Wind power for the world

You may have noticed that It's All Good is on an end-of-the-summer, everyone-pull-their-lives-together, get-back-into-the-groove hiatus -- but this is too cool to ignore. (I promise I'll be brief.)

Think we need to leave the world-changing up to the people with the money and the power? Sure, that helps, but check out this grad student, who made a complete wind turbine, mostly from scraps,  for 37 bucks. And then think about the difference this simple product could make for the developing (and developed) world. Wow.

Kickin' micro-lending with Kiva

Community development, especially internationally, is a huge interest of mine, and I absolutely love Kiva for letting me participate. From my couch. In my PJs. 

It's a global micro-lending program, run solely through the web, that allows people to set up accounts and give loans to entrepreneurs around the world. Some are small projects, some are bigger, and all of them aim to help communities and families.

The entrepreneur (individual or group) asks for a specific amount of money, say $1000, and multiple Kiva donors lend any amount toward that goal until it's reached. The recipient then has a set term, often one year, to repay the loan - and once they've repaid it, it goes back into the various lenders' accounts so they can either loan that money to another entrepreneur or withdraw it. Some of the recipients even journal about their progress.

There are thousands of people in many sectors all around the globe looking for loans, which are distributed by local partner organizations, and you can search to your heart's content.

For example, I'm a health person. I studied in Uganda. I think women entrepreneurs rock. So I searched for all of those things and currently support a group in Uganda led by 34-year-old Rose, a mother of four, who owns and operates a drug store to raise money for her dream project: a clinic with special maternity section. Rose's group's total loan was $2000; they got their loan in February and have already paid half of it back.

Want to hear about Kiva successes from a different perspective? Check out Kiva Stories from the Field - it's a blog written by the Kiva Fellows around the world, who I won't go into, but if any of you ever become one I will be oh-so-jealous.

Young Social Entrepreneurs

I'm really stuck on social entrepreneurship--from posting about social entrepreneurial courses and institutes at business schools, to the reading list I gave you last week, I'm realizing more and more that there is something really special and unique about the combination of business and social awareness.
This week, take a look at these young people who are changing their world with whatever resources they have available.
Another inspiring story: these women started an upscale club/boutique/craft shop after being inspired during a course in business school!
Providing a service to others based on skills you already have or a hobby you already love is simple and satisfying--how about a local meals-on-wheels or creating a healthful food cookbook if you love to be in the kitchen, starting or participating in a Big Brothers Big Sisters program or gathering the names of reputable babysitters and caregivers, if children are your passion?
What experience have you had participating in, or building, a program for the community?

The Interview: Sink or Swim?

I'll admit they're a little dorky, but check out these YouTube videos about what to do - and, of course, what not to do - in job interviews.

Denham Resources, a random staffing company in Fresno, Calif., puts out a new video each month, and as silly as they are, I think it can be a heckuva lot more helpful (to watch someone else struggle through things...) than a list of do-this-don't-do-this interview tips.

For more tips and advice on how to advance your career in the nonprofit world click HERE

Social Entrepreneurship in East Africa

This week, I've been in the Library of Congress trying to understand the opportunities in East Africa for social entrepreneurship. I have culled my rather extensive list to a few must-reads about social entrepreneurship & changing the world a little more generally (but if you're totally intrigued by the specific programs enacted by the British government between 1840 and 1974, I'd be glad to provide some resources...).

The Power of Unreasonable People
by John Elkington
Sprinkled with amusing but timely quotations from the likes of Charles Bernard Shaw, The Power of Unreasonable People outlines the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

Difference Makers
by Susan Long
Pithy and inspiring 3-6 page columns about people like Charles Schlutz and a woman who has adopted 21 children in NYC.

Creating a World Without Poverty
by Muhammad Yunus
Authored by the founder of Grameen Bank, through case studies & personal experience, Creating a World Without Poverty highlights the keys to success in social entrepreneurship.

Rolling in the dough...or not

In economic times that leave a lot to be desired (to say the least), it's nice to know that, though they're not shooting through the roof, the salaries of people in nonprofit leadership roles are going up. Granted the year's increase was only 2.55 percent, but up is up!

Want to know what you have to look forward to? The average annual salary for a "nonprofit leader" is $148, 972.

Recent controversy over National Night Out executive salary of $300,000 has -- rightfully -- drawn attention to discussion of how much is too much for nonprofit leaders to make, particularly when much of salaries can come from fundraising.

But with the predicted nonprofit leadership crisis that we've talked about here on its way, nonprofit employees are demanding compensation (closer to) on par with their for-profit counterparts. Often they're doing similar jobs that require similar education and skills.

What do you think? How much is too much for nonprofit execs? Should their lower salaries be a personal donation to their causes? Or should they be paid the same amount as a corporate exec doing more or less the same job?

Photo by cmpalmer

Olympic News for Everyone

The Friday-morning interview with Michael Phelps kicked off the Olympic games (for me). Friday night, the drums and dancing of the opening ceremonies left me awestruck.

But what about people who can't see the tight choreography of 2008 men moving to the music or perceive the growing and lagging distances between competitors in the pools in Beijing?

A non-profit in Beijing, which usually uses a movie theater to narrate popular films, has been broadcasting and narrating the Olympics this weekend instead!

This way, everyone gets a little taste of the Olympic spirit.

Book Reviews

You'd think these were easy problems to fix: children are starving in Africa--give them food. People are dying from malaria--give them mosquito nets to protect themselves from bites while they're sleeping. So why are there STILL children starving and STILL people dying from Malaria?

William Easterly asks this exact question in his book, The White Man's Burden.

His answer? There are too many "planners" in charge of the resources and not enough "searchers." He uses the release of the fifth Harry Potter book as an example. The crux of his argument: if the world-wide release of this high-demand commodity can be synchronized to the day, surely providing food to children in Africa is doable. It's just that the right people are working on the problem.
"Planners," the ones with the money heading up the foundations, are busy planning to solve the "big" problems, they're tackling poverty, hunger, dirty water, joblessness and disease all at once, and not accomplishing anything. "Searchers," of which there are few in non-profit situations (at least world-wide), instead look for a piecemeal way to solve ONE problem.
The malaria nets, when given out for free, are used as decorations or storage, or as toys--not as a covering for one's sleeping area. But in Malawi, a different tactic was used: everyone is charged for mosquito nets through a particular program. The poor are charged about 50 cents, the rich are charged five dollars. Since the nets each cost a dollar to produce, the program pays for itself by selling to both rich and poor people. And this way, because people are putting a VALUE on the item, they are much more likely to use the malaria nets for shelter, not for recreation (pgs. 13-14).

B-I-N-G-O

OK, so it may not involve a dobber. Sorry in advance.

But if you're sick of all the buzzwords ("buzzword" being a culprit itself, at least in my organization) in the nonprofit world like I am, a game of Nonprofit Buzzword Bingo might be just what you need. 

And don't feel bad: It was developed by a nonprofiteer who was sick of the lingo and wanted to spice up some staff meetings. 

Need a distraction? Want in? Get your own card, courtesy of NonprofitMarketing Guide.com.

Photo by ann-dabney

Bingo card by NonprofitMarketingGuide.com

The way forward is through...the stomach?

The other day my groggy boyfriend stumbled into Fresh Grounds Coffee (photo, left, from freshgrounds coffee.com) for a little pick-me-up on his way to work. In his caffeine-deprived state, it took him a few minutes to realize that it wasn't your average coffee shop. It looks like a regular coffee shop. It smells like a regular coffee shop. And for all practical purposes, it is.

But Fresh Grounds is also a nonprofit job training program for young adults who live in a supported housing project in the same building as the shop. The social venture gives young people job skills and employment experience and of course brings the community an ever-appreciated coffee buzz -- with a lot more character than Starbucks.

Now I admit I'm a fan of the occasional frappuccino, but in my world, the more sugar, the better. So Cookie Cart (photo, left, from cookiecart.org) gets bonus points for me. A similar model, the nonprofit is an employment training program that gives young people professional experience. With jobs in a bakery with a retail front, Cookie Cart aims to put that ever-important first job on the resumes of low-income youth, which they can back up with job, leadership and life skills.

And I must say they make a mean cookie. :)