SocialEarth

Can the CCAT Assess the Health of Social Enterprises?

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 08:53:54 -0400

I wrote last week about the Core Capacity Assessment Tool, developed by the TCC Group. I’m going to be going through certification training on September 5, and I’ll update you on how that goes. I’m really looking forward to learning more about the tool and its possible applications to social enterprises.

I’ve already been in communication with the TCC folks, and they are anxious to see if some revisions need to be made to accommodate the unique characteristics of social enterprises.

I have started looking at some of the categories and sub-categories, and many of them look right on target for social enterprises.

On the other hand, there are some subtle wordings of the categories that suggest that some revision might help to make the CCAT more useful to social enterprises.

For instance, one of the sub-capacities assessed in the CCAT is “Environmental Learning.” This is a great category to assess and I wish more businesses would asses their ability to take in information from the environment and really learn from it. Peter Senge, in his famous book, The Fifth Discipline, claimed that some business organizations were “learning disabled,” one reason being that they had not found the means to bring in vital information from the outside of the organization into the decision-making centers of the organization, so the organization could really learn.

The wording of the category for the CCAT is:

Environmental Learning: Using collaboration and networking with community leaders and funders to learn about what’s going on in the community, and stay current with what is going on in the field .

The use of the terms “community leaders” and “funders” is very appropriate for nonprofits. But, I wonder how appropriate that terminology is for social enterprises. Perhaps additional sources for environmental information need to be added. Social entrepreneurs will use the market place, competitors, market research, and other, more business-oriented sources to get important information about the environment.

This is the kind of work I’m looking forward to….enhancing this tool, so it can be just as useful and powerful for social enterprises, as it has been for nonprofits.

Paul Hardt is a trainer, teacher, and consultant. He specializes in helping social enterprises develop and thrive.

He can be contacted at paul@paulhardt.com

He is on Twitter at @paulhardt

His website is www.paulhardt.com

Done is better than perfect: How Bridget Hilton launched LSTN in two months

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:00:03 -0400

We’ve heard of Bridget Hilton before. I’ve interviewed her before about starting Jack’s Soap, a social enterprise which works to eliminate preventable diseases like cholera through giving away a bar of soap for every one sold. It doesn’t stop there: It also teaches children in developing countries to form good handwashing habits and teaches locals to make soap for their own community.

Hilton recently launched her second social enterprise called LSTN (pronounced LISTEN). This time around, she married her passion for music, nature, and social impact to give hearing back to children whose families cannot afford proper treatment for hearing loss. She found a great partner in Sound Seekers who provides custom hearing aids, medical treatment, and prevention efforts through mobile clinics.

LSTN makes high-end headphones from upcycled wood scraps from furniture makers that otherwise end up in landfills. Every headphone that is sold will enable Sound Seekers to restore hearing for one person. I was taken by surprise to learn that malaria is the main cause of hearing loss, and I’m sure as the world keeps debating about the validity of climate change, malaria will quietly extend its tentacles of affliction.

Apparently, Hilton launched the social enterprise in just two months. I spoke to her to see what was different (and the same) the second time around.

Bridget, welcome back to Social Earth! For readers who haven’t heard of LSTN, could you briefly tell us about what it is?

Glad to be back! LSTN is a new social enterprise based out of LA. We make high quality wooden headphones. For every pair we sell, we give hearing to a child in a deaf school.

So this is your second act. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from launching Jack’s Soap that affected how you created LSTN? Were there any pitfalls you’ve faced the first time around that you wished you knew?

LSTN was created faster and was actually easier to start. I’ve made amazing contacts and friends that have helped things move very quickly. The second time around I knew how to easily incorporate, get a trademark, press, retail, make a website - tasks that took me awhile to learn before. My music background was obviously a huge asset as well. The most important lesson I learned with Jack’s was that retail margins are no joke and the pricing structure needs to be set up for retail in the beginning. Experience is a great teacher!

So let’s cut to the chase. You launched LSTN in two months. How did you do this? I don’t really believe that the idea popped into your head two months prior. Did you let the idea for LSTN marinate in your head first?

One of my favorite quotes is, “done is better than perfect”. I like the idea of launching and then figuring out some of the details later, not unlike a tech company. LSTN is a work in progress. I had the idea a few months before I started the work and research, but didn’t really believe I could pull it off. Every headphone maker I had ever heard of were giant electronics companies with millions in backing. However, I couldn’t get it out of my head - so at the end of May, I started doing major research and by the first week in June, had the two most important things - a manufacturer and a charity partner. From there, everything else is just details. I launched the site as a pre-order - in this day and age, you can launch a company with next to no money. If you are passionate about your idea, can discipline yourself and work efficiently, there’s no reason that you can’t launch quickly. Everyone has 24 hours in a day.

Why did you choose to focus on hearing impairment in developing countries?

I want to create the first big music-related social enterprise. Warby Parker, TOMS and Proof are giving sight, LSTN is the answer for hearing. Hearing is something that we take for granted, but to someone who doesn’t have it, it makes a world of difference to be able to hear music, laughter, nature, their family and friends. Ninety-five percent of children in deaf schools worldwide can be helped by the same process we are using - medical exams, custom hearing aids, medicine, and prevention via mosquito nets. Eighty percent of those people live in developing countries. We obviously are only going to be able to help a small fraction of those in need, but I’m very proud to even help one person. We are currently working on a partner within the U.S. as well. There is definitely a special place in my heart for sharing my biggest passion with those in need.

Not too long ago, a crop of critics casted doubt on whether TOMS is actually solving a social problem. Since you have a finger (or two) on the pulse of social entrepreneurship, how you see the one-for-one model evolving? How do you ward off some of the problems the critics point out in the their pieces? Or, do you not see them as problems or disagree with the degree to which they are made out to be?

TOMS greatest contribution to society has probably not been giving shoes, but rather inspiring so many entrepreneurs to build cause into their own business models. Is their model perfect? Of course not, but it is evolving and improving. TOMS is an easy target for critics since they are the most mainstream social enterprise. I particularly enjoy their efforts in giving sight - allowing someone to see or hear is an incredible and powerful act. I’m fully aware that all social enterprises are not doing the best job that they can, however, I’m not sure I could argue against restoring hearing or vision. It doesn’t matter if you are an affluent adult in New York City or a small child in a rural village in Uganda, your life will be forever changed by being able to hear or see. These are not your typical material possessions that will undercut the local economies - these are basic senses that everyone on earth should be able to experience if they wish to. Charitable and “one for one” companies will hopefully evolve to give less unimportant “stuff” and think more about long term solutions for individuals and communities.

But Lara Galinsky of Echoing Green wrote this article in Harvard Business Review about why everyone shouldn’t be a social entrepreneur. What is your take on her bird’s eye view?

Great article. I actually agree with Lara and love that Echoing Green has opened up a bit to encompass the entire SocEnt community, not just founders. Since social enterprise is exploding right now, there are so many people who want to start their own, but don’t know what or how. I would advise them to join the team of another social enterprise first and get behind the scenes.

You’ve partnered with Sound Seekers, who already has an established presence in the area. What is the one crucial thing to look for when searching for a charity partner?

For me, being responsive is the #1 thing I look for. Getting answers quickly is super important - along with the obvious - being legitimate! Don’t sign on with anyone that is simply dropping items off to developing countries and then leaving. Make sure they have a system and proof for everything they do. There are bigger charities for the deaf than Sound Seekers, but we chose to partner with them because they have a fantastic way of covering all the bases. They’re a relatively small organization which really helps since they can move quickly, they don’t have to jump through as many hoops as a huge charity in terms of partnerships. LSTN is a small company so it makes sense. We love Sound Seekers!

What is one specific step you recommend someone take to move an idea forward?

Surround yourself with people you want to be like - online and in real life. They will inspire you to get your company or idea off of the ground. I am lucky to live in Los Angeles where we have an amazing social entrepreneur community that I have learned so much from. If you don’t personally know any entrepreneurs that you admire, find a few through LinkedIn or Twitter. Offer to buy them lunch, or even intern for them. Attend panels and public speaking engagements. This community is pretty open. Also, do extensive research on your idea and read as much as possible!

I know that you’re a prolific reader. What are you reading right now?

I’m currently reading When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself. Before that I read Trust Me, I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday - fantastic and interesting look into the blog world. If anyone has book recommendations, I’d love to hear about them!

Thanks Bridget for sharing your thoughts!

###

Silence

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:57:01 -0400

I walked through the winding alleyways of the slum, my eyes fixated on the ground below me.Â I tried nervously to avoid slipping into piles of mud and animal waste, created by a heavy rainfall the previous night.Â I had received a briefing during the one-hour car ride from Nairobi to the Mlolongo slums â and yet, as I inched closer and closer to the entrance of the small house, the theory, the problem analysis, the context seemed to take a backseat to the sinking feeling in my stomach.Â I removed my shoes at the gate and was welcomed into the dark room, pungently marked by the smell of urine and feces.Â There in front of me, were two dozen children â some sitting on a broken couch, many lying on the ground eerily still.Â My presence did not phase them; their eyes remained fixated on the bare walls and low ceilings of the small room.Â These children were hollow â their perfect little bodies remained still, safe for their rising bellies with each breath, but it was clear that their minds and hearts were worlds away.Â A small, confined space with more than twenty babies â and all I could hear was silence.

Slum settlements have become a reality for millions of Kenyans who have left their rural homes for the promise of work in the big city, only to be hit with burgeoning food prices and lack of employment opportunities.Â Often, women have to travel long distances outside of the slum to find work, or are forced into prostitution to make ends meet.Â Â The problem is while these women slave away at making a living, their children are left alone during the day to fend for themselves.

Call it innovation, call it an act of kindness, call it entrepreneurship â many women in the slum community have opened âbaby care centresâ to look after these children â a makeshift daycare concept, if you will.Â For less than a dollar a day, mothers can bring their children to these centres and ensure they are watched over from dawn to dusk.Â If being observed was the only pressing need, these centres would more than suffice.Â But babies need more than that.Â They need food â sometimes provided by the baby care centre, sometimes provided by the mother, many times forgotten, or unaffordable, by both.Â Young children need love, they need a sense of belonging for emotional development, according to early childhood development principles.Â However, with many baby care centres serviced by only one person, caregiver attachment is an unlikely phenomenon.Â Babies need movement, they need physical activity to develop an understanding of what things feel like.Â Being placed on their backs for most of the day, many of these children do not build the muscle strength in their lower body, resulting in four and five-year olds being unable to walk.Â Many of the children in these centres exhibit delays in cognitive development due to a lack of stimulation.Â A majority of the children are stunted for growth.Â All are at risk every moment of the day of contracting an infectious disease.

As I made my way through the various centres, it took every effort to hold back a waterfall of tears.Â It took every ounce of courage to converse with the owners of the daycares in my most friendly Kiswahili, applauding them for their efforts.Â Every part of me wanted to scream out.Â What struck me the most was in that 10x10ft room, the duality of an unfair, cruel world was contrasted by the very innocence contained within that space.Â Children who knew no world other than this one.Â Children whose lives could have been completely different if their seeds were simply planted in a different soil.

As international development practitioners, it is our job to design programs and identify funds to better the lives of the ultra-poor.Â But as human beings, it is our responsibility to do what is within our power to create environments of opportunity for all, including those of the children in the Mlolongo slums.Â Whether it be through advocacy, policy development or resource mobilization, each of us has a role to play in equalizing the playing field.Â Each of us has a role to play in making this world a better place.

How To Get An Awesome Job At A Social Good Startup

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:05:31 -0400

Jobs are hard to come by these days, especially jobs where you can integrate purpose + passionÂ (Â in a way that provides meaning + solutions for families and communities facing a social or personalÂ issue. Over the last 2 years Iâve gotten the opportunity to work for two incredible early stage companies (simultaneously) who address personal and social issues. Unfortunately, there arenât any tricks to being so fortunate, but I have found values and strategies that can be used for any person who wants to do social good for pay!I currently work for:

en*theos serves over 25,000+ customers and offers online courses and products to help people live optimal lives and give their greatest gifts to the world. en*theos collaborates with world-class teachers to provide affordable courses for individuals across the globe. en*theos is one of the few personal development and leadership companies that provide free scholarships and a pick-your-price option for students!

Aunt Bertha(www.auntbertha.com) is a software company trusted by thousands across the country to provide free need-based information and has been honored to be an Unreasonable Institute fellow, Code for America AcceleratorÂ startup, RISE award recipient, and a thought leading company in Social Service and Technology.

No Application

When I earned these jobs there was no application. And there isnât an application up now on either of the websites.The people who end up working for companies like en*theos + Aunt Bertha seek out opportunity. It starts with an email, collaboration, or even a small internship. The work necessary isnât cookie-cutter and it canât be surmised in a 50-word ad on Craigslist. Early stage companies arenât looking for entry-level positions or even managers.Theyâre looking for people who imagine + ship, not someone who follows the rules.

Imagine : What unique solutions do you have for a personal or social problem? What would be your daily tasks? What goals would you set for yourself on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? What needs to be done in your role that isn’t being done?

Ship - A term created by Seth Godin referring to the action of getting ideas + products out into the world.

Ship - At Aunt Bertha, we use the Lean Startup model to focus on priorities and scale ideas fast and effectively. At en*theos, weâre all about Getting Things Done and making sure each task and responsibility is given a decision immediately and that weâre working diligently, patiently, and persistently, towards our goals.

Integrity

Integrity is doing what you say; when you say youâre going to do it. Integrity is essential for anyone who wants to work for a social good startup. Social good organization are focused externally on a social and personal issue and the mission is to SPICE it up by serving society, partners, investors, customers, and employees. When you have multiple stakeholders involved in a venture cutting corners is never okay.

Integrity is doing what needs to be done for yourself and the company. For example, integrity means we never market a product that doesnât align with our values or use techniques to manipulate or trick any of our stakeholders. Personally, we do our work from a place of purpose - connecting to our âwhyâ on a daily basis and doing the practices (exercise, meditation, yoga, and writing) that helps us integrate what is important to us and bring it into the work weâre doing.

Integrity is about being and doing what we value.

What do you value?

What are you doing?

How can you bring your ideals and behaviors closer together?

When I started working at Aunt Bertha, I had no previous technical experience. However, I was doing work (Social Work) that aligned with my purpose and practicing (spending time with family and exercising) what I believed.

Having an awesome resume is great, but social good organizations want to know:

Who are you when no one is watching?

Consistency

You can get a normal social good job if you hit financial homeruns or have Â experiences doing good (Social Work, Peace Corps, working with youth). In social enterprise, Iâve found that home runs donât count for much. Social enterprises are often aggressive do-gooders. These organizations arenât angry or mean-spirited but they do expect consistent excellence and results.

As en*theos customer happiness manager, I serve 25,000+ customers and weâre committed to providing each one with a *wow* experience every single time (even if the customer has never paid a dime for a product) they have a concern or request.

As Aunt Berthaâs community manager, Iâm expected to connect and support thousands of social service charities and hundreds of thousands of social workers in a way that encourages community engagement and makes them feel that their in a personal relationship with our company.

Both of these jobs require showing up every day.

We aim for the small victories every single day and celebrate the milestones (being featured in Mashable or reaching 100,000 en*theos students) as a nod that weâre going the right way up the mountain (that never ends) not that weâve reached the mountaintop.

On your resume or introductory email to a social good organization show consistencyÂ or your plan to be consistent.

The work of doing good is a marathon. The people you aim to work with arenât looking for a slam dunk, sprint, or fast and easy trick. They want to know if youâll be there 5, 10, 20 years focused and ready to serve.

Relationships

As with any start-up environment, social enterprises work long hours. Tolerating your co-workers or boss and not actually liking them is a bad idea. Before even attempting an introduction or going Â for an interview, follow some of your future co-workers on Twitter, Facebook, and/or read their blog. Find out what books + philosophies inspire your organization and see if these ideas resonate with you. People and relationships are the driving engine of any organization. If you think you can do a job just for the social âcauseâ or for Â your âpurposeâ, youâre wrong.

Instinctually, we want to work with people who inspire us. If you donât respect people on your team it will be difficult to trust. If you can’t trust your team, it will be impossible to rely on each other when the organization experiences tough changes (all organizations experience tough changes).

When Iâm in town, Erine and I go running and eat dinner together every day.

I have literally listened to hours of Brian sharing his ideas on my Ipod.

Weâre not best friends, but we respect and admire each other.

Even if youâre at the worst job, ever, find what you admire about your current boss or co-workers and share you admiration in an interview or introductory email. Having a team of people who inspire + respect each other is a great step towards changing the world with community and authenticity!

Resources

Aunt Bertha
en*theos

Peak
Lean Startup
Firms of Endearment
Itâs Just Good Business (radio)

P.S. If youâd like to see the email I used to get my virtual job at Aunt Bertha or just want to chat send me an email at mozartguerrier(at)gmail(dot)com.

P.P.S. I highly recommend Laura’s SocialEarth articleÂ “How to Get a (Paid) Job in Microfinance”Â as a great “How-To” when you’re looking for your dream social enterprise job in Microfinance!

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Meet Abby Goldberg - Teenage Activist

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:10:24 -0400

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvbOaL_TaFU?feature=player_detailpage]

Abby Goldberg and belongto.it’s Maurice Bretzfield Â

When Abby Goldberg was 12 years old she started a school project. A lover of animals she had seen a picture of a water bird with a plastic bag wrapped around its head. She knew that she had to do something.

One of the results of that “something” is a petition on Change.org that has been signed (as of this writing) by nearly 161,000 people!

This young dynamo’s efforts have gotten the attention of not only Illinois Governor Pat Quinn but the attention of the Chemical and Petroleum industries too. They seem so alarmed by Abby’s efforts that this year they quietly pushed a bill through the Illinois legislature that would ban municipalities within Illinois from passing their own bans on disposable plastic bags. That’s right, Governor Quinn has until August 29th to sign into law or veto a bill that outlaws outlawing plastic bags!

Abby’s immediate goal is to see the governor veto this ridiculous bill. But time is running out. The governor must act on this bill by August 29.

The reason Abby’s petition has received signatures approximately 8 times larger than her hometown’s population is that Big Business throughout the country is eager to enact local legislation similar to this bill to ban (plastic bag) bans and concerned citizens nationwide have taken notice.Â Abby is out there fighting our battle and we didn’t even know it!

It was an extraordinary privelege to meet and interview Abby. Abby’s enthusiasm is only matched by her grit and passion and knowledge of what she is talking about. We’ll be releasing our entire interview with this wonderfully articulate young person and two of her very proud teachers soon.Â In the meantime, please act!

40,000 signatures in a short week is a great challenge for any solo digital activist, let alone an @ActivistAbby whose summer break just ended. Let’s lighten Abby’s load by combining our social media muscle to get her the signatures she deserves!

If you’d like to support Abby’s hurculean effort and help her reach her goal of 2000,000 signatures go to Governor Quinn: Don’t Let Big Plastic Bully Me!Â Â where you canÂ and share her petition - we hope that you will. To borrow a phrase from the Girl Scouts let’s Get Her There!

Assessing Your Social Enterprise: You Have to Know Where You Are, Before You Try to Go Somewhere Else

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:09:38 -0400

I’m increasingly intrigued with the assessment tools that are available to leaders of non-profits and social enterprises. I attended a session at the Nonprofit Management Center at the University of St. Thomas/Minneapolis last week, and heard a presentation from Dr. John Brothers. Dr. Brothers summarized for us his model for organizational life cycles for non-profits. You’ll remember, I posted a blog entry a few months ago on Greiner’s approach to organizational evolution. I invited social entrepreneurs to take a look at an assessment tool I developed, based on the Greiner model.

Dr. Brothers has co-authored a book, Building Nonprofit Capacity, which also contains some ideas for assessing your nonprofit. He has some tools that will help you do this, as well.

Dr. Brothers also mentioned a nonprofit industry tool called the CCAT (Core Capacity Assessment Tool). It looks like a very powerful tool for helping nonprofits assess where they stand in terms of key measures of effectiveness.

So, my question is, “How applicable are these tools to social enterprises?” Yes, many social enterprises are outgrowths of nonprofits, and some social enterprises are the core of their nonprofit “parent.” However, I am increasingly hearing about the tension within social enterprises between the “business culture” and the “nonprofit/mission culture” of social enterprises. Which leads me to believe that the measures for success of nonprofits may not be the same as those for social enterprises. There may well be some overlap between these two sets of measures, but the financial make-up of social enterprises is likely to push those organizations to act differently.

I’ve suggested elsewhere in this blog that the Baldrige Criteria for Nonprofits could be used as the basis for an assessment tool.

And, there is that whole issue of cultures. I blogged last week about the work of Dr. Joanne Martin at Stanford University, in the area of culture clashes within social enterprises. An assessment tool might be helpful, in helping social enterprises understand better the tensions within their organization. As the saying goes, “You have to know where you are, before you go somewhere else.”

If you’ve used the CCAT, or any other tool to help your social enterprise function more effectively, please post your experiences here.

Paul Hardt is a trainer and consultant, with nearly 40 years of experience teaching and training people in a wide variety of settings.

He can be contacted at paul@paulhardt.com

You can follow him on Twitter @paulhardt

His website is www.paulhardt.com

All About The Silicone

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 08:09:55 -0400

“Solid wastes” are the discarded leftovers of our advanced consumer society. This growing mountain of garbage and trash represents not only an attitude of indifference toward valuable natural resources, but also a serious economic and public health problem.
— Jimmy Carter

Within the United States the idea of milk that need not be refrigerated is still a very foreign idea. Much technology has gone into making such an idea reality, however, and around the world unrefrigerated milk safely sits on grocery store shelves, waiting to be consumed.

For many around the world these containers are a blessing – a way to keep and transport perishable liquids to places and homes without refrigeration. There is, however, a downside.

The packaging for these liquids, , also known as aseptic boxes, is a high tech combination of materials designed to last forever. And that they do.

Once the liquid inside has been consumed these containers can take ages to even begin deteriorating. Their compositional make-up makes them very difficult to recycle, and so they often end up on the side of the road or raising the levels of local landfills.

All About The Silicone from Actuality Media on Vimeo.

“All About The Silicone” is a film not only about one idea of what can be done with these packages to repurpose them, but it also tells the inspiring story of Michael – a transplant to Talamanca, Costa Rica who saw an environmental problem and decided to do something about it.

Michael is proof that one man can make a difference.

All footage for this video was shot on Canon XA10’s by two Actuality Media crews as an exercise with equipment while preparing to film the short documentaries “Que Será del Caribe” and “CoopeTal.”

Actuality Media is an organization that takes media students to developing communities around the globe to create positive media that tells the story of changemakers doing good works to fight societal and environmental problems that plague the world. These short documentaries were each produced during a thirty day outreach where crews researched their subject changemaker, wrote out their story, filmed and edited it.

Analyzing Cargill’s 2012 CSR Report: Good Intentions, Misses the Big Issue

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:00:29 -0400

Cargill has issued its annual CSR report. The report outlines the food and agriculture conglomerate’s approach to corporate responsibility, with a special emphasis on its work to address global food security.

“Cargill is acting on its vision to be the global leader in nourishing people to address the complex challenge of feeding a world on its way to 9 billion people,” the company stated in a release. The report includes “examples of Cargill’s work to expand access to food; improve nutrition and alleviate hunger; and increase agricultural productivity and incomes while ensuring responsible land use.”

Efforts to combat food insecurity are becoming essential as a variety of factors — including climate change and a rising global population — conspire to increasingly jeopardize our ability to produce enough food to feed everyone.

Crop ecologists tell us that, as a rule of thumb, we can expect a 10-percent decline in grain yields for every 1-degree-Celsius increase in temperature above optimum during the growing season. In short, as global temperatures continue to rise, crop yields are certain to diminish.

Already we are beginning to see the effects of increased temperature on agricultural productivity. In 2012, for example, almost 80 percent of agricultural land in the U.S. is experiencing a severe drought which the U.S. Government’s leading environmental scientist has linked to climate change. The USDA reported that, “The most severe and extensive drought in at least 25 years is seriously affecting U.S. agriculture, with impacts on the crop and livestock sectors and with the potential to affect food prices at the retail level.”

Likewise, the 2003 European heat wave that killed approximately 70,000 people also cut corn yields by a third.

As with all climate-related problems, diminishing agricultural yield is a global issue. A particularly salient example is in Bangladesh, where just a three-foot rise in sea levels (half of that which is predicted by century’s end) would inundate half of that country’s rice land. This would seriously jeopardize the food security of that country’s already impoverished 164 million people.

Other agricultural regions rely on annual water runoff from glaciers that are steadily disappearing due to rising temperatures. In India, the Gangotri Glacier, which helps to keep the Ganges flowing during the dry season, is retreating. The Ganges is by the far the largest source of surface water irrigation in India, the world’s second largest rice producer.

A similar phenomenon is occurring across China’s Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, home to over half a billion people combined. As glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau continue to recede, China’s agricultural yield will be severely threatened. Yao Tandong, a leading Chinese glaciologist, says that this glacial retreat “will eventually lead to an ecological catastrophe.”

Exacerbating this problem is the steady increase in global population. Cargill’s CSR report reminds us that the world’s population will exceed 9 billion by 2050, necessitating a 70% increase in global food production. While diminishing crop yields and increasing population might mean higher food prices for those of us in the developed world, it can mean starvation for the majority of the world’s population that lives in the undeveloped world.

Thus, food insecurity represents a serious and perhaps insurmountable challenge, and understanding the facts helps us contextualize the accomplishments that Cargill has enumerated in their latest CSR report.

While Cargill, a privately-held company, ought to be lauded for its food donations and other charitable giving, which reached almost $70 million across 57 countries in fiscal year 2012, food insecurity is a problem that requires a more systemic approach if it is to be solved, as the company seems to recognize. “Providing emergency assistance is the right thing to do,” said Greg Page, the company’s Chairman and CEO, “but the public and private sectors also need to focus on long-term solutions to hunger and work together to ensure that all 7 billion people on this planet have access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.”

That said, Cargill’s approach to food insecurity focuses primarily on improved agricultural productivity and greater access to food, both of which are perhaps better understood in the light of profit maximization rather than hunger alleviation. Indeed, global food conglomerates like Cargill will be well served by opening up developing markets to genetically modified seeds that can withstand higher temperatures.

Such an approach, uncoupled with an emphasis on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, is unlikely to get us very far. Heat-resistant crops are an inherently unsustainable solution: photosynthesis ceases at around 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Image credit: CraneStation

Grants to Help Remedy Americans’ Climate Change Ignorance

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:26:40 -0400

A new grant program announced this week will seek to better educate a relatively unpersuaded American populace about the realities of climate change.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced new grants for community-based educational centers in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. The grants were awarded under the Climate and Urban Systems Partnership, an NSF-funded initiative that seeks to engage urbanites in community-based learning about climate change science.

While consensus in the scientific community overwhelmingly indicates that climate change is occurring due to human activity, Americans lag far behind their Canadian counterparts in their understanding of climate science.

98% of Canadians believe that climate change is occurring, according to a survey released last week by IPAC-CO2 Research Inc., an environmental non-government organization.

“Our survey indicates that Canadians from coast to coast overwhelmingly believe climate change is real and is occurring, at least in part due to human activity,” said Dr. Carmen Dybwad, CEO of IPAC-CO2 . “These findings have been consistent from 2011 and 2012. Canadians care about issues like extreme weather, drought and climate change.”

In the United States, on the other hand, only 62% of the public thinks that global warming is underway, according to a survey conducted by the National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change. Similarly, a vast majority of Canadians (86%) believe climate change is occurring at least partially due to human activity, compared with only 48% in the United States.

Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, which received $5,882,653 under the NSF grant, will establish Urban Learning Networks in participating American cities to share best practices to improve education concerning climate change.

U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) was strongly supportive of the grants. “The Franklin Institute is one of our nation’s leading scientific and educational museums. It is exactly the right place for a far-reaching program to educate Philadelphians, including school children, about the growing challenges and impending crisis of climate change,” said Fattah.

Fattah is the Ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees over $51 billion in funding for NSF, NASA, neuroscience research, the White House Office of Science and Technology, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Commerce.

Fattah received a 94% score on his environmental record from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). This puts him near the top of the most environmentally-friendly members of Congress, according to LCV.

Fattah’s record on the environment makes him an outlier in Congress. During last year’s legislative session, the House voted 191 times to undermine efforts to protect the environment, thus “amassing the worst environmental record of any Congress in history,” according to a House Committee on Energy and Commerce minority report.

“Philadelphians and residents of other cities rely on transportation, water, energy and public health systems that all are vulnerable to climate change,” said Fattah. “I commend Franklin Institute for developing this major outreach effort to inform our citizens of this gathering crisis.”

Institutions receiving the award include the Franklin Institute, the Columbia University Center for Climate Systems Research, the University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the New York Hall of Science, and the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. The grant will cover a five year period.

Image credit: Bonnie Brown

How are we wrong?

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:10:37 -0400

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Awesome Foundation’s inaugural Awesome Summit. For those of you who do not know the Awesome Foundation, it’s a wonderful and successful experiment in philanthropy: Through local chapters in cities around the world, groups of about 10 pool their money together each month to different projects in their local communities. This funding can be for anything—literally. In DC, the local Awesome Foundation chapter supported a reenactment of the bolder scene from Indiana Jones.The funding has no strings attached; they just want to support cool ideas.

The Awesome Summit was a time for people to get together and talk not only about the future of philanthropy, but the future of doing good. There were a lot of creative thinkers in the room and interesting ideas were flowing. The conference had a tech feel to it, with a lot of talk on how the internet and social technologies can create the infrastructure for a new way of creating (and funding) social change.

One thing that I appreciated about the conference was that it not only was focused on open and collaborative ways to create change, it was also open and collaborative in its structure. People were encouraged to speak up during the sessions and each panel relied on questions from the audience. It also has a user-generated session towards the end of the day based on suggestions from the attendees. Tapping into my critical thinking skills, I suggested the topic “How are we wrong?”

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, this breakout session was well attended. People wanted an opportunity to critically analyze the way of thinking that brought us all to the Awesome Summit. This gave me hope that I’m not the only person who likes being in the metaphorical back of the room, throwing proverbial spitballs at people trying to do new things.

The conversation we had was a good critical look at the hot new trends in philanthropy and funding—mostly we talked about crowdfunding and its limitations: it isn’t a sustainable way to fund long-term projects, it’s best suited for arts funding, its hard to use crowdfunding for organizational capacity funding. But we also talked about what we could be missing as a member of the Awesome Foundation community and affiliated organizations.

As I’ve said in other posts, it’s important to get outside your comfort zone and expose yourself to people not like you. The Awesome Summit had a great group of people, and our communities are made up of people doing inspiring and innovative things, but we only make up a small part of those thinking about and working for social change. No matter how smart you are, most of the smartest people in the world aren’t you, and they have no idea what you are doing. Learning from the plethora of other smart people is never a bad idea.

So, I’d ask you to join me in the metaphorical back of the room to throw a few spitballs. As you go about your work, whether you are an entrepreneur, intrapreneur, infrapreneur, or just someone trying to make a difference somehow, keep asking yourself that question: How am I wrong? How are we wrong? Answering it truthfully can only make things better.

A version of this post originally appeared on UnSectored.

8 Social Adventurepreneurs

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:01:12 -0400

8 Social Adventurepreneurs set on making the world so much better.

At Much Better Adventures HQ we spend a lot of our time scouring the world for inspiring projects and changemakers that offer ‘adventure holidays with a purpose’. These are the kind of people that make us want to do what we do.

Here’s a list of some of the most inspiring people who have stuck it to the man and made it their lives work to harness the spirit of adventure for social good.

1. Alexander Souri, Relief Riders International

Alexander Souri lives possibly one of the most enviable and honourable lives that we know of. The philanthropist and ex-film producer set up Relief Riders International to run horse ride expeditions with a difference. Their trips run as a way of routinely delivering medical, dental and cataract surgery to isolated communities in Indian and Turkish outbacks. The project has had an incredible impact already and has earned him a very deserved UN Positive Peace Award.

2. Chris Baker, One Seed Expeditions

When at Yale University, Chris conducted research in the Nepali Himalayas and never looked back. Chris and his team spotted an opportunity to offer walking holidays as a way of investing in regional community projects and micro-entrepreneurs, particularly women. All OneSeed expeditions are led by local guides who are carefully protected and looked after. He is taking important strides to raise the bar in the trekking holiday industry. We understand he’s keen on singing in Nepalese, so if you meet him on one of his tours, make sure to ask for a rendition.

3. Afzaal Mauthoor, The Great Projects

Afzaal is a hard man to keep up with. With fingers in many exciting ecotourism-related pies, Af’s array of ‘Projects’ offer intelligently put together volunteering holidays around the world in a bid to save many of the world’s most endangered species. His passion for responsible tourism and animal conservation has won his company fabulous recognition by the travel industry at large, not least ourselves. This man is raising the standards in the voluntourism world, one inspiring project at a time.

4. Mike Brcic, Sacred Rides

Mike runs Sacred Rides and Bikes without Borders - it’s fair to say he quite likes bikes. A pioneer of ‘responsible riding’, Mike’s trips are now international with guided trips available in Guatemala, Patagonia, Nepal and Croatia to name but a few. With an attached charity set up aimed at keeping biking ‘sacred’, Mike and his guides operate to ensure that your time spent on the bike has a positive long term effect on local communities. This guy will go far - both on his bike and with his awesome project.

5. Daniela Papi, PEPY Tours

Daniela set up PEPY Tours, and sister NGO, PEPY, after riding across Cambodia in a fundraising mission and having being inspired to make some positive changes. PEPY offer educational adventures including their flagship cross-country ride through incredible parts of Cambodia. Daniela is currently honing her skills in social entrepreneurship and responsible tourism at Oxford University. She has and will continue to make big leaps in creating positive adventures that have a lasting effect.

6. David Aabo, WAVES for Development

After much globetrotting (and surfing) David decided to create a charity that used surfing as a means of community development. Him and his team have put together some amazing Surf Voluntourism options for people looking to get involved in hands on environmental conservation sustainable development projects in some of the world’s best surf spots. His projects contributions and future plans for ethical surf travel are epic to say the least.

7. Gopinath Parayil, The Blue Yonder

Gopi’s passion for conservation led him into sustainable tourism and the founding of a multi-award winning adventure holiday operator, The Blue Yonder. He set up the adventure and community tourism company as a means of facilitating sustainable development for his native Kerala region in India. It has since grown to offer unique trips in multiple destinations and his responsible antics have seen him dubbed one of the top social entrepreneurs in India. Watch this space.

8. Polly Alford, Reef Conservation International

Polly quit the big smoke and a comfortable job at IBM in 2003 to follow her passion and set up a marine conservation project. It’s since become her mission to offer divers of all abilities the opportunity to contribute towards marine and coral reef conservation in as much time as they can offer. Now living the dream in Belize, her team at Reef CI offer opportunities to dive with them in the warm waters of the Caribbean, experience true island life and contribute towards important work. Amazing.

Who else should be added to the list? Give them a shoutout in the comments below.

Two Social Venture Entrepreneurs Set Out on Cross-Country Road Trip to “Buy America Back”

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:00:06 -0400

[caption id=”attachment_19095” align=”aligncenter” width=”300”] The People vs. Citizens United; Buying America Back![/caption]

belongto.it, a new web-based venture that promotes dialogue between consumers and companies announced today that its principals, Maurice Bretzfield and Ben Miller have begun a 40 day 4,000 mile cross-country road trip to meet social entrepreneurs across the country.

“We are travelling across the United States to meet and interview people and businesses who are taking a different approach. There are people all across our country who realize that our current path is unsustainable” said Maurice Bretzfield, belongto.it’s CEO and co-founder. “Some people make a difference every day through their purchasing decisions and there are companies throughout our country that are making real change through business practices that emphasize sustainability and creating “shared value” for all of their stakeholders. That’s why we are producing a web series that will result in a full-length documentary titled “The People vs. Citizens United - Buying America Back” Bretzfield continued.

“America is at a crossroads. People have lost faith in all of our major institutions, especially Government and Big Business. Big Business has bought down our political system and our democracy. We need to adapt and seek other ways to empower ourselves and more and more of us are turning to business to foster social change” Ben Miller, belongto.it’s COO and co-founder continued.

belongto.it will release single-interview webisodes from each city we pass through. They’ll interview concerned citizens, social entrepreneurs, corporate social responsibility pro’s and sustainability experts.

You can follow these social venture entrepreneurs at www.belongto.it.

The “Buying America Back” road trip kicked off on July 30 beginning in Las Vegas and will end in New York in early September. Some of the cities that will be visited include Las Vegas, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Boulder Colorado, Kansas City, Iowa City, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburg and Philadelphia.

If you are a social venture enterprise located in any one of those cities and would like to be a part of this project you can contact belongto.it at info@belongto.it.

“We look forward to meeting people across this country who are making a difference and telling you their stories. We hope our efforts will make a big change in the way people think about their relationship to Corporate America and understand that our current trajectory is unsustainable economically, environmentally and socially and that the change we require begins with each of us” said Bretzfield.

Follow the journey here on Social Earth and at belongto.it, facebook.com/belongto.it and twitter.com/belongtoit!

National Planting Day to Encourage Americans to Plant Native Species

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:56:35 -0400

Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, is encouraging Americans to plant native species of trees, shrubs, and plants during National Planting Day. The first-ever National Planting Day will be held on Saturday, September 8, and will emphasize the power of native species to restore ecological balance.

The benefits of native plants are many: they provide the best sources of food and habitat for specialized pollinators and insects, which in turn provide food for birds and higher order wildlife; they protect soil from erosion; and they are hardier and less demanding of maintenance and water than other ornamentals. Yet native plant species are undergoing a nationwide ebb, losing ground to habitat fragmentation, suburbanization, and invasive species.

As climate change continues to aggravate the severity of Western droughts, the presence of native plant species is becoming increasingly crucial. “As the scarcity of water becomes a significant national issue, it’s important that we focus on the planting of more ecologically appropriate, drought-tolerant native species,” said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of KAB. “National Planting Day is a call to action designed to encourage people to plant natives at home, or to join a volunteer planting effort to beautify their community.”

National Planting Day is part of KAB’s GetGrowing Initiative – a multi-million dollar program to build the capacity of local organizations to support native species planting, as well as community gardens and vacant lot restoration. GetGrowing events and programs plant 170,000 trees annually, maintaining 8,500 gardens and 700 edible gardens.

KAB also partners with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) People’s Garden Initiative, which encourages the creation of gardens in “food deserts,” communities where a lack of access to fresh foods creates increased risks of obesity and food insecurity.

“This important partnership will help further the USDA People’s Garden Initiative and bring community gardens to neighborhoods that lack access to fresh and healthy produce,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Community gardens provide our kids with the opportunity to engage in physical activity while learning about agriculture and nutrition, and they ultimately make our neighborhoods better places to live and grow.”

Community gardens and urban plantings have been shown to have myriad positive benefits. According to KAB, public housing areas with trees and vegetation have shown up to a 50% reduction in both violent crimes and property crimes, and houses within a quarter mile of a park average 10% higher property values. Access to public gardens and greenspaces has been shown to reduce stress, lower heart rates, and has been linked to reduced rates of asthma, ADD and skin cancer. Moreover, business districts with treescapes average 12% greater revenue than treeless areas.

Businesses, community groups, individuals, and others can register planting events at www.getgrowing.org. Those interested in learning about plants native to their area can visit UT Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center or PlantNative’s website at plantnative.org.

National Planting Day to Encourage Americans to Plant Native Species

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:53:01 -0400

National Planting Day is part of KAB’s GetGrowing Initiative - a multi-million dollar program to build the capacity of local organizations to support native species planting, as well as community gardens and vacant lot restoration. GetGrowing events and programs plant 170,000 trees annually, maintaining 8,500 gardens and 700 edible gardens.

Image credit: Aimee Daniells

How to Bridge the Cultural Divide

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:32:46 -0400

I’ve been talking to social entrepreneurs about the variety of performance challenges they face. Recently, I wrote about the cultural chasm that can exist in a social enterprise—on one side of the chasm are the non-profit folks. They’re focused on altruistic, communitarian values. On the other side of the chasm are the business folks. They’re focused on the bottom-line.

How to help a social enterprise bring these two essential cultures of the social enterprise world together?

In my previous post on this problem, I cited Dr. Joanne Martin of Stanford University, as an excellent source of information on how to bridge the culture gap.

Here’s what Dr. Martin does, when she is consulting with an organization that is experiencing culture gaps:

One exercise I use is to ask organizational members to divide themselves into groups of 5-9 individuals. These may represent subcultures, or at least people who have something in common. Have each group choose a leader, ideally not the highest status person. Ask the group members to tell stories about that illustrate what it is like to work in the organization (behavior, not espoused values), and then to say what the moral of each story is, what it shows about the culture. You may find it useful to require that the story does not focus on the story teller. No need to name story protagonists. Ask each group to report to the whole gathering aloud, their best two (most representative of the culture or cultures they see) stories with morals. You as discussion leader write up just the morals after each story; these are content themes that describe the culture—enacted values. Themes that surface in several groups may be organization wide and themes that are unique to just one or two groups may be unique to a subculture. The fragmentation perspective will help you lead a discussion that does not oversimplify the views expressed, including ironies, contradictions, and the ambiguities that come out of living with conflicts. Be acutely aware of status dynamics in opinions and group process. What you should have as takeaway is a list of content themes for the entire culture and separate lists of content themes for one or two subcultures. The tensions between communitarian and bureaucratic views may be pervasive in all of this, not two clearly defined alternatives. Use their terminology, not yours, to reduce resistance. Take this slowly, about six hours of work in groups and then gathering as a whole. The resulting stories and morals can be written down in a story book and used as a basis for change plans (the negative stories) and socializing new employees (the positive stories).

Some resources Dr. Martin offered include:

Martin, J. and Siehl, C. “Organizational Culture and Counter Culture: An Uneasy Symbiosis.” Organizational Dynamics, Fall, 1983, 52-64.

Martin, J. “Organizational Culture: Pieces of the Puzzle.” In J. M. Shafritz, J. S. Ott, Y. S. Jang, (Eds.), Classics of Organizational Theory, Sixth edition, Wadsworth Publishing, 2005, pp. 393-414.

Organizational Culture: Mapping the Terrain, J. Martin. Invited Volume in the Foundations for Organizational Sciences Series, Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 2002, second printing 2003.

Reframing Organizational Cultures. P. Frost, L. Moore, M. Louis, C. Lundberg and

J. Martin (Eds.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1991, eighth printing 1998.

You can contact Paul Hardt at paul@paulhardt.com

You can also follow him on Twitter: @paulhardt

His website is: www.paulhardt.com

5 Practical Ways You Can Feel and Practice Gratitude

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:35:31 -0400

Therefore, if you want to be successful, you need to feel more gratitude. Fortunately, gratitude, like most emotions, is like a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger and more resilient it becomes.

That’s a quote from a recent Inc.com article titled “True Secret to Success (It’s Not What You Think)” which is focused on individuals, success and overall happiness in your life and career (it has some great practical tips for you to practice gratitude as well). While the focus of the article is on individuals the principle of practicing gratitude and building it into your everyday life is very applicable to nonprofit organizations and how they show gratitude.

I’m not talking about gratitude for your organization in the form of a lame “stewardship plan” that involves thanking people with letters and cards and calls (although that should be done and is the bare minimum). I’m talking about building an organizational culture that is truly grateful for all your donors and volunteers.

And don’t just show them gratitude because it can lead to the next gift or an upsell in a few months. Show them gratitude because it is them who are allowing you to create change in our world, solve problems in our society and improve people’s lives. If that doesn’t work they, more than likely, contribute to your paycheque as well.

True gratitude builds trust and relationship with your donors and volunteers and I don’t need to tell you that those two things, trust and relationships, are cornerstones of any successful fundraising program, campaign or initiative. As the article points out I think one of the reasons why organizations don’t show more gratitude is that we do not feel enough gratitude so it doesn’t just pour out of us naturally like it can and should.

Here are 5 practical ways you can feel and practice gratitude with your organization everyday

1. Show your thanks and appreciation to staff early and often

Practice what you preach. Your team is working hard everyday and many great things go unnoticed. Point them out. Thank people directly and publicly. Do that cheesy “stand on your desk and thank people” stuff. Do the employee of the week. Those things build gratitude into your staff which can then allow them to show more gratitude naturally to your donors/volunteers.

2. Put up different donors and volunteers’ names every day or week in your office with “Thanks!” above it

It is easy to get so busy in the day-to-day that we can forget the real people who are giving to us. Having names that change regularly keeps those people top of mind while you work.

3. Pick up the phone and call someone

Choose three people at random and without agenda just to call and say thanks. Again not as part of a stewardship plan where this person gave X therefore we do Y or as part of a thank-a-thon. Not only will the donor/volunteer appreciate it but the act of picking up the phone and calling someone takes some degree of courage which helps in grain the seriousness of gratitude.

4. Tell the donor or volunteer’s story

Use pictures. Use videos. Use social media. Yes your mission and vision are important. But without your donors and volunteers those will never be achieved so why not tell some of the stories of the people who are helping you achieve that mission and vision. As a bonus, this type of content has a great chance of being shared!

5. Have a donor and/or volunteer of the month

This doesn’t have to be external if you don’t want but at the monthly staff meeting have people come with nominees from their experiences and have a quick vote to choose one. You can feature that donor’s name on a plaque, white board, etc. Again it is not about the actual “donor/volunteer of the month” but it forces your team to look for the positive interactions with your key constituents throughout the month with some accountability.

So in summary, and with a slight tweak to the Inc.com quote, I leave you with this:

Therefore, if your organization wants to be successful, you need to feel and practice more gratitude. Fortunately, gratitude, like most emotions, is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger and more resilient it becomes, naturally pouring out to those around you.

5 Things Your Organization Can Learn From NBC & The Olympics

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 07:35:33 -0400

I love the Olympics. I also enjoy social media. Those two facts make the London games, the “social media” games, a treat to watch. It’s also brought a lot of issues to the forefront of the conversation. I had read about the hate towards the coverage by NBC and got to experience the “travesty” that was their coverage firsthand while I was in Chicago and it got me thinking so without further ado here’s…

5 Things Your Organization Can Learn From NBC & The Olympics

Â 1. Know Your Goals. Make Decisions That Help Get You There.

NBC’s goal is not to provide the viewer with the best possible experience. Their goal is to get the most eyeballs glued to the tube during primetime for the sake of ratings, advertising dollars and market share. With that goal in mind I have no issue with their decision to tape delay their broadcast and have less than stellar other coverage (online and other channels). Will investing in social media help you reach your goal? If so, do it. If not, don’t. Don’t “do it” just because everyone else is or you think you should. NBC knew their goals and made decisions to help get them there and you should do the same. But…

2. Your Brand Comes from Peoples’ Experience. Not You Reaching Your Goal.

At what cost has/is NBC reaching those goals however? They have suffered numerous “gaffes” (my favourite is when they spoiled their own upcoming program with their own promo commercial), created a new (and not good) hashtag and incurred the wrath of many an upset blogger. People are generally upset with the coverage and should they have any other option to watch the Olympics, they don’t, they would. The damage has been done so the end result may not be seen for a while. At what cost is your organization refusing to invest in things like social media? Will the impact be seen next year? In year 3? Always keep in mind that you need to…

3. Find The True Reason for Success (or Failure).

Looking simply at the ratings for NBC you would say they were a “success”. But when you dig deeper into the criticisms, push back and all out “revolt” it is hard to say that NBC’s brand is much better off now then they were before. Nonprofits do this all the time with their fundraising numbers. Revenues are up (yay!) so let’s increase the budget and keep growing (yay!). Except the growth came from a few major gifts that are not sustainable or spread out over the coming years and you actually had fewer donations and fewer new donors. Finding false success (or false failure) can be extremely detrimental to organizations and fundraising programs. Be sure you can…

4. Make Changes When Things Appear to Be “Good”.

NBC has the rights to the Olympic coverage so they could conceivably wait until their contract is up, make a bunch of promises on how things will be different in the future and possibly get the contract again but they would be much better off making some changes now or as soon as they can while they still have the contract. When things are “good” or your organization is having “success” it is easy to put it on coast and not look for improvements, ways to keep innovating or growing. Knowing the underlying factors of the success (or failure) is key but having the stones to make the necessary changes while things “look” good is also paramount. Never forget that…

5. Cash Flow May Be King, But Thinking Long-Term Builds Kingdoms.

NBC spent a fortune on securing the games and had to get the eyeballs and advertisers in prime time so they didn’t go bankrupt but by putting themselves in that position they may have allowed others to have a shot at winning the next contract. Something largely believed to be aÂ proverbialÂ ”gold mine”. Yes your organization has to pay its staff and bills as well as spend a bit (wish it was more) on fundraising and marketing. But if that is your only concern you stand very little chance of having long-term and sustainable success. If you keep your doors open or programs thriving for another year that is good. If those doors close or those programs deteriorate the year after that it could literally be death.

It will be interesting to see how NBC alters their coverage in the next game(s) or if they do at all. Perhaps they are too far ahead of the pack in terms of securing the next contract and they will get it anyways and be able to do what they want because viewers have few other options. I can almost guarantee you however that you and your organization will not be so lucky.

Cultivating Entrepreneurship and Education in Developing Countries to Spike Economic Growth

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 07:35:47 -0400

Let’s start off with a little exercise: try to analyse your life for a few minutes and identify the learning opportunities available in your environment. Try to think of the number of people that are or have been acting as mentors, the inspiration you can find in your surroundings and the number of supporters that help you through the steps you take in your day-to-day activities. How many did you count? For most of you, I am guessing quite a few.

We are surrounded by several support systems. We live in an age where technology moulds our activities on a daily basis, as the trends change, so do we. If we fall behind, then the world will progress miles ahead of where we are. With a pool of knowledge surrounding our every activity, I consider it as a time of education.

Students understand the value of education, and most entrepreneurs that come from an academic background appreciate those years they spent in the examination rooms. But are students only students when placed with a pen and paper in front of them? I would like to think not. Aren’t we all a part of an academic life cycle which teaches us lessons on a continual basis? Technology provides us with the world’s largest library on our fingertips and we have successful businesses running amongst our lives from whom we can learn from. Education calls out to those of us striving for business knowledge consistently, yet there are people spread all over the world that are unable to benefit from this pool.

A concerning fact is that there are millions of businessmen living on the streets of developing cities who spend hours maintaining their household income in narrow streets of their villages. They leave their families at home early in the morning to find the best spot in the marketplace to sell their products. Once they locate the optimal location, they put together their stall using planks of wood and use the flat surface to line up their merchandise. The wait then begins for shoppers to pass by their stall and notice their products. The only sales strategy they have going for them is the loud sales pitch they are giving to prospect customers complemented with their strong bargaining skills. Once the sun begins to set, they break down their stalls and head home to their wife and children to place the one meal for the day on the dining table.

Explaining economic decline is quite simple after the illustration I just gave you. These businessmen make enough income to get their families through individual days let alone weeks. Their productivity levels remain fairly constant for long periods of time despite opportunity for tremendous growth. This of course means that though the streets are lined up with millions of businesses, the number that has a positive impact on the economy is very minute. The prevalent problem is how these businesses can contribute to economic growth and at the same time, provide a better life for the households of the owners.

University societies spend a large quantity of their time and efforts in encouraging students to engage in positive projects in developing countries all across the world. There is plentiful work being done with education in mind. Including business into the study plan alongside the subject of mathematics, English and science when taking the role of teacher could be the solution. Teaching the basics of running a business would lead to exceptional results. Providing children with the confidence that they need, would create a generation of inspired entrepreneurs that could tap into creativity leading to the introduction of innovative products that can help fill market gaps. Demand would have to be present for the gap to be fulfilled, which ultimately would lead to market growth. Decreased unemployment and increased productivity would almost instantly lead to an upward spike in the economy.

Education is in my opinion the most beautiful gift you can give to someone. As students, we value this gift, especially once we step out into the real world where we are required to apply what we spent years learning. These businessmen are thriving for education and guidance. They need to be given the confidence to innovate and solve economic problems that impact their lives. As a creative and entrepreneur-filled community, it almost becomes imperative that we educate the future generations of those villages on how best to utilise entrepreneurship to provide for their families. Image source: Charlottes Photo Gallery

The “Emergence of Ethical Consumerism in India” #SocEnt #India

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:47:31 -0400

A few days ago we stumbled upon a paper (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2103599) about Ethicus, an ethical fashion brand that the paperâs author claims nurtured the âemergence of ethical consumerism in Indiaâ. While, the work of Ethicus and Appachi Cotton (a for-profit enterprise located inPollachi, India and the founder of Ethicus), are great case examples of brands making a positive impact in a rapid amount of time. It also claims that Ethicus was the first of its kind to take a âsignificant business risk to travel the uncharted path.â

Simply put, we disagree.

There are numerous examples of ethical fashion brands that have chosen to âto strive for the highest common good of allâ and focus on âenvironmental and social sustainabilityâ well before Ethicus (which had its launch in September 2009). So it seems a little absurd for the author to infer that this brand was the first of its kind to take a leadership role in this field. Need examples? Here are a few:

Beulah (Launched in 2009): An ethical fashion label focused on providing high-end clothing to help women affected by abuse in India
Mother Earth (Launched in May 2009): Labelled as âIndiaâs First Green Storeâ, this label encompasses a variety of fashion and lifestyle products that are healthy and affordable
Tara Projects (Launched in 1973):Â A fair trade program that enables hundreds of artisans, who create major handicraft lines in Northern India, to sell their products internationally (selling everything from jewellery to lifestyle products)
Indigreen (Launched in early 2009): A limited edition collection of organic cotton products inspired by iconic Bollywood figures

These are just a couple examples of the plethora of green and/or fair-trade lifestyle/fashion labels and organizations that launched around the same time or well before the example presented in the paper. Ethical fashion, particularly in India, is a slow but nevertheless a very prevalent movement that has existed for some time now.

Technically speaking, the buy-local movement has existed since the days of Gandhi, who allegedly started the Khadi (a course hand-spun cotton, wool, or silk) movement to boycott foreign goods. An interesting history lesson here: http://www.ecouterre.com/khadi-a-handspun-cloth-from-india-that-galvanized-a-movement/.

Can we still argue that Ethicus has nurtured the âemergence of ethical consumerism in Indiaâ? Just like the vast diversity of styles, genres and labels in the mainstream market. We must recognize, acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of ethical fashion labels in order to create the consumer-following that is needed to continue this momentum.

On the other hand, we can agree with the author on one point â many of these brands are in a state of incubation, which braces us with the question: can such brands be financially sustainable. Perhaps it is with this purpose that we can look at brands that are currently in the limelight to compare best practice methods for this growing industry. Thoughts?

Giving Women A Choice

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:38:09 -0400

“The State of World Population 2011 reveals that Guatemalan women between 15 and 49 years have on average 3.8 children (2010-2015), when the average Latin-American level is 2.2. For indigenous women, this percentage is 4.5 children per female of reproductive age, which continues to place the country as the holder of the highest fertility rate in Latin America.” - The Guatemala Times, October 27, 2011

It is often the case in Guatemala that indigenous women in rural areas begin having children from the time they are first physically able to, and they will continue to have children until they are beyond child-baring years or they suffer an untimely death. Much of what is known about conception and birth in the modern world is but rumors and whispers in rural Guatemala, if even that.

“The problem was nobody ever told me about pregnancies or where babies came from,” said Olga. “Then my belly started growing and I remember a woman asking me, and I told her it was my boyfriend’s, but I didn’t even have a boyfriend because my father wouldn’t even let me have friends.” - Vivian Siu for Unicef, 28 November 2011

Guatemala and much of Central America have a great lack of education about conception, pregnancy and birth. The problem extends well beyond education, however, as the public health care available to pregnant women - often their only choice - can be dangerous and life-threatening in and of itself.

Doctors in Guatemalan hospitals often treat indigenous people as less than people. They are given less attention and less care than others, important medical procedures are often passed off to unqualified subordinates, and a general lack of communication figures greatly into mistakes and complications in care during and after treatment.

“Giving Women A Choice” is a short documentary that centers on Manos Abiertas, a women’s health clinic in Ciudad Vieja, just outside of Antigua, Guatemala. The organization strives to spread accurate information and provide a safe, comfortable environment for local and indigenous women to come to for health issues.

Giving Women A Choice from Actuality Media on Vimeo.

Find out more about the filmmakers, the subjects and Guatemala at www.actualitymedia.org

This video was produced on location by an Actuality Media student crew and shot with a Canon XA10.
Director: Andrea Keating
Producer: Alicia Johnson
Cinematographer: Morgan Coleman
Editor: Aura Arana