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2007-02-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

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The Cartier Women’s Initiative Award

2007-01-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

More and more women worldwide are drawn to the challenge of starting their own companies.

To nurture this encouraging trend and foster the passion for initiative, Cartier and the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society have joined forces to launch the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards with the support of McKinsey & Company and INSEAD.

An international business plan competition, the awards will recognize, each year, five innovative projects led by women. In addition to the US$ 20,000 prize money, winners will also receive coaching support for a full year and gain access to various resources needed to set up a successful venture. A unique opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs from around the world, this competition will also enable participants to benefit from quality media exposure.

The Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards are open for applications until April 15th, 2007 and will be given for the first time at the third edition of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society (October 11-13, 2007).

Register here or write directly here.

Social Innovation Conversations

2007-01-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

Social Edge members may want to visit Social Innovation Conversations, an "open and collaborative online platform for cross-sector and multidisciplinary learning for social change."

From the pandemic of AIDS, to challenges posed by climate change, to substance abuse and global poverty, our world is faced with increasing complex and pressing social and environmental challenges. While knowledge, tools, and technologies to develop innovative solutions exist, channels are still needed to reach the people who could use and apply them to social problems.

Social Innovation Conversations' mission is to expand the reach of important and valuable knowledge to people who otherwise wouldn't have access to it by recording and sharing the spoken words of thought leaders in all sectors and disciplines and offering listeners a multi stakeholder perspective on the world grand challenges and social issues.

Social Innovation Conversations is an initiative of Stanford's Center for Social Innovation.

Job opportunities: Roots of Peace

2007-01-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

Operations Manager

Roots of Peace, a humanitarian nonprofit organization whose mission is to rid the world of landmines and other remnants of war by transforming toxic minefields into thriving farmland and communities, seeks applicants for the position of Operations Manager.

The Operations Manager, based in San Rafael (just outside San Francisco, California), is accountable for the professional and administrative support of the team, specifically the CEO and the Executive Director. The Operations Manager must be flexible and able to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment with limited direction. This may require limited travel and occasionally work in the evenings and weekends supporting our events. Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with high level donors, supporters, partners and internal colleagues is an essential element to the individual’s success.

Although working primarily with the Founder and CEO, the Operations Manager will interact with and provide support to the other RoP office staff. The Operations Manager must be “technologically savvy” to support work tasks and communications.

This position reports directly to the CEO, who keeps a blog here.

E-mail your resumé and cover letter here. Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.

Foundation for Purposeful Living

2007-01-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

Nonprofit establishes $1-million foundation from contributions of volunteers

A charitable foundation with a US $1-million endowment wouldn’t attract much attention these days. But suppose that endowment was raised a dollar at a time? Or by its staff foregoing its salaries for sixteen years?

For two decades, the volunteers of the Human Service Alliance have been serving their local community. Through their relatively modest but regular giving, their careful stewardship of resources and their unpaid labor—and with no large grants or donations from major benefactors—they have amassed a million dollar (and growing) fund with which to help support human service work around the world.

The Foundation for Purposeful Living will support individuals, groups, and organizations that are all-volunteer or primarily volunteer-based and are involved in projects in the United States and abroad.

Those motivated by selfless service and altruism and whose work is practical, inclusive, a source of inspiration to others, a demonstration of goodwill, and a response to clearly identified needs will receive serious consideration.

Up to 5 percent of the Foundation’s value at the end of the previous year will be available for grants in any calendar year.

Shadow a Social Entrepreneur

2007-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Small groups of students enrolled in the Social Entrepreneurship class at Columbia Business School are paired with social entrepreneurs in the field. The entrepreneurs can be based anywhere, nonprofit or forprofit. Through a series of weekly or bi-weekly calls or meetings with their entrepreneurs, students will follow progress on 2-3 major decisions that the entrepreneurs face between Feb 8 and April 12, and will observe the decision making processes they undertake to address these issues.

In the past, students have followed many issues related to the management of socially-oriented business ventures and nonprofits. Topics are completely up to the entrepreneur and student to work out, and have included: business planning, geographic expansion, legal issues, fundraising and donor management, hiring, succession planning, franchising, sales strategy, and quality control.

Some students form relationships for other work with their entrepreneurs, including consulting and/or internships. It’s a great way for you to meet some of Columbia's MBA students and for them to see themes they study in class in action in the real world.

Students are currently selecting their entrepreneurs. Contact Cathy Clark by January 25, 2007.

CIVICUS World Assembly

2007-01-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

The 7th CIVICUS World Assembly will take place in Glasgow, Scotland from 23-27 May 2007.

The overall theme of the conference will be Acting Together for a Just World and will focus on Accountability: Delivering Results in the hope to ignite a dynamic and inspiring exchange of views and lessons learned on improving global governance, strengthening civil society, and empowering the poor.

Covered topics will include:
• From Political Won’t to Political Will: Why are Governments Failing Us?
• Money Matters: Towards Greater Transparency in Funding Decisions and Priorities
• Corporate Accountability: Getting to the Raw Truth
• Accountability on Human Security and Gender Equality: Failure or Change
• Civil Society Accountability: Time to Walk the Line

Some of the presenters and organisations who have confirmed participation include:
• Simon Zadek, Executive Director of AccountAbility
• Julia Unwin, Director of Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Doug Rutzen, President of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
• Emira Woods, Co-Director of Centre for Policy Studies
• Mario Lubetkin, Director General of International Press Service
• David Bonbright, Director of Keystone Reporting
• Ezra Mbogori, Executive Director of MWENGO
• Dave Brown, Jim Honan, Alnoor Ebrahim and Srilatha Batliwala of The Hauser Centre for Nonprofit Organisations, Harvard University
• Monica Blagescu, Manager of Accountability Programmes at One World Trust
• Representatives of United Nations Volunteers (UNV), the Nigerian Network of NGOs, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, BOND, International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders, and International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE).

CIVICUS will introduce film screenings as an alternative tool to disseminate and share information.

Vote for OneWorld's Person of the Year!

2007-01-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

OneWorld's People of 2006 have been announced!

The eight finalists were chosen from nominations made by OneWorlders across the globe and represent some of the most inspiring and innovative efforts to improve lives and protect human rights worldwide.

Now it's time for you to vote for OneWorld's Person of the Year.

The "People of 2006" edition of Perspectives is available here.

We've given you eight inspiring stories, but we know there are many more out there. Click on the "Who Did We Miss? " page and tell us who else should be recognized, and don't forget the "Who Did You Vote For? " page, where you can discuss the voting with other OneWorlders across the planet.

Plus, we'll be chatting live with Person of 2006 finalist Al Santoli on Thursday, January 18 from 2-3 pm (EST). Post your questions for Al now, and be sure to join us on Gather.com for what will certainly be an inspiring hour of dialogue.

Enter Ashoka's Changemakers Ninth Collaborative Competition

2007-01-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Deadline: March 28, 2007.

“No Private Matter! Ending Abuse in Intimate and Family Relations” will profile your innovative solutions to end domestic abuse. This competition is first in a series in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Showcase your work to key decision makers and investors. Judges’ panel includes:
• Jeane Ann Grisso, senior program officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Esta Soler, founder and president, Family Violence Prevention Fund
• Cindy Waitt, director, Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention

Twelve finalists will attend a Change Summit on violence prevention and three winners will receive each $5,000. Enter now to February 10 and be eligible to win one of two chances to have your organization featured in a magazine/journal advertisement

Share your high-impact innovations with a peer community of social leaders around the world!

The Acumen Fund is looking for extraordinary individuals

2007-01-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

Call for extraordinary individuals to build the Acumen Fund Fellows class of 2008

Acumen seeks applications from young professionals with the skills, imagination and will to effect significant change through market-oriented approaches to global problem solving. While capital is a constraint to building systems to make critical goods and services accessible to the poor, an even larger constraint is people. The world needs to build an "entrepreneurial bench" of top talent with strong financial and operational skills as well as the moral imagination to build appropriate enterprises with local stakeholders.

Acumen Fund hopes to contribute by identifying and developing talent through the Fellows Program. The Fellows Program is a one-year, experience-based fellowship. The fellows will first spend eight weeks in New York in an intensive training program where they will focus on business models for the poor and their own leadership – both theoretical and practical. They will examine issues related to Acumen’s work from a sector and geographic perspective. And they will meet with extraordinary leaders who will share personal stories and brainstorm creative ways of tackling issues facing the world today.

At the end of this training, each fellow will be assigned to work with an Acumen Fund investment and given a concrete set of deliverables for the next nine months. Following these assignments, fellows will return to New York City for a final month to share experiences, exchange lessons learned and focus on potential job opportunities.

Acumen’s aim is to build a corps of individuals who will be of great value to best-in-class organizations in both the social and private sectors.

Who should apply? Only those individuals with exceptional business skills, proven international interests and a great ability to work with people. Acumen Fund Fellows have the talent to do almost anything in their careers, and the vision to see themselves making significant change to challenging social problems. Fellows have the maturity to work with independence in Africa or South Asia. They are communicators and team players. They are individuals who do not accept the status quo. They are problem-solvers and listeners. They have a sense of humor. Previous international experience helps. So does a track record that demonstrates not only innovation and imagination but also the ability to work with teams and in diverse situations. In short, Acumen is looking to identify some of the world's next generation of leaders.

Candidates must apply by 12 noon EST on January 31, 2007 so that Acumen can select fellows by mid-April, with the program beginning in September. Please find more information on the Fellows Program and application guidelines here.

Jobs at WITNESS

2006-12-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

WITNESS is an international organization with offices in Brooklyn, New York. Their program staff is responsible for conducting trainings with partners and other organizations in countries throughout the world. All other organizational work, including editing, archive, development, outreach, and administration, is similarly conducted from their Brooklyn office.

WITNESS is currently hiring for the following positions:

• Online Outreach Coordinator
• Hub Manager
• Instructional Design Consultant

Job Opportunities: Craigslist Foundation

2006-12-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

The Craigslist Foundation, based in San Francisco, is recruiting a Director of Development & Marketing, an Events & Operations Manager, a Graphic Designer, and
volunteers in New York and San Francisco.

Intelligent Giving

2006-12-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

A new UK-based charity transparency rating website aimed at the general public (ie written in plain English) is available here:

• 1300 charities listed and categorised
• 580 charities profiled and rated on transparency
• 110 editorial pages guiding people how to give to charity
• Humour used throughout, to make digestible

The Knight Brothers 21st Century News Challenge

2006-12-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

The John S. and James Knight Foundation has just announed a reward challenge, seeking new ideas, pilot projects, commercial products, and leadership initiatives that will improve the flow of information and news in the public interest. The Foundation will be granting individuals and organizations a total of $5 million for their innovative ideas about the future of news and information dissemination.

Here is the overview of the project:
"In a democracy that is organized by geography, the fate of every village, town, suburb and metropolis depends on citizens being able to get the news they need to run their lives and their governments. The Knight Brothers 21st Century News Challenge hopes to recognize transformative ideas, pilot projects, leadership initiatives and investment opportunities that will help improve the flow of journalism, information and news in the public interest."

The winning ideas will be announced in Spring 2007.

The deadline to submit a letter of inquiry was recently extended to December 31, 2006.

Help Unitus fight global poverty!

2006-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

Unitus is a non-profit organization based in Redmond, WA with a focus on microfinance (tiny but life-changing loans for those in poverty who may not have any other way of building a business or accessing important capital to help themselves and their family).

Its mission is to alleviate global poverty by increasing access to microfinance, and it does this by investing in and consulting with microfinance institutions (MFIs = small banks and other organizations that provide microloans to the working poor); helping them to increase their capacity and reach. In short, Unitus is an organization that believes microfinance is a powerful tool for empowering the poor, and its goal is to ensure millions of people have access to much-needed loans and financial services. Unitus already helps serve over 1 million of the world’s working poor and it has very ambitious goals to do even more in 2007.

As you think about your plans for the holiday season, you may want to consider a donation. You can also help Unitus when you buy your holiday gifts at Amazon.com!

OneWorld’s “Person of 2006”

2006-12-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

Who should be OneWorld’s “Person of 2006”?

Maybe it’s someone who is working at the grassroots to bring change to their community or their country. Maybe someone lobbying to improve governments’ policies towards marginalized people. Or someone who raising issues that others are neglecting.

It could be an NGO worker or a journalist, activist, or elected official. Someone you know, or someone we all know. It could even be a corporation, an organization, or a whole village.

Post your nominations to the OneWorld blog by Monday, December 18— and be sure to tell us why!

The top ten finalists will be announced in early January.

Job opportunities: Games for Change

2006-12-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

Games for Change is expanding its work with Parsons the New School for Design and the MacArthur Foundation, in addition to grants received over the past six months from Surdna, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Games for Change is recruiting for three positions, all based in New York:

• Executive Director
Seeking a social change innovator and experienced program manager to lead a team of five people as the organization expands to a solid yet flexible institution at the forefront of a new form of media in the public interest.

• Online Social Network Manager-Designer
Oversee the development and operation of an innovative online Knowledge Network leveraging Web2.0 to build a new practitioner/academic field.

• National Event Planner (as staff or consultant)
Oversee planning for all events over an intense eight-month period, including Games for Change's annual Festival, with the opportunity to help grow new events for future years.

Social Entrepreneurship Competition

2006-12-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

The 2007 National Idea-to-Product (I2P) Competition for EPICS and Social Entrepreneurship is currently seeking three social entrepreneurship projects to be showcased at their March 24, 2007 Competition. This is the second year for the I2P “on the road” competition which will be hosted by Princeton University.

An Idea-to-Product competition is a product feasibility competition, not a business plan competition. The showcase teams will be allotted ten minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for questions and answers. The team must have a product, prototype or well defined concept to be eligible. In the event a product is too large to transport to Princeton N.J., a poster and/or video presentation may be substituted for a live product demo.

To help support further success of the project, each showcase team will receive a participation award of $1,000.

Provide information on your program, mission and product by December 31, 2006. The I2P Team will review the information and choose 3 projects.

The Climate of Capital Change

2006-11-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

Co-hosted by Social Fusion, Tendris and the following groups at Stanford University: BASES, FUSION, GSB Social Venture Club, Center for Social Innovation & the Program on Urban Studies

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006 12:00PM – 1:30PM

At Stanford University, Graduate School of Business – Room S-180

Leadership and the future of global business and investment

What do the leaders behind a multi-billion $ private equity fund, the recipient of the globe’s most prestigious social entrepreneurial leadership award, and a dot.com millionaire-turned-carbon cowbo have in common? They are on the leading edge of unleashing the positive power of business and capital to build a better world.

During a unique event at Stanford University on Tuesday, December 5th, they will share their personal stories, and challenge each other, and all of us, to create a future better than we had imagined possible.

Join us for an engaged ‘CrossFire’ style session, with Paul Fletcher, Sr. MD of Actis, a leading private equity fund investing over 3.4billion under management in the world’s poorest countries; Nic Frances, a Schwab Foundation recognized Social Entrepreneur and Founder & Chairman of Easy Being Green, a global leader in individual and family carbon aggregation; Dan Whaley, Founder & CEO of Climos, a Silicon Valley based company that aims to leverage the power of the ocean through a revolutionary new technique to address global warming. We will also be joined by Divesh Makan, VP, Goldman Sachs; Robert Rubenstein, Founder & CEO of the Triple Bottom Line Investing Conference; and Toni E. Symonds, Senior Policy Advisor to the California State Legislature, and a former representative to the CalPERS and CalSTERS Board, with a combined estimated asset value of more than $300 billion.

Click here to register.

2007 Global Social Venture Competition

2006-11-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) is seeking promising social
entrepreneurs to enter its 2007 Competition.

You are encouraged to apply if you are an entrepreneur (or budding entrepreneur) with a financially sustainable venture that addresses a social or environmental problem.

Winning plans in the past have ranged from global health to microfinance, from cleantech to education, from fair trade to community development, from business concepts to operating companies, and have included for-profit and non-profit models.

Executive Summaries are due January 17, 2007
Full Business Plans are due March 2007

GSVC is the largest and oldest student-led business plan competition providing mentoring, exposure, and prizes for social ventures from around the world. GSVC's mission is to catalyze the creation of social ventures, educate future leaders, and build awareness for social
enterprises. The competition supports the creation of real businesses that bring about positive social change.

GSVC is organized by the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley in partnership with the Columbia Business School, London Business School, Indian School of Business, Yale School of Management, International University in Geneva, and a consortium of business schools in Korea.

Every year, teams compete for more than $45,000 in cash and travel prizes, while gaining valuable feedback on their ventures.

GSVC Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship

2006-11-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

The 2006 GSVC Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship, hosted by London Business School, will take place on December 2nd, 2006. The symposium is part of the Global Social Venture Competition, an international social business plan competition.

The theme of the symposium this year is 'Social Enterprises: Evolution and Revolution'. The symposium will explore the different approaches to social entrepreneurship: both 'evolutionary' and 'revolutionary'. The discussion will focus on the implications that these two different approaches have on social enterprise business models, viability and impact.

The symposium offers a great opportunity to network and hear from leading social entrepreneurs, social investors and leading subject-matter experts on creating sustainable businesses with social value. There will be two panel sessions on 'Investing in Social Enterprises' and 'Developing your Social Enterprise' and there will also be a session on calculating 'Social Return on Investment'.

Sign up is now open at: http://forms.london.edu/form.asp?id=5965
For further information, please feel free to contact Suruchi at ssaxena.mba2008@london.edu

OneWorld.Net Gift Guide

2006-11-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

Our friend at OneWorld writes:

Your neighbor Tim doesn’t need another fruit cake. Your co-worker Michelle doesn’t need another Starbucks card and Little Scotty surely doesn’t need another video game…

So why not donate a water buffalo in Tim’s name to a family in India, surprise Michelle with a bag of fair-trade coffee, and give Little Scotty a teddy bear from Sri Lanka?

With OneWorld’s Gift Guide the possibilities are endless!

You can find hundreds of gift ideas from nonprofits across the nation.

Save time AND make a difference!

NetAid Global Action Award

2006-11-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Have you led a poverty-fighting project? Has it had an impact on people in developing countries? Or raised awareness about global poverty in your own community?

Apply today for a NetAid Global Action Award and you could win US $5000 for college or a charitable cause of your choice.

More about the jury here.

Deadline: November 30, 2006

The Berkeley Digital Media Conference

2006-11-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday, November 18th, 2006
Haas School of Business
University of California, Berkeley

>play will bring together creative professionals, industry leaders, and students to discuss the emergence and implications of the digital lifestyle. Participants will be exposed to new ideas and have the opportunity to connect with key thinkers in digital media.

Attracting Resources

2006-10-31T09:24:00.000-08:00

Standing Out in a Crowded Field
Attracting Resources to Meet the Ambitions of Today’s Social Entrepreneurs
Boston Harbor Hotel, The North Atlantic Room
November 16, 2006 - 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.

Bob Turner of the Boston Globe will moderate a discussion among local and national investors and successful entrepreneurs sharing their insights and strategies for identifying and promoting social investment opportunities in the 21st Century.

Bob Turner, Deputy Managing Editor/Editorial Page, The Boston Globe
Milton Little, CEO, United Way of Massachusetts Bay
Charles Roussel, Director, Disadvantaged Children & Youth Program, Atlantic Philanthropies
Helene Solomon, CEO, Solomon McCown & Company
Andrew Wolk, President & Founder, Root Cause Institute & MIT Senior Lecturer, Social Entrepreneurship

What effect will the transition and consolidation of wealth in the next decade have on the future of funding for mission-focused organizations? As funding sources collapse into a smaller group with a narrowing spectrum of social interests, the competition for funding grows fiercer. How do social entrepreneur’s best position their enterprises to attract the attention of investors?

This is the seventh in the SM& Presents series of discussions among experts addressing the topical issues in the news today as well as some of the most challenging aspects of branding for emerging businesses, established companies and mission-focused organizations.

RSVP: rsvp@solomonmccown.com or 617-933-5279

Investors' Circle

2006-10-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

The Investors' Circle Fall Conference & Venture Fair
November 5-7, 2006
The Boston Harbor Hotel
Boston, MA

Last Chance: Advance registration closes this Wednesday, November 1st
Click here to register now.

Kiva on U.S. TV - October 31

2006-10-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

FRONTLINE/World and Public Radio International reporter Clark Boyd traveled to Uganda to see firsthand how San Francisco-based Kiva was revolutionizing the world of micro-credit.

The concept of Kiva is simple. With just a credit card, a lender in the U.S. can make a loan as small as $25 to a small business in the developing world. What’s different about Kiva is that – through the web – a more direct connection is forged between lender and borrower.

Matt and Jessica Flannery, the young social entrepreneurs who started Kiva, told FRONTLINE/World that so far individuals have given more than $400,000 and the repayment rate was 100%. And what started in one village in Uganda has spread to eleven other countries in just over a year.

Check the schedule here. And read Matt's blog on Social Edge, the Kiva Chronicles.

Elie Wiesel and Reverend Tutu

2006-10-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Elie Wiesel and Reverend Tutu among panel to select outstanding young poverty-fighters

NetAid recently announced the prestigious judging panel for the 2006-2007 NetAid Global Action Awards. Ten globally minded individuals will team up to select four high school students in the U.S. who have taken exemplary actions to fight global poverty.

The judges for the 2006-2007 NetAid Global Action Awards are:

• Nancy Birdsall, President, Center for Global Development
• William Easterly, Professor of Economics (Joint with Africa House), New York University
• Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Education and Cognition, Harvard University
• Vanita Gupta, Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union
• James F. Hoge, Jr., Editor, Foreign Affairs
• Claire Kevitt, Youth President, Youth for Human Rights International
• Kathleen Newland, Director and Co-Founder, Migration Policy Institute
• Reverend Mpho Tutu, The Tutu Institute for Prayer and Pilgrimage
• Elie Wiesel, Noble Peace Laureate; Mellon Professor in the Humanities, Boston University
• Ethan Zohn, Co-Founder, Grassroot Soccer; Director, KickAIDS

The judges share a commitment to raising awareness about global poverty and hail from a range of backgrounds including religion, the media, and academia. Together, they will choose four teen honorees selected from hundreds of applicants from across the U.S. Selection criteria include innovation, leadership, and impact of projects in areas such as preventing HIV/AIDS, alleviating hunger, and increasing access to education.

In its third year, the Global Action Awards honor high school students in the U.S. who have organized and led a project that has had a positive impact on people living in poverty or raised awareness in their own communities about global poverty. The Awards recognize the outstanding achievements of these young leaders and are meant to inspire other students to follow in their footsteps. Honorees receive a $5,000 award which recipients have the choice of using to further their own education or contributing to the poverty-fighting project of their choice.

Five $100,000 Prizes

2006-10-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Inventing New Ways to Solve Societal Challenges

Civic Ventures announces the opening of nominations for the 2007 Purpose Prize, a major initiative that invests in Americans over 60 who are leading a new age of social innovation.

The Purpose Prize provides five awards of $100,000 and ten awards of $10,000 to people over 60 who are taking on society’s biggest challenges. It’s for those with the passion and creativity to discover new opportunities, the experience to come up with practical solutions, and the determination to make lasting change.

Winners in 2006 addressed problems such as intolerance, racial disparities in preventable deaths, job opportunities for the disabled, housing needs of the elderly poor, and the disrupted lives of children with a parent in jail.

Who will take the Prize in 2007?

Make your nomination now. Nominations will close on February 1.

Visionaries Wanted

2006-10-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

Do you have an incredible idea that could change your community, country, or world?

If so, apply for an Echoing Green Fellowship. You could receive up to $100,000 in seed funding and support to launch a new organization that turns your idea into action.

Follow in the footsteps of the founders of Teach For America, City Year, and over 400 other social change leaders, and visit Echoing Green.

The Board Match

2006-10-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, November 8, 2006, 5:00-7:30 pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA

A job-fair style event where social benefit agencies have the opportunity to recruit new members for their boards. The Volunteer Center screens and prepares the agencies for meeting hundreds of prospective board candidates. The event is free and open to anyone interested in nonprofit board service.

Social Entrepreneurship: From Spiritual Values to Effective Action

2006-10-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

Esalen Workshop
Weekend of November 24-26, 2006
John Marks & Susan Collin Marks

There is a growing longing in many of us to do something that will have an impact on the state of the world—to be a change agent. We have a vision of infusing our spiritual values into the political, economic, and social life of our planet, transforming existing systems to create a kind and dignified world for all. We want to be social entrepreneurs.

This workshop will offer the accumulated experience of Search for Common Ground, which grew out of meetings at Esalen in the early 1980's into the world's largest nongovernmental organization working in conflict transformation, with 400 staff working in sixteen offices on four continents.

The keys to Search's growth have been creativity and nimbleness, reflected in the range of their work, which includes TV and radio soap operas reaching millions of people in eleven countries, multiethnic kindergartens in the Balkans, a Common Ground News Service in the Middle East, peace songs in Africa, and consensus building among polarized communities in the U.S.

Using the work of Search for Common Ground as a template, founder and president John Marks and executive vice president Susan Collin Marks will present the Principles of Social Entrepreneurship and work with you to define your own vision, develop your own toolbox, and decide on action steps for making a difference in the world. They will lead you through the possibilities that abound when you grasp your inner potential to make the difference you long to make, and the world needs, right now.

For further information, click here.

The Investors' Circle 2006 Fall Conference & Venture Fair

2006-10-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Investors' Circle
2006 Fall Conference & Venture Fair
November 5-7
Boston, MA

Register by October 13th to take advantage of the early bird rate.

This event will gather angel investors, professional venture capitalists, philanthropic investors and entrepreneurs who are using private capital to promote the transition to a sustainable future.

November 6 will feature a venture fair with presenting early-stage for-profit companies working to solve social and environmental problems.

November 7 will feature speakers and workshops on the state of double bottom line investing and enterprise creation in: energy & environment, food & organics, education & media, health & wellness, mission-related investing and community & international development.

Register online or click here to read the full program.

The 2006 World Challenge

2006-10-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

The World Challenge will reward projects that make a real difference to local communities. World Challenge 2006, brought to you by BBC World and Newsweek, in association with Shell, aims to find individuals or groups from around the world who have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level.

World Challenge 2006 is all about global involvement, casting a net for ideas from individuals or groups deserving recognition.

The 12 finalists have now been chosen. To view a profile of each project click here.

Job Opportunities at the Skoll Foundation

2006-09-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Skoll Foundation is looking for a Senior Program Officer and a Program Officer to join the Program and Impact Team to help advance the field of social entreprenership.

Key attributes being sought are a combination of intellectual curiosity, a passion for social change, a focus on tangible results and a desire to work within a team culture that practices continuous learning and improvement.

The job descriptions can be found here.

PBS Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Fund

2006-09-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

The PBS Foundation and the Skoll Foundation recently announced the establishment of the PBS Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Fund, with a three-year, $2.5 million grant from the Skoll Foundation.

The PBS Foundation will use the funds for filmmakers, documentarians and other journalists to produce work that promotes "large-scale public awareness of social entrepreneurship, and highlights individuals who are pioneering innovative approaches that address far-reaching social issues."

Each project supported by the fund may include an outreach initiative, determined by the applicant. Guidelines for applying for a PBS Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Fund grant can be found on the PBS website. Proposals must be received by PBS no later than November 5, 2006.

Designing the 21st Century Hospital

2006-09-28T11:41:00.001-07:00

Approximatley 40 influential health care leaders gathered yesterday to discuss "Designing the 21st Century Hospital: Healing from the Inside Out." The event was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its Pioneer Portfolio.

Health Care Without Harm presented a new series of white papers about sustainability initiatives underway in the health care industry. They are available here.

Gary Cohen, co-executive director and co-founder of Health Care Without Harm, urged the health care industry to take a leading role in eliminating people's toxic chemical exposure in order to promote healing and prevent disease. "The hospitals of the 21st century need to embed environmental health considerations into the delivery of medicine," he said.

Micro-Grant Competition

2006-09-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

TeachAManToFish is launching a funding competition offering support for innovative educational work in developing countries.

From community education centres making money from honey, to schoolyard chicken-runs laying aside profits to pay for books, the competition aims to encourage agricultural education initiatives that boost organisations’ finances at the same time as teaching business skills to students.

Awards will go to the best proposals where teaching business sense and entrepreneurship is used to generate funds to support the costs of wider educational work.

Entry is open to all non-profit organisations and educational institutions working in agricultural education in developing countries.

Commenting on the launch TeachAManToFish director Nik Kafka said, “A school that can make money out of farming can teach its students how to make money out of farming, and ultimately lift a whole community out of poverty. This is a great chance for organisations with entrepreneurial flair to show how small-scale education projects can be designed to be financially sustainable.”

Winners will receive funding and consultancy support to help turn their ideas into reality. Fifteen awards of up to US$5,000 each are available. The deadline for round one applications is November 15, 2006.

Details are available here.

The Knight Brothers 21st Century News Challenge

2006-09-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

The John S. and James Knight Foundation has just announed a reward challenge, seeking new ideas, pilot projects, commercial products, and leadership initiatives that will improve the flow of information and news in the public interest. The Foundation will be granting individuals and organizations a total of $5 Million for their innovative ideas about the future of news and information dissemination.

Here is the overview of the project:
"In a democracy that is organized by geography, the fate of every village, town, suburb and metropolis depends on citizens being able to get the news they need to run their lives and their governments. The Knight Brothers 21st Century News Challenge hopes to recognize transformative ideas, pilot projects, leadership initiatives and investment opportunities that will help improve the flow of journalism, information and news in the public interest."

The winning ideas will be announced in Spring 2007. The deadline to submit a letter of inquiry is December 1, 2006.

Microfinance: Myth & Magic

2006-09-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 8, 2006 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
At the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, CA

Is microfinance delivering on its promises? Or do we need fresh innovation to scale impact, and ensure long-term market solutions to poverty? Join an active debate with entrepreneurs and investors defining the new edge in unleashing the positive power of small capital in a big way.

Whether you are a business leader seeking to make a high impact difference in the world, or an investor seeking new frontiers – this forum provides knowledge and concrete opportunities to take the next step.

Joining the panel on September 8th will be Premal Shah, President of Kiva and Wim van der Beek, Founding Partner of Goodwell Investments.

Kiva has been haled as the “Innovation of the Week: an eBay for Microfinance” by BusinessWeek. The BBC declared that Kiva is “revolutionizing the way donors and lenders in the U.S. are connecting with small entrepreneurs in the developing world”.

Wim van der Beek launched two funds in 2006. One, a global microfinance private equity fund (Goodwell) and an India focused sub-fund (Aavishkaar Goodwell). Both funds are expected to close at $10 million each this fall, with a second closing in 2007 of $30 million.

Register here.

Business as UNusual

2006-08-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Net Impact, a nonprofit organization with graduate business students and professional members dedicated to creating a better world through business, has just released Business as UNusual: The 2006 Net Impact Student Guide to Graduate Business Programs.

The guide is the first of its kind to focus specifically on student perspectives on social and environmental themes in MBA and other graduate programs’ curriculum, career services, and student activities. It contains detailed profiles of 39 programs, as well as student ratings of their schools along 20 different categories.

Business as UNusual: The 2006 Net Impact Student Guide to Graduate Business Programs was created in response to numerous inquiries from students applying to business school on what is available for those with social and environmental interests.

The guide provides a student perspective on how well programs are preparing socially and environmentally responsible business leaders, compares data on different MBA programs, and helps to educate graduate school applicants on which program is right for them.

The information in the Guide was compiled from two sources: a qualitative survey completed by 39 Net Impact student chapter leaders, and an online survey completed by 1,191 student Net Impact members. Schools were rated on a variety of factors including curriculum, student activities, career services, and administrative support.

The introduction, written by Net Impact, highlights school stand-outs and overall trends.

Geekcorps needs a French-speaking Linux expert

2006-08-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Geekcorps Mali needs a French-speaking Linux expert to help continue its Linux-based activities.

Knowledge of the following would be especially helpful:

Electrical engineering
Configuring multi-head/user Linux boxes
Working with LTSP server/thin client setups
UUCP messaging
Ruby

This assignment, based in Bamako, Mali, is approximately 4 months, starting in August or September. Geekcorps offers great benefits (in addition to that warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from doing good). International airfare, expat-level lodging, decent living stipend, and dedicated in-country staff are provided. Daily challenges and rewards are guaranteed.

Strength Based Strategies 2006

2006-08-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

10-12 November 2006 - NISIET Hyderabad, India

This international conference towards Strength Based Strategies that work with Individuals, Groups and Communities will showcase the best professional and expert practitioners from Australia, South Asia, the United States of America and the Asia Pacific Region.

The conference is organised by the Brisbane Institute of Strengths Based Practices (Inc) and Indian-based NGO Sanghamitra and endorsed by several others.

This conference aims to create a global interconnectedness between people seeking solutions for their local problems. It promotes a resilience approach as opposed to simply meeting deficits. The question asked at the conference will not be ‘what problems do we have?’ but ‘what strengths do we have which allow us to remain resilient despite the challenges we face?’

People asking for peace seem to be outnumbering those who want a war. There is a true global hunger for principal leadership and collective wisdom that can actively re-engage individuals, groups and communities, in our societies. The search is on for strengths- based practices at local, national and global levels, for strategies and actions that work.

Speakers include:
• Dr Bob Lonne, National President, Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), Department of Social Work and Social Policy, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
• Dr. Sebanti Ghosh, Asha Calcutta
• Nduka Ozor, Centre for HIV/AIDS and STD Research, Lagos Nigeria.
• Margherita Coppolino, Diversity Consultant, Activist, Disability Inclusion Worker, Melbourne, Australia
• Shri. Lingdoh Chief Election Commissioner India (to confirm)
• Sydney Weaver, MSW RSW British Columbia
• Ms Uma Reddy, Women Entrepreneur, Bangalore, India
• Martin Butler, Rural Social Work Action Group, Victoria, Australia
• Professor TV Rao, Organisational Development Expert India
• Mr Peter Binyon, Brisbane Institute for Strengths Based Practice
• Dr Udai Parikh , Organisational Development Expert ( tc)
• Dr Michael Clark, Director, Centre for Strength Based Practice, USA
• Christine Radke, Ipswich Brisbane Institute of Strengths Based Practice (Inc)
• Dr Eric K Laursen, Director. Strength Based Community Development Program, USA Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University(tc)
• Dr Bunker Roy, Founder, Barefoot College, Rajasthan, India ( tc)
• Dr Ali Khawja India
• Ms Annie Townsend, Canberra
• Dr U George, Toronto, Canada
• Ms. Rita Kugler CA Brisbane Institute of Strengths Based Practice( Inc)
• VN Kantha Rao, OD Consultant , Delhi India
• Colleen Cameroon COADY International Institute,St.Francis Xavier University -Canada.(tc)
• Dr Venkat Pulla Brisbane Institute for Strengths Based Practice
• Dr Bogdon Lesnki University of Slovenia (tc)
• Prof Lena Dominelli University of Southampton UK
• Duncan Williams, Aboriginal Trainer Australia , Brisbane Institute of Strengths Based Practice ( Inc)
• Coralie Graham University of Southern Queensland Australia
• Archana Jetti, India
• Professor Lesley Chenoweth, Griffith University
• Christine Douglas, British Columbia
• Dr Valsa Augustine Schieffelin Research & Training Center
• Dr Mr. I. V. Edirisinghe, Sri Lanka
• John Armstrong Social Role Valorisation and Inclusion Trainer
• Terry Hannon Senior Researcher Victoria
• Associate Prof. Fatih Şahin Baskent University Turkey
• Ms Christina Hully Griffith University
• Ms Simin Raheal Mass communication expert Pakistan
• Dr Stephen Larmar Griffith University
• Nira Manghrani Baroda University India
• Christopher Dureau Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
• Pratap Mohanty Jawaharlal Nehru University India
• Dr Frank Tesoriero, University of South Australia
• And several other distinguished strength based practitioners from around the world

Corporate Social Responsibility Workshop

2006-08-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

UC Berkeley's Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) is hosting a new Learning Series, designed to provide a space where practitioners in corporate social responsibility (CSR) can come together for training and networking.

The first BSR Learning Series will take place Sept. 27-28, 2006, in San Francisco.

Workshops available include:

CSR: A Practitioner's Toolbox
New CSR practitioners will be exposed to the most common needs for CSR service and advice at this session that includes topics such as business trends and issue drivers, CSR terminology, stakeholder engagement, supply chain management, reporting and making the case for CSR.

Stakeholder Engagement: Delivering Meaningful Results to the Business and Stakeholders
This training demonstrates to CSR practitioners how a company can integrate and manage strategic stakeholder relations and explores specific methods for building a targeted engagement strategy, including stakeholder prioritization.

Applying the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines: How to Create a High Quality Sustainability Report
This training explores what to include and exclude, incorporating the outputs of stakeholder engagement, applying the GRI Reporting Principles, responding to the GRI Standard Disclosures, creating a GRI index and ensuring clarity, accuracy and balance while supporting CSR strategy.

Location:
Hotel Monaco
501 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Registration Fees (per day):
$650 BSR members
$825 non-members

Social Entrepreneurship @ Harvard

2006-08-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Kennedy School of Government is looking for a Director of its rapidly developing Social Entrepreneurship Initiative.

Jumpstart CEO

2006-08-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

The Jumpstart Board is looking for a CEO to lead Jumpstart's growth plan to more than double in size over the next five years.

Specifically, the CEO will work to achieve six organizational priorities:
- To build a diversified and sustainable funding base
- To ensure measurable gains in school readiness
- To foster strong partnerships
- To develop efficient and appropriate program replication
- To build a strong organization
- To promote visibility of Jumpstart

The ideal candidate currently works as a CEO, President, or other senior executive for an organization (for-profit or not-for-profit) that delivers an educational service to schools, parents, and/or communities.

Alternatively, he or she runs another type of social enterprise (eg, health care, community or economic development) that uses both staff and volunteers for the public good.

This person is charismatic and engaging, well connected, a good fund raiser, and entrepreneurial, with both a strong marketing and operational skill set.

Ethics as a Corporate Strategy

2006-08-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

Ethics as a Corporate Strategy: Corporate Social Responsibility

Offered through UC Berkeley Extension in partnership with the Center for Responsible Business, a free seminar, open to the public, will be offered through UC Berkeley Extension in partnership with the Center for Responsible Business.

Speakers include Kellie McElhaney, Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business, Horst Lehrheuer, Owner and Managing Principal of the Common Goal Group, and Elie W. Asmar, Cofounder and President of Interpro.com. They will address business ethics, best practices and draw on case studies from contemporary business.

The seminar will be held August 24th from 6:30- 9:30pm at the Berkeley Extension Downtown Center in San Francisco, Room 811, 425 Market Street.

The seminar is offered free of charge, but enrollment is limited. For more information call 510-642-4111 or click here.

Improving Life Through Sustainable Invention

2006-07-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

The $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability is bestowed to inventors whose products or processes are viable and sustainable, and have high potential to improve the quality of life for future generations. The award serves to increase awareness of local or global sustainability issues and inventors working in these critical areas, and also supports continued inventive work of these individuals.

Deadline for application: October 6, 2006.

Craigslist Foundation Nonprofit Boot Camp

2006-07-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Join 1,300 emerging nonprofit leaders at Craigslist Foundation's third annual San Francisco Bay Area Nonprofit Boot Camp. Learn how to run a social enterprise, and discover innovative ideas, tools, people and organizations. Tracks will feature Nonprofit Basics, Fundraising, Social Entrepreneurship and Technology. Click here for more information and to register.

The GlobalGiving Open: Vote today!

2006-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Which projects would you like to see on GlobalGiving?

The GlobalGiving Open is a chance for you to vote on the next projects to get $10,000 in funding and a spot on GlobalGiving’s website. It’s easy, fun, and you can make a difference!

After a rigorous process, GlobalGiving has determined that 35 organizations meet the eligibility requirements. Now, it is your turn to tell us which finalists should join the GlobalGiving community!

Visit GlobalGiving Open and create a user id and password (if you don’t already have one). You have to log-in to vote and can only vote once. Then spend your virtual Bucks ($100 for each of 7 pages) on your favorite projects.

Voting ends July 20th.

GlobalGiving will tabulate the Bucks to see which three projects received the most from the whole community. The top three Buck-getters will get a spot on globalgiving.com and $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000 respectively in real money!

The voter who gave the most Bucks to the actual winning projects wins an Ipod Nano. Everyone who votes will also be entered into a drawing, and 10 voters will win our fabulous new GlobalGiving t-shirts!

Vote, and ask your friends and family to participate too!

Investors' Circle: Call for Company Applicants

2006-07-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Investors' Circle is seeking applicants for the 2006 Fall Venture Fair, November 6-7, in Boston, MA.

This event will gather angel investors, professional venture capitalists, philanthropic investors and entrepreneurs who are using private capital to promote the transition to a sustainable future.

November 6 will feature a venture fair with presenting early-stage for-profit companies working to solve social and environmental problems.

November 7 will feature speakers and workshops on the state of double bottom line investing and enterprise creation in:

energy & environment
food & organics
education & media
health & wellness
mission-related investing
community & international development.

Click here for more information on how to apply. Applications are due by August 1st.

Social Entrepreneurship: From Spiritual Values to Effective Action

2006-07-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Workshop led by John Marks & Susan Collin Marks
November 24-26, 2006

Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California

There is a growing longing in many of us to do something that will have an impact on the state of the world—to be a change agent. We have a vision of infusing our spiritual values into the political, economic, and social life of our planet, transforming existing systems to create a kind and dignified world for all. We want to be social entrepreneurs.

This workshop will offer the accumulated experience of Search for Common Ground, which grew out of meetings at Esalen in the early 1980's into the world's largest nongovernmental organization working in conflict transformation, with 400 staff working in sixteen offices on four continents.

Using the work of Search for Common Ground as a template, founder and president John Marks and executive vice president Susan Collin Marks will present the Principles of Social Entrepreneurship and work with you to define your own vision, develop your own toolbox, and decide on action steps for making a difference in the world. They will lead you through the possibilities that abound when you grasp your inner potential to make the difference you long to make, and the world needs, right now.

Click here for reservations information, including accommodations and pricing.

Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship

2006-07-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Skoll Foundation accepts applications for Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship

Deadline: July 18, 2006 and September 18, 2006

A program of the Skoll Foundation, the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship support social entrepreneurs whose work has the potential for large-scale influence on critical challenges of our time: environmental sustainability, health, tolerance and human rights, institutional responsibility, social and economic equality, peace and security.

Skoll Awards provide second-round, or mezzanine, funding structured as core support in the form of grants, loans, or a combination of the two.

The third annual Waldzell Meeting

2006-07-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Nobel laureates, scientists and world-class artists will come together again this year in the Benedictine Abbey of Melk in Austria at the third annual Waldzell Meeting 2006.

Some of the significant personalities to attend this year include: the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, authors Isabel Allende and Paulo Coelho, the discoverer of the HIV virus Robert Gallo, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine Werner Arber, chief war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte and other luminaries who have contributed to great changes for humanity.

Together with top decision makers from the worlds of business, science and the media, these leading thinkers will, over the course of two days, exchange their experiences and insights on “The challenge of change – can the individual change the world?”

The Waldzell Meetings are a “by invitation only” initiative, which is aimed at people who have achieved a great deal in their lives already, and still want to play their part in even more change.

However, Waldzell will also invite 12 “Architects of the Future” to the Waldzell Meeting, individuals (preferably from Asia, South America, and Africa) who have already realized concrete projects contributing to society. Their patron is the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, who will take part again in this year’s Meeting.

They will be entitled to participate for free in both the preliminary program and the meeting, and will also be given the opportunity to present their projects there. However, they will have to cover their travel expenses or find a sponsor.

Global forum on service, democracy, and reconciliation

2006-07-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

In collaboration with City Year, the Case Foundation is sponsoring an exclusive series of webcasts from cyzygy 2006, the annual convention that showcases the belief in putting idealism to work.

Hosted at Columbia University in New York City, the event featured some of the top thought leaders from business, academia, politics, and media, including President Bill Clinton and former World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn.

Changemakers Innovation Awards

2006-06-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Changemakers Innovation Awards for How to Provide Affordable Housing were just announced. The competition is open to all types of organizations (charitable organizations, private companies, or public entities) from all countries.

The winners will best meet the following criteria:

Innovation: The initiative introduces novel elements—in the type of housing products/services provided, in the financing mechanism, for example—that contribute to providing housing for low-income and marginalized populations. It is based on leveraged points of intervention.
Impact: The initiative addresses a major roadblock to finding housing for low-income and marginalized populations and has the potential to benefit a significant number of people not only in the location of origin but also at the country, regional, or global level.
Strategy: There is a well-designed operational model to implement the initiative and reach out to beneficiaries. Additionally, there is a solid plan to expand or replicate the model beyond current beneficiary groups/ locations.
Sustainability: The initiative has demonstrated a cost-effective approach to provide housing solutions. There is a strong funding base and a strategy to sustain it financially over the long-term

Online competition submissions are accepted until August 23, 2006. The Changemakers Innovation Award will include a cash prize of US$5,000 for the top three winners.

The Great Bay Foundation Is Seeking New Grantees

2006-06-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Great Bay Foundation is encouraging nonprofit social entrepreneurs to apply for their grant funding. The entrepreneur’s mission must be designed to effect social change in the areas of economic development, education, and healthcare. Further, the entrepreneur must have or be developing a revenue stream to underwrite the organization’s mission.

Great Bay makes one-year grants of up to $150,000 to increase the revenue generating capacity of nonprofit enterprises. The recipient of a Great Bay grant may be an existing or startup enterprise.

That enterprise must:

Lead toward the self-reliance of the participants through job creation, training, new goods, products or services
Lead toward economic self-sufficiency for the program.

Great Bay favors simple, mission-driven approaches with specific outcomes. Potential grantees will be asked to answer these questions:

What will be different regarding your social and business missions in a year as a result of the grant?
Will the grant allow you to make progress and change circumstances so that you will be less dependent on grants to continue with your project?
Will you need to replace Great Bay’s grant with a similar one, or will you be on your way to self sufficiency for the project Great Bay funded?

If the answers indicate that the grant recipient will be in the same place, having made little or no progress on the way toward program self-sufficiency, then a grant is unlikely.

On the other hand, if Great Bay made a grant in the first year and the grantee took action and made progress towards its goals, then Great Bay would consider making additional support available in the following year.

Proposals are reviewed upon receipt.

Corporate Responsibility and Global Business

2006-06-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

CSR has never been more prominent on the corporate agenda – indeed it has been suggested that the joint pressures of corporate competitiveness, corporate governance and corporate citizenship and the linkages between them will play a crucial role in shaping the agenda for business leaders in the coming decade.

The conference, which will take place July 13-14, 2006 at the London Busines School, will focus on:

Consumer behavior, branding & corporate responsibility
Marketing communications and corporate responsibility issues
‘Mainstreaming’ corporate responsibility
Marketing strategies for the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’
Metrics & reporting
Corporate responsibility in developing economies

Aimed at practitioners, business leaders, policy- makers and academics, the line-up of speakers and paper presentations will guide, teach, excite and challenge attendees to strive to bring CSR to the top of their organization’s agenda.

For information on the conference program and for registration details, visit the CSR conference website.

New Podcast Channel

2006-06-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation launches a new podcast channel in the Conversations Network: Social Innovation Conversations. The goal is to create a popular channel on the Web, a place that provides an engaging and provocative dialogue about the most effective ways we can improve society and the environment. The new channel will podcast conferences, speeches, and interviews from around the world, to bring the voices of those at the forefront of creating social change.

Identity Mashup Conference

2006-06-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Who Controls and Protects the Digital Me?

The Interra Project and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School have co-developed user-centric community technologies and are co-organizing an open conference to be held at Harvard on June 19-21.

The conference focuses on identity-enabled systems and their role in furthering or inhibiting privacy, rights, civil liberties, social commerce and new forms of civic participation.

Paid email delivery

2006-06-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

AOL and Yahoo! have recently announced plans to utilize Goodmail's Certified Email program. The announcement has generated controversy, both within the general Internet community and amongst nonprofit emailers.

At its Nonprofit Technology Conference, N-TEN held a panel discussion with representatives from Goodmail, AOL, EFF, Free Press, GetActive, and the Red Cross. The panel was hosted by Ami Dar of Idealist.

You can watch or listen to the discussion here.

World Pulse

2006-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

An interesting magazine, published by an organization "dedicated to unleashing the global power and leadership of women and youth through media."

Social Change and Digital Games

2006-05-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

The 3rd annual Games for Change (G4C) event will take place June 27th and 28th in New York City. This year’s theme is Social Change and Digital Games.

G4C is the annual gathering for the new movement using digital games to address the most pressing issues of our day. At the conference, expert practitioners -- academics, activists, non-profits -- will be called in to examine the impact of current games and preliminary work to build the field.

Keynote speakers include best-selling author Steven Johnson of "Everything Bad Is Good For You." Panel topics include Games for Global Peace, Creating a PBS for Games, Academic Evaluation Efforts, Recent Funding Initiatives, Health and Environmental Awareness Campaigns, and Guerrilla Nonprofit Games.

Full details are available here.

FastCompany's Social Capitalist Awards

2006-05-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards, now in its fourth year, were established to assess and celebrate excellence in the realm of social entrepreneurship.

This year, that topic is corporate partnerships: which ones are the most effective, and why?

Winners of the Social Capitalist Awards will demonstrate excellence in social impact, entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability, and aspiration.

Apply here by June 1, 2006.

Web Manager, NetAid

2006-05-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Founded in 1999 by the United Nations Development Programme and Cisco Systems, NetAid is an independent nonprofit organization based in New York and working throughout the U.S.

NetAid educates, inspires and empowers young people to take action against global poverty. Using peer-to-peer education, leadership training, and technological innovation, NetAid’s programs provide the knowledge, perspectives, and skills to create a new generation of informed global leaders.

The Web Manager will support NetAid’s online training and youth engagement programs as well as its online constituency relations. The position will be responsible for managing NetAid’s website and its online learning community, managing online communications, coordinating and overseeing vendor relations, and maintaining all web metrics.

The full job description can be found here.

Program Assistant, NetAid

2006-05-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Founded in 1999 by the United Nations Development Programme and Cisco Systems, NetAid is an independent nonprofit organization based in New York and working throughout the U.S.

NetAid educates, inspires and empowers young people to take action against global poverty. Using peer-to-peer education, leadership training, and technological innovation, NetAid’s programs provide the knowledge, perspectives, and skills to create a new generation of informed global leaders.

The Program Assistant supports NetAid’s education and action efforts. The position is responsible for coordinating an annual awards competition and a Summer Poverty Fighting Summit as well as administering a student training selection process. This position will also field inquiries from students, parents, and teachers about NetAid’s efforts and will support students through NetAid’s Online Action Center.

The full job description can be found here.

Program Manager, NetAid

2006-05-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Founded in 1999 by the United Nations Development Programme and Cisco Systems, NetAid is an independent nonprofit organization based in New York and working throughout the U.S.

NetAid educates, inspires and empowers young people to take action against global poverty. Using peer-to-peer education, leadership training, and technological innovation, NetAid’s programs provide the knowledge, perspectives, and skills to create a new generation of informed global leaders.

The Program Manager plays a critical role in NetAid’s youth engagement efforts. The position is responsible for three important areas:
(1) research on issues such as AIDS, malaria, water, hunger, and education;
(2) translation of that knowledge into virtual and in-person training and education;
(3) partnership building.

The successful candidate will also plan, manage and execute NetAid’s summer Poverty Fighting Summit.

The full job description can be found here.

The GlobalGiving Open

2006-05-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

GlobalGiving recently launched the GlobalGiving Open, a new initiative to allow project leaders to submit their proposals for a spot on the GlobalGiving website. This is an opportunity to receive funding and exposure via GlobalGiving. The first round of the GlobalGiving Open is currently underway. Apply here by June 17.

How to Improve Health for All

2006-05-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

The entry deadline for the latest Changemakers Innovation Award Competition has been extended to May 24.

Ashoka’s Changemakers and Full Economic Citizenship Initiatives have launched a global search for innovative strategies that provide high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable health solutions designed especially to reach low-income and marginalized populations around the world. These solutions may range from healthcare delivery, pharmaceuticals and health financing to health education and disease prevention.

Contest entries can be submitted online through May 24, 2006. The Changemakers community will vote for the three winners from a slate of finalists chosen by a panel of judges. One special award for Business-Social Partnership will be presented.

Job opportunity: Executive Director, Development for Citizen Schools

2006-05-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

Citizen Schools has built a learning model that addresses community needs while building student skills through hands-on experiential learning activities. Citizen Schools operates a national network of apprenticeship programs for youth that connects middle school students with adult volunteers in hands-on learning. The organization, launched in 1995, is based in Boston (USA).

The Executive Director, Development will be responsible for driving the resource generation required to further scale Citizen Schools’ innovative and proven program model nationally.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Director, Development will be an integral member of Citizen Schools’ senior leadership team, and will also partner with the Board of Directors to systematically and effectively build the organization's overall/national fundraising efforts.

Job opportunity: Project Manager, CIVICUS

2006-05-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Project Manager - Information and Knowledge Systems

CIVICUS is an international network of civil society organizations dedicated to promoting civic activism and civil society around the world.

CIVICUS is recruiting a Project Manager to further develop, maintain, expand and promote its information and knowledge systems and services. The incumbent will take the lead in designing an integrated strategy for the effective use of knowledge management tools internally as well as externally, with a particular focus on CIVICUS’ website.

In addition, the Project Manager will oversee the secretariat of the Participation Toolkit website. S/he will also promote organisational learning around the use of knowledge tools and assist CIVICUS’ staff with utilizing appropriate information technology and related tools for their work. The position therefore constitutes a key component of CIVICUS’ programmatic work and encompasses tasks, which are technical, content-related as well as managerial.

Key requirements:

At least 5 years track record in knowledge management in an NGO environment;
Excellent understanding of ICT and knowledge tools suitable for a global NGO;
High-level skills in database and web design;
Proven, substantial knowledge of civil society issues globally;
Outstanding written and oral communication skills in English required; advanced skills in at least one other UN language preferred;
Solid experience in resource mobilization and project management;
Strong ability to develop plans and strategies and to work toward their realization and improvement under demanding performance schedules; and
A university degree in an appropriate discipline; advanced degree preferred.

Preferred start date is 1 July 2006. Women are especially encouraged to apply.

Applicants should send their CV and a cover letter via humanresources@civicus.org with the subject line "Project Manager - Information and Knowledge Systems." Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Closing Date: 22 May 2006

Dream big. Do good. Live well.

2006-05-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Bemporad Baranowski Marketing Group, a New York-based branding agency dedicated to nonprofits and socially responsible businesses, offers a $100,000 package of in-kind communications services to create and launch a breakthrough cause marketing campaign for a visionary nonprofit and its corporate partner. Apply here by July 31, 2006.

New spotlight on youth service

2006-05-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Case Foundation’s Web site brings new insights about how to expand and improve services for youths. Check here.

Condoms by Social Entrepreneurs

2006-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Two Oxford students, Dr. Susana Frazao Pinheiro and Jeremy Millar, want to launch a new brand of condoms to fund the development of health infrastructure and provide education, prevention and access to treatment in West Africa to fight the HIV and AIDS epidemic there.

They need 5 minutes of your time to help them understand your reaction to this proposition. Please complete this short questionnaire. All the results are anonymous.

The Executive Program for Philanthropy Leaders

2006-04-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Stanford University, July 30 - August 5, 2006

Stanford University's Executive Program for Philanthropy Leaders will explore cutting-edge ideas and develop essential skills to help high-level philanthropy leaders drive social innovation.

This residential program focuses on strategic approaches to grant-making. Participants will gain new tools and frameworks to deal with key challenges they face as foundation leaders, such as:
• Strategy and organizational performance
• Building and maintaining productive relationships
• Creating effective governance processes
• Effectively managing power

Space is limited. Apply here by May 14.

Patient Capital for a Sustainable Future

2006-04-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Patient Capital for a Sustainable Future
May 10-12 - San Francisco
Register by April 14th to take advantage of early-bird pricing

Investors' Circle, in collaboration with the Skoll Foundation, is introducing this year a new West Coast event celebrating thought leadership and innovation at the nexus of venture capital, social investing, social enterprise and philanthropy.

The event will feature twenty early-stage companies and workshops on a variety of new approaches to mission-driven investing. Patient Capital for a Sustainable Future will be a hub for a community dedicated to incubating next generation innovations in financial intermediation.

The event will take place May 10-12, 2006 at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. If you want to join a talented group of investors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs, you may want to register here by April 14 to take advantage of the early-bird deadline.

The Moskowitz Prize

2006-04-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

The Moskowitz Prize – Outstanding research in Socially Responsible Investing

The annual Moskowitz Prize recognizes outstanding quantitative research in the field of socially responsible investing (SRI). Named for Milton Moskowitz, one of the first investigators to publish comparisons of the financial performance of screened and unscreened portfolios, the Prize is now under the umbrella of the Center for Responsible Business at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

The $5,000 Prize competition is open to authors of studies relevant to social investing. Entries are reviewed by a jury of scholars and investment professionals. Judging criteria includes:
- Practical significance to practitioners of socially responsible investing
- Appropriateness and rigor of quantitative methods
- Novelty of results

The application deadline is June 30. Further information is available here.

Metrics for Nonprofits

2006-03-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

You may want to check the WhatWorks Toolkit, an how-to guide for nonprofit organizations to tackle one of the most challenging issues facing the sector: how to measure and account for their results. The toolkit, produced by the Center for What Works includes a fully animated eLearning course, a book on nonprofit benchmarking, access to a researched framework of common outcomes and indicators for measurement, and training services to complement all of the tools.

Visioning the future of nonprofits

2006-03-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

Paul Lamb, a Man on a Mission, is writing a piece on "Visioning the future of nonprofits.” If you think you know what a technologically empowered nonprofit will look like in five or ten years, this is your chance to get published.

Paul Lamb is actively soliciting ideas from members of the nonprofit, technology, and community and social technology worlds. Visit his blog to get instructions and to post your contributions. Or email him your thoughts directly at pauljlamb at gmail dot com.

Paul Lamb says that contributors who get selected for inclusion in the article will be credited, and any money from the sale of the publication will be donated to N-Ten, the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network.

YSEI @ GKP International Forum

2006-03-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

Youth Social Enterprise Initiative (YSEI) will be hosting a panel session on "Cultivating Young Social Entrepreneurs - Impact & Challenges" at the GKP International Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 8-9. A follow-up discussion will be centered on “Developing Support Systems for Young Social Entrepreneurs.” If you want to be a panelist, please send your proposal to ysei at globalknowledge dot org.

The theme of the GKP International Forum online is “Creating prosperity through innovation – ICT at work in development.” The Forum aims to engage invited leaders from business, civil society and government to both share innovations with ICT for development (ICT4D) and build new innovative partnership-based initiatives using ICT to create prosperity.

2006 Tech Museum Awards - Global Call for Nominations

2006-03-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

The Tech Museum Awards – Technology Benefiting Humanity honors innovators from around the world who use technology to benefit humanity in the categories of Environment, Economic Development, Education, Health, and Equality.

25 Laureates will be honored at a Gala event on November 15, 2006 and five Laureates will share a cash prize of $250,000. Successful candidates address universal human needs through cutting-edge breakthroughs or innovative applications of existing technologies.

Nominations can be submitted online before April 3, 2006. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged. Individuals, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit companies are all eligible.

Changemakers Innovation Award competition: How to Improve Health for All

2006-03-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

Ashoka’s Changemakers and Full Economic Citizenship Initiatives have launched a global search for innovative strategies that provide high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable health solutions designed especially to reach low-income and marginalized populations around the world. These solutions may range from healthcare delivery, pharmaceuticals and health financing to health education and disease prevention.

Contest entries can be submitted online through May 3, 2006. The Changemakers community will vote for the three winners from a slate of finalists chosen by a panel of judges, from May 18-31. One special award for Business-Social Partnership will be presented.

More details are available at Changemakers.

Coro Center for Civic Leadership - 11th Annual Leadership Luncheon

2006-03-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

Nearly 1,000 business, government and community leaders will gather April 21 to listen to William Drayton, social entrepreneur and founder of Ashoka, and to meet Coro’s Crystal Eagle Awardee Esta Soler, founder and president of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, who will be recognized for her pioneering work on behalf of women and children worldwide.

Funds from the Leadership Luncheon allow Coro to offer its valuable programs and train the next generation of leaders. This past year, Coro trained over 100 people and collaborated with over 500 host organizations and community partners for seminars and field placements across all sectors. Coro participants contributed over 10,000 hours of service back to the community.

Coro Center for Civic Leadership
11th Annual Leadership Luncheon
Friday, April 21, 2006
Marriott Hotel, 55 Fourth Street, San Francisco

For tickets or additional information, please contact Jed Herman, Director of Development and Communications, at 415-986-0521 x107 or jherman at coro dot org.

Global Conference on E-Government

2006-03-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

The University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies will host the Global Conference on E-Government on March 22 and 23, 2006. It will be a unique multifaceted learning event for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) professionals, policy makers and government staff involved in providing solutions for a better governance and improvement of public services delivery.

The Conference will discuss strategies and present cases of leading edge expertise and technology solutions that are driving government online solutions all around the world, and inaugurate the CDIG- Center for Digital International Government at UMIACS, as a focal point for institutions, corporations and NGOs looking for advices, technical consultation, exchange of experiences, proof of concept, as well as research and innovation in several areas.

Make Poverty Reduction your Business!

2006-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Business in Development (BiD) Challenge aims to boost Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and fight poverty in developing Countries. SME development not only creates jobs and income, it is a ‘drive’ for innovation, income distribution, knowledge and expertise.

The cultivation of tropical mushrooms on agricultural waste in Surinam, trendy bags made out of plastic waste in India, candy that is enriched with vitamins in South East Asia: these are only three examples of the 800 plans which participated in the BiD Challenge 2005. This first Challenge is proof that all over the world people have innovative and profitable ideas which support the fight against poverty.

The Second edition of the BiD Challenge challenges anyone anywhere to write a business plan for a SME in a developing country. The best plans win up to 25.000 Euro start-up capital. Individuals and employees of Dutch companies, banks and NGO’s, including amongst others the Rabobank, ING, TNT, KPMG, ICCO, Plan Nederland and WNF, can put their experiences and expertise in service of the submitted plans from al over the world as screeners or coaches.

If you want to "Make Poverty Reduction your Business" too, you should submit your business plan online before March 20th 2006.

New Social Entrepreneurship Series

2006-03-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

Ashoka just announced the release of its new Social Entrepreneurship Series on the Google Video Store. The series, produced in partnership with the Skoll Foundation, features the experiences and insights of the world's most inspiring leaders of social change – who have affected millions of lives across the globe.

The series was created by Ashoka's Global Academy to capture the strategies and insights of leading social entrepreneurs– in their own words– who have achieved global impact, including: Muhammad Yunus, the power behind Grameen Bank and the global micro-credit movement, Peter Eigen, Transparency International founder and one of the world’s most powerful corruption fighters, and Fazle Abed who founded BRAC, the world’s largest citizen sector organization.

These visionaries offer practical wisdom on how to tackle poverty, fight corruption and improve the health and education of those living on less than $2 a day.

The 40-minute films include autobiographies as well as cover corporate social responsibility, social-business ventures, methods for scaling, and global governance. As these topics become powerful factors in democratic and societal growth, the Series is a vital resource for students, people starting or changing careers, citizen sector organizations, educators, governments and businesses alike.

The series is available for pre-viewing and purchase on Google. To find the series, enter "Ashoka" into the search box. It is also available for purchase here.

The Global Philanthropy Forum

2006-02-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

On April 3-5, the Global Philanthropy Forum will convene at the Fairmont Washington D.C. for its 5th Annual Conference, titled "Policy, Philanthropy, and Social Entrepreneurship: Advancing Social Change".

Participants and speakers will assess the interplay of philanthropy and policy, and explore the many ways philanthropists and those they support can advance the social good. They will look at ways in which donors can leverage and inform policy, and they will look at partnerships between governments, international organizations, and the private sector.

Participants of the 5th Annual Conference will also explore the power of individual social entrepreneurs bringing about positive change during a special session titled "Meet the Social Entrepreneurs". This segment of the conference has been designed to give overseas social entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their high impact projects to Forum participants.

Participants will have the opportunity to circulate and interact with these social entrepreneurs, each of whom will also be accompanied by their grantor. To learn more about this special event, please visit the Forum's dedicated conference here.

Participants at the Forum's Annual Conference are established and emerging philanthropists and social investors who seek fresh approaches to problem-solving through strategic international giving and investing to advance individual opportunity and to improve quality of life. Participation in the Forum's Annual Conference is by invitation only.

The mission of the Global Philanthropy Forum is to build a community of philanthropists committed to international causes- and to inform, enable, and enhance the strategic nature of their giving and social investing. To learn more, please visit the Forum here or call 415-293-4657.

Pro Bono Legal Services

2006-02-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

Social entrepreneurs in the US and throughout the world now have access to first class legal advice.

Lex Mundi, a global network of 160 top tier business law firms with more than 500 offices, has formed an affiliate, Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation. Drawing upon this network, the Foundation finds experienced lawyers to provide pro bono legal services to social entrepreneurs.

If you are a social entrepreneur and you have a need for legal advice and assistance, contact Dave Roll, former partner at Washington DC law firm Steptoe & Johnson and now Managing Director of Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation.

Dave’s email address is droll at lexmundiprobono dot org and his telephone number is 202 429 8169. He will do his best to find the right lawyer in the right place for you.

Silicon Valley’s Changing Nonprofit Sector

2006-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

The University of San Francisco's Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management released its report on “Silicon Valley’s Changing Nonprofit Sector,” the first in a series of regional reports about the nonprofit sector throughout California.

It shows the numerous benefits and resources that nonprofit organizations deliver to the communities they serve, and the substantial economic input of the sector in terms of overall expenditures and employment in Silicon Valley.

They found that "there were 8,558 nonprofit organizations that earned $8.1 billion in 2003 and spent $7.7 billion. The largest group by field was human services which cover social services, youth development, recreation, employment, and criminal justice activities. The largest growth was in foundations, which increased by over 200 percent in Silicon Valley between 1994 and 2003."

The report is available in pdf format here.

The 2006 Acumen Fund Fellows Program

2006-02-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

Acumen Fund seeks 10 talented young professionals for its new Fellows Program.

The Acumen Fund Fellows Program is a 12-month fellowship for individuals with the dedication to serving the poor in the developing world and the business skills to effect change.

Acumen Fund Fellows include:
• Individuals who have already decided on a career in social ventures
• Individuals who seek a career at the highest levels in the corporate world but want to be connected to ventures that make a difference on the problem of poverty
• Future entrepreneurs who want to learn about entrepreneurship in the most demanding setting

Though primarily based in the field, the fellowship begins with an eight-week rotation in the New York office to orient the Fellows to the Acumen Fund culture, methodologies, investment portfolio and pipeline.

Once in the field, Fellows will be responsible for overseeing and managing a variety of investments currently in the Acumen Fund portfolio. Acumen
Fund Fellows will provide leadership on projects for organizations that offer crucial goods and services to impoverished populations. At the same time, Fellows will play an instrumental role in scoping and developing new investments for the Acumen Fund portfolio.

Timeline:
The application deadline is February 17, 2006.
Fellows will be selected by April 17, 2006. They will need to report to Acumen Fund’s New York office for training on September 4, and start their field assignments on October 23, 2006. They will return to Acumen Fund’s New York offices in May 2007. The program will be completed in June 2007, when placement assistance will begin.

Business and Development: The Private Path to Prosperity

2006-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

The IFC (part of the World Bank) and the Financial Times just announced their first international research paper competition. Their aim is to promote the best thinking on the role of business in development.

If you feel you can provide innovative ideas and add to the global discussion on private sector development and economic growth, here is your chance. Write 4,000 words and you may win the $30,000 award. Deadline: June 30, 2006.

The Future of Philanthropy

2006-01-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

On Monday, the Council on Foundations will present a Webcast on the future of philanthropy. The speakers will be Steve Case, chairman of the Case Foundation and chairman and CEO of Revolution, and Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. Registered attendees can submit questions to Steve Case or Steve Gunderson online before the event.

The Reuters Digital Vision Program

2006-01-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

The Reuters Digital Vision Program at Stanford University supports social entrepreneurs who seek to leverage technology-based solutions in the interest of humanitarian, educational, and sustainable development goals.

The program fosters interdisciplinary projects and prototyping efforts that address real needs in underserved communities.

Applications for the 2006-07 academic year are due April 3, 2006. Fellowships will be announced at the end of May 2006.

SVPI is looking for an Executive Director

2006-01-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

An interesting position: Social Venture Partners International seeks an Executive Director ready and able to take the organization through a period of building – not start-up or maintenance.

The Executive Director of SVPI will be responsible for promoting the mission of the organization and developing a culture of delivering superior service and value to SVP affiliates.

Candidates are welcome from the for-profit, non-profit, philanthropic and public sectors. The SVPI office will be located in either Dallas, TX or Seattle, WA, depending on where the strongest candidate is found and wants to locate.

Salary is $75,000-85,000 per year, DOE, with up to 10% annual bonus potential. Benefits include 403b with employer match and medical/dental insurance. Total compensation package - $90-100,000 per year, DOE.

The application deadline is January 31, 2006. Position is open until filled, but SVPI ideally seeks to have an Executive Director in place by April 1, 2006.

More information can be found here.

Berkeley MBA Afghan Music Project: Digital Media Meets Traditional Art

2005-12-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Two Berkeley MBA students, inspired by the rich sounds of Afghanistan and the tragic plight of its people, embarked on a digital recording mission to the country last summer, which has now resulted in the release of their 11-song album of traditional Afghan music, called Afghan Music Project.

The team, Adam Gouttierre and Chris Becherer, both Berkeley MBA 06, traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, to record folk musicians in a time rife with civil unrest, which included riots and frequent kidnappings of Westerners. The students chronicled the trip through their blog.

The Afghan Music Project, now available for download through 40 online music stores, including Apple’s iTunes and Real’s Rhapsody, was made possible with the help of a fellowship from the Haas School's Clausen Center for International Business and Policy.

The initial idea for the project came to Gouttierre and Becherer on their first-year MBA tech treks to technology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, when the two fledgling musicians realized just how easy it is to make digital recordings and to distribute them over the Internet.

All proceeds from the project will fund Afghani music teachers in Kabul, who will teach music education to youth, particularly young women. According to the team, just 600 song downloads (or 60 album sales) will fund one teacher's salary for an entire year.

Learn more about the project and how to buy the album.

Innovation Summit

2005-12-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Innovation Funders Network, a network of funders who seek to strengthen nonprofits and improve the lives of people worldwide through the innovative use of information and communication technology, will hold its 2006 summit January 30–31, 2006, in San Francisco.

The theme is Networks, Innovation and Social Change.

Attendees will learn from funders and nonprofits who have innovative ways of carrying out their social missions and explore emerging ideas and opportunities that should be on every funder’s radar, such as social entrepreneurship, collaboration, network-based grantmaking and online organizing.

Keynote speakers will be Lawrence Lessig, author, legal scholar and founder of Creative Commons; and Howard Rheingold, author of Smart Mobs. Victor d'Allant, executive director of Social Edge, will also be a speaker

If you are a funder or social investor, click here to register.

The Purpose Prize

2005-12-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

Civic Ventures, an organization working to help the U.S. achieve the greatest return on experience, announces the Purpose Prize: five $100,000 investments in Americans over 60 whose creativity, talent and experience are transforming the way the U.S. addresses critical social problems. To nominate someone you know or to apply yourself, click here.

Leo Burnett is seeking a non-profit organization...

2005-12-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Advertising agency Leo Burnett USA, whose clients include Walt Disney, McDonald’s and Kellogg’s, is seeking a nonprofit organization to grow into a powerful and recognized brand. Read the announcement.

Echoing Green Offers up to $90,000 in Seed Funding

2005-10-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

WANTED: VISIONARIES OF SOCIAL CHANGE

Echoing Green seeks world's best new social change entrepreneurs!

Fellowship offers up to $90,000 in seed funding to build effective organizations.

The global nonprofit organization Echoing Green has opened its search for social change entrepreneurs with powerful new ideas for creating innovative nonprofit organizations and social-mission businesses. Through the prestigious two-year Echoing Green Fellowship, emerging visionaries receive up to $90,000 in seed funding, obtain health insurance and gain in Echoing Green a mentor that will help them build organizations that address the root causes of society's seemingly intractable problems.

Echoing Green identifies, funds and supports some of the world's most extraordinary social change entrepreneurs and their organizations. Through its fellowship program, Echoing Green helps these leaders develop new solutions to society's deepest problems in diverse areas including education, health, housing, civil and human rights, the environment, economic development and the arts.

To apply for the 2006 Echoing Green Fellowship, visit www.echoinggreen.org. Leaders over the age of 18 from any nation, working in any field are eligible to apply for the fellowship. The application deadline is December 1st, 2005. For questions about the application process, email apply@echoinggreen.org.

About Echoing Green

Echoing Green has invested over $22 million to help 400 leaders create positive change in 30 countries. Seventy-seven percent of organizations launched by Echoing Green Fellows are still thriving today, and eighty-five percent of all fellows stay in leadership positions within the social sector. From fostering the development of the criminal justice defense systems in China, Vietnam and Cambodia to providing affordable health insurance to freelance workers in New York City, Echoing Green Fellows have launched model organizations around the world. For more information, visit www.echoinggreen.org.

To read about the 2005 Echoing Green Fellows, visit www.echoinggreen.org/2005fellows.

Craigslist Foundation's Nonprofit Boot Camp Networking Reception

2005-09-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Social Edge would like to invite you to Join 1,300 rising nonprofit stars at a Networking Reception on October 8, 6-9PM at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA. The reception is designed to forge connections between emerging nonprofit leaders and those who can inspire and support them.

Enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom joins Bay Area mayors and elected officials to proclaim "Nonprofit Appreciation Day." Speakers will include Craigslist Customer Service Rep & Founder Craig Newmark and Glide Memorial's Reverend Cecil Williams & Janice Mirikitani. The evening will close with a private concert.

Honorary Reception Co-Chairs include House Minority Leader Representative Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Senator Barbara Boxer, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Assemblyman Mark Leno, Founder of the Well & Seva Foundation Larry Brilliant and environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill. Guests will include philanthropists, business leaders, grant makers, politicians and nonprofit executives.

The Reception marks the conclusion of Craigslist Foundation's Nonprofit Boot Camp, presented by Acteva. For further information see: http://www.craigslistfoundation.org/bootcamp.html

Tickets are normally $100 per person, but Craigslist Foundation has offered a special discount of 50% to Social Edge members. Discounted tickets can be purchased for $50 per person at:

http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=95745

For more information about the event or sponsorship opportunities, email info@craigslistfoundation.org or call 415-391-2630.