February 2012
7 posts
3 tags
The World Needs More Social Entrepreneurs →
“We need to teach our youth that they can help people; that they can lead; that they can make lasting and important change in their communities and across the globe. Society, employers, educators, and parents need to recognize that our kids’ successful personal and social development must start with a mastery of several complex skills — empathy, teamwork, leadership, and change...
2 tags
The Lean Startup Methodolgy →
“Startup success can be engineered by following the process, which means it can be learned, which means it can be taught.” - Eric Ries
2 tags
Why Social Change Is Good for Business (via... →
“What’s the best way for your company to have more influence on the social issues that are affecting its business? Consider asking yourself these questions:
What social issues are most relevant to who we are and what we do?
What social issues are containing our growth or hurting our competitive positioning?
What issues can we address directly by improving what we’re already doing, and...
1 tag
Mobile Money Slowly Turning East Africa into... →
“In an analysis of the national payment systems in the region, the value of transactions done through cheque and other debit and credit instruments is far larger than the payments through credit cards.
In Uganda, payment by real time gross settlement (RTGS), which allows for funds in accounts in two different banks to be transferred in an hour or less, posted the highest value as a payment...
2 tags
The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility →
“What are some of the trends you’ve observed in corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship?
Stephen Jordan: There are many, but let me zero in on three. One is a huge shift toward transparency and communication. In 2000 there might have been a dozen Fortune 500 companies who issued a CSR or sustainability report. Now almost all of them do. Second is a big shift away from...
3 tags
Are Mobile Solutions for Combating Global Poverty... →
“There are now over 5 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, according to the International Telecommunications Union, with global mobile penetration at 87 percent. In the developing world, where landlines are especially scarce in rural areas, mobiles have been used for governance, banking, agriculture, education, health, commerce, reporting news, political participation, and reducing...
2 tags
Is the Social Enterprise Bubble About to Burst? →
“Over the past two months, GOOD has profiled organizations in Africa using market solutions to solve water and sanitation challenges, improve agriculture, and promote public health. Social enterprises like these are transforming development work, and social entrepreneurs are being hailed as rock stars.
But social enterprise isn’t the first trend to hit the development sector. From women’s...
January 2012
5 posts
3 tags
2 tags
The Trouble With Impact Investing →
“For all the hoopla, the definition of impact investing is still a dog’s breakfast. Inclusive definitions throw in everything from small donations (huh?) to investments that provide a market rate of return or above (which sounds a lot like plain vanilla investing).” (via SSIR)
Some interesting points…thoughts? What’s the problem with a both/and approach instead of...
3 tags
The Rise of the Charitable For-Profit Entity →
“Many Americans, and millions of business owners, want to do more than simply turn a profit — although they certainly have nothing against making money. Their goals also include improving the environment and developing communities. In the classic model, these social purposes had to be pursued in a non-profit corporation. But some regulations on tax-exempt non-profits such as limitations...
3 tags
Should Philanthropies Operate Like Businesses? →
“What should you expect of your charities? Businesslike efficiency? Or something more intangible, less-easily defined?
Charles R. Bronfman and Jeffrey R. Solomon, chairman and president, respectively, of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, favor businesslike thinking. Michael Edwards, a distinguished senior fellow at Demos, a social issues think tank, argues that social values...
December 2011
3 posts
4 tags
1 tag
5 Skill Sets Impact Investing Managers Should... →
1. Technical: Specialized knowledge bases, including, but not limited to social sectors (health, housing, education, etc), technology and systems, operations. The greater the breadth and depth of knowledge, the better the chances of finding & exploiting hidden synergies and opportunities.
2. Tactical: Think of tactical skills as the “how” response to a technical challenge. What financial...
2 tags
The Hopeful Continent: Africa Rising After Decades... →
(via http://www.economist.com/node/21541008)
November 2011
3 posts
3 tags
We Need a Battery Miracle →
All the batteries on Earth store just 10 mins of world electricity needs. This new battery may be key.
(via @BillGates)
4 tags
The Silicon Valley of Shit: Nairobi Is Ground Zero... →
“Yet while the government lacks funds, initiative, and directive for innovation in sanitation, a unique blend of social entrepreneurs have flocked to Nairobi, all seeking one noble goal: Profiting from peoples’ excrement.”
(via @good.is)
3 tags
“The just person lives a life of honesty, equity, and generosity in every aspect...”
– Tim Keller, Generous Justice
October 2011
13 posts
3 tags
3 tags
2 tags
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and...”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2 tags
2 tags
2 tags
3 tags
Mobile phone: Weapon against global poverty →
“The advent of the mobile society may have brought convenience and a cultural sea change to the U.S. and Europe, but in the poorest regions of the world, affordable mobile phone access has caused a quantum leap in services — like calling for medical help, sending a quick letter to loved ones or starting a savings account — that Americans and Europeans have taken for granted for...
5 tags
6 tags
4 tags
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice”
– Nelson Mandela
4 tags
Energy Poverty is the Worst Kind of Poverty →
“Energy poverty is, of course, only a piece of larger economic poverty, but it’s one of the best ways out of it too.”
4 tags
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening...”
– Abraham Lincoln
3 tags
