With the conversations around systems and sustainability still largely a moving a target that bounces between emotional polar bears and destructive weather systems, I honestly cannot think of a better time for a focus on understanding the systems that exist in our economy, the impact of our economy on our environmental systems, and taking steps towards applying an economic value to those externali…
For many startups organizations, particularly those in the non-profit sector, finding support from volunteers can be vital. Website developers working in their spare time... An accountant to help close the monthly books... an HR Director willing to help develop HR structures and hiring practices... are all (at times) necessary engagements that can have a profound impact on the success and stabilit…
By now, if you are at all exposed to the world of nonprofits, then you are mos likely aware of the recent news surrounding Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea” and Founder of CAI. IT is a story that in short has “shocked” many, crushed the dreams of some, and have lead to a lot of questions of “how could this have happened”. There has been a lot of commentary about the events, and one of…
When thinking of the issues we face environmentally, and the recent links to climate change, we often speak about issues on a global level without considering the local issues/ impact of those discussions. A condition I think about often as the discussions around climate change and environmental protection continue to be hobbled by issues of ecology vs. economy. On a recent trip through the Ya…
Over the last few weeks, one of the issues that I have been focused on my twitter stream on is that of social entrepreneurs, more specifically how the term “social entrepreneur” largely implies an organization that (1) solves a social mission and (2) rarely grows bigger than anything “cute”. That, while there are certainly a few organizations like GroupOn and Whole Foods that have broken out of t…
Through the recently released China Charity Donation Report 2010, released by the China Charity & Donation Information Center, the issues of NGO transparency were once again highlighted. An ongoing issue for many, the main data point that was highlighted almost all the coverage was that 90% of the public was not satisfied with the current levels of information being released. Something…
Last night, while speaking at the Wokai Drinks for a Better World event, I chose to highlight the tangibility of the impact that one person taking a single step can have on the environmental, economic, societal, and community issues we face. In doing so, I went through my personal journey to establish and support organization that were working in the above areas. It was an attempt to in part in…
In an Charlie Rose interview, Jack Ma is asked - and speaks extensively - on CSR and philanthropy in China. Interviewed before the now famous Gates and Buffet dinner, the interview couldn't have come at a better time. Founder of Alibaba and Taobao (two of China's most trafficked e-commerce platforms), Jack Ma holds a god like status in China. His voice on the matters of CSR and philanthropy…
With the recent success of signing 40 billionaires to the Giving Pledge, it should not be any surprise that the recent news of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet coming to China would create headlines, and rumors that they were coming to convert. It is an event, set for late September, that was on the front page of many of the world’s leading financial mediums, and has remained there when the “story”…
In the non-profit realm, there have been fewer hotter topics discussed than the "social enterprise". it is an organization that, if asked to define, would have a spectrum of definitions that were at times vague, romantic, and would leave a lot of questions open about the real difference between an NGO and a social enterprise. Were there really a core difference. In China, this is no different,…
In her post Things are Different Here, Emily D'Ath touched on the issues that companies face in China when engaging in CSR. It was a post that, as you will see in my comments to her, hit a bit of a nerve, and in a good way. It made me think about what the real barriers to effective philanthropy in China are. It is a deeply complex issue that reaches outside of any internal issues that a don…
In today's MSNBC article Beijing starts locking poor villages at night, it is being reported that Beijing's migrant communities will effectively be locked down in an effort to prevent crime. According to the article, residents entering and exiting areas will be asked to show their documents to law enforcement (assumed to be Hukou and/or temporary residence permits) at night in the 16 villages. Exp…
The Evolvement of Philanthropy in China In this latest BigThink piece (my favorite site for all things intellectual), author of PhilantroCapitalism, Matthew Bishop, answers a few questions on the evolution of philanthropy in China. The clip is quite timely as I just finished reading the book 2 weeks ago (highly recommend), and was a book tha provided a bit of a laugh when I was…
As part of our work to define and support the efforts of China’s social entrepreneurs, the Collective Responsibility Social Entrepreneur have been working on a series of exercises. Exercises that are mean to begin developing a framework that defines what is a social enterprise (non and for profit) is in China, as well as to develop a stronger understanding of the constraints that these entrepreneu…
With the last 2.5 years being the most active time in China's recent history of citizen-based philanthropy, it has become clear that the lack of transparency in the system has become a real issue for some. That while the historical system of donations, largely fuelled by corporations looking to leverage their donations into something else, benefited from a level of opaqueness. the current system…