Tag Archives | Stories of Impact

Communication Design + Social Innovation

By on February 20, 2013 in Community Building, Design, Education, Sector, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Intrapreneurship

Communication is the most important determinant of whether or not you will succeed in achieving your vision (see my previous post on the use of language in Intrapreneurship). Great leaders have it, and there’s a way to get it. I speak at many conferences, including the recent Social Enterprise Boot Camp, and receive many requests [...]

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The Secret Power of Crowdsourcing

By on February 18, 2013 in Building a Social Venture, Design, Education, Social Entrepreneurship, Water

One of the most powerful but little talked about movements that has arisen in the last few years is that of crowdsourcing.  According to Wikipedia crowdsourcing “is a process that involves outsourcing tasks to a distributed group of people.”  With the explosion of the Internet, crowdsourcing is at last realizing its true potential as an [...]

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The Problem with Solving Problems

By on February 10, 2013 in Building a Social Venture, Design, Featured, Social Entrepreneurship

The formula is simple; identify an everyday life “problem” that impacts a large number of people.  Next step, create a product or service that solves the problem and deliver the solution (your product or service) to the people who have the problem.  This is entrepreneurship.  This is the formula that I was taught while starting [...]

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If It’s Not Core to Your Business, Don’t Bother with CSR

By on February 8, 2013 in Community Building, Energy / Enviornment, Featured, Social Intrapreneurship, Stories of Impact

What is the state of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) today? For the most part, we hear stories of companies touting minor, internal achievements that are far removed from the core of their businesses. While any step forward is a win, should switching to recycled paper, turning off lights on weekends or setting up a cosmetic [...]

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You’re So Sleek, But I’m Not Interested

By on December 14, 2012 in Design, Energy / Enviornment, Poverty, Stories of Impact, Water, Women's Empowerment

In college, I was enamored by all the savvy products that were being created by first world designers for pressing world issues. Buzz words like humanitarian design and design for bottom of the pyramid began forming. Interdisciplinary design was becoming more experimental and addressing bigger problems. Incredibly imaginative solutions were being produced for basic needs [...]

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Building a Revenue Model

By on December 10, 2012 in Education, Social Entrepreneurship, Youth Development

If you were a teenager living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, how much would you pay for world-class leadership training? There’s been a lot of productive talk lately about how organizations working for social change should make their money. As a real believer in markets, particularly in their ability to spur development, I’ve [...]

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Precipice

By on December 3, 2012 in Health, Starting the Journey, Youth Development

It’s a quarter to 9pm PST and I’m currently squatting in a coffee shop on Palo Alto’s University Avenue. I wasn’t able find a place on campus with free Wi-Fi, so I traipsed over here. I’m living in New York now, but happened to fly out just a few days ago for a friend’s wedding. [...]

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The Problem with Philanthropists

By on November 5, 2012 in Community Building, Social Entrepreneurship, Stories of Impact

We should start with the basics: in our world, some have more than others. In fact, there is massive inequality to the extent that some people can barely survive. This bothers many of us (and probably most of us reading this website) because we believe that everyone’s basic needs should be met. So, to spur [...]

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Launching a Successful Non-Profit: Four Crucial Lessons

By on November 2, 2012 in Education, Non-Profits, Social Entrepreneurship

In the 8 months it took to launch our tech non-profit, StudentDonate.com, my team and I learned a ton of critical lessons along the way.  Below are the top 4 lessons we’ve learned that will help any burgeoning or even established social entrepreneur. Your Website Needs to Rock – Face it, in the 21st century [...]

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SocialChange.is About the Journey

By on October 30, 2012 in Featured, Social Entrepreneurship, Starting the Journey

It’s 3:55 in the morning on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 – launch day for SocialChange.is. As I type this post in bed, I know I won’t be getting any more sleep tonight. I woke up about an hour ago and have been thinking about everything that needs to happen today. All the emails I need [...]

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Dignity – A Basic Human Right

By on October 29, 2012 in Building a Social Venture, Education, Social Entrepreneurship, Women's Empowerment

I recently watched an online video that criticized the way in which ‘Africa’ and ‘Africans’ are portrayed by well-intentioned charities and not for profit organizations (Binyavanga Wainaina).  I have always prided myself on being aware of the many stereotypes that exist in the world and in particu lar regarding those living in African countries. However, [...]

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Beaten to the Punch: A Lesson Best Learned Early

By on October 10, 2012 in Social Entrepreneurship, Stories of Impact

I’m turning twenty in less than a month. For many, this birthday is virtually meaningless, no driver’s test to take, no voting privileges awarded, no toasts yet legally made. For me, however, it represents something new in my life; a whole new chapter and a whole new decade.  Try as I might to remain in denial, [...]

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Fueled by Naivete & Idealism: My Road to Social Entrepreneurship (part 2)

By on October 5, 2012 in Education, Stories of Impact

So about that other story…Apparently, it can take years for organizations to gain this status. And lots of work. But the universe was working in my favor. I asked 2 friends to help with the 20+ pages of IRS paperwork. We met at the Student Learning Center, pulled some numbers out of the air, filled [...]

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DIY A/C – Keeping Cool the Natural Way

By on October 1, 2012 in Social Entrepreneurship, Stories of Impact

Millions of rooftops in America are made of tar, and they absorb an enormous amount of heat during the summer months. White Roof Project covers rooftops with solar-reflective white coating, immediately reducing temperatures inside and out. White roofs are cost effective, cut carbon emissions, reduce our risk of ‘brown-outs’ by reducing stress on the power [...]

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