Your Mark On The World

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. This episode is unusually visual. Please consider watching this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/TNrwrwEQdRg. Eric Hatch thought photographing volunteers from the community of people addicted to alcohol, meth and heroin would make for an interesting artistic challenge. Once he started meeting them and seeing them as human beings, his artistic project became a crusade. The impact of being seen as a real, three-dimensional person with value to society changes the subjects in a subtle way as well. Having photographed just 50, he’s already found one that quickly decided to get clean and sober, checking herself into rehab. Be sure to watch the entire interview in the player above to see a sample of the photos as well as to hear about the human beings Eric photographs. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2JCt4J2. Customers at Even Stevens, which promises to give a sandwich for each one it sells, may envision a kitchen in the back where employees make sandwiches for homeless people, but co-founder Sara Day, 28, explains it doesn’t work that way. Day, the cause director for the 20-store chain operating in six states, says they scrapped the idea of making sandwiches before the company opened its first store in June of 2014. The team decided against making sandwiches for two reasons. First, they quickly recognized that making sandwiches at exactly the moment that nonprofit partners would want them would be impossibly difficult. The result of not doing so would be lots of wasted food. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2JCt4J2. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://cr

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Richard Marker has been advising philanthropists for 25 years. Today, he took time to share his insights with us! He not only shares some best practices for philanthropy he offers tips for nonprofits who seek money from them (hint: don’t waste your time building relationships with philanthropists who don’t have an interest in your cause!) Interview with Richard Marker, the Co-principal/founder of Wise Philanthropy / Wise Philanthropy Institute. The following is the pre-interview with Richard Marker. Be sure to watch the recorded interview above. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? We help philanthropists and foundations make wise and informed decisions about their philanthropy strategy - as educators, advisors, writers, speakers. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2K8CNIh. David Shrier left MIT after adopting the school’s mission and applying it to his artificial intelligence startup, Distilled Analytics. He’s hoping to disrupt impact measurement for companies and investors alike with the company’s new product, Distilled Impact. “MIT's mission is to solve the world's biggest problems through technology,” Shrier says. “We spun out of MIT to look at how can we apply the tools of data and analytics and AI to help address the world's biggest problems.” “Distilled Analytics is applying data science to critical issues of activating private capital to build a better world,” he says. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2K8CNIh. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2JmRw17. The youth you hope to help as a social entrepreneur or nonprofit leader may be your most powerful tool for helping them. This message comes from a recent report published by the United Nations University called “Cradled by Conflict.” The report’s author, Siobhan O’Neil, 39, points out that youth discussed in the report about kids who have been recruited or coerced into joining militant groups are vulnerable but also capable of helping to define and manage their own recovery. O’Neil, the project lead for children and extreme violence at the U.N.-based think tank, says that studies show that when children are engaged in finding solutions, the solutions can be effective. As an example, she says that students in a high school experiencing violence were asked to help design a program to reduce violence in the schools. The result: violence dropped significantl

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Offering banking services to unbanked, vulnerable populations is a model for lifting people out of poverty. It is also a model for indentured servitude and even modern day slavery. Microvest Capital Manages has invested over $1 billion in in microlending firms. Candace Smith, the firm’s head of risk, joined me to talk about how the firm ensures that it invests only on microlending companies that improve lives with a sustainable business model. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Sebastien Duffillot says he was drawn first to Laos by its people but quickly became an activist for conserving the few remaining elephants in a place known as “the land of a million elephants.” The Elephant Conservation Center houses 30 asian elephants. They are not required to perform or give rides. They live in a protected forest and are allowed to just enjoy being elephants. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2GKqm7j. Three physicians who are appalled by the mountain of student debt in America have developed a plan to help students pay off their student loans early. Their plan would also provide free services to nonprofit organizations. The trio is now putting their plan into action in the form of a social enterprise. NanaEfua B. Afoh-Manin, a physician who describes herself as a dancer and simply exudes energy, generally abbreviates her last three names as B.A.M., pronounced bam! As CEO of the Shared Harvest Fund, she is joined by two other female African American medical doctors as co-founders. Briana DeCuir joined B.A.M. for a discussion you can watch in the video player above. Joanne Moreau is the third member of the founding group. The plan works like this: “debtfreelancers” who are people with student loans willing to volunteer for nonprofits find those opportun

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Merrilee Buchanan and Carol Storey working to empower women around the globe. Merrilee runs Villa Leadership Group, working to consult, train and coach women to successfully take on greater leadership roles. Carol writes their stores on the Villa Blog. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? Many women feel isolated today and do not have a community to connect with or realistic relatable role models to turn to for inspiration and guidance. The Villa blog provides a forum for all women who are looking for answers and direction to support their goals and needs. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Andrew Jewett, Co-CEO of Aperture, is writing a new script for raising money for the firm’s new real estate fund. The firm will issue a new cryptocurrency with each coin representing a share of the fund. The funds raised will be used to rehabilitate homes lost to foreclosure to make them habitable and ready for families to occupy them. The use of a coin to represent a share of a fund is new. The SEC has argued for some time that the issuance of a new cryptocurrency may constitute the issuance of a security. Many coin issuers have avoided this by issuing their coins outside the U.S. Jewett chose to issue the firm’s new coin as a security under Regulation D section 506(c). Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Bruno Marino, PhD, founder of Planet Alpha Corp, is working to finance projects to preserve, protect and expand forests in cooperation with local communities. Using modern technology, the new company can actually measure the amount of carbon sequestered by the forest. The company is conducting a $50 million Regulation A+ offering that is open to the public. Preliminary Interview with Bruno D.V. Marino, the founder and CEO of Planet Alpha Corp. The following is a brief pre-interview that provides context for the recorded interview you may watch or listen to at the top of this article. What is the purpose of your crowdfunding campaign? PαC will develop forest carbon storage projects across the planet with a mission to reduce emissions of CO2 and greenhouse gases (“GHG”). We do good by supporting forest landowners and communities for their reduction of CO2 emissions through forest tree planting, growth, conservation and management. The

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Jeff Nash was a resident in this program. Now he’s the executive director of Habilitat. He knows first hand how hard it is to overcome addiction. His insights help him to more effectively help others who are following behind. Habilitat is a unique rehabilitation program that is funded entirely by enterprises run by the residents to generate the funds to run the programs, including Oahu’s largest Christmas Tree farm. Work not only provides needed funding and makes the program affordable even for those who can’t pay, it also provides an essential element of the recovery program. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Most people think it’s a typo when they read that Holly Tree Richardson has 25 children. It’s not. Everyone would agree that raising 25 kids is enough, but not her. She served in the Utah House of Representatives and has been a political activist for decades. She is now a newspaper columnist and works for a nonprofit in Utah as well. Recently, she visited Bangladesh to see how she and her organization could help the nearly 1 million Rohingya people who are now living in a refugee camp, having just escaped genocide with only their lives. She’s returning next week to start delivering relief. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2pMxvcP. When LeAnn Thieman’s kids were moving out of the house twenty years ago, she says her husband, Mark Thieman, “had this wonderful ideal thing that I was going to stay home and start quilting.” Instead, her “hobby” of writing and speaking took her down another path to becoming a bestselling author. Working as a nurse for more than two decades, Thieman, now 68, was an unlikely candidate to become a sought-after motivational speaker and author of 21 books that have sold more than 3 million copies. What brought her into the spotlight was a story she didn’t tell publicly for almost two decades after her visit to Vietnam at the end of the war. Thieman decided to buy a dozen cupcakes at a bake sale benefitting an organization called Friends of Children of Vietnam.” The organization primarily worked to help orphans who were fathered by American soldiers with a go

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2GxPQnq. Entering a new school in an unfamiliar community, feeling alone and isolated, then 13-year-old Shane Feldman took the advice of a mentor to get involved with school clubs and service organizations. He enjoyed it so much, he organized an event across seven high schools to engage other kids who felt as isolated as he had. That event, where he hoped to get 50 students to participate, ultimately brought together 400. The following year, the event attracted over 1,000 students from 30 schools. Those humble, but promising beginnings to Count Me In have now reached over 10 million people around the world. Feldman, now 23, describes it as the “largest youth-led organization in the world.” Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2GxPQnq. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Pete Martin was challenged to come up with an idea to impact 1 billion people in a way that would positively impact their lives. He decided to reinvent voting by using blockchain technology to create immutable, auditable records of your votes. He is building a system that will allow you to verify that your vote was counted at the same time the government can verify that you voted--while preserving the anonymity of your vote. No one will know who you voted for except you. Interview with Pete Martin, the Founder & CEO of Votem. The following is the pre-interview with Pete Martin. Be sure to watch the recorded interview above. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? We provide more secure, verifiable, and transparent voting events with better access than paper-based/in-person voting. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2p7Ogyb. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2p7Ogyb. “Getting mail in prison is like hitting the lottery,” says successful entrepreneur and “returning citizen” Marcus Bullock, 36. That knowledge inspired him to launch Flikshop, a simple app for your phone that allows you to send a postcard to an incarcerated friend or family member. Bullock’s first post-release enterprise, which he continues to operate, is a contracting firm that employs returning citizens. The firm employs 31 full-time staff, most of whom had been incarcerated. Because people in youth detention facilities, jails and prisons don’t have access to phones and the internet, receiving mail is important. “That's the one thing that you have to know that someone on the planet cares about you,” Bullock says. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of suc

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Stephanie Bowers launched her nonprofit seven years ago after seeing mothers reusing disposable diapers in a struggling community in Peru. She really hit her stride after she found CaringCrowd and started crowdfunding for her organization. With 25 campaigns under her belt, she’s learned to ask for what she needs and to get what she asks for. Preliminary Interview with Stephanie Bowers, the Founder of Jake’s Diapers. The following is a brief pre-interview that provides context for the recorded interview you may watch or listen to at the top of this article. Crowdfunding page: https://www.caringcrowd.org/empower-250-mothers-haiti What is the purpose of your crowdfunding campaign? Living in extreme poverty, most Haitian mothers are forced to choose between food & diapers. This has devastating consequences not only for basic sanitation and hygiene, but also on the empowerment of mothers. Diapers are an overlooked, yet so crucial basic n

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2Fay7li. Just back from Korea where he served as an NBC commentator on the Winter Olympics, Apolo Ohno joined me for a discussion about skating and his new venture in cryptocurrencies. Ohno, who won a total of eight medals, including two gold medals, as a short track speed skater in three Olympics, beginning with the 2002 games in my home town of Salt Lake City, worked as an NBC commentator for the first time in Sochi. Of the just completed games in PyeongChang, he said, “The overall experience was phenomenal,” adding, “I feel blessed to be a part of them. I love going to the Olympics.” Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2Fay7li. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. John Popel joined me to tell me about his new app, Chummy, that helps you ask for help when you need it and give help when you can. It is available both in app store for IOS devices and in Google Play for Android devices. Interview with John Popel, the Head of Growth of Chummy. The following is the pre-interview with John Popel. Be sure to watch the recorded interview above. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? In fact, Chummy serves to solve a set of personal social problems: 1. In modern cities, people face daily problems alone. Gone are the days when people borrowed a cup of sugar from the neighbor or shared a cold beer with a thirsty stranger. 2. 6/10 Americans gravitate toward paying it forward and helping like-minded people. The issue is there’s been no way to identify the kind, like-minded fellows in the city. There’s been no safe and fun tool for engaging in daily random acts of kindness. 3. Even havi