Your Mark On The World

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/29Erjtc. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. --------------------------- Following the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act, the greatest excitement in the startup finance community was on Title III, which has now been implemented by the SEC as Regulation Crowdfunding. Title IV of the Act, however, is proving to be where the real action is. The SEC’s implemented the rules for Regulation A+ on June 19. An article by Amy Wan at Crowdfund Insider provides some key statistics about offerings being conducted under the act. 105 offerings were filed, 44 of which were “qualified” by the SEC. Elio Motors raised almost $17 million earlier this year. Paul Elio joined me twice in the last year to discuss his offering, here and here. The scale of that offering suggests app

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2a0iqhv. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------- “Some of the world’s most intractable social and environmental problems are in need of new solutions. From climate change to resource scarcity to exploding global population growth, the traditional levers of change, including philanthropy and government aid, are insufficient to address the critical issues of our time,” says Fran Seegull. Seegull, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director for ImpactAssets, says impact investing may be the key to solving global problems. Impact investing is the practice of investing funds for both a financial return and social impact. ImpactAssets is a nonprofit financial services firm that earns fees from managing donor advised funds and other investment products

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/29EQkor. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ---------------------- Clean Energy Advisors is lighting up cell phones at concerts of Dead & Company (the band includes members of the Grateful Dead) around the country this summer. The concerts are context for a lot of good. Chris Warren, CEO of Clean Energy Advisors, our sponsor, explains, “The CEA Solar Tour is currently touring the country in support of the Dead & Company’s Participation Row. Working with the band, HeadCount.org (a non-partisan voter registration organization) and Reverb (a non-profit organization that works to make tours and events more environmentally friendly) we are providing cell phone charging stations at every show an powering Participation Row. Participation Row is an ar

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/29kJJ28. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ----------------------- The new Spotfund app is taking an interesting approach to fundraising for charity by capping donations at $3. The theory seems to be that if you are only allowed to give a little, everyone will. The cap removes the social pressure to give until it hurts! Co-founder and CEO Sanford Kunkel says, “There is a disconnect between a problem and its call to action. Say you’re watching the news on the Flint Water Crisis and want to help. First, you have to get up off the couch, get to your laptop and register for the one of the many organizations or GoFundMe pages open to this. Then you have to determine how much you want to give to really make a difference and which charity to donate to.” Spo

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/29odxyC. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------------- Zach Hagopian, co-founder and COO for Accelevents, a provider of silent auction app for nonprofit fundraisers, shares tips from his experience in helping nonprofits optimize their fundraising. He says nonprofits need to make fundraising “accessible, easy and engaging” for both organizers and donors. 1. Use Technology. My first tip is to utilize the amazing online and mobile tools that are prevalent in today’s society, and focus these tools on fundraising. Online and mobile technology have improved many facets of everyday life – now is the time for these tools to improve fundraising too! 2. Reduce Barriers. My second tip is to make fundraising easier by reducing barriers to dona

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/29HTk3d. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ------------------------- Serial entrepreneur Molly Hayward has a fresh take on feminine hygiene, reimagining everything from the absorbent materials to the packaging. With a deep commitment to social justice, she has paired her new products with a program to get girls in the developing world back to school by providing appropriate monthly products for them, too. Hayward’s new venture, Cora, was launched early this year and with just four employees isn’t yet profitable. Hayward declined to provide margin specifics, but notes that unit sales of the product are profitable. Entrepreneur Dave Heath, founder of social venture and sock maker Bombas, is an advisor to Cora. He say, “Cora is a off to a very promising start

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/1TZGeUd. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ------------------------- Martin Shulze is artist and social entrepreneur who is working to make the world a better place with tea. The pu’er tea comes from the Yunnan Province in China and is sold by Misty Peak Teas. But, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Martin explains his early career in the art world. “I started in 2004 by working at Sprueth Magers, one of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries. After running a commercial gallery, a non-profit art space and working at Germany’s most visited museums, I founded the art non-profit Public Delivery, in hopes of finding a new model on how art can be produced and shared.” He’s working to connect more people to the art world, giving p

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/29oYLHE Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. ----------------------- With equity crowdfunding less than 60 days old, measuring from the date the SEC’s Regulation CF became effective in May, the marketplace is beginning to take shape. Flashfunders is one of the players offering a crowdfunding portal. Vincent Bradley, the CEO of Flashfunders, shared his take on the emerging crowdfunding market. Vincent sees two related problems in the market. “Historically, there have been large hurdles in both the fundraising and investing spaces, namely a lack of accessibility. Startups and small businesses have had limited options for financing, many of which were expensive and time consuming to pursue. Additionally, those startups have often been unable to offer equit

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/294dRm1. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------------- The USDA estimates that nearly half the food grown and produced in the US goes to waste. At the same time, more than 50 million Americans face hunger and need help from their local food banks to fill the gaps near the end of the month when their paychecks and food benefits run out,” explains David Bobanick, Executive Director of Rotary First Harvest. David’s Seattle-based, innovative nonprofit “works with farmers, truckers, volunteers, food banks and other partners to develop collaborative programs that capture millions of pounds of pounds of cosmetically imperfect but highly nutritious produce for distribution to those in need.” While he acknowledges that Rotary First Harvest,

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/294hx75. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. -------------------- If you run a nonprofit, your life can be overwhelmed by an endless cycle of demands from the people you serve and the donors who enable you to serve them. Take a few minutes to contemplate these three critical insights from Liz Baker, Executive Director of GreaterGood.org, a grant-making organization that supports 150 nonprofits around the world. Liz says the key to making a real difference is in the three I’s of a nonprofit: impact, imagination and innovation. In her own words: I-1. Impact Define your desired impact before starting a new nonprofit program. If you don’t take this “working backwards” approach, you will not have a clear path to reaching your end goal. The impact

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/296yk9I. Over the past few years, countless people have told me how important it is to learn from and partner with those we hope to serve in order to serve them effectively. Celeste Mergens, founder of the nonprofit Days for Girls, is the best case study for proving that principle that I’ve encountered in years of reporting on social impact. Days for Girls works to provide girls and young women with feminine hygiene products to enable them to attend school and work, giving them five more days per month in school or at work learning or being productive. Working in 101 countries, Celeste is truly is making a dent in the universe. Over the past few weeks, Celeste–Washington State’s 2014 Mother of the Year–has been working on some lessons she could share with us about being more effective in our development efforts. She calls them her “5 Keys to Rever

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/293gwZy. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. As a teenager playing in the waves in Hawaii, I had a wave crash down on my back. The impact instantly paralyzed me, perhaps out of fear. As I floated beneath the surface of the water my life in a wheelchair flashed in front of my eyes. It was one of the most vivid experiences of my life. Fortunately, I walked away from the experience. Of course, many people don’t walk away. Some of them don’t have the relative luxury of living in the developed world with access to leading edge treatment and fail to reach their full potential. Morocco is one such place. There, Mohammed Sbia has launched MAIR in 2015 to provide treatment to people with spinal cord injuries. Zahra Charity is a U.S.-based nonprofit he

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/296CBda. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Lindsey Kneuven, Chief Impact Officer at venture-backed Cotopaxi, recently told me, “Businesses can be a force for immense good; let’s ensure they do good well.” At the moment, she’s focused on making sure that Cotopaxi does good well. The social enterprise is scaling quickly and her role is to ensure that they don’t lose focus on the targeted impact. Lindsey brings valuable experience to Cotopaxi, having spent time with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation helping some of the area’s largest companies with their corporate philanthropy. She is concerned that startups today need to become more disciplined to have the impact they want. She asks, “As more young companies build models that integrate

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/296pqVY. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Dr. Laura Lemle’s daughter was diagnosed with NVLD when she was five years old. Dr. Lemle had earned a PhD in clinical psychology decades ago, before getting into the real estate business. Now, applying her entrepreneurial skills to a social problem close to home, she’s launched a nonprofit, The NVLD Project, to help kids with NVLD. Dr. Lemle, motivated by a desire to change the world for her daugther’s benefit, is moving quickly to build a top-flight advisory board and begin its work of helping those with NVLD and other social and spatial disabilities to lead more complete lives. Up to this point, Dr. Lemle has provided most of the funding for the nonprofit, but the team is still small with just two other people

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/28Lk5mF. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. When Whitney Houston first sang “I believe the children are our future…” in 1986 it was certainly considered an inspiring ballad. Flash forward 30 years and there are plenty of reasons to worry that children aren’t prepared for the fast-moving, technologically intense future we’ve created for them. Lindsey Mangone is the founder and Executive Director of the Audacious Institute, a for-profit social enterprise that empowers and inspires high school students to meet the social and technological challenges of our day. Lindsey explains the problem as she sees it. “Today’s youth are struggling in a changing economy in part because they’re vastly unprepared for 21st century jobs. Traditional K-12 schools

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2928Muj. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Did the people who met Steve Jobs in 1976 have any inkling that they were talking to the person whose name would for a generation be synonymous with “entrepreneur”? More often, people have believed to have found the next incarnation of Jobs only to be disappointed. Perhaps you can help me determine if the subject of this article could become the Steve Jobs of impact investing. From my perch in Salt Lake City on the west side of the Rockies, over the last few years I’ve been hearing rumblings from the other side of the mountains. In Denver, Dr. Stephanie Gripne has created one of the most dynamic centers of impact investing and social entrepreneurship in the world. With a goal to catalyze impact investments of over

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/28NEvL6. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Laurie Carey is an educator and consultant who provides “brain-based professional development for the classroom, the conference room and the boardroom.” She is the founder of both Laurie Carey Consulting and the nonprofit We Connect the Dots. Laurie was introduced to us by our sponsor, Eclat Impact. We Connect the Dots is currently in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo with the audacious goal to raise $1 million for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education. Laurie connected with me to share some insights for us on operating in a more “brain-friendly” way. She says, “Understanding how your brain works, allows you to communicate better, to be a better leader, to be a be

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/28QSft9. 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 Utah’s leading nonprofit fundraising professionals recently left the Community Foundation of Utah where I serve on the board to launch her own business serving nonprofits. Katherine Fife is the founder of Philanthropy Matters. Katherine recently share three tips with me for more effective philanthropy. I’ll share them here: 1. Giving options are multiplying. The philanthropic landscape is changing, both for those who make charitable gifts, as well as for those who are receiving them and putting them to work for social good. The options for giving are growing exponentially and charitable giving is no longer as simple as writing a check. Gifts are made for more personal reasons and based upon

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/1Ubin42. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Imagine life for a moment without an economic identity, without credit, without a bank account, without access to the financial system. What would life be like if you were limited to cash or barter transactions? It might be a bit like living in the dark ages with a window to the 21st century. You could see a life that others were living that is nothing like your own, like seeing a Toyota truck go by without ever conceiving of owning one. Providing people with an economic identity sufficiently strong for storing money efficiently and conducting trade isn’t the solution to all the problems the world’s poorest people face, but it is a piece of the puzzle that could allow them to join us in the 21st ce

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1USoswe. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Todd Crosland, CEO of Seed Equity Ventures, shared some insights about investing in startups on the platform. While these steps are tuned to the Seed Equity platform, keep in mind that the process is similar across most all startup investing websites. STEP 1: Sign Up and Join Seed Equity At this time, Seed Equity only accepts investments from accredited investors, those well-healed investors with a net worth (excluding their primary residences) of at least $1 million or consistent personal annual incomes of at least $200,000. Seed Equity is evaluating interest from ordinary investors to participate under the newly issued rule for Regulation Crowdfunding. A growing number of platforms now accept investments