since 1980 - another 15% were considered at risk of becoming overweight. Over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2 to 5 years and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, and it has more than tripled for… -
What Do Farmers Eat...and Avoid?
2 Feb 2010 | 10:33 pmI've shared with you a few times here the reasons we buy fresh, organic foods, but those are our personal opinions and reasons. Even though I consider myself to be educated in this area, those are still my opinions and I'll admit that I'm passionate around local, organic real foods. So who's opinion matters to you? Who do you trust? When I'm not sure or have a new question, I look to the food experts that are well-known in the industry and well-respected by the food community. I also like knowing how growers feel and what they're eating at home with their family.As you… -
No More Soda In Schools for Massachusetts
31 Jan 2010 | 10:20 pmNew England students may soon enjoy healthier snack and beverage options at school. This is good news for parents, the health care system, educators and other supporters of raising healthy kids. This week, the Massachusetts House approved a bill that would potentially allow the state to ban high-calorie sodas, along with salty and sugary snacks (you know, junk food) from elementary and high schools. In it's place, the bill encourages schools to serve low-fat dairy products and whole grain pastas and breads. Although the bill still needs to pass the Massachusetts Senate, backers of the bill… -
I Blame Plastics
27 Jan 2010 | 10:23 pmWhat exactly do I blame plastics for? Things I don't even know about yet. Things that scare me. The unknown and known. I grew up on plastics. Remember Tupperware parties? Little People? Plastic dolls? I had jellies on my feet, plastic head bands for my long locks, and those clear plastic purses popular in the early 80's. During my college years, my caffeine of choice was diet coke delivered in an Arco AM/PM plastic 32oz sipper cup that went thru the dishwasher daily (those were meant to be heated up to the point that the shape gets distorted, right?). My life wasn't all plastic though.
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GOOD
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TeachDesign: Making Ideas Real
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amAfter teaching local high-school students the benefits of design, a team of frog designers helps them realize a goal. As mentioned in our first post on this blog, “Why We Should Teach Design Early,” our initiative, TeachDesign, is a collaboration between a team of designers from the Austin studio of frog design, architects from SHW Group, and the Austin Digital Media Council. The team is currently working with a group of students at McCallum High School to imagine a common space on campus that is useful, interactive, and inspiring. At the end of January, we sat down with the students to… -
Maybe Obama Did Turn Unemployment Around
9 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amWhen you look at the unemployment numbers like this, it makes the Obama team look pretty bad. But when you look at them like this: ...it's actually pretty impressive. What you're seeing in the chart above is a turnaround in the rate at which jobs are being lost each month that coincides almost exactly with Obama taking office. That said, the financial crisis is much too complex a situation to give full credit to any particular person or policy. -
Intermission: Another Thing
9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amThe architect Andrew Burgess projects an image of the Icelandic parliament building onto the building itself and then mucks with it in various interesting ways. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4rrXMxpnb8[/youtube] Fun fact: "Thing" means "parliament" or "assembly" in Icelandic. So the projection is another thing, literally. Via Archinect. -
A Flatpack Housing Concept for Haiti
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amArchitect Andres Duany, best known for work designing New Urbanist communities has shifted gears a bit to create a light, expandable shelter known as the “core house” for Haiti’s homeless. The house, designed to stand up to earthquakes and hurricanes isn’t Duany’s first foray into disaster relief housing: several years ago he helped develop the prefabricated “Katrina Cottage” as an alternative to the widely criticized FEMA trailers. Duany’s house for Haiti is small– 8′2″ x 8′2″ x 19′8″—but can sleep 8. Essential for cost-reduction and ease of… -
Zero Rupee Note Battles Corruption in India
9 Feb 2010 | 5:30 amWe've been hearing a lot about these Zero Rupee Notes, which Indian citizens have been handing to corrupt officials who demand bribes. They were created by a University of Maryland professor and distributed by the "corruption killer" NGO 5th Pillar. I was at first skeptical that they could be effective, until I read this explanation of their success from The World Bank: First, bribery is a crime in India punishable with jail time. Corrupt officials seldom encounter resistance by ordinary people that they become scared when people have the courage to show their zero rupee notes, effectively…
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Good Blogs
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TeachDesign: Making Ideas Real
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amAfter teaching local high-school students the benefits of design, a team of frog designers helps them realize a goal. As mentioned in our first post on this blog, “Why We Should Teach Design Early,” our initiative, TeachDesign, is a collaboration between a team of designers from the Austin studio of frog design, architects from SHW Group, and the Austin Digital Media Council. The team is currently working with a group of students at McCallum High School to imagine a common space on campus that is useful, interactive, and inspiring. At the end of January, we sat down with the students to… -
Maybe Obama Did Turn Unemployment Around
9 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amWhen you look at the unemployment numbers like this, it makes the Obama team look pretty bad. But when you look at them like this: ...it's actually pretty impressive. What you're seeing in the chart above is a turnaround in the rate at which jobs are being lost each month that coincides almost exactly with Obama taking office. That said, the financial crisis is much too complex a situation to give full credit to any particular person or policy. -
Intermission: Another Thing
9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 amThe architect Andrew Burgess projects an image of the Icelandic parliament building onto the building itself and then mucks with it in various interesting ways. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4rrXMxpnb8[/youtube] Fun fact: "Thing" means "parliament" or "assembly" in Icelandic. So the projection is another thing, literally. Via Archinect. -
A Flatpack Housing Concept for Haiti
9 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amArchitect Andres Duany, best known for work designing New Urbanist communities has shifted gears a bit to create a light, expandable shelter known as the “core house” for Haiti’s homeless. The house, designed to stand up to earthquakes and hurricanes isn’t Duany’s first foray into disaster relief housing: several years ago he helped develop the prefabricated “Katrina Cottage” as an alternative to the widely criticized FEMA trailers. Duany’s house for Haiti is small– 8′2″ x 8′2″ x 19′8″—but can sleep 8. Essential for cost-reduction and ease of… -
Zero Rupee Note Battles Corruption in India
9 Feb 2010 | 5:30 amWe've been hearing a lot about these Zero Rupee Notes, which Indian citizens have been handing to corrupt officials who demand bribes. They were created by a University of Maryland professor and distributed by the "corruption killer" NGO 5th Pillar. I was at first skeptical that they could be effective, until I read this explanation of their success from The World Bank: First, bribery is a crime in India punishable with jail time. Corrupt officials seldom encounter resistance by ordinary people that they become scared when people have the courage to show their zero rupee notes, effectively…
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Good Magazine
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Issue 018: Graphic Statement
5 Feb 2010 | 7:30 amThis illustration originally appeared as the Graphic Statement for GOOD Issue 018: The Slow Issue. You can see the full image here. You can read more from The Slow Issue here. -
Invest in Me, Take My Equity
4 Feb 2010 | 11:00 amVenture capitalists love to talk about "investing in people"—but what if they meant it literally? A new funding concept launched by social entrepreneurs Saul Garlick , Kjerstin Erickson and Jon Gosier aims to do just that. Advertising their plan as "Invest in Me, Take My Equity," the three, all in their mid- to late twenties, are selling stakes in their personal earnings—for the rest of their lives. In other words, for a mere $300,000 up front, you can claim 3 percent of Gosier's or Garlick's success, however—and if ever—it comes. Erickson bears a steeper price tag, but offers greater… -
Transparency: Where We Volunteer
2 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pmIn these still-tough economic times, it can be hard to find ways to give back. But new data just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that people across the country are still taking the time to volunteer in their communities. This is a look at some of that data, showing who volunteered in 2009 and what kind of work they're doing. A tip of the hat to everyone who finds the time to do some good. A collaboration between GOOD and Design Language. -
Teaching: Notes from the Front Lines
1 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pmA former grade-school teacher reflects on his Teach for America days. There is fog in Willamette Valley, Oregon, this morning. I drive slowly, NPR easing me into the day: talk of two wars, health care reform, Haiti in chaos. On this day, though, fog is the consuming problem. The centerline is lost, and highbeams make it worse, with semis coming toward me as if sprung from thin air. The fog lifts at Junction City. The flat grass-seed fields with their early spring stubble, hills bunched on the horizon. On the radio now is a story of a charter school in the Bronx, an arts school for the… -
The Book Liberator: Taking a Page from Every Book, Literally
28 Jan 2010 | 5:00 amYou're forgiven if you've never thought of a book as being stuck inside its own covers. A few years ago, TV still lived in a box , and a few decades ago, recorded music existed at 20 minutes a side. Now James Vasile, along with fellow designers Ian Sullivan and Karl Fogel, is looking to do for humble hardbacks what's already been done for other media—extract them, and get them onto laptops. That's the thinking behind their Book Liberator, a scanning rig built out of cheap materials and designed to house the digital camera that, as Vasile says, "you already have in your pocket." Currently in…
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Good Videos
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Internet Retail
21 Jan 2010 | 10:30 am[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPy93HM1vPU[/youtube] More and more of our shopping is happening online. And in the digital marketplace, shoppers write and read millions of reviews each year, transforming the way we make buying decisions—and how companies make their products. Welcome to the information-saturated world of internet retail. -
How Much Do We Spend on Food?
22 Dec 2009 | 11:00 am[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reyxkSWUjLI[/youtube] Since 1949, the rise of industrial, processed food meant Americans could spend less on their meals. But those savings come with a high cost: obesity, diabetes, and big health care bills. Here's a look at the numbers behind our changing diet, and what we can do to make it better. -
Wireless Parking
14 Dec 2009 | 1:49 pm[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVq9pdam14M[/youtube] What if sensors on the street knew exactly which parking spots were free? Your phone could direct you straight to a free space and the city could use that real-time information for dynamic meter pricing, discouraging driving when car traffic is too high. San Francisco is already trying the idea. If it works, it will be good for motorists, for the city, and for the environment. -
Bryant's Better Data Center
1 Dec 2009 | 1:39 pm[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZTYgBiQihk[/youtube] As the country's second most wired campus, Bryant University needed a data center that was state of the art. Their new system saves energy, space, and money—and, of course, keeps the students connected. -
Food: Waste Not, Want Not
24 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwGHlUAj078[/youtube] The average American wastes more than half a pound of food each day. Meanwhile, millions of people are going hungry in our own cities. Here are a few ways to cut down on your food waste. Our video is after the jump.
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SocialEarth
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Read it, Think it, Play it, EVOKE it
8 Feb 2010 | 4:03 amSocial reality game designer, Jane McGonigal, has been proving to the world for awhile now that video games don’t have to be a waste of time and on March 3rd, with the debut of her latest work, EVOKE, she’s going to do it again. EVOKE is like SIMS on steriods. You think it’s difficult raising a [...] -
The Social Enterprise Conference: Reflections on Service
8 Feb 2010 | 2:30 amThe following is a guest post from Emily Wren, a first year student at the Harvard Business School. An engineer by training, she studied at Duke University where she was a founding member of the Duke chapter of Engineers Without Borders. She is currently the Media Co-Director for the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference. At [...] -
Jordan Proves to be the Arab Powerhouse of Microfinance
6 Feb 2010 | 4:07 amJordan might still be coasting on it’s rebirth of economic prosperity brought on by its liberal economic policies – it is now classified as a “lower middle income” country by the World Bank – and it remains a nation that is determined not to leave anyone behind. In a report issued by Sanabel, the Microfinance [...] -
Story of a Start Up: Mana Nutrition Part 1
5 Feb 2010 | 12:52 pmBack in December, I came across Mr. Alex Cone, the marketing manager for MANA Nutrition, on twitter. He was tweeting about this organization that will tackle severe acute malnutrition with an innovative social business model producing ready-to-use-therapeutic-food (RUTF). After speaking with Cone about the process of being a start-up organization, I proposed a project to [...] -
Zoosa: Facebook for Hippies
4 Feb 2010 | 4:07 amHarvard business graduate, Mark McGlade, is the entrepreneur sitting behind the helm of the latest social enterprise platform called Zoosa. Still in its beta phase, McGlade’s idea is to put an extra twist on the popularity of “Corporate Social Responsibility” and make it personal. Zoosa’s mission is to act as a venue that highlights socially [...]
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Africa Rural Connect
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Press Release: National Peace Corps Association Seeks Innovative Ideas for Africa on World Wetlands Day
1 Feb 2010 | 10:08 amOrganization fosters discussion on sustainable development on Africa Rural Connect Web site -
The Daily Nation: How Rabbit Keeping Can Change Lives
7 Jan 2010 | 6:42 amBy Mercy Gakii, The Daily Nation, January 6, 2010 With a niche market for rabbit meat and rabbit fur skin, Kenyans can benefit from rabbit farming, if only people change their attitude to rabbit meat. The Ndekero challenge, a project to develop a community rabbit-keeping system that can work in partnership with a rabbit agri-business farm, is the business idea that Mr Jacky Foo had for the people of rural Meru. When Mr Foo entered the online contest for agri-business ideas, he had absolutely no idea that his project would get the final prize. -
ARC at Africa Gathering, Nairobi
6 Jan 2010 | 1:47 pmBy Ernesto Gluecksmann, Infamia, January 6, 2010 “What is your big dream?” That’s how I started out my workshop at the Africa Gathering conference in Nairobi, Kenya back in December. “What do you want most to accomplish right now, no matter how crazy or unattainable it seems?” -
NPCA Visits Africa Rural Connect Winner in Nanyuki, Kenya
4 Jan 2010 | 10:48 amBy Molly Mattessich, National Peace Corps Association, January 4, 2010 & -
The Daily Nation: ARC Press Conference
31 Dec 2009 | 9:01 amBy Mercy Gakii, Saturday Nation Correspondent for The Daily Nation, December 19, 2009 At first it was just a rabbit-keeping idea. But at the end of the day Mr Jacky Foo is the lucky winner of the $20,000 (Sh1.5 million) for coming up with the business proposal. His idea won the overall grand prize in Africa Rural Connect (ARC), an online contest that had been going on for five months with participants drawn from all over Africa.
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Tactical Philanthropy
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Innovation & Effectiveness in Philanthropy
9 Feb 2010 | 7:39 amThis is my most recent column in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. You can find an archive of my past columns here. More Than Money, a Lack of Research Hampers Nonprofit Innovation By Sean Stannard-Stockton | Chronicle of Philanthropy The federal government will soon release guidelines to spell out how it will award $50-million through its new Social Innovation Fund, one of the Obama administration’s signature efforts to aid promising, innovative nonprofit groups. But if the draft version of the guidelines, released in December, is any indication, the fund’s approach is geared toward a view… -
Philanthropy Daily Digest
8 Feb 2010 | 5:01 pmCorporation for National and Community Service 2011 Budget The proposed 2011 budget for the Social Innovation Fund is $60 million, up from 2010's $50 million. Many people have pointed to the SIF's $50 million budget as too small, but if it is truly $50 million a year (with potential for annual increases), it is comparable to a $1 billion-plus endowment. (tags: philanthropy) Haiti Crisis Prompts Fresh Talk of Pooling U.S. Relief Money – NYTimes.com Stephanie Strom highlights how the Red Cross out-fundraised Partners in Health even thought PIH seems better positioned to help in… -
Words That Describe Philanthropy
8 Feb 2010 | 8:37 amWow! Thanks so the more than 25 of you who submitted an entry to our mini-contest in search of words that describe philanthropy. You can click on the link above to see a Wordle made from the entries. The entries covered a lot of ground. Here’s a couple that jumped out at me: By Jeanine Buford Gracious When it’s at its best, philanthropy is gracious, graceful, and administered with a light touch. When we think of grace, apart from the religious connotations, we think of support given with seriousness of purpose, but with a light touch. Graciousness supports without judgment, without pity,… -
Words That Describe Great Philanthropy
5 Feb 2010 | 9:03 amOn Wednesday, I asked readers to submit words that they thought best described great philanthropy. You will find all the details here. On Monday, we’ll be randomly selecting a reader who submitted a word and give them a $50 gift certificate to Vittana.org (microfinance for student loans in developing countries). Here’s a couple of entries so far: By Rich Polt Passion Passion is the lifeblood of good philanthropy because it sustains ones giving over the course of a lifetime. Effective philanthropy, like anything in life, requires experimentation and long term commitment. Some things work. -
Philanthropy Daily Digest
4 Feb 2010 | 5:01 pmThe Overhead Question: The Future of Nonprofit Assessment and Reporting Here's the recording of the conference call I did today with Bob Ottenhoff, Guidestar, Ken Berger, Charity Navigator, Lucy Bernholtz, Blueprint R & D, Peter Campbell, TechCafeteria, Christine Egger, Social Actions, David Geilhufe, NetSuite, and Holly Ross, NTEN. (tags: philanthropy) Stanford Social Innovation Review : Highlights of 2009: Top Five Articles The Stanford Social Innovation Review offers fantastic, thought provoking articles. Here's their five most read articles of last year. (tags: philanthropy)…
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Cause Global: Social Media for Social Change
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Radical Shock
6 Feb 2010 | 5:43 amMake no mistake: the privacy debate is hotter than ever. The recent uproar over Facebook’s new Terms of Service – and then, even more recently, Twitter’s new service terms – is all about privacy, says privacy scholar Helen Nissenbaum. The Internet, she says, has introduced a "radical shock" to our notions of privacy in society, disrupting our long-held distinctions between what is private and what is not.But what do people mean in today's world of YouTube and Facebook and email when they say their privacy has been violated? They don't care so much that their personal information has… -
GreeenXchange
3 Feb 2010 | 6:38 amSocial change advocates have long dreamed of a day when corporate rivals might be able to collaborate, legally, to share some of their smartest ideas to fight social problems.Sound pie-in-the-sky? Maybe so. But if GreenXchange gets off the ground, it would be a first big step in that direction. Launched last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, GreenXchange (GX) is being spearheaded by 10 companies and social enterprises, including Nike, Best Buy, and Creative Commons, the San Francisco nonprofit that works to expand the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally… -
Social Production
1 Feb 2010 | 12:56 pmThere's a debate among business leaders about the impact of social networks on social enterprises and innovation. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, Don Tapscott, a strategy consultant and an author of books on the so-called Net Generation and corporate transparency in the Digital Age, predicted sweeping changes in the way companies operate. What follows are excerpts of his remarks during a hot-ticket workshop co-led by the top executives of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Ning, among others.How do you think social networks will impact businesses and social innovation?I… -
Privacy, Revisited
28 Jan 2010 | 6:15 amToday is Data Privacy Day; Congress voted quietly last year to have the United States join Europe in designating January 28 as an annual, international holiday to raise awareness about the importance of data privacy protection.Make no mistake: the privacy debate is hotter (and louder) than ever. The recent uproar over Facebook's new Terms of Service—and then, even more recently, Twitter's new service terms—"is all about privacy," says Georgetown University law professor Marc Rotenberg. "It's not the old-fashioned parchment scroll, carried by courier on horseback from the castle to the… -
Virtual Worlds: The New Green?
27 Jan 2010 | 5:30 amMuch is being said (again) amid the current economic downturn about the benefits of meeting virtually. Might virtual worlds be an even more efficient, effective, and eco-friendly alternative to video-conferencing? Here's Bernhard Drax's latest news report from Second Life on a recent panel discussion moderated by the U.S. State Department on the rise of virtual workspaces. [Hint: There are more than 1,400 organizations doing real work and real meetings in Second Life already.] Drax's avatar, Draxtor Despres, is the guy in the glasses:For more on Drax, see Mo' Real, a short profile and report…
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Sasha Dichter's Blog
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Questions and answers
9 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amA close friend and loyal reader of this blog has asked me a question enough times that I thought I’d share it and take a stab at an answer: “A number of your posts have questions without any answers, and you sometimes pose these to your readers as if THEY should have the answers.” Implicit in the (paraphrased) question: Your job, Sasha, is to give or find answers for your readers If you don’t know the answers, how do you expect that your readers will? Fair enough. So here’s how I think about it. When I started blogging a year and a half ago, I had no idea what… -
What the dogs know
5 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amMy dogs can tell the difference between the sound of emptying a clean dishwasher and filling a dirty one. They can even tell the difference between the sound of doing dishes and of moving food from one container into another (when food inevitably falls on the floor). Sure, it’s Pavlovian, but it also speaks to how much you can know by honing in on the one thing that matters most to the outcome that you care about. Do you know what that one thing is for you? If not, how can you find out? -
Which side of the table?
4 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amWhich side of the table do you want to be on? If you are in any sort of client-facing, relationship-driven, or advisory role, you can orient yourself one of two ways: “across the table” or on the “same side of the table.” The “across the table” strategy is the purview of the expert, and is adeptly practiced by many (but definitely not all) management consulting firms, bankers, expert witnesses and gurus. Its hallmarks are complex financial models and the use of terminology and frameworks and abbreviations that demonstrate domain expertise and separation. The examples the… -
The toothless monster
3 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amSpeaking of fear, just recently something exceptional just happened to me: I had the absolutely worst fundraising meeting I’ve had since starting my job at Acumen Fund three years ago. It’s not worth going into the specifics…suffice it to say it was unpleasant and transactional in the worst way. Paint your worst picture of what a fundraising meeting could be, and that was this meeting. I admit, I was a little shaken for a little while. I had to vent some to a couple of folks to clear the air. And then, almost right away, it was done. The feeling was gone, the meeting was in… -
Damn handstands
2 Feb 2010 | 2:00 amDoug Swenson I recently went to a two-and-a-half hour yoga workshop with Doug Swenson. Doug teaches Ashtanga yoga, a style I don’t normally practice, and the workshop was pretty advanced. On top of that, with a busy life and two young kids, my own yoga practice has become intermittent. So maybe I’d have been better off going to a regular class, but there I was. And by about 10 minutes into the workshop, it was clear that about half the students were very regular / advanced practitioners: handstands and crazy balances and strength, flexibility and grace abounded. And so began a…
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The World Affairs Blog Network
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*Doing* - When it Matters Most
25 Jan 2010 | 3:53 pmWhat is the human instinct when tragedy strikes outside of your immediate circle? (I use the term ‘circle’ quite loosely and encourage self definition). For the past two weeks, I’ve been in keen observation mode. Watching Anderson Cooper on CNN, reading various and varied thoughts on Haiti in my Google Reader, and monitoring the various fundraising and support initiatives taking place. I’ve listened to stories of miracles, of heartbreak, of flight and of entrenched resolve to rebuild. In my work and at home, I’ve heard comments ranging from “we… -
Aid, Microfinance & the Stories We Tell
7 Jan 2010 | 12:59 pmHalfway through Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid, I find myself with many of the same thoughts that plagued me during my graduate studies - how could so many smart people get this so entirely wrong? Regardless of whether you agree with the intensity of Moyo’s criticism, you will find your head nodding along at some point. You will remember the stories of foreign aid through the decades - as though you are recalling the fashions of that time frame. Aid as reconstruction, aid as poverty alleviation, aid for good governance, and aid by celebrity. We create our realities through these… -
Philanthropy: 2009 In Review
17 Dec 2009 | 9:35 amOverview: Looking from both sides of the border, the state of the economy certainly stayed top of mind in the philanthropic sector. In the U.S., there was great energy as the administration opened the Office of Social Innovation and set aside $50 million for a fund in the same name. Yet, spirits were tempered as the actual use (and amount) of funds became foggy - and as non-profit organizations dealt with the real implications of the economy. In Canada, there were no sweeping federal changes to the Income Tax Act or charity law - even though many continue to call for these. … -
Are there philanthropic ethics?
4 Dec 2009 | 12:10 pmI last asked, “Will the West let Asia rise?” I was playing off a comment from Hans Rosling’s TED presentation - and was applying a similar notion to philanthropy and social innovation. Writing for Alliance, Olga Alexeeva turned my thesis around in her article “The Gucci bag of New Philanthropy” to ask: What if philanthropic tradition is set in the stone of centuries and only supports the status quo, and tradition is simply a justification for not changing anything, and not challenging current practices and approaches? Her perspective examines that Western… -
What will philanthropy look like in 2048?
25 Nov 2009 | 5:47 amReturning from two weeks in India - with my mind full of thoughts, I came across Hans Rosling’s video from Ted India. I adore how excited Rosling is about statistics (b/c I’m not), and think GapMinder is quite clever (b/c helps people like me to “get it”). Since my mind tends probe the non-Western experience, I was interested to hear him speak about the future of China and India. Watching his graph show the economic growth and life expectancy of these countries in the next 40 years had me asking the question - with new wealth, how does philanthropy evolve? History…
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High Impact Philanthropy
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Haiti Donations: Taxes and Texts (practical considerations for donors)
5 Feb 2010 | 12:55 pmActivities surrounding the Haiti earthquake remain one of the trending topics being covered by journalists since the news broke on January 12, 2010. In the first 24-72 hours after the news of the quake, there were multiple reports on the increase in text donations, specifically through the Red Cross fundraising campaign. (See also: Haiti: How Can I Help?). As donors from around the world continue to give, we focus today on two practical considerations for donors that we continue to hear about: Taxes and Texts. In Guidestar’s recent February newsletter, donors will find IRS information… -
Haiti: Focus on Children
3 Feb 2010 | 2:47 pmIn our earlier posts, we discussed the various steps in the transition from immediate relief to recovery to longer-term impact (See: Haiti: “Cutting Through the Noise” and Haiti: Jumpstarting the Recovery). For any donor concerned with addressing immediate suffering while also keeping an eye on Haiti’s longer term development, understanding the needs of Haiti’s children is key. In the immediate period following emergencies, the physical safety and psychological health of children are paramount. Veterans of disaster relief know all too well that children are vulnerable;… -
Weekend Wrap-up: Haiti Responses, Center Updates, and Upcoming Events
29 Jan 2010 | 1:13 pmResponses to our guidance on Haiti Thanks to our readers for their comments on our posts on Haiti. We hope that you will continue to engage and exchange information as events there unfold. Please refer to the right-hand column on this blog, labeled “MOST RECENT” to view the latest information we have gathered on the situation over the past two weeks. You can also search the tag “Haiti” for all related links on this blog. Here’s a quick round-up of articles this week that link back to our blog: Haiti Inspires New Givers — Will Those in Philanthropy’s… -
Haiti and Katrina: Differences donors should know
27 Jan 2010 | 2:11 pmFor 2 weeks, our team has seen a strong desire by some to compare the earthquake in Haiti to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In some ways, this is understandable. Particularly for people in the United States, Hurricane Katrina is the closest they can come to understanding what has happened in Haiti. Then we read an op-ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal entitled Haiti: Obama’s Katrina and realized just how deep – and potentially unhelpful – that comparison can be for those trying to understand how best to respond. Yes, both were natural disasters where lives were tragically lost… -
Haiti: Jump Starting the Recovery with Solutions for the Long Term
25 Jan 2010 | 12:20 pmAs we write this post, government officials and international groups are meeting in Montreal to discuss “long-term reconstruction and arrangement for a donor conference to be held in March.” There is no need to wait. Philanthropists can support evidence-based programs that are underway right now in Haiti addressing immediate needs while building capacity on the ground for the long term. Rationale: Common sense, experience from other disasters (e.g. Aceh tsunami), and research all point to the same thing. Involve communities in their own recovery, rather than relying on outside…
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New Voices of Philanthropy
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Know What You Want (and then ask for it)
7 Feb 2010 | 6:22 pmJust a head’s up: this post is a rant cleverly (or not so cleverly) disguised as a helpful professional development blog post. I have been to too many meetings, informational coffees, and phone conferences in the last few months where someone has asked to meet or talk with me, probably for a very specific reason, and I have left the conversation being really unclear about what they want me to be, think, or do. Did they want a grant from Headwaters? Maybe. Were they looking for a new position and wanted some advice? Possibly. Did they want me to buy into their nutrient drink pyramid… -
I’m done being busy
31 Jan 2010 | 6:49 pmI have a good friend who really wanted a job in philanthropy. When she finally got a position in philanthropy she promised that she wouldn’t be like other Program Officer and constantly complain about how busy she was. She reasoned that this was the job that she wanted, busyness shouldn’t be an issue. A few minutes after she told me this, I asked her how work was going. She sighed and said “busy”. There are many, many reasons why foundation staff are so busy, but I think that most of those reasons can be boiled down into a few self-created reasons. We don’t… -
Encouraging Charitable Efficiencies
24 Jan 2010 | 4:39 pmEllen Friedman, VP at Tides wrote a recent post at the Huffington Post asking that individuals find alternatives to starting new nonprofits. From Ellen: The nonprofit sector is a sector of innovation, creativity, and people working for the common good. More than 14 million Americans – 11 percent of American workers – are employed by or volunteer full-time in the nonprofit sector; more than the financial industry and the auto industry combined. In a recent article entitled, “Charities Rise, Costing U.S. Billions in Tax Breaks,” Stephanie Strom of the New York Times… -
Being Better When They Need It Most
15 Jan 2010 | 8:55 amBelow is a post from Mary Galeti, who is a fellow member of the Council on Foundations’ Next Generation Task Force. I know all of us have beenaffected by the images coming from Haiti and the unimaginable need that is coming from our neighbor. These are the times where philanthropy needs to be at its best to alliviate sugffering and help Haiti develop a better future out of this tragedy. From Mary: I have been rapt by the devastating images coming out of Haiti. What I have found particularly interesting is the outpouring of support—not only on television, but also on Facebook and… -
Where will the money come from?
13 Jan 2010 | 9:14 amMany of us find our way into philanthropy because we want to be on the “resource side” of social change – to help get money to where it needs to go. And foundations certainly control a lot of money – The Foundation Center reports total giving in 2007 reached almost $43 billion. But once we start doing this work, it can feel like our grant budgets are never big enough, especially in today’s context. We’re deep in an economic crisis where 50 million Americans are living in poverty. Communities face tremendous need while at the same time foundation giving has declined. Even those…
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Blog for Change
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Meet The Changemakers
13 Jan 2010 | 4:48 amToday we are excited to announce the launch of Changemakers on Change.org! For the past three months, more than 100,000 Change.org members have participated in nominating and voting for the leaders who they feel best personify a Changemaker, resulting in a remarkable network of people. For those of you who haven’t been following along at home, [...] -
Change.org Welcomes Five New Faces
8 Jan 2010 | 5:42 pmWe’re a pretty eclectic bunch over here at Change.org. Some of us write haiku, others enjoy communicating in emoticons – but one thing that brings us all together is our desire to make the world a better place. So naturally, when we find others who share this desire and want to join our team, we [...] -
Change.org’s Predictions for the New Decade
3 Jan 2010 | 2:44 amIt’s a new year and a new decade, and there’s no better time to take a look toward the future of social change. What will be the defining moments of 2010, and what victories might we be celebrating come 2020? Will this be the decade that the world finally sees a vaccine for HIV or a [...] -
Change.org’s 2009 Year in Review
31 Dec 2009 | 3:14 pmIn a few hours, it’ll be out with the old and in with the new as we welcome the start of a new year, filled with new opportunities to create change. But, before we put on our party hats and launch into a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne, we wanted to take a look [...] -
Top 10 Victories on Change.org in 2009
28 Dec 2009 | 1:07 pm2009 was a year in which the Change.org community emerged as a powerful force for social change. Our rapidly growing community of more than 1 million activists won dozens of campaigns over the past year, successfully pressuring multi-billion dollar companies to adopt more responsible and non-discriminatory practices, convincing federal departments to change outdated policies, and impacting [...]
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In Search of Sanuk
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Helping Nu Nu Help the Kids
8 Feb 2010 | 7:00 pmThis week, we’re featuring a special post by Chris Castellani. For a while now Chris has has a playing a big role in ISOS as the coordinator of the Sanuk My Saturday program. Expect to hear more from her and enjoy this week as she recounts her journey to the edge of a refugee camp near the Thai-Burmese border. Our journey started from Bangkok with an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, a short flight from there to Mae Hong Song, and finally a sangthaew (think taxi meets the pickup truck) ride to Na Soi, approximately 40 kilometers away. In the calm, scenic hills of Na Soi lies the Na Soi… -
Big Fish Saturday [Photo Blog]
4 Feb 2010 | 9:43 amHere are photos from a recent Sanuk My Saturday where we had all the children and volunteers help us assemble and color Big Fish books (go to the original blog post to see all the photos). Being a Big Fish is similar to being a big brother or sister. I’m excited to share pictures of our little fish and many of the big fish who came out to help. We finished the day together by taking the little fish swimming. Remember to get your copy of Big Fish by donating $10 or more. Your donations will help us as we expand to a new classroom this month. Enjoy the pictures. Next week we’ll be… -
My New Classroom
25 Jan 2010 | 8:49 pmWelcome to my new classroom. This is a part of Bangkok called Yommarat. The community stretches along the railroad tracks for 3km or more. Like most of the slums and poor communities in this sprawling city, it’s only minutes from major shopping districts and tourist attractions. Occasionally, you do see a drifting foreigner stand at the street and peer curiously into this community. But there’s no welcome sign here. No access by car. And an attentive group of residents I like to refer to as the Neighborhood Watch. Unlike the first location, here we don’t have the privilege… -
Children’s Day in Thailand & Big Fish
19 Jan 2010 | 7:30 pmEvery second Saturday in January is Thailand’s Children’s Day. I started the day early by rounding up volunteers and helping take donations (a heap of toys, clothes, and snacks) to the Bangkok School for the Blind. In the photo below you can see that when we combined what we had with all the things other volunteers brought along, there was a great deal to share with the children. There we joined the Little Light Project by playing games, snacking, singing and dancing together. The next photo is with a student named Daw, expressing her gratitude to everyone who participated. On… -
Volunteers, Urban Gardens, the Homeless & Other Sky High Goals for 2010
12 Jan 2010 | 1:49 am“Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.” -Paul Hawken Contemplating what’s been accomplished is difficult to do without being honest about what’s still to be done. Some of last year’s challenges are still ambitious goals this year. I’ll update you on my vision for the year and invite you to comment and offer suggestions. The changes are a result of the goals I’ve set after becoming more mature about my scale and focus in the last year. [Pioneering…
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Asian Philanthropy Forum
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COF: 2010 Family Philanthropy Conference
6 Feb 2010 | 3:29 pmLast week, over 482 individuals participated in the Council on Foundation's Family Philanthropy Conference in San Diego. A majority of the participants were board members or trustees of family foundations in the U.S. The sessions were diverse and included basics such as Foundation Governance and Management Boot Camp to thought provoking sessions such as, What Would Google Do in Philanthropy? A group of participants blogged about the conference on RE: Philanthropy.The breakfast plenary session, Catalytic Philanthropy was the most interesting for me. The session was based on Mark… -
U.S. - Vietnamese Social Networks
4 Feb 2010 | 8:04 am- Dien S YuenJames H. Bao, co-founder of the OneVietnam Network generated a list of US Vietnamese Social Networks on their blog, Vietnam Talking Points. James found five networks and he provides a summary of their work. Please visit their blog to learn more. In particular, James writes:Of the networks I've found, only two came out to be true social network by today's definitions: Viet Circle and Vietmee.com. The rest are better categorizes as community blogs or forums. Of the bunch, Viet Circle offers the most familiar social networking experience. Yet, the site tries to do too… -
Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh, Indian American physician, philanthropist and publisher
30 Jan 2010 | 8:36 pmDr. Sudhir M. Parikh, Indian American physician, philanthropist and publisher is named as a recipient of the 2010 Padma Shri Award. The Indian government grants this award to distinguished Indians and people of Indian origin for their contribution in various spheres of activity including the arts, education, industry, literature, science, sports, medicine, social service and public life. The award will be presented b President Pratibha Patil at a ceremony in New Delhi in March.Dr. Parikh is a 59 year old native of Gujarat. He set up his private medical practice in Hoboken, New Jersey in… -
Asians share thoughts on Haiti disaster and relief efforts
30 Jan 2010 | 7:15 pmSeveral Asians chime in on the Haiti disaster relief and recovery efforts:Don't Give Money to Haiti Now. Perla Ni, founder of Great Nonprofits, writes on Stanford Social Innovation Review: If there is any lesson to be learned about how to donate to international disasters, it is this: Don't give your money when you first see the disaster splashed across TV. To ensure the rebuilding effort survives over the long term, donors need to stagger their funding and guarantee it over many years, instead of sending the money all at once. Yes, as hard as it may be to watch the dying and… -
Upcoming conferences and events (01/29/10)
29 Jan 2010 | 7:46 pm- Dien S YuenSeveral interesting conferences and events are happening this year that I thought you would like to hear about. Below are the conferences that I have tentatively scheduled on my calendar and those that I wish I could go to.If you are attending any interesting conferences or events this year and would like to blog about it, please let us know!These are the conferences I will be at. If you are going to any of these, please let me know. It would be great to meet up!Council on Foundations, Family Philanthropy Conference, Jan 31 - Feb 2, San Diego, CACommittee of 100, Annual…
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What Do You Stand For
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Where Did All the Cause Ads Go?
7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmEvery year, we watch the Super Bowl with great expectations for cause marketing, which has become more prominent in the sought-after advertising spots. Although Pepsi received much of the pre-Super Bowl advertising buzz for not buying spots and instead investing in its cause program, the Cone team felt disappointed there weren't more cause efforts during the big game. Check out the video below to hear what they had to say: -
Go Red or Go Home
4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmThe country is awash in red today as millions support the fight against heart disease by uniting for National Wear Red Day. This icon day is a cornerstone event of the American Heart Associations (Cone client) year-round Go Red For Women initiative and has helped raise millions of dollars - and supporters - for the cause. The Cone team goes red for National Wear Red Day 2010 Go Red For Women has transformed the issue of heart disease - the number one killer of women in America to be more approachable and engaging through a multi-faceted program. Todays sweeping support of… -
The Race is on to Catch Foursquare Enter CauseWorld
1 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pmGeolocation apps for mobile devices are one of the rising social media trends du jour and Foursquare is the undisputed leader of the pack. But Shopkicks latest free iPhone app, CauseWorld, delivers geolocation technology with a philanthropic twist - it allows users to make charitable contributions just by walking into stores. Launched in December of 2009, CauseWorld works in the same way as apps like Foursquare and Gowalla. Using geolocation, the app will show the user a list of nearby participating stores. The user enters the store, checks in on their phone, and earns karma no purchase… -
Rising to the Transparency Challenge
28 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pmTransparency is a critical issue for corporate leaders, one that separates the compliers from the leaders in corporate responsibility reporting. It is a difficult aspect to measure, but Corporate Knights has tried to do just that with a new and improved release of its annual study, The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. The Corporate Knights added a unique measure this year, called a Transparency Indicator. The number quantifies how easy it was to find information for the 10 other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), therefore indicating the level of disclosure… -
Practical Tips for Selling Cause Partnerships to Corporate Sponsors
25 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pmCause sponsorship remains the fastest-growing slice of the sponsorship pie, projected to grow 6.1% in 2010, according to IEG. As a nonprofit, finding the support to keep your organization growing is more crucial than ever. No matter your size, now is an ideal time to tap into the power of cause marketing by aligning your organization with like-minded companies who see the strategic value of association with a cause. Here are a few tips for getting started on your selling journey: Create guidelines. While corporate partnerships are a proven method to grow revenue, expand relevance and…
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Travelanthropist
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Take Our Readers Poll on Volunteer Travel
8 Feb 2010 | 9:56 amWe want to hear from you! Give us your thoughts on philanthropic and volunteer travel. Would you like volunteering to be part of trip or entire trip? Where would you like to travel to? Have you taken a philanthropic or volunteer trip? -
What to Do About the “Slum Tours” Controversy
5 Feb 2010 | 10:42 amThe growing popularity of “slum tours” has prompted media coverage and debates. We did a post, “Poverty Tours: Good or Bad?” exploring some of the questions last July. Topics about the poor or disadvantaged in relations to the wealthy and advantaged often trigger heated opinions. Debate is good because it brings issues to the forefront and is productive if the underlying desire is for betterment rather than being right. Critics of slum tours have long argued that tourists visiting the slums exploit and violate the dignity of slum dwellers. While supporters of ... -
Clean the World Saves Soap, Saves Lives
3 Feb 2010 | 7:29 amTravelers are all too familiar with leaving behind half-used hotel shampoos and soaps after a hotel stay. Ever wonder “what happens to the reduced bar of soap and unused portion of shampoo at a hotel when a guest is done using it?” Do they go anywhere beside the trash? Could some good come from the leftover hotel soaps? Clean the World (CTW), a non-profit, charitable organization founded in March 2009, has come up with a savvy social responsibility solution to left-over hotel toiletries. Its operating model is all about sustainability and ... -
How to Pick a Good Volunteer Travel Company
1 Feb 2010 | 9:16 amOne of the most common questions from would-be volunteer travelers is how to select a good volunteer travel company. Selecting the company or program is really a mix of lots of good information gathering and a degree of gut instincts. Asking good questions is one of the best ways to assess the credibility of an organization. You will want to start with general questions about the organization and then focus on the specific programs you are considering. These 15 questions would give you a good understanding of the organization and its operating ... -
Weekly Radar: News & Stories Around the Web
31 Jan 2010 | 2:17 pmWe’ve rounded up some interesting news and stories around the Web this week: The Era of the "Transforcation" (The Wall Street Journal) Extreme Weather Shuts Down Machu Picchu (Matador) Online Travel Agencies Step Up Efforts to Promote Green Hotels (Green Lodging News) Tourism Group Criticizes Royal Carribean for Resuming Cruise Calls in Haiti (USA Today) Intrepid Travel Group Among Stranded Tourist in Machu Picchu (Travel Weekly) How to Find the Perfect Family Vacation (terracurve) How to Travel Safely in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories (Matador)
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Being the Change I Wish to See
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Ugandan kill-the-gays bill part 8: Rick Warren forced to oppose Ugandan bill
30 Jan 2010 | 1:52 amThis article is part 8 in a multi-part series about the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill of 2009, better known as the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill. The first 7 articles can be accessed at the following links:Part 1: Born in the USAPart 2: Horrific DetailsPart 3: American Silence is Deafening Part 4: HIV-AIDS Statistics in UgandaPart 5: State Dept Must Make US Policy ClearPart 6: Richard Cohen and debunking gay curePart 7: Evangelicals were for it before they were against itPastor Rick Warren finally spoke out against the kill-the-gays bill on December 10, 2009 (8 min.):Senators James Inhofe and… -
Earthquake in Haiti, January 12, 2010
16 Jan 2010 | 12:28 amVisit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyAs most of you have heard by now, a 7.0 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti and has devastated the city. Presently, 140,000 are estimated to be dead. That number may increase over the weekend, as of Friday night at just before 5 p.m. 72 hours had passed. While there is still hope for those trapped, 72 hours is the critical point where people need to be rescued and the rest need to get food, water, medical care and temporary shelter to stay alive.Many supplies have reached the airport. Now that transport and… -
Ugandan kill-the-gays bill part 7: Evangelicals were for it before they were against it
15 Jan 2010 | 1:32 amThis article is part 7 in a multi-part series about the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill of 2009, better known as the Ugandan kill-the-gays bill. The first 6 articles can be accessed at the following links:Part 1: Born in the USAPart 2: Horrific DetailsPart 3: American Silence is Deafening Part 4: HIV-AIDS Statistics in UgandaPart 5: State Dept Must Make US Policy ClearPart 6: Richard Cohen and debunking gay cureUganda is severely homophobic. They see homosexuality and the “International Gay Agenda” as a major cause of disrupting traditional family values and life in their country.
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Change Your Life
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You Can’t Force Other People to Change – But You Can Help Them
9 Feb 2010 | 4:30 amPhoto by Amir K. By Ali Hale Do you have a teen who just won’t get off his backside and do anything? Is your brother deeply in debt? Have you got a friend whose romantic life is a series of disasters which she never seems to learn from? Are your parents severely overweight? Is your partner a smoker? The chances are, there’s someone in your life who you believe is in need of change … but they’re not making any progress. If you’ve devoted yourself to change, perhaps making great strides in your personal and professional life, then it can be frustrating to see others – friends… -
Want To Change Your Life? Travel. Or Don’t.
4 Feb 2010 | 6:13 amPhoto by Andy C By Nathalie Lussier We often hear of people traveling across the world and experiencing profound life changing epiphanies. Well I’m here to tell you that’s not how it happens. Sure traveling around the world will change your life, but not exactly in the way you expect it to. At this time last year my boyfriend Robin and I were just two travelers visiting East Asian countries like China, Korea, and Singapore. We considered ourselves to be independent, non-confirmist souls. We had all these notions of inner change taking place. Or at least I did. Nathalie at the… -
How to Build the Confidence Habit
25 Jan 2010 | 5:00 amPhoto by Andy C By Mark Harrison “If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh We are all beset with doubts sometimes. Even the most self-assured and successful people can be unsure of themselves. Some people are clearly more confident than others, though. To what extent this is ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ is unclear, though I suspect that ‘nurture’ has a lot to do with it. I’ve seen my own confidence wax and wane over the years, and external factors have certainly played… -
Reactionary or Revolutionary: What’s Your Attitude to Change – And Is It Holding You Back?
21 Jan 2010 | 4:00 amPhoto by h.koppdelaney By Ali Hale Broadly speaking, there are two political outlooks on change. Reactionaries see change as a bad thing, something to be treated with caution. Revolutionaries celebrate and embrace change. Take, for instance, attitudes towards the rapid changes in society due to technology. A reactionary would voice concerns about children playing video games, about the short attention spans caused by the internet, and about security and privacy risks. A revolutionary would talk about the new possibilities created – new ways of working, new art forms, and new connections… -
Signs of Aging
18 Jan 2010 | 5:35 amPhoto by jonrawlinson By CA Mobley My recent birthday gave me ample opportunity to reflect, as I always do, on my life thus far and what the forthcoming year means to me. As a woman I’ve become very aware of how our society puts an extreme amount of emphasis on aging as a marketing tool for beauty products (most of which are completely unnecessary and useless- but they smell good and look pretty!) I find it fascinating how aggressive the marketing is aimed at being anything other than your age. Specifically if you’re a woman over 40- that is the target demo. Those are the ones to…
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Charitable Gift Giving Blog
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Flowers for Valentine’s Day 2010
8 Feb 2010 | 8:47 pmValentine’s Day 2010 is Sunday February 14, coming up quicker than you think! It’s not too early to order your Valentine’s Day flowers. Here are some great deals from the top online flower sellers that go to help a great cause. This year, 1-800-Flowers has teamed up with 15 year-old Canadian pop phenom Justin Bieber to sell the Justin Bieber Bouquet. Justin gives one of these bouquets to one fan at each of his concerts. They’re made up of rare “red intuition” roses, not your ordinary bouquet of roses with its unique deep red streaks, swirling pattern and… -
Nail Care Products for Men
5 Feb 2010 | 8:42 pmThere are umpteen pink products which support breast cancer research and support, of course, but Anthony Logistics has introduced a line of products to help men with prostate cancer. Anthony Logistics For Men: The Tool Kit is a handy set of essentials for keeping your nails in great shape. It contains a nail file, tweezers, nail clippers, and grooming scissors, all made of stainless steel. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this product is donated to prostate cancer research.. -
Protect your child with this cover up providing 40+ UPF (Ultraviolet Protection)
2 Feb 2010 | 8:24 pmThis Terry Cover Up is an outfit for your child that provides sun protection with UPF of 40+ (by the way, UPF stands for “ultraviolet protection factor”). They say that the most important time to protect skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays is during childhood. Most light clothing only provides UPF protection of around 5. The makers of this cover up, Cabana Life, offer an entire line of clothing that blocks out the bulk of harmful rays from the sun. Plus, it’s absolutely adorable. Cabana Life donates some of its proceeds to help organizations like The Skin… -
City Map Plates
30 Jan 2010 | 8:52 pmCity Plates are beautiful dishes which are as beautiful as they are useful. They’re porcelain plates featuring a downtown area of a major city printed on a black background. Cities available are Chicago, Berlin, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Washington D.C.If you purchase the New Orleans plate, 15% of proceeds will go to recovery and rebuilding of 1300 acres of city parks which were damaged. -
Southern Gospel Cookbook
27 Jan 2010 | 8:39 pmTwo of the greatest joys in the world are Southern Gospel Music and Southern Cooking. The Southern Gospel Music Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from More Than 100 Gospel Music Performers combines both of them.The book contains a brief history of Southern Gospel Music, and then goes right into the recipes for appetizers, drinks, soups, salads, breads, entrees, side dishes, breakfasts, and of course desserts. Each recipe is from a familiar name in the Southern Gospel community, from Alfred Brumley to Anthony Burger to The Cathedrals to the Gaithers to a hundred others. The recipes are wonderfully…
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The GiveWell Blog
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Economic empowerment grants awarded
5 Feb 2010 | 9:14 amWe have completed the process of allocating $250,000 in grants for economic empowerment organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. 49 organizations applied for our grant, out of 157 invited. From these, we felt that two stood out in making a strong, evidence-based case that they are improving the financial situations of low-income people in the developing world. We have awarded $125,000 to each. The Village Enterprise Fund is a microenterprise organization providing cash grants as well as business training and mentoring services to extremely poor business owners in rural Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. -
Haiti “room for more funding” at the organization level: not enough information
4 Feb 2010 | 5:39 pmIn a previous post, we asked whether Haiti earthquake relief has “room for more funding” and concluded that, in general, it isn’t clear. (For more on the general topic of “room for more funding,” see our 5-post series on the topic.) Of course, it probably makes a big difference which organization we’re talking about. We’ve seen a lot of different charities soliciting funds in the context of the Haiti earthquake, and some of them may have greater abilities than others to translate funding into relief assistance. The problem for donors is that by and… -
Does Haiti earthquake relief have room for more funding?
1 Feb 2010 | 9:15 amDonors have given more than $560 million to charities “to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.” How much of that money has funded/will fund earthquake relief efforts in Haiti? How much should? Money isn’t the only thing needed to deliver relief Reports from the relief effort have stressed logistical challenges, such as blocked roads and limited access for planes and boats. See, for example, this interview on Reuters AlertNet from the 18th: ” The capacity of the Port-au-Prince airport is about to be increased but it is still a small airport. It’s very… -
Haiti earthquake relief seems less cost-effective than everyday international aid
29 Jan 2010 | 7:25 amThe disaster in Haiti - and the media coverage of it - pull at the emotions in a way that everyday suffering in the developing world does not. However, our rough calculations suggest that in fact, a donor can have a bigger impact for less money by funding top charities’ everyday activities to reduce unnecessary death and debilitation. We estimate a “generous” cost-effectiveness figure for a donation to Haiti is by considering (a) the total amount given and (b) the total number of people affected by the disaster. Total amount given: It’s hard to find definitive figures… -
Can choosing the right charity double your impact?
28 Jan 2010 | 12:11 pmReader Evan writes: I’ve been thinking about how best to donate to Haiti, and I reviewed some of the materials on your website and found them pretty helpful and persuasive. So thank you! But then my law firm announced that it would match donations to the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders. Given that, I think I have to donate to one of those orgs: even if my money would probably be better spent elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine that it would be more than twice as well spent. Do you disagree? My intuition here is different than Evan’s. My guess would be that giving to one of…
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Asian American Giving
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Asian Americans encouraged to apply! 02/08/01
8 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amThe San Francisco Foundation is accepting applications for the 2010-2012 Multicultural Fellowship in Arts and Culture, Education and Environment Program areas. The program aims to increase diversity in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. The Program provides young professionals of color with challenging work experiences and leadership opportunities in the areas of grantmaking and community building. The Fellowship includes an intensive curriculum, individual coaching, mentorship, access to local service sector leaders, and countless opportunities to build a professional network. -
Finding solutions: What tourists won't see in San Francisco's Chinatown
6 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amOn the streets of Chinatown and North Beach in San Francisco, tourists walk by shops and restaurants. But on top of these restaurants and shops and in-between alleys where few tourists venture are single room occupancy hotels (SROs) where families live. Families live in small 10x10 rooms and share a common bathroom and kitchen. Many seniors live in these spaces and are often easy targets of abuse and coercion, with limited access to resources and assistance.In response to the rising needs of those living in SROs, the SRO Families United Collaborative was formed. The Collaborative is a… -
U.S. - Vietnamese Social Networks
4 Feb 2010 | 12:40 am- Dien S YuenJames H. Bao, co-founder of the OneVietnam Network generated a list of US Vietnamese Social Networks on their blog, Vietnam Talking Points. James found five networks and he provides a summary of their work. Please visit their blog to learn more. In particular, James writes:Of the networks I've found, only two came out to be true social network by today's definitions: Viet Circle and Vietmee.com. The rest are better categorizes as community blogs or forums. Of the bunch, Viet Circle offers the most familiar social networking experience. Yet, the site tries to do too much… -
Supporting internationally focused families
3 Feb 2010 | 7:57 pmThere were several of us blogging from the Council on Foundation's Family Philanthropy Conference in San Diego. You can follow the conversation on COF's blog, RE: Philanthropy, What Matters Now. My second post: Supporting internationally-focused familiesThe families I’ve spoken to at the conference support diverse projects overseas: from children and women to environmental issues. But many jump from project to project without clear long-term goals—for example, supporting initiatives around clean water in Bangladesh to micro-finance in Uganda. The financial support ranges from a $50 gift… -
Korean American Community Foundation: grants available for 2010, apply now!
1 Feb 2010 | 11:51 amThe Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) was founded in 2002 with the vision of strengthening the lives of individuals and families in the Korean American community and beyond. KACF funds organizations and programs within the greater metropolitan New York area that are focused on helping individuals and families become self-sufficient. The Foundation prioritizes programs that are addressing the critical needs of underserved and under-resourced communities, particularly low-income individuals and families; immigrants; individuals with disabilities and their families; survivors of…
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Elephantbeans
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The Love Police
9 Feb 2010 | 6:25 am“This is The Love Police and I will be checking your smiles in a second” LoL… -
Are you right brain or left brain?
25 Jan 2010 | 4:22 am… Or can you switch? -
Yoga, Inc. For Free (online)
13 Jan 2010 | 4:06 pmvia Yoga, Inc. – Watch the Documentary Film for Free – SnagFilms. click to view From the snagfilms website: (2007) 58 min The documentary that asks whether yoga can survive Big Business with its good karma intact Yoga has transformed from an ancient spiritual practice into a competitive, commercialized, multi-million dollar industry. And for a practice rooted in renunciation, yoga sure is making some people very rich. Can yoga survive this war between the sacred and the profane with its good karma intact? Esak Garcia is a star on the burgeoning competitive yoga circuit, racking up… -
The Yoga Show: Eddie Stern on Martha Stewart
12 Jan 2010 | 11:37 amwatch it! -
2nd Annual Valentine’s Day Gooey NYC Yoga Classes for Couples and Stuff
30 Dec 2009 | 3:23 amKnow of an event? Please comment below. Saturday, February 13th 8-10 pm Valentine’s Couples Massage Workshop with Nancy $65 per couple Join us for one of our most popular workshops! Senior Lotus teacher and massage therapist Nancy Elkes will guide you through this amazing workshop where you will learn how to share your love with one another through the power of touch. Wear loose comfy clothing for some yoga fun stuff and please bring lotion rather than oil. (No lavender please). laughing lotus Valentine Couples Workshop with Mary Aranas Melt into bliss with your partner, be it a…
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The Adsideologist
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Spectrum Logic
8 Feb 2010 | 6:33 pmThe visual representation of information is critical for both learning and teaching. To put something on paper and organize the information as to make visual sense – in words, lines, colors, and curves – is to recognize some understanding and to create a basis for new insight and discovery. Logic is the study of reasoning, the systematic approach to reaching a conclusion, or the examination of competing arguments with regards to a central issue or question. Logic can be broken down into deductive and inductive reasoning, one drawing conclusions from specific examples and the other… -
Brain And Gut Purchases, Cars Included
31 Jan 2010 | 5:40 pmThere are some self-propelled feelings that are in a world of their own: accepting a new job offer, graduating from school, winning an intramural championship, and the first drive in a new car (among others). By self-propelled, I mean that they take a lot of individual effort (in addition to that of several friends, teammates, colleagues, and family members) to make happen. In more obvious words, it’s the toughest goals that feel best when attained. With that, buying a car is NOT EASY. It takes a lot of time to research, compare, test drive, communicate with dealers/sellers, and work… -
On Dreams And Dreaming
28 Jan 2010 | 6:46 am“Dreams are nature’s answering service – don’t forget to pick up your messages once in a while.” – Sarah Crestinn Of all the things that affect humans on a near-daily basis, how many remain as mystical as dreaming? The nature and purpose of dreams have been debated since the beginning, and yet, we still have no conclusion or consensus. In his published essay on Enron (and now in his book What The Dog Saw), Malcolm Gladwell makes reference to National Security expert Greg Treverton’s famous distinction between puzzles and mysteries. Mysteries do not… -
The Power of Anticipation
25 Jan 2010 | 6:32 amIn today’s society, gaining an inch can be like gaining a mile. Soccer takes a lot of skill and athleticism. You need to be able to dribble, pass, shoot, tackle, communicate, see, sprint, etc. But as I’ve stated before (“mind bend it like beckham” – 2/11/2009) it’s just as much a mental game as it is a physical one. You need to think like your opponent and play somewhat of a guessing game, connecting dots before there’s any visible relationship between them. You need to forecast outcomes, intellectually seeing into the future guided by the data… -
All About The Number 100
14 Jan 2010 | 9:53 amIn celebration of my 100th post coming earlier this week, I figured I would discuss the number 100!!! I know, what a way to celebrate… Applications The number of yards in a football field. The minimum number of yards for a par 3 hole in golf. The number of years in a century. The number of cents in a dollar (or pence in a pound sterling) The boiling temperature of water at sea level, in Celsius. The atomic number of fermium which is made by blasting plutonium with neutrons (named after the great nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi). The number of senators in the United States Senate. The…
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Kiva Loans
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Genoveva : Peru
9 Feb 2010 | 8:40 am$25 of $350 raised. Started raising funds on Feb 9, 2010 Genoveva is an associate of the Sonrisa (smile) Communal Bank. Genoveva is a single woman. She is 50 years old and has 3 children. Genoveva has a restaurant called Miski Mikuy, which means Rich Food in Quechua. She runs her restaurant every day and relies on 2 people that work with her. Genoveva needs a loan of 1000 soles, money that will be invested in the purchase of an oven. The dream of Genoveva is to finish building her house. Translated from Spanish by Barbara (B) Brown, Kiva Volunteer -
Esi : Ghana
9 Feb 2010 | 8:40 am$50 of $500 raised. Started raising funds on Feb 9, 2010 Esi is fifty-two years old. She is married and has given birth to six children, and three of them are pursuing education at the primary and junior high school levels. She is a petty trader. She sells smoked fish in the local market square. She obtains her supply from big-time fishmongers and retails the fish to her customers. She has been in business for about eight years. She distributes her fish to food vendors and households. She is requesting a loan to buy fish in bulk so that she can cut down on cost, as in frequent trips to… -
Comfort : Ghana
9 Feb 2010 | 8:40 am$0 of $700 raised. Started raising funds on Feb 9, 2010 On top of being an entrepreneur, Comfort, 32, takes care of her four kids. Currently, she has three of them attending school at primary and junior high school level. Comfort is hard-working and resourceful. She wants to make sure that she is financially able to support all of her children to the highest degree of education possible. She lives with her husband, a driver, and her children in a family house. She runs a grocery shop to help her husband provide for the family. She sells products like evaporated milk, candies, toiletries,… -
Vida : Ghana
9 Feb 2010 | 8:40 am$25 of $575 raised. Started raising funds on Feb 9, 2010 Vida is forty-seven years old. She is married and has given birth to three children. Her children are currently studying in primary and junior high school levels. She lives with her family in a family house. Vida works hard to help her husband to provide for the family. She wants to make sure she is financially able to support all her children through quality education. Vida sells foodstuffs. She sells plantains, cassava, yams, etc., on a tabletop by the roadside. She buys her goods from the farmers in the surrounding villages. She has… -
Luisa : Peru
9 Feb 2010 | 8:30 am$425 of $525 raised. Started raising funds on Feb 9, 2010 Luisa is 36 years old. She is married and the mother of a small son, who is her great motivation. Thanks to the work of her husband and herself, they managed to earn the money necessary to have their own house, where they live today. But at present, Luisa is having a bad time, due to the abandonment of her husband and perhaps that has caused the defiance of her son. In spite of this, she knows that she has to confront this situation with a lot of patience and knowledge, since she is now the only pillar of the home. For 16 years she has…
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Vital Voices Blog
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First Female President Elected in Costa Rica
8 Feb 2010 | 11:01 amOn February 8, Laura Chinchilla was declared winner in the presidential election in Costa Rica, becoming the first female president of the nation and the fifth in Latin America. Winning 47 percent of the votes counted, Chinchilla avoids a potential run-off. In her acceptance speech, Chinchilla said to the gathered crowd: “Thank you, Costa Rica. It’s [...] -
Secretary Clinton on Haiti at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast
6 Feb 2010 | 2:48 pmIn her keynote address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast on February 4, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about the current crisis in Haiti, where tent cities, “food lines and makeshift hospitals” are evidence of the urgent needs of millions of people. “When I think about the horrible catastrophe that has struck Haiti, I am [...] -
Vital Voices Honoree Kakenya Ntaiya Voted one of People of 2009 by One World
5 Feb 2010 | 10:23 amKakenya Ntaiya of Kenya, 2008 Rising Voices Award honoree and a valued member of the Vital Voices network, has been voted as one of the People of 2009 by One World, an online news service. Kakenya provides young girls an education through her Academy for Girls, the Kakenya Center for Excellence. One World was introduced to [...] -
International Violence Against Women Act Introduced to Congress
4 Feb 2010 | 2:06 pmOn February 4, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Ted Poe (R-TX) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) to both Houses of the 111th Congress. The bipartisan bill would authorize the development of a 5-year strategy to “reduce, prevent, and respond [...] -
Ambassador Louis CdeBaca on National Freedom Day
3 Feb 2010 | 6:17 amIn commemoration of National Freedom Day, Ambassador Louis CdeBaca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. State Department released a statement recognizing the courage of those around the world “whose pursuit of freedom was and continues to be unflagging.” On the anniversary of President Lincoln’s signing of the 13th [...]
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Live United Blog
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The State of the Economy
28 Jan 2010 | 12:14 pmWe’ve just posted the January edition of State of the Economy. This is a monthly publication that pulls together key economic developments both locally and nationally. It also includes the most recent data available about referrals made by United Way 2-1-1. A few highlights from our most recent issue: Both local and national unemployment rates remained steady in January at 10% (U.S.) and 7.4% (MN) respectively. Lender-mediated home sales averaged $124,000 in the Twin Cities in 2009 compared to $204,000 for traditional home sales. The Twin Cities’ housing inventory is down 22% from a year… -
The High Cost of Inequality
12 Jan 2010 | 12:22 pmIs inequality worse for us than poverty? That’s what Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argue, sometimes convincingly, in their book, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. Wilkinson and Pickett examine income inequality across 23 countries. (Income inequality is measured in many ways, but one typical measure is to compare the income of the richest 20% of the population to the income of the poorest 20% of the population.) In Japan, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, the richest 20% are about four times as rich as the poorest 20%. At the other end of the spectrum (i.e.,… -
Greed, Gardening and Gut Symmetries: 9 Books from 2009
7 Jan 2010 | 3:14 pmPhoto by mitikusa I finished my 2009 books-read list over the weekend—always a fun project. Here are 9 of my favorites from the year: Sabbath, by Wayne Muller. My favorite book of the year, hands down. This is a book I give reverence to, a book that I found grounding and wise with the occasional slap. Read this if you have many things going in your life and you sometimes feel like you don’t know up from down. Meltdown: The End of the Age of Greed, by Paul Mason. Read this if you’re looking for a better understanding of how the economic meltdown happened, or feel stupid because you still… -
Hot Off the Press!
29 Dec 2009 | 9:41 amQuarterly Economic Pulse December 2009 The most recent Quarterly Economic Pulse has just been published—local data about the economy and what that means and how it affects the nonprofit sector. The Pulse is a joint venture of Greater Twin Cities United Way and Twin Cities Compass, and this is our third issue (see previous issues here—you have to scroll down a little bit for the links). The good news: The economy is inching its way out of recession, reflected in Gross Domestic Product, employment figures, consumer confidence and the stock market. Key word: inching. The bad news: Because… -
Is College Making Us Dumb?
21 Dec 2009 | 11:08 amI’ve been reading Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work, by Matthew B. Crawford for the last couple of weeks, and I can’t remember the last time I felt so ambivalent about a book. (Okay, I checked and it was 2005—Cool Memories by Jean Baudrillard, which alternately infuriated and impressed me.) Shop Class as Soulcraft is having a similar effect. For example, passages like the following infuriate me: So now, if you go to a Toyota dealership to look at a Scion (their cheaper, youth-oriented brand), you get a brochure full of pictures of crazy custom Scions, and…
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Pamela Grow's Grantwriting Blog
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Social Media for Nonprofit – Re-thinking the Rules of Engagement
7 Feb 2010 | 11:15 amThis blog post came out of an impromptu phone conversation with marketing consultant, Rob Olic. The content was too good not to share. If you like it, let me know and I’ll get him to contribute again! Pam: Did you read my latest blog entry on engagement? Rob: Yes. Pam: What did you think? Rob: ((silence)) Pam: You didn’t like it. Rob: No, I really did like it. I found Aerin’s writing to be truly engaging and I think that’s what’s bothering me. Pam: Explain. Rob: Well, I was completely involved in reading her post…you might even say ‘engrossed’ and yet when I finished, it… -
Let’s Get Engaged, Honey
1 Feb 2010 | 7:26 pmLet’s just say it: engagement is a buzzword. I spent a few years in the educational publishing business, and it was a word I saw trotted out again and again, to describe every latest and every greatest. Engaging resources. Engage your students with this product. It’s all about engagement. After a while, a word loses it’s efficacy, particularly in a market where extremely similar products are being hawked to the same customer base, over and over again. And the unfortunate effect is that the problem these products tried to solve – lack of student engagement (or boredom), which is a… -
Don’t Give Me Gobbledegook …
29 Jan 2010 | 3:15 pmWith thanks to Hildy Gotlieb, I’d like to share this wonderful video. A good reminder to everyone who writes in the nonprofit arena. Social Bookmarking -
8 Biggest Grant Proposal Mistakes
26 Jan 2010 | 3:23 am1. Have you followed the grant application guidelines? When I worked for a grant-making foundation, you wouldn’t believe how many times my colleagues and I would look at each other with dropped jaws: “Did they even BOTHER to read the guidelines?” we would wonder. It’s truly astonishing how many organizations fail on this basic. They omit to include their 501c3 letter. Project budgets are left out. The audited financial report is missing. Here’s a tip: Take note of what is to be included and state it directly within the cover letter: In addition to our… -
My Theme for 2010 … Three Words?
15 Jan 2010 | 7:32 pmEvery year, I evaluate the year just passed. Did I meet my career goals? My health and fitness goals? Did I stick to my resolutions of the previous year? While, yes, I stuck to my fitness plan (for me that’s a no brainer. Exercise has been an integral part of my life for 20something years), I realized that I’d fallen off the diet wagon. No, I’m not talking about the latest fad diet – don’t believe in ‘em. But, I’m not twenty anymore and my days of eating pizza, cookies and burgers on a regular basis and counting on exercise to burn it off…
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SproutLaunch: Good Deeds to Encourage Kindness and Help Others. It Pays to Be Nice!
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Making the right choices for humanity
7 Feb 2010 | 5:46 amDo we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?Read this incredibly inspiring story posted by MMP Ventures Group. I am so thankful that this post was brought to my attention!!Making the right choices for humanityRead and enjoy :) -
AMVETS- Tons of Love
27 Jan 2010 | 5:39 pmAMVETS has been quite a topic of conversation from SproutLaunch visitors. I've had people writing in left and right about how they offer such an easy and fast way to donate. I recently learned about their drop off and pick up service so (of course) I had to share with everyone in case you weren't aware.AMVETS is of America’s foremost veterans service organizations, AMVETS (or American Veterans) has a proud history of assisting veterans and sponsoring numerous programs that serve our country and its citizens. The helping hand that AMVETS extends to veterans and their… -
Weekly Sponsor Highlight: Chopstix
26 Jan 2010 | 6:38 amAbout Chopstix Asian Bistro Sushi Lounge:Our Restaurant is based on the belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals. We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry. We would like to invite you to our asian fusion and sushi experience. We only used the best and freshest ingredients to create our unique menu. That consists of both traditional and contemporary asian dishes, our guests… -
Congrats To This Week's Winners!
24 Jan 2010 | 5:10 pmCongrats to this week's winners which includes Betsy, Kristin, Laura, Jessica and Lauren. They each earned a $5 Gift Card to Starbucks!Keep launching sprouts of kindness!Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness. ~Seneca -
Recent Good Deed Suggestions:
24 Jan 2010 | 9:07 amIn case you missed some of these good deed ideas, here's a list of some recent suggestions:~Make someone dinner~Drop off a bag of canned goods at the local food bank~Submit positive feedback to a business you appreciate~Write a co-worker a handwritten thank you note~Tell someone you are proud of them~Leave an inspirational message in a public place~Count your blessings~Click to donate to the Surrey Wildlife http://www.theenvironmentsite.org/donate.php~Smile and say hello when passing others on the street~Buy a co-worker lunch, coffee or a snack!~Recycle (Or look into how to start!) ~Call…
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Reject Apathy
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Crying Out in Anger and Hope
3 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amIn my short occupation of it, I have learned that social activism can be an angry business. In fact, that's sort of the appeal, sometimes. It feels good to put all your frustration into the condemnation of a particular group or company. I feel like I'm making the world better, while exorcising some negative feelings. Then, sometimes it can be a much less pleasant experience. Being faced with injustice in the world can be overwhelming. It can force me to fight against being overcome with anger, or melancholia. -
The Good News About Haiti
3 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amIn the five years that I have worked with World Vision ACT:S, our campus activism network, I have never seen as much generosity from my generation as I am seeing now. In response to the worst natural disaster in our hemisphere in the past century, more than 200 campus groups within our network alone have organized prayer gatherings, benefit concerts, and fundraisers. -
You Get What You Go For
3 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amThe bow of the ship was slippery from the spray of the sea and the rain that had just fallen. Everyone else was inside, down below, while my legs dangled over the front of the boat. I had never been sailing before—none of us had. As we serenely continued the remaining day of our sail, I watched the blurry line of white fog meet the grey-blue ocean on the horizon. It was the first calm day in a while and after endless days of seasickness, I was happy to be outside, staring into a vast nothingness. I was glad to no longer be staring down into a yellow plastic bucket. -
Confessions of a Tree Hugger
3 Feb 2010 | 5:00 amI grew up an earth user. Along with millions of other Americans from my generation, I shamelessly tossed out my fast food trash on the highways and byways as I traveled along, singing a song. -
A Step Toward Practical Justice
3 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amThree blocks from my house there is a garden. It’s about two acres of dirt that sits at the corner of a racially charged section of my city, Lexington, Kentucky. It is ground owned by a congregation that, in the past, has acted in ways that made the racial tension worse; they are now seeking to change that dynamic.
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Leap Anywhere
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Cupcakes for Haiti Wrap Up!
8 Feb 2010 | 6:40 amWhat a day! Thank you to everyone who came to the LeapAnywhere offices!We have to thank LeapAnywhere for hosting, The Hummingbird Bakery for their generous donation of 80 cupcakes and MOST OF ALL thank you to Paulina Sygulska (@Payah) for baking cupcakes and taking to the streets to sell the bulk of the fairycakes in Soho, Chinatown and Covent Garden!We sold over 130 cupcakes and raised 244 pounds for Concern Worldwide's Haiti earthquake relief work. A big thank you to the generous people we encountered, residents and visitors alike, some who donated without taking cakes.I couldn't have done… -
Leap Anywhere at Media 140
4 Feb 2010 | 10:15 amOur social media guy and a few other people were lucky enough to make it over to the Media 140 conference on the third sector and the 'real time' web. Trust me - the event was so much more than a collection of social media nerds. Granted, there were several people who had decided to write twitter updates on the event about every two minutes on their Iphone - but who can blame them - it was inspirational stuff. The event seemed to make clear that social media would really revolutionise the way charities work… -
The invasion of the plants
2 Feb 2010 | 9:05 amPlants are scientifically proven to have a relaxing effect in the workplace. Judging by the new jungle like nature of our office, we are probably going to be the most de-stressed office ever. -
'I hate cancer so much I hope it gets cancer' and other comedy classics
29 Jan 2010 | 7:02 amSome psychologists with way too much time on their hands proclaimed last Monday the most depressing day of the year. Granted, it is a little cold and we’re a little poor at the moment. But come on - it's not that bad - just laugh away that post-festive melancholy. To help we have compiled the four best charity comedy sketches - ever. Consider it as a small message of joy to help beat the January blues.1) Larry David insults a charity’s giveaway prizes, ‘look if you are going to give something away why don’t you give away something good – do… -
Daily Inspiration
28 Jan 2010 | 8:33 amIn need of some inspiration? Here's a daily dose for you from us at Leap HQ. Have fun, do good.
