Entries For: October 2006
2006-10-30
New Resource Bank is Launching
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On the 14th of November, the New Resource Bank in San Francisco will have its Grand Opening. Triodos Bank, the ethical bank which I love and used to work with, is a founding shareholder of the bank.
Prior to opening New Resource Bank, 240 founding shareholders subscribed to $24.75 Million of the Bank’s stock offering. The offering was strongly supported by the community, with $35 Million in subscriptions representing a 60 percent oversubscription from the original offering targets of $20 to $22 Million. This is one of the largest initial capitalizations for a start-up bank in Northern California.
The shareholders of New Resource Bank have built leading Bay Area companies as well as leading green and sustainable businesses. They are part of the New Resource Community, which the Bank draws upon to tap broader networks and knowledge to serve its clients. It's the old fashioned benefits of a community bank matched together with an innovative bank.
Check it out: www.newresourcebank.com
Prior to opening New Resource Bank, 240 founding shareholders subscribed to $24.75 Million of the Bank’s stock offering. The offering was strongly supported by the community, with $35 Million in subscriptions representing a 60 percent oversubscription from the original offering targets of $20 to $22 Million. This is one of the largest initial capitalizations for a start-up bank in Northern California.
The shareholders of New Resource Bank have built leading Bay Area companies as well as leading green and sustainable businesses. They are part of the New Resource Community, which the Bank draws upon to tap broader networks and knowledge to serve its clients. It's the old fashioned benefits of a community bank matched together with an innovative bank.
Check it out: www.newresourcebank.com
2006-10-29
Without Struggle There is No Progress
This weekend, I took a flying trapeze class on the banks of the Hudson River. As I climbed up the ladder and chalked my shaky hands to grip the swinging bar, I thought, "why am I so scared? There is a net there. This isn't very risky at all." People struggle through much scarier things everyday.
Earlier in the week we had read about the bravery of Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852. Born into slavery, he was asked to deliver a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In Rochester's Corinthian Hall, this 35 year old man addressed a nearly all white crowd, "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." And he asked them, "Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?"
You can read the full speech, by clicking here.
Now that takes courage! Douglass is known for another wonderful quote we should remember whether we are studying for school exams, slaving through a report or politics at work, flying from a trapeze, scrubbing floors to pay for our kids schooling, sacraficing certain liberties to build a political movement or hitting constant barriers when trying to change the world:
"Without struggle, there is no progress."
Earlier in the week we had read about the bravery of Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852. Born into slavery, he was asked to deliver a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In Rochester's Corinthian Hall, this 35 year old man addressed a nearly all white crowd, "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." And he asked them, "Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?"
You can read the full speech, by clicking here.
Now that takes courage! Douglass is known for another wonderful quote we should remember whether we are studying for school exams, slaving through a report or politics at work, flying from a trapeze, scrubbing floors to pay for our kids schooling, sacraficing certain liberties to build a political movement or hitting constant barriers when trying to change the world:
"Without struggle, there is no progress."
2006-10-26
Three Views of Africa
Since I am headed to Africa in three weeks, I wanted to point you to Jocelyn Wyatt's blog entry today on the three views of Africa.
View 1 - The Outsider Who Gets It
View 2 - The Insider Who Exposes It
View 3 - The Outsider Who Simplifies It
Click here to read more on her view.
View 1 - The Outsider Who Gets It
View 2 - The Insider Who Exposes It
View 3 - The Outsider Who Simplifies It
Click here to read more on her view.
2006-10-25
This Week’s Book: The Tempest by Shakespeare
This week’s book discussion focused on the Tempest by Shakespeare and was led by Clara Barby of Acumen Fund. Clara had a wonderful interpretation of how this mysterious text explored the topic of ego and what it means to be human.
Prospero, who had been trapped on an island with his daughter, used his magic to summon a tempest which shipwrecks those who trapped him there in the first place. His actions are more than just revenge; they also show he is trying to invite them to see their mistakes and seek redemption. Otherwise, he could have just killed them full stop. In his quest however, he begins to get caught up in his own ego and power until Ariel (the indentured sprite helper) reminds him to forgive. Ariel is the only non-human being in the book and reminds Prospero of what it means to be a noble human. The turning point in the text is below (5.1.17-20).
Ariel: if you now beheld them your affections
Would become tender.
Prospero: Dost thou think so, spirit?
Ariel: Mine would, sir, were I human.
Prospero: And mine shall.
Interesting book. I can’t help but think: if Prospero had so many magical powers, why were he and his daughter stranded on an island for 12 years? If I knew magic (enough to create a tempest and eventually get everyone off the island in the end of the book), I sure wouldn’t be hanging out on a remote island for so long!
Random fun question: If you could choose a magic power, what would it be?
Prospero, who had been trapped on an island with his daughter, used his magic to summon a tempest which shipwrecks those who trapped him there in the first place. His actions are more than just revenge; they also show he is trying to invite them to see their mistakes and seek redemption. Otherwise, he could have just killed them full stop. In his quest however, he begins to get caught up in his own ego and power until Ariel (the indentured sprite helper) reminds him to forgive. Ariel is the only non-human being in the book and reminds Prospero of what it means to be a noble human. The turning point in the text is below (5.1.17-20).
Ariel: if you now beheld them your affections
Would become tender.
Prospero: Dost thou think so, spirit?
Ariel: Mine would, sir, were I human.
Prospero: And mine shall.
Interesting book. I can’t help but think: if Prospero had so many magical powers, why were he and his daughter stranded on an island for 12 years? If I knew magic (enough to create a tempest and eventually get everyone off the island in the end of the book), I sure wouldn’t be hanging out on a remote island for so long!
Random fun question: If you could choose a magic power, what would it be?
Act Quick::: An Island is Sinking. Join me on a Carbon Diet!
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Our world has changed drastically since good ol’ pangea—now it seems it is time to go on a carbon diet. Part of the Acumen Fellow’s training entails learning from each other through formal seminars. Nadaa Taiyab has particular expertise in climate change and led a very interesting session for us. One of the most surprising things I learned from Nadaa is that the situation is much worse than I thought! Due to pollution and consumption, the climate change situation has already caused an island to begin sinking. The island’s inhabitants have even made an agreement with New Zealand to move to their territory before it sinks.
Today, another Fellow, Jocelyn Wyatt, challenged us to take the Slate Green Challenge and go on a carbon diet. The goal is to reduce the amount of CO2 that you put into the atmosphere by 20 percent. This quiz calculates your annual carbon output, or footprint. It plugs the data you report into various formulas that tabulate emissions based on national averages. The total is an approximate baseline number—the carbon load you’ll be whittling away at for the next eight weeks.
Take the Quiz to find out your carbon emissions rate by clicking here:
http://slate.com/id/2151739/
My carbon emissions annually were at 59,999 lbs!!!!!! That's equivalent to the emissions from 5.89 passenger cars. I don’t even own a car or eat meat and I am pretty careful with lights, but the international flights I take have brought me way over the national average. Check them out--the average carbon emissions per year, per person:
United States: 44,312
Qatar: 117,064
France: 13,668
India: 2,645
Kenya: 440
Would love to have anyone reading this blog take the quiz and add your comments below!
Over the next eight weeks, I will take steps to offset my 'footprint' and keep you posted.
____
Other Highlighted Resources:
1) Nadaa Taiyab’s Research on Voluntary Carbon Trading:
http://www.iied.org/pubs/search.php?a=Nadaa%20Taiyab&x=Y
2) If you haven’t seen the movie yet “An Inconvenient Truth,” you should scurry over to blockbuster or order it on netflix. Whether you like Al Gore or not, this movie provides a great overview of this subject. P.S. (Watch the credits!)
Today, another Fellow, Jocelyn Wyatt, challenged us to take the Slate Green Challenge and go on a carbon diet. The goal is to reduce the amount of CO2 that you put into the atmosphere by 20 percent. This quiz calculates your annual carbon output, or footprint. It plugs the data you report into various formulas that tabulate emissions based on national averages. The total is an approximate baseline number—the carbon load you’ll be whittling away at for the next eight weeks.
Take the Quiz to find out your carbon emissions rate by clicking here:
http://slate.com/id/2151739/
My carbon emissions annually were at 59,999 lbs!!!!!! That's equivalent to the emissions from 5.89 passenger cars. I don’t even own a car or eat meat and I am pretty careful with lights, but the international flights I take have brought me way over the national average. Check them out--the average carbon emissions per year, per person:
United States: 44,312
Qatar: 117,064
France: 13,668
India: 2,645
Kenya: 440
Would love to have anyone reading this blog take the quiz and add your comments below!
Over the next eight weeks, I will take steps to offset my 'footprint' and keep you posted.
____
Other Highlighted Resources:
1) Nadaa Taiyab’s Research on Voluntary Carbon Trading:
http://www.iied.org/pubs/search.php?a=Nadaa%20Taiyab&x=Y
2) If you haven’t seen the movie yet “An Inconvenient Truth,” you should scurry over to blockbuster or order it on netflix. Whether you like Al Gore or not, this movie provides a great overview of this subject. P.S. (Watch the credits!)
2006-10-23
IDEO & Design Innovation: Calling for the Next Seatbelt
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My friend Sarah who runs Columbia’s Center for Neuroscience Initiatives was talking about seatbelts the other day. Whether you secure yourself with a basic rope like a Cairo taxi driver or a fancy automatic seatbelt in a German car, the seatbelt is now fairly well accepted in society. It has not always been that way, and its creation in the 1800s significantly impacted the world and changed behavior.
Such a simple creation changed the way people think about their standards for safety. In some countries, policy was drafted to require them. Demand forced car manufacturers to begin adding the seatbelt as a standard safety feature which led to other standards such as airbags.
It saves many lives, lives which are contributing to our economy. It has perhaps saved lives of some of those who might be on their way to discovering an AIDS vaccine or creating the next Internet, string theory or algorithm for world peace.
Sarah asked: Where is the next seatbelt? ….simple idea, big impact.
The bednet project I will be working on in Tanzania has many parallels. Malaria causes more than one million fatalities annually. Furthermore, a Harvard study showed that Africa’s gross domestic product would be 32% higher if malaria had been effectively controlled 35 years ago. To address this problem, an exciting technology was created to manufacture long-lasting net material which is impregnated with insecticide and can be used over beds or in windows. Studies have begun to show that these nets are highly effective in preventing morbidity and mortality, especially when deployed in large numbers.
How do you change behavior so that people begin to value and adopt the use of bednets to significantly curb the cases of malaria—just as we did with the seatbelt? As you create a market, how do you ensure that the poorest segments of society can access the product?
This week our training is focused on "design for the bottom of the pyramid.” We had a great workshop today given by the world famous industrial design firm, IDEO. IDEO’s CEO Tim Brown and Chris Flink (Practice Head for Consumer Experience) led this two-day session for the Acumen Fellows on ‘design thinking’ as an approach to innovation. Design thinking, they say, is human centered innovation which starts with exploring what is desirable to people and then finding feasible technology or business. Great design thinking is both rational and intuitive, and the process has three phases: 1) inspiration = great ideas come from exposure to new experiences, 2) ideation = how you develop ideas through teams, processes, etc, 3) experimentation = how do you get things out into the world through prototyping, pilots, etc.
The most interesting part of today made me think about when I worked for Sally Osberg @ Skoll Foundation. She taught me to strive to build a culture of innovation—providing the right tools, processes, roles and environment for those in your company to explore new ideas, innovate and be entrepreneurial. This is the root of true success according to IDEO.
Chris & Tim's session today led us to the Google offices being built in Chelsea (NY). We observed construction workers in action and later used the design process to think of ways to improve the workers' ability to build office space. We eventually developed some ideas and built prototypes of masks and ladders (using clay, pipe cleaners and anything we could find in the office!)
As we learned about ‘generating ideas’ and not just ‘validating ideas,’ I thought about some of the possibilities for my work with designing a private market distribution strategy for bednets in Tanzania. It starts with just observing people and trying to view things from their perspective, not mine. This will help me understand the market on multiple levels (the mental, physical and intellectual experiences).
Hopefully someday the bednet in Africa will be as widely adopted as the seatbelt….better yet, perhaps my friend Sarah will be talking about her amazement of society's accomplishment in preventing "the crash" all together.
Such a simple creation changed the way people think about their standards for safety. In some countries, policy was drafted to require them. Demand forced car manufacturers to begin adding the seatbelt as a standard safety feature which led to other standards such as airbags.
It saves many lives, lives which are contributing to our economy. It has perhaps saved lives of some of those who might be on their way to discovering an AIDS vaccine or creating the next Internet, string theory or algorithm for world peace.
Sarah asked: Where is the next seatbelt? ….simple idea, big impact.
The bednet project I will be working on in Tanzania has many parallels. Malaria causes more than one million fatalities annually. Furthermore, a Harvard study showed that Africa’s gross domestic product would be 32% higher if malaria had been effectively controlled 35 years ago. To address this problem, an exciting technology was created to manufacture long-lasting net material which is impregnated with insecticide and can be used over beds or in windows. Studies have begun to show that these nets are highly effective in preventing morbidity and mortality, especially when deployed in large numbers.
How do you change behavior so that people begin to value and adopt the use of bednets to significantly curb the cases of malaria—just as we did with the seatbelt? As you create a market, how do you ensure that the poorest segments of society can access the product?
This week our training is focused on "design for the bottom of the pyramid.” We had a great workshop today given by the world famous industrial design firm, IDEO. IDEO’s CEO Tim Brown and Chris Flink (Practice Head for Consumer Experience) led this two-day session for the Acumen Fellows on ‘design thinking’ as an approach to innovation. Design thinking, they say, is human centered innovation which starts with exploring what is desirable to people and then finding feasible technology or business. Great design thinking is both rational and intuitive, and the process has three phases: 1) inspiration = great ideas come from exposure to new experiences, 2) ideation = how you develop ideas through teams, processes, etc, 3) experimentation = how do you get things out into the world through prototyping, pilots, etc.
The most interesting part of today made me think about when I worked for Sally Osberg @ Skoll Foundation. She taught me to strive to build a culture of innovation—providing the right tools, processes, roles and environment for those in your company to explore new ideas, innovate and be entrepreneurial. This is the root of true success according to IDEO.
Chris & Tim's session today led us to the Google offices being built in Chelsea (NY). We observed construction workers in action and later used the design process to think of ways to improve the workers' ability to build office space. We eventually developed some ideas and built prototypes of masks and ladders (using clay, pipe cleaners and anything we could find in the office!)
As we learned about ‘generating ideas’ and not just ‘validating ideas,’ I thought about some of the possibilities for my work with designing a private market distribution strategy for bednets in Tanzania. It starts with just observing people and trying to view things from their perspective, not mine. This will help me understand the market on multiple levels (the mental, physical and intellectual experiences).
Hopefully someday the bednet in Africa will be as widely adopted as the seatbelt….better yet, perhaps my friend Sarah will be talking about her amazement of society's accomplishment in preventing "the crash" all together.
Last Week's Line Up
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Last Week's Line Up
It was another busy week in training! Below I have outlined the sessions for those interested in the speakers, readings and topics.
Book Discussion: The Tempest by Shakespeare
Session: Social Entrepreneurship & Documenting Your Experience
– Alan Grossman of Harvard Business School
Readings: Approtec HBS Case Study
Session: Good Society Part II
– Jacqueline Novogratz of Acumen Fund
Readings: Republic by Plato, Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen, The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, Equality & Efficiency by Arthur Okun, Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher.
Session: Self and the World- Moral Compass & Giving Back – Peter Reiling of the Aspen Institute
Readings: The Last Decalogue by Arthur Clough, Letter to Earth by Mark Twain, The Doer of Good by Oscar Wilde, Ozymandius by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Hayden by Frederick Douglas, How Much Land Does a Man Need by Leo Tolstoy, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula LeGuin
Session: Institution Building
– Niko Canner of Katzenback Partners Ltd
Readings: http://www.katzenbach.com/
Session: Honor Killings
-Ayleen Ajanee, Acumen Fellow
Session: Ethical Business
– Alan Hassenfeld, Chair of Hasbro and Danny Grossman, CEO of Wild Planet Toys
Readings: http://www.hasbro.com/; http://www.wildplanet.com/
Session: Working and Living Abroad
-Ankur Shah, Kennedy School of Government and Water Health International
Session: Photography in the Field
-Susan Meiselas, Photographer
Session: Models for Social Change - Peter Wheeler, Co-founder Social-Impact and New Philanthropy Capital
Readings: Funding Success report on http://www.philanthropycapital.org/
Session: Effective Management of Social Entrepreneurship (Strategy & Leadership)
-Acumen Fund Team & Fellows
Readings: From Good to Great, Level 5 Leadership and the Social Sector by Jim Collins, Leadership Without Easy Answers by Heifetz R.
Session: Blended Value Proposition
-Jed Emerson, Fellow at Generation Foundation and Oxford’s Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
Readings: http://www.blogger.com/www.blendedvalue.org
Evening Events:
Following the session by Niko of KPL, he hosted a cocktail party to honor the Acumen Fellows in his beautiful home. Afterwards, a few of us headed to the Nuyorican Poet’s Café (if you have seen the movie Pinero, u know the unique history of this place). In mid-November, we have to perform our own poetry at the Acumen Fund Anniversary Party.
2006-10-21
Sex & the City: Last Night I Went to a NY Strip Club
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Yes, I did. Now why would I want to watch naked women slide down poles for cash? Certainly not my first choice for a night out, I must say. But some visitors from India asked me to go, so after experiencing cupcakes at the Magnolia bakery how could I deny them the chance to see a strip club?
So I did some research to find a club and the next thing you know the bouncer was holding up the red rope for us to walk onto the red carpet and into the sight of breasts, booty and strobe lights. Now, these ‘visitors from India’ that I mentioned are not some horny guys who wanted to see naked American women. Actually, our encounter with strippers was a bit more mature and sociological than that. These visitors comprised of an amazing social entrepreneur from South India and her colleague. They have spent the last ten years fighting against sex trafficking of women and forced prostitution of women and children. I met them when I was recruiting social entrepreneurs for a professional development program in India this year (www.social-impact.org). They have a program that provides a safe place and rehabilitation services for women and children who have left or been rescued from being commodities in the sex trade.
Sex trafficking is estimated at a $12 billion trade globally and often fuels alternative black market industries such as drugs and weapons.
This social entrepreneur was in America for the first time on the special invitation of the US State Department’s leadership program. Although she seems to be a rather shy soft spoken woman, she wanted to go to the strip club because she often debates about the trade that functions on the exploitation of women but as a feminist knows that there is also power in the ability to choose one’s own profession and expression. Also, as a woman, going to a strip club in India is much more difficult for her to experience.
As we were sipping on some expensive alcohol, we interviewed Kimmie, who was one of the strippers. Kimmie was slender with blonde hair and high heels that were a transparent plastic. She and the other 50 women who work there make about $220 per night unless they get a private room rate of $500 per hour (cash payments are not taxed). She told us that she has a 7 year old child and she started stripping when she got divorced and decided her paralegal job was not paying her enough to live in New York City. She said that many of the strippers there were trying to pay their way through school.
Many of the New York strip clubs go much further than just stripping (I have heard stories of rooms for things like blow jobs and more)… and many of the strippers are there out of desperation, but many are there by choice.
What do you think? Is stripping just another form of exploitation and objectification of women or is it a healthy function of economic empowerment and freedom of expression?
Highlighted Resource: This week we also had training on photography in the field by famous photographer Susan Meiselas. She is Acumen's photographer, but also published a book in the 70’s about carnival strippers. Produced during the early years of the women’s movement, Carnival Strippers reflects the struggle for identity and self-esteem that characterized a complex era of change.
So I did some research to find a club and the next thing you know the bouncer was holding up the red rope for us to walk onto the red carpet and into the sight of breasts, booty and strobe lights. Now, these ‘visitors from India’ that I mentioned are not some horny guys who wanted to see naked American women. Actually, our encounter with strippers was a bit more mature and sociological than that. These visitors comprised of an amazing social entrepreneur from South India and her colleague. They have spent the last ten years fighting against sex trafficking of women and forced prostitution of women and children. I met them when I was recruiting social entrepreneurs for a professional development program in India this year (www.social-impact.org). They have a program that provides a safe place and rehabilitation services for women and children who have left or been rescued from being commodities in the sex trade.
Sex trafficking is estimated at a $12 billion trade globally and often fuels alternative black market industries such as drugs and weapons.
This social entrepreneur was in America for the first time on the special invitation of the US State Department’s leadership program. Although she seems to be a rather shy soft spoken woman, she wanted to go to the strip club because she often debates about the trade that functions on the exploitation of women but as a feminist knows that there is also power in the ability to choose one’s own profession and expression. Also, as a woman, going to a strip club in India is much more difficult for her to experience.
As we were sipping on some expensive alcohol, we interviewed Kimmie, who was one of the strippers. Kimmie was slender with blonde hair and high heels that were a transparent plastic. She and the other 50 women who work there make about $220 per night unless they get a private room rate of $500 per hour (cash payments are not taxed). She told us that she has a 7 year old child and she started stripping when she got divorced and decided her paralegal job was not paying her enough to live in New York City. She said that many of the strippers there were trying to pay their way through school.
Many of the New York strip clubs go much further than just stripping (I have heard stories of rooms for things like blow jobs and more)… and many of the strippers are there out of desperation, but many are there by choice.
What do you think? Is stripping just another form of exploitation and objectification of women or is it a healthy function of economic empowerment and freedom of expression?
Highlighted Resource: This week we also had training on photography in the field by famous photographer Susan Meiselas. She is Acumen's photographer, but also published a book in the 70’s about carnival strippers. Produced during the early years of the women’s movement, Carnival Strippers reflects the struggle for identity and self-esteem that characterized a complex era of change.
2006-10-16
When My Mom Shaved Her Head
My mother is an inspiration in many ways. A few years ago, my mother's best friend Hildy was diagnosed with breast cancer. When Hildy went through chemotherapy, my mother shaved her own head in solidarity so that Hildy didnt have to lose her hair alone. Today, Hildy is healthy and riding her bike like a shooting star.
1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
This weekend, I got to notice all the leaves turning color in Central Park as I walked the American Cancer Society's Breast Cancer Walk. Here is more info on the campaign making strides:
http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=MS_homepage
1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
This weekend, I got to notice all the leaves turning color in Central Park as I walked the American Cancer Society's Breast Cancer Walk. Here is more info on the campaign making strides:
http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=MS_homepage
Bulletproof
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The theme last week for our training: Marketing & Pricing. The bullets below are proof that it was another busy week as an Acumen Fund Fellow.
We had interesting discussions with outside speakers:
* George Wellde who is a partner at Goldman Sachs and on the board of the GAVI Fund
* Dennis Whittle, CEO of Global Giving
* Dan Crisafulli, World Bank Development Marketplace
* Gayle Smith, Clinton Global Initiative and Center for American Progress
* Seth Godin, International Best Selling Author on Marketing & spreading ideas
* John McArthur, Associate Director of Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development
* Kate Taylor, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy at International Aids Vaccine Initiative
We had several internal meetings:
* staff breakfast debate on leadership and the role of the UN and next Secretary General
* meeting to discuss a pricing study for malaria bednets with Exxon Mobile, Sumitomo and others
* media training from Acumen's PR firm
* storytelling training delivered by management consulting firm KPL
* a discussion on Acumen's Capital Markets initiative relating to co-investment
* Fellow Jocelyn Wyatt led a discussion genocide and the state of affairs in Darfur
* Fellows David & Ayleen facilitated this week's "Effective Management of Social Enterprises Seminar" where we discussed the pricing and marketing characteristics of each of our organizations we will work with this year
We stayed up late to read:
* Several articles about the UN and current events
* Several articles about the WB Development Marketplace and Global Giving
* How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets by Kotler
* HBS Case: The Promise of Channel Stewardship
* HBS Case: How Marketing Can Reduce Worldwide Poverty
* HBS Case: What Customers Want from Your Products
* PSI Study: Impact of Kenya Social Marketing. Program on Personal Risk, Perception, Perceived self-efficacy and on other Behavioral Predictors
* PSI Study: Implications of Free and Commercial Distribution for Condom Use: Evidence from Cameroon
* PSI Study: Conflict Between Profits and Public Health:A Comparison of Contraceptive Social Marketing Models
* Several other cases related to social marketingBook: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
* Books: Purple Cow and The Big Moo by Seth Godin
We were lucky enough to make enough time for a happy hour drink one night, and I was lucky enough to have gone to a dinner party with five extraordinary women in business (more on that later).
We had interesting discussions with outside speakers:
* George Wellde who is a partner at Goldman Sachs and on the board of the GAVI Fund
* Dennis Whittle, CEO of Global Giving
* Dan Crisafulli, World Bank Development Marketplace
* Gayle Smith, Clinton Global Initiative and Center for American Progress
* Seth Godin, International Best Selling Author on Marketing & spreading ideas
* John McArthur, Associate Director of Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development
* Kate Taylor, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy at International Aids Vaccine Initiative
We had several internal meetings:
* staff breakfast debate on leadership and the role of the UN and next Secretary General
* meeting to discuss a pricing study for malaria bednets with Exxon Mobile, Sumitomo and others
* media training from Acumen's PR firm
* storytelling training delivered by management consulting firm KPL
* a discussion on Acumen's Capital Markets initiative relating to co-investment
* Fellow Jocelyn Wyatt led a discussion genocide and the state of affairs in Darfur
* Fellows David & Ayleen facilitated this week's "Effective Management of Social Enterprises Seminar" where we discussed the pricing and marketing characteristics of each of our organizations we will work with this year
We stayed up late to read:
* Several articles about the UN and current events
* Several articles about the WB Development Marketplace and Global Giving
* How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets by Kotler
* HBS Case: The Promise of Channel Stewardship
* HBS Case: How Marketing Can Reduce Worldwide Poverty
* HBS Case: What Customers Want from Your Products
* PSI Study: Impact of Kenya Social Marketing. Program on Personal Risk, Perception, Perceived self-efficacy and on other Behavioral Predictors
* PSI Study: Implications of Free and Commercial Distribution for Condom Use: Evidence from Cameroon
* PSI Study: Conflict Between Profits and Public Health:A Comparison of Contraceptive Social Marketing Models
* Several other cases related to social marketingBook: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
* Books: Purple Cow and The Big Moo by Seth Godin
We were lucky enough to make enough time for a happy hour drink one night, and I was lucky enough to have gone to a dinner party with five extraordinary women in business (more on that later).
Good Capital's Update
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Good Capital's Deb Parson posted news on xigi recently about the progress of this new organization. One of their products is the Good Capital Social Enterprise Expansion Fund which looks to meet the market need in two ways: 1. to fill the gap in funding for expansion stage social enterprises 2. provide an investment vehicle for a new type of investor who sees that their investment dollars can have a more dramatic impact than a mere financial return. Their portfolio is slated to have 12-13 companies in it that are both for profits and nonprofits. To read more, click here.
2006-10-13
Nobel for anti-poverty pioneers
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Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank have been awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Mr Yunus, a Bangladeshi, founded the bank, which is one of the pioneers of micro-credit lending schemes for the poor in Bangladesh. The bank is renowned for lending money to the least well off, especially women, so that they can launch their own businesses.
The winners will receive a prize of 10m Swedish kronor ($1.07m, £730,000).
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6047020.stm
The winners will receive a prize of 10m Swedish kronor ($1.07m, £730,000).
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6047020.stm
2006-10-12
A new documentary in the works by Peter- more than the rock
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A very special friend of mine, Peter Bisanz, has been creating an interesting documentary on spirituality and world religions. At the links below, you can see clips of his recent interviews with leaders such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.www.onethedocumentary.com
http://www.aworldoffaith.com/
www.entropyfilms.org
"We will strive to create an open, disassociative and non-confrontational setting in which key spiritual, political and cultural leaders (along with a representative voice from lay people) may present their respective world views and, ideally, offer insight towards healing interreligious strife and promoting greater compassion for all humanity in deeply troubled times."
Peter started with a big idea on his own and it has grown into something truly wonderful. I can't wait to see it, and I am so proud of him.
...even more good news is that the Acumen Fellows will be bringing cameras to our assignments in Tanzania, Kenya, Pakistan and India to film stories of the communities we are serving. Peter has graciously offered to share his expertise in workshop about film and getting the best from interviews with inspiring leaders.
Get a Job
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Two orgs I love have job openings:
1) Freedom From Hunger, a pioneer in microenterprise development and the franchise model. I visited their work in Haiti along with Claire Thomas and Chris Dunford and have such genuine respect for the depth of their commitment. This is how I met another interesting pioneer, Jonathan Lewis of Microcredit Enterprises. More info on the opporutnities with FFH:
http://www.freedomfromhunger.org/about/jobs.php
2) Skoll Foundation, which invests, connects and celebrates social entrepreneurs
http://www.skollfoundation.org/aboutskoll/job_openings.asp
1) Freedom From Hunger, a pioneer in microenterprise development and the franchise model. I visited their work in Haiti along with Claire Thomas and Chris Dunford and have such genuine respect for the depth of their commitment. This is how I met another interesting pioneer, Jonathan Lewis of Microcredit Enterprises. More info on the opporutnities with FFH:
http://www.freedomfromhunger.org/about/jobs.php
2) Skoll Foundation, which invests, connects and celebrates social entrepreneurs
http://www.skollfoundation.org/aboutskoll/job_openings.asp
Invitation: Acumen 5th Anniversary Celebration
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Imagine. Innovate. Inspire. – Acumen Fund 5th Anniversary Celebration
Join us for a celebratory evening of cocktails, dinner and entertainment. Our 5th anniversary celebration is an opportunity to say thank you to those who have supported us thus far as well as to strengthen our community and launch into the future. Suketu Mehta, acclaimed author of Maximum City, will be the featured speaker.
Date: Tuesday 14 November evening
Time: 6:00 – 11:00 pm
Location: The Roxy
515 W.18th Street
New York City (map)
Cost: $500 per person
RSVP: rsvpgala (at) acumenfund.org or 212 566 8821 x124
Join us for a celebratory evening of cocktails, dinner and entertainment. Our 5th anniversary celebration is an opportunity to say thank you to those who have supported us thus far as well as to strengthen our community and launch into the future. Suketu Mehta, acclaimed author of Maximum City, will be the featured speaker.
Date: Tuesday 14 November evening
Time: 6:00 – 11:00 pm
Location: The Roxy
515 W.18th Street
New York City (map)
Cost: $500 per person
RSVP: rsvpgala (at) acumenfund.org or 212 566 8821 x124
This Week's Book: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart opens by asserting the fame and strength of the main character, Okonkwo. The author, Achebe, paints a fable-like picture of Okonkwo’s journey in the 1890’s as a Nigerian villager of Umufomia. He is constantly trying to assert his masculinity throughout the book by beating his wives, killing his adopted son and believing in war as a means to resolution or dominance. He insists that these, plus hard work in growing yams, differentiate him from his father who was considered a lazy and irresponsible debtor. Throughout all of this, Achebe seems to write about him in a way that made me feel sympathy for his very human struggles.As news of villages being destroyed by the whiteman comes, the final part of the book focuses on the interaction of the clansmen and the missionaries, in particular Mr. Brown (later replaced by Reverend Smith). This tragedy highlighted the conflicts between traditional society and new customs brought by whites.
It wasn’t my favorite book in terms of a compelling plot, but I enjoyed reading the book because of the interesting interplay with language. Achebe uses many Igbo words (the local language) and phrasing which allowed me to get a better sense for the culture and history.
On my way to work today, there was a beautiful violinist playing in the subway. The music seemed to get more and more intense as I read the final pages where Okonkwo hangs himself and the white Comissioner decides to write a paragraph about his life in his book The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.
Good book. Sad ending.
2006-10-08
You are Not Smart Enough to Be Pessimistic
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To make the point that major shifts in societal organization have occurred in ways that no one had predicted. No one was smart enough to predict the exact time that the Berlin Wall would come down without a gunshot… that apartheid would end in South Africa through a negotiated revolution and not massive bloodshed….that slavery would be legally abolished in the 1860s when for so long it was a legitimate form of social organization…
In our meeting, Herb Sterz gave great advice about ensuring that you “see with your own eyes” and understand problems for yourself. The RCJC model is a wonderful design that allows the “system” to be closer to understanding the people and their problems. This is a ‘
Launched in June 2000, the
The holding cells here are clean with glass walls, not bars.
And guess what? They are saving you tax dollars. Most of the rehabilitation options chosen by defendants in this court are cheaper than traditional jail time (ex: $40K per year for drug treatment mostly paid for by private insurance companies vs. $100k per year for jail time paid out of tax payers pockets). And the compliance rates for sentences are at 80% in Redhook vs. the ‘downtown courthouse’ where it is at 55%. Since RCJC was opened, crime is at an all time low and studies show that people feel safer.
This model helps people be a part of the process of solving their own problems. It gives them a voice. It is being replicated throughout theSo whatever your goal in this world, be confident and comfortable enough to take it step by step and try to get people to come with you (or join someone else)—even if you aren’t exactly sure how far away that goal may be. Remember what Goldmark said, “You are not smart enough to be pessimistic.” Peace, equality, justice and community may be closer than you think. Perhaps down the hall from the courtroom.
Roll Call: Cool Peeps
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We met some fabulous people the past week. I wanted to just post a few links to the work of those speakers I have not yet mentioned for those of you who are interested.
Seth Berkeley, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
Why haven’t we identified a vaccine for HIV/AIDS yet? Seth is leading a huge effort to do just that. Check it out: http://www.iavi.org/
Dr. Jordan Kassalow, Co-founder of Scojo
Scojo Foundation sells low cost eye glasses in places such as India and Guatemala where vision impairments have led to loss of their livelihoods. Glasses for many in developing countries allow people to regain their ability to do vital tasks such as weaving, sorting pebbles out of rice, reading and more. (When I was in India, I tried on some of their glasses- very cool!) Check it out: http://www.scojofoundation.org/
Dan Toole & Carol Bellamy, UNICEF
Dan and Carol facilitated a great discussion on issues of deep importance in development. The topic was titled understanding the poor. One of the things I appreciated about Dan was the way he honored the contributions and necessity of all sectors- government, private and social sector.
Woodcock Foundation
The Foundation and its family members are good friends of Acumen and they played a huge role in creating my fellowship program. We got together for a drinks reception this week to celebrate the kick off of the program and get to know each other. Here is more information on the Foundation: http://www.woodcockfdn.org/
….more later.
Seth Berkeley, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
Why haven’t we identified a vaccine for HIV/AIDS yet? Seth is leading a huge effort to do just that. Check it out: http://www.iavi.org/
Dr. Jordan Kassalow, Co-founder of Scojo
Scojo Foundation sells low cost eye glasses in places such as India and Guatemala where vision impairments have led to loss of their livelihoods. Glasses for many in developing countries allow people to regain their ability to do vital tasks such as weaving, sorting pebbles out of rice, reading and more. (When I was in India, I tried on some of their glasses- very cool!) Check it out: http://www.scojofoundation.org/
Dan Toole & Carol Bellamy, UNICEF
Dan and Carol facilitated a great discussion on issues of deep importance in development. The topic was titled understanding the poor. One of the things I appreciated about Dan was the way he honored the contributions and necessity of all sectors- government, private and social sector.
Woodcock Foundation
The Foundation and its family members are good friends of Acumen and they played a huge role in creating my fellowship program. We got together for a drinks reception this week to celebrate the kick off of the program and get to know each other. Here is more information on the Foundation: http://www.woodcockfdn.org/
….more later.
Finance: “To Me, It’s Thrilling”
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One of the most important personal goals I have for this year is to deepen my technical finance skills and better understand the capital markets.
Why?
Well, in the words of a very special woman and one of my mentors, Anne Perlman, “To me, it’s thrilling.” Being able to manage and channel capital to the right places at the right time is a powerful tool for any entrepreneur. This is even more important for those creating social change because it involves experimentation with new instruments for finance and unorthodox ways of thinking about value creation. Some of you may be interested in reading a paper I helped publish on xigi.net about risk capital for social enterprises (click here).
This week @ Acumen, my training helped me get closer that goal in several ways.
1)We were asked to use several approaches to determine the value of a company in which Acumen is considering investing. This is important because to take an equity stake, one must justify the worth of a company and thus their percentage of ownership based on the capital they are willing to invest. During this three day exercise, we explored many approaches such as the comparable multiple method, discounted cashflow method, discounted cashflow to equity method, etc. We also had a finance 101 bootcamp class prior, which warmed us up again to revealing the stories buried in balance sheets and income statements.
2) We presented our recommended valuations of this company to Scott Gallin . He teaches corporate finance at Columbia Business School and is also with AIG’s Global Investment Group. He then shared some tips and tricks for valuation methods given his experience in private equity.
3) I attended the Investment Committee meeting for Acumen Fund and, as they reviewed several proposals, I gained more perspective on the challenges for investors of social enterprise. The committee has a nice weave of experience in public and private sector finance—their vernacular impressed me and made me realize I should spend more time reading the finance section of the newspaper to grow my vocabulary. ;-)
4) I had dinner with Mary Houghton who co-founded ShoreBank . Her pioneering story is a great 30 year journey of building this bank. In those days of officially sanctioned discrimination on the basis of race and income, Mary and her colleagues created Shorebank to demonstrate that a regulated bank could be instrumental in revitalizing the communities being avoided by other financial institutions. It now has an international investment fund and also focuses on the environment.
Great week. I will keep you posted as I design ways to reach my goal of deepening my technical finance skills and my knowledge of the capital markets. Please share ideas as they may come to you.
Why?
Well, in the words of a very special woman and one of my mentors, Anne Perlman, “To me, it’s thrilling.” Being able to manage and channel capital to the right places at the right time is a powerful tool for any entrepreneur. This is even more important for those creating social change because it involves experimentation with new instruments for finance and unorthodox ways of thinking about value creation. Some of you may be interested in reading a paper I helped publish on xigi.net about risk capital for social enterprises (click here).
This week @ Acumen, my training helped me get closer that goal in several ways.
1)We were asked to use several approaches to determine the value of a company in which Acumen is considering investing. This is important because to take an equity stake, one must justify the worth of a company and thus their percentage of ownership based on the capital they are willing to invest. During this three day exercise, we explored many approaches such as the comparable multiple method, discounted cashflow method, discounted cashflow to equity method, etc. We also had a finance 101 bootcamp class prior, which warmed us up again to revealing the stories buried in balance sheets and income statements.
2) We presented our recommended valuations of this company to Scott Gallin . He teaches corporate finance at Columbia Business School and is also with AIG’s Global Investment Group. He then shared some tips and tricks for valuation methods given his experience in private equity.
3) I attended the Investment Committee meeting for Acumen Fund and, as they reviewed several proposals, I gained more perspective on the challenges for investors of social enterprise. The committee has a nice weave of experience in public and private sector finance—their vernacular impressed me and made me realize I should spend more time reading the finance section of the newspaper to grow my vocabulary. ;-)
4) I had dinner with Mary Houghton who co-founded ShoreBank . Her pioneering story is a great 30 year journey of building this bank. In those days of officially sanctioned discrimination on the basis of race and income, Mary and her colleagues created Shorebank to demonstrate that a regulated bank could be instrumental in revitalizing the communities being avoided by other financial institutions. It now has an international investment fund and also focuses on the environment.
Great week. I will keep you posted as I design ways to reach my goal of deepening my technical finance skills and my knowledge of the capital markets. Please share ideas as they may come to you.
2006-10-07
MacArthur Awards- Congrats Jim!
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There are geniuses out there trying to make the world a better place for us all to live. I have the pleasure of knowing one, Jim Fruchterman, who recently was honored with the Macarthur Genius Award. Jim has done a lot for the field of social entrepreneurship. He is an electrical engineer turned social entrepreneur. One of his greatest contributions has been the creation of Benetech, a social enterprise that develops technology to benefit society: landmine detection devices, online books for the blind, human rights violation reporting systems and more. Check it out: www.benetech.org
Congrats Jim!
Congrats Jim!