Your Mark On The World

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2eBEmkX. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ---------------------- Last summer in Dallas, I met a remarkable mother and daughter pair of social entrepreneurs. While each heads in her own direction, both are having an impact. Hannah Kerchner is a high school student who recognized the difficulty some students had in acquiring a band instrument and that many who were interested couldn’t join simply for lack of a few hundred dollars to buy or rent one. Hannah says, “Around the United States there have been an increasing number of budget cuts in schools and an increasing number of low income families. Due to these cuts music programs have been cut of their funds sometimes completely. Student’s aren’t having the opportunity to be in band any more.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2eBSeMk. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ---------------------- With 700 million people on this planet lacking access to clean water, Ryan Phillips-Page, founder of Operation Water, felt that he address water access at scale. He explains that access to water goes well beyond the need for an adequate supply of clean drinking water. “Almost 1 in 10 people globally lack access to clean drinking water, with women and children disproportionately suffering. The ripple effect of poor health, inadequate hygiene, and lost educational and economic opportunities, traps the most marginalized in a cycle of poverty and disease.” Operation Water is using innovative financing structures to implement large scale water projects. Ryan says, “We engage govern

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2eYij9p. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------------------- Tim Kachuriak, founder and CEO of NextAfter, one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the U.S., is helping nonprofits raise more money using sophisticated data analysis. Kachuriak expects to hit $4 million in revenue this year with 77 percent gross margins and 31 percent net margins, making the fast growing company highly profitable as well. Launched little more than five years ago, the company is listed as number 422 on the Inc. 500 list. Kachuriak explains NextAfter’s approach to helping nonprofits increase online donations. “Our business exists to create a more generous world by using behavioral economics and applied research testing to discover what inspires people to give.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2eD5LUR. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ------------------------------ f you are a regular GoodCrowd.info reader, you know that you can now invest in startups via FINRA-registered web portals. You can now be a venture capitalist, “shark” or perhaps, more benignly, an angel investor. In May, the Securities and Exchange Commission implemented rules for investment crowdfunding under the 2012 JOBS Act. Alon Goren and Josef Holm have organized the first conference, the Crowd Invest Summit, focused exclusively on investment crowdfunding since the rules went into operation. Alon has provided GoodCrowd.info readers with a special discount on registration. Use the discount code “GOODCROWD” to receive 30 percent off the registration fee! The speakers will

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2elIx5r. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. --------------- Peter Fusaro, Founder Global Change Associates, is an environmental pioneer. Beginning in 1970, he has been working and advocating for the environment. Much of his work has been focused on finding the opportunities to save and make money by doing the right thing for Mother Nature. He says, “I have been ardently committed to sustainability by focusing on practical solutions to complex problems through books, mentorship, lectures, interviews and insights on five continents. After a while, the ideas take root and get disseminated. Sort of like, Johnny Appleseed.” It may be that his biggest challenge is what ultimately gave him the ability to influence so many. He got started before the

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2e7f2Sm. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ------------------------ It is almost as if the earth shifted a few degrees on its axis and no one noticed. The finance and nonprofit worlds have come together to create a financing model that literally allows investors to earn a positive financial return on programs that lead to reductions in homelessness–and no one seems to care. Salt Lake County is leading the way with a new financing vehicle known variously as “Pay For Success,” “social impact bonds” or “social impact financing.” While some will quibble over distinctions, I’ll use or quote people using these terms as if they all mean the same thing. Jeremy Keele, who previously worked for Salt Lake County and now serves as Managing Director for the Sorenson Imp

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2edIuc0. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------------- Each year the Hult Prize committee sets what Jim Collins would call a big, hairy, audacious goal or BHAG for student teams of social entrepreneurs. This year, the challenge was to double the income of 1 million people in the developing world. The winning team created a texting system that optimizes the inefficient public transportation market in Kenya. The $1 million prize was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative last month. The Clinton Foundation has announced that this will be the last such event and most of the employees have been given notice that that they will be laid off at the end of the year. The CGI was founded in 2005 to help find solutions to the world’s biggest problems. Being

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2dPhShg. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. --------------------------- One of the most inspiring stories in my book Crowdfunding for Social Good features Martha Griffin’s campaign to raise money to publish Sam’s Birthmark, a book about a boy born with a birthmark on his face. The book has impacted countless lives since, including her own son Barron, helping kids born with port wine stain birthmarks like Barron’s to feel special. For the book, Martha explained that she learned four key lessons from her Kickstarter campaign where she successfully raised $31,763. 1. Would the birthmark community embrace or see a need for the book? 2. Would the message appeal to our network and outside the birthmark community? 3. Could we “market” the book through a vira

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2e67Ecu. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ----------------- Kirsten Henry Fox is an executive sommelier and entrepreneur who survived breast cancer in 2014. The cancer scare inspired her newest venture, Uplift Gift, a company launched on October 1st that sends gift boxes, typically including just the right wine for the occasion, to people experiencing cancer or other challenge. Fox says, “For our launch, we are offering two types of gift boxes: one without wine, one with wine. Each gift box contains the following: a soft, ivory pashmina, hand-crafted chocolates, gourmet tea sampler, velvety sipping cocoa, three essential oils and a custom, hand-written greeting card. Optionally, if desired and legal to ship into the distressed friend’s state, the customer c

Never miss another story! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the story here: http://bit.ly/2dPrDw0. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ---------------------- Billions of people are crippled because they lack a computer at home. Matt Dalio spent years talking to people overcoming poverty without computers. It was really three months of travel through China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand… …seeing the reactions of people to his technology that convinced Matt he had to do this. He learned they don’t want the cheapest computer he could make; they want the best computer they can afford. So he set out to build it. He launched with a Kickstarter campaign raising $176,538. Today, the provocative Endless Computer starts at just $79. The operating system can be downloaded free for use on any computer. It includes an abundance of content and do

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2dq9Wmp. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------------------- Kindness. You’ve probably thought of kindness as a key to good personal relationships. You may have even applied kindness to your daily interactions with coworkers. Have you ever thought kindness was the key to success in business? Westminster College professor Dr. Vicki Whiting says it is. In a powerful TEDx talk at her college, she makes the case that WalMart may one day cease to exist because it lacks the kindness its founder once imbued into the organization. 1. Kindness is powerful. Kindness is the most powerful tool leaders have at their disposal if they desire to create the connection and commitment necessary to afford long term success. Leaders as far back as Arist

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2dtMa9b. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. --------------------- Sana Butler, founder of Transformative Tourism, wants wealthy tourists to travel with her to Africa to drive positive impact. Her innovative model for tourism is intended to help protect UNESCO World Heritage sites that are underfunded, to protect the environment and to help low-income people and communities lift themselves out of poverty. There is a fundamental flaw in the existing tourism model in Africa; most of the money that goes in flows out, she says. Sana says, “The problem is that visitors spend about $40 billion a year in Sub-Saharan Africa; as much as 90% of it ‘leaks out’ to bank accounts of multi-national companies.” This isn’t just a problem that slows economic g

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2du5pPL. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. --------------------- Many people are looking for practical ways to participate in the booming solar energy industry. Clean Energy Advisors, our sponsor, offers a way for accredited investors to participate in solar energy projects. --------------------- Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2du5pPL. Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2dusYYO. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ------------------ Ordinary investors can now invest in startups as a result of the belated implementation of the JOBS Act in May. As you start thinking about investing in startups, one key is to identify an entrepreneur you can back. Todd Crosland, CEO of our sponsor Seed Equity Ventures, invests in startups along with investors who use the platform. He is an accomplished entrepreneur himself. He recently wrote a blog post about the five key attributes to look for in a startup founder. I’m sharing them here with permission. 1. Passion When an entrepreneur is pitching you his or her business, their passion for the venture should be apparent from the time they open their mouth. They need to be fully committed

Never miss another story! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ---------------------- Vivienne Harr, age 9: “I saw a picture of two boys with big rocks strapped across their heads. To feel better, they were holding hands. I learned that these boys are brothers… and slaves. I thought slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln. But it still happens. I wanted to do something about it, because compassion is not compassion without action.” “We need to help these boys,” she told her parents. Vivienne set up a lemonade stand to raise money to end slavery. She earned so much money for the fight that she wanted to do it again. And then again and again. “I want to help a lot of these kids. I want to raise a whole $100,000.” Then Vivienne hit upon a new pricing strategy. “Why not let people pay what’s in their hearts?” From then on, her lemonade was officially “free becaus

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2cRKsyo. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ---------------------- Have you ever conducted a toy drive, trying to gather items for a cause? The logistics of such an effort can be overwhelming. Lisa Tomasi has created a way that removes most of the logistical challenges for the nonprofit and makes donating new items easier for the giver as well. Her company YouGiveGoods allows the donor to buy products for a drive and have them delivered directly to the charity. Lisa says, “By removing the cumbersome logistics of a typical, collection box drive, more people can donate and get more goods into the hands of those who need them. Our business directly helps more people receive tangible aid and support when they need it most.” It’s easy, she says. “

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2czVfcP. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ----------------------- “Somebody ought to do something about that.” If you’re like me, you’ve said that–if only to yourself–on occasion. The most successful people in the world seem to be the ones who don’t. Instead, they do something. Most of us aren’t willing to give up our careers to “do something” to solve a social problem, especially if there is no good answer to the partner question, “What’s in it for me?” Mellanie True Hills, a professional speaker who has earned the National Speakers Association’s Certified Speaking Professional designation, recognized a problem and created a nonprofit to address it without giving up her career. Hills launched her nonprofit, American Foundation for Women’s Health, which in

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2cRS6sK. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ----------------------- Improving public health in the developing world faces seemingly insurmountable odds. The Task Force for Global Health, or TFGH, is working to change those odds. Last month, CEO Dave Ross accepted on behalf of the organization a $2 million prize from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for its annual Humanitarian Prize. “The Task Force is about compassion, collaboration, and smart solutions,” said Hilton Foundation CEO Peter Laugharn upon granting the award. “The organization and its partners roll up their sleeves and solve massive global health problems, and they do it without fanfare. This is an organization that, with its partners, is on track to help eliminate three diseases i

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2cdJf3L. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ----------------- Bobbi Rebell, Reuters financial news television anchor and author of the new book How to Be a Financial Grownup, is launching the book with a fully funded crowdfunding campaign for teachers and students via DonorsChoose. You get to give without giving! Here’s how it works. 1) You buy a copy of the book. 2) You post about it the purchase on social media including a link to the crowdfunding campaign on DonorsChoose. 3) Send screen grabs of your receipt and your post to Bobbie here. 4) You will receive a gift code for $18 allowing you to back a teacher’s project to benefit students without using any of your own money! (Of course, there are some teachers who are hoping you might add a f

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2cjbQ4r. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------------- Laura Dunn, who reports being a victim of sexual assault by two men from her University of Wisconsin-Madison crew team, was fueled by her experience to not only earn a JD but also to launch SurvJustice, a national organization working to support other victims of campus rape. Dunn is an accidental social entrepreneur driven by a passion to make America’s campuses safer. The scale of the operation at SurvJustice, with just three people on staff, doesn’t do justice to the work of the organization. Operating on a shoe-string budget, the nonprofit has impact beyond what you’d expect. Dunn leverages volunteer interns and a small but impressive board to expand the organization’s reach. Board member L