Your Mark On The World

November 19, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1QNOUJi. 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 wanted to do something to make the world a better place but didn’t know what? The new “10 Things For” campaign is trying to ensure you always know what to do. Emily Paxman, founder of the campaign, says, “There is a tremendous amount of goodwill in the world, as evidenced by the large number of people who draw awareness to the issues they’re passionate about by posting articles on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. While raising awareness can be valuable in the long-term, it often does nothing to alleviate immediate suffering in the here and now.” Coby Vail, director of campaign research, adds, “In the Information Age, everyone is becoming more aware of the problems that plague the planet on a daily basis. With so much to do, it can b

November 5, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1WwRng7. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Michael “Luni” Libes is the social entrepreneurs’ social entrepreneur. He created Fledge, an accelerator for social entrepreneurs that has now helped to create over $10 million in total funding for it ventures since its founding in 2012. The problem, as Luni sees it, is all wrapped up in opportunity. “The trouble is, the problems of the world continue to expand, while the majority of the money, infrastructure, and power lie in the for-profit sector. If only businesses solved the important problems of the world, their success would lead to profits, scaling up those solutions, then more profits, more scaling, and so on, in a virtuous, self-sustaining cycle.” Luni boasts, “Thirty-nine ’fledglings’ have graduated from the six Fledge programs run over the last three ye

November 5, 2015 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1HrPjdb. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Over the last 30 years or so, a growing movement that expects capitalism to drive social benefit rather than tolerate its own harm has led to a burgeoning demand for capital with a conscience. Michael Sauvante of Commonwealth Capital has developed a model for financing social ventures that could rapidly increase available capital for social ventures. Michael explains, “Small business with 20 or fewer employees provide more U.S. jobs than all the jobs in big business, government, non-profits and all the other sources of jobs combined. Yet small businesses are struggling to survive and are desperate for capital and credit, both exceedingly difficult to obtain.” “One of the biggest problems with raising money for such small businesses is that, unlike inv

November 5, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1HrJrQX. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Social Entrepreneur Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org, created what could be described as the first crowdfunding site, despite the fact that that term wouldn’t come into vogue for another decade. In 2000, Best launched the site to solve a clear problem. “Public school teachers spent an average of $485 of his/her own money to pay for school supplies, instructional materials and other classroom materials. Across the U.S., this adds up to $1.6 billion in out-of-pocket expenses for teachers (2013 National School Supply and Equipment Association Retail Market Awareness Study). Innovative approaches are needed to help public school classrooms,” he says. For the past six years, Chevron has been partnering with DonorsChoose.org to generate funds for teachers with

November 5, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1Ns65Py. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Social innovator Lexi Barrett is helping to lead a non-partisan effort at New Profit, a venture philanthropy fund, called America Forward focused on supporting results-oriented organizations working in education, workforce development and poverty alleviation. Barrett, who has spent most of her career in government service, says, “Although the impact of our sector, and our New Profit Portfolio and America Forward Coalition Members in particular, is impressive—millions of communities and individuals go unserved each year and the problems we seek to solve are even greater. And while the federal government ought to be learning from and expanding these efforts, in too many cases government is getting in the way by creating unnecessary barriers, stifling innovation, and

October 29, 2015 - Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1LYPPB9. 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 seen something truly tragic and thought as you passed by, perhaps leaving a few dollars, “someone should really do something”? Gene and Arlene Rumley had an experience like that while visiting India and decided not to just leave a few dollars, but instead to really do something. Gene explains what they saw. “It is estimated that there are 15-20 million orphans in India. Girls, especially, are considered almost worthless, especially the ones living in extreme poverty. Thousands of children are digging in garbage dumps, abused, abandoned and prone to child trafficking. It is also estimated that there are over 300,000 street children living in Mumbai, India alone.” Gene and Arlene created Mission for Orphans to provide for the care and feeding of t

October 29, 2015 - Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1LYO4nG. 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’re a social entrepreneur chances are good that you get this. Launching and running a social venture can be lonely. That’s why around the world so many of us have found ourselves working an Impact Hub. Kyle Ashby is the founder of Impact Hub Santa Barbara. He notes, “Impact focused entrepreneurs often work alone, in locations where collaboration is not available. They also have difficulties finding mentors, associates, financing and the resources needed to grow their business.” Enter Impact Hub Santa Barbara, right on cue. “The Impact HUB Santa Barbara will enable entrepreneurs, startups, and organizations to coordinate efforts and thrive in a central meeting point for those who want to make our community and world a better place. This will be done throu

October 29, 2015 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1GL82Fp. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. There is a lot of talk these days about impact investing, but relatively few people actually know what it is or how to do it. With the help of Your Mark on the World Center sponsor Gate Global Impact’s CEO Vince Molinari, we’ll explain impact investing basics. Vince offers answers to the following three basic questions: 1. What is impact investing? Impact investing is a progressive new investment philosophy whereby an investor proactively seeks to place capital in businesses that generate financial returns from organizations committed to societal, sustainable and/or environmental goals. The growth of IMPACT INVESTING is borne out by global trends in macro/micro socioeconomics, Next-Gen behavioral finance, and ubiquitous social media that continues to

October 29, 2015 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1iikGAi. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Michael Custer and a team of students at Jiaotong University in Shanghai, inspired by the Hult Prize, saw a problem and created a solution for it. As Michael explains, “The problem is illiteracy. Across the developing world, millions and millions of people remain illiterate. The UN estimates there to be 900 million illiterate people worldwide and a third of this population lives in India, where 289 million Indian adults are illiterate.” “Illiteracy is not just a problem for the individual though, it also creates tremendous problems for the next generation. Academic research has repeatedly proved the inter-generational transmission of illiteracy and its close link to poverty. The worst part is, that for young children, the best way to develop the skill

October 22, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1krX7qq. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Computer literacy is increasingly becoming a ticket into the functioning global economy, but billions of people still don’t know how to get one. [I own 34 shares of Microsoft.] Lori Forte Harnick, General Manager, Microsoft Citizenship & Public Affairs, explains, ”There is a lack of resources to teach computer science in schools globally, as well as a lack of understanding in why computer science matters. Young people and their parents need inspiration to pursue computer science and combat the stereotypes associated with the field.” “As technology has become an integral part of people’s daily lives around the world, we’re seeing a growing demand – from students, parents, teachers, governments, and nonprofits – to teach youth not only how to use technology, but als

October 22, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1OSKsb9. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. The townships in South Africa are some of the largest slums in the world. “The odds are stacked against children growing up in Port Elizabeth’s townships. Abject poverty, particularly amongst the country’s black population, is pervasive,” explains Jacob Lief, Co-founder and CEO of Ubuntu Education Fund, which works to solve problems associated with poverty in Port Elizabeth’s townships. [Jump to page 2 to watch the live interview with Lief.] Lief sees the extreme gap between rich and poor in South Africa as a root of the problem, noting that South Africa is the 2nd most unequal country in the world–without noting which country is worse. “This widening gap between the haves and the have-nots permeates society. While the elite receive quality private healthcare, So

October 22, 2015 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1NnSszg. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. “One hundred and twelve million children lack access to high-quality, reliable, affordable early childhood education [ECE]. It’s a fundamental injustice that caps their potential and robs children of the futures they deserve,” says SOMOS Managing Director, Anne Friedman. SOMOS was recently recognized as a Hult Prize finalist at the Clinton Global Initiative. Anne explains further, “Children who don’t receive high quality ECE in the first 5 years of life suffer from depressed educational and health outcomes, starting school about 2 years behind and never catching up. Even family stability decades later is affected by the education a young child receives. The problem is that potential is distributed equally but opportunity is not. Millions of children b

October 16, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1Gc4hZh. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. As I visit with social entrepreneurs around the world, I often find that religion is a motivating factor for their desire to do something that matters. Although rarely discussed, taking religion out of social entrepreneurship would, for some at least, rob it of its heart and soul. [It has been my honor to speak at a few Rotary District Conferences at discounted fees, but I've not been paid by Rotary International.] [Jump to page 2 for the live interview.] Of course, many people approach social entrepreneurship from a purely secular point of view, including some who are religious, but that does not negate the influence of religion for others. This week, I am attending the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions here in Salt Lake City, a gathering of 10,000 religi

October 15, 2015 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1GbYini. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Ulixes Hawili, with a team of student entrepreneurs from the University of Tampa, has created a company called Tembo Education, a 2015 Hult Prize finalist, to provide a proven curriculum of training to African parents to help their children prepare for school. Ulixes, the Chief Intelligence Officer of Tembo, explains, “The problem is the lack of early childhood education in developing countries across the world. Millions of children are not afforded an opportunity to a high quality education and we believe that advanced economies are morally inclined to confront issues of this magnitude, even if it means making tremendous sacrifices.” Noting that 86 percent of the population in sub-Saharan African have access to a mobile device, Ulixes says, “We are

October 15, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1GbToGU. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Jamie Austin and Aisha Bukhari co-founded Attollo SE Inc. as graduate students at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Attollo was selected as a finalist for the 2015 Hult Prize competition, awarded last month at the Clinton Global Initiative. Jamie explains, “Young children from underprivileged families do not develop the vocabulary they need for success in primary school. The extent that the vocabulary of these children is behind their more privileged peers has been termed the vocabulary gap.” Aisha notes that over 100 million under-privileged kids are not ready for primary school, adding, “A key reason less-privileged children are not primary school ready and drop out of school later in life is that they are unable to understand and commun

October 15, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1GbMnG4. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Juan Diego Prudot was successful at a very young age. With the abundant opportunities afforded those of means, he has chosen the path of a social entrepreneur in an effort to improve early childhood education around the world. Prudot sees the problem this way, “Over 100 million children under the age of six are living in underserved communities and do not have access to quality early childhood education. This situation leads to children being unprepared to enter primary school and with a weaker social and emotional foundation, thus making it more challenging for the youth to thrive and become productive members of society.” Prudot led the formation of a team of student entrepreneurs in Taiwan, where he attends business school at National Chengchi University. The t

October 8, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1MfRo1J. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Wendy Lipton-Dibner, the bestselling author who has just seen her latest book, Focus on Impact, published has focused her career on helping people put results and outcomes ahead of financial returns with the reassurance that by focusing on impact, the money will come. When Lipton-Dibner talks about “impact,” she’s using the word in a more traditional sense, meaning non-financial outcomes and results rather than its use in social enterprise circles with a focus on social good. That said, her focus on traditional impact is highly relevant for the socially conscious–and her message is good news for social entrepreneurs. As we focus on impact, she says, success will come. In preparing for this piece, I asked Lipton-Dibner for three tips to help social entrepreneurs ha

October 8, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1WO1JVE. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Honduras may have the highest murder rate in the world. The Christian organization called the Association for a More Just Society (AJS) is working there exclusively to help restore peace to a traumatized population. [Jump to page 2 to watch the live interview.] Co-founder Dr. Kurt Alan Ver Beek explains the situation, “Honduras’s violence is widely reported on. It’s been listed as having the highest or one of the highest homicide rates in the world for the last several years. Honduras’s systems of laws and justice are very weak, they are applied unfairly (the poor are neglected), and they suffer from endemic corruption. As an example, an AJS study in 2014 found that 96 percent of homicides in Honduras never result in a guilty conviction. With such an ineffective sy

October 8, 2015 - Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1PiSo5T. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Brazil’s economy was struggling so Candice Pascoal did something about it. She founded Kickante, a crowdfunding site that has become a leader in Brazil. “Brazil’s economy is struggling, and traditional venture capital is not available for companies and organizations to fund companies and projects,” Candice says. “Crowdfunding is new in Brazil, and also Brazilians are not accustomed to asking others for money to fund projects. Because traditional funding measures have dried up, lots of startups and NGOs need capital to do what they need to do. This also includes individuals, like artists and musicians. They need funds to do their projects.” Candice explains how Kickante is helping, saying, “Kickante is bringing the sharing economy to Brazil. Our platform helps c

October 8, 2015 - Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1FTrdga. Nonprofits are perpetually budget constrained; even the large ones feel the pinch. 121Giving (say one-to-one giving) has created a special-purpose crowdfunding site to help. Co-founder Liz Deering describes the problem she sees nonprofits facing, “Countless hours are spent by nonprofits running in-kind drives, asking local stores for donations and tracking down the goods they need to run their operations and serve their community. Our own Business of Nonprofits report found that 54% of NPOs do not ask retailers for discounts on products, and among those who do, 25% receive discounts of 15% or less. In addition, nonprofits struggle to connect with and engage an increasingly skeptical generation of donors. Stories of scandals and of mis-use of funds have left many charities wondering how to re-build trust and transparency with donors.” To address these concerns, 121Giving has created special vendor rel