Your Mark On The World

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2BBApJw. Catarina Schwab, 43, and Lindsay Beck have set out to completely revolutionize philanthropy. Their firm, NPX, Inc., has introduced a new security to Wall Street called the “Impact security,” which they hope will end the practice of funding nonprofits without impact. Problems in philanthropy Ted Williams, Managing Partner at Springbok Partners and an advisor to NPX, explained the problems in philanthropy today. “The nonprofit sector is woefully lacking creative destruction. Mediocre and weak organizations are still attracting funding and the best organizations are not accessing the funding they need to achieve real impact. The only way to get to a more efficient and robust nonprofit market is to reward good organizations and penalize bad ones. This will only occur when there are economic consequences tied to impact.” For her part, Schwab says, “The nonpr

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Type 1 Diabetics, those who typically contract the disease as children and not as a result of a lack of diet or exercise, are entirely dependent upon insulin. Today’s insulin delivery and blood glucose monitoring use devices--insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors--that must be connected to them all the time. Finding a comfortable, invisible, convenient place to hold those devices is a relatively new challenge that Pocket Innerwear is helping to solve. Interview with Laurel Bloomfield, the Co-Founder VP of Pocket Innerwear. The following is the pre-interview with Laurel Bloomfield. Be sure to watch the recorded interview above. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? We strive to make life with Diabetes easier. While insulin pump therapy provides greater diabetes control, it also causes complications and questions. Where do I put this thing? Can I wear my regular clothes? What if I drop it? What if I pull out

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2kMgFYd. Toshiharu Kano, 71, was born seven months after the United States dropped the bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Pregnant with Kano and living less than 1 kilometer or about half a mile from the center of the blast, his mother Shizzue Neomoto miraculously survived. She took her two children to a nearby military base. His brother, just 18 months old, died within 60 days of the bombing. As a survivor, Kano endured a variety of physical challenges. His immune system was impaired and got mumps seven times. Labeled by society as defective, Kano and his family were spurned. By age ten, he felt so rejected that he seriously contemplated suicide. He was repeatedly told he was damaged goods. Ultimately, Kano and his family immigrated to the United States. Here in the U.S., Kano thrived. He says he's missed only 10 days of work or school in the p

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Dontello Antonio, 27, is a filmmaker who is bringing attention to taboo subjects, from drug abuse to sex trafficking in his new short film "The Hopeless Journey." While not strictly autobiographical, the story incorporates personal life experiences. The following is the pre-interview with Dontell Antonio. Be sure to watch the recorded interview above. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? Everything I do is to empower the people to be great at what they love and feel they should strive very hard at what they love. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Vivien Hoexter said she had trouble getting up in the morning to sell consumer goods so she sought out an opportunity to lead a more mission-driven, fulfilling life. Along the way, she’s helped nonprofits raise $1.5 billion. The following is the pre-interview with Vivien Hoexter. Be sure to watch the recorded interview above. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? Nonprofits, like businesses, need revenue to grow and thrive. With more than 1 million nonprofits in the United States, there is increasing competition for philanthropic dollars. We empower nonprofits to articulate their visions and goals in a compelling way, create plans to achieve those goals and generate the philanthropic revenue needed to implement the plans. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Interview with Karli Sue VerHoef, the Director of Sunshine Heroes Foundation. As a child, Karli Sue VerHoef was a quadriplegic. At the time, she was told she always would be. She came to appreciate how she depended on others for help. When she recovered, she considered it such a gift that she has devoted her life to serving children. On January 15, 2018, VerHoef will be leading a community service project for the Children’s Justice Centers in both Salt Lake County and Utah County. The event includes the Utah Chapter of the Cornell Alumni Association and the All Ivy Plus community as well as the Your Mark on the World Center community (that means you if you’re reading this). Learn more and register here: http://bit.ly/CJCproject. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Interview with Jacob Allen, the Managing Director of Cicero Social Impact. For nearly a year, Jacob Allen has been working on a comprehensive report about philanthropy in the State of Utah. While some of the lessons are unique to Utah--the most philanthropically generous state in the nation--most of the insights are generally applicable to charitable giving and the operation of nonprofits anywhere. What is the problem you solve and how do you solve it? We help mission-driven individuals and organizations maximize their impact rather than simply providing funding or services. We leverage the best analytic, strategic, measurement, and performance practices from business and apply them to solving social needs. Download the Giving State Report here: http://www.cicerosocialimpact.org/givingstate/ Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Interview with Gabriela Porras, the Project Manager / Student Lead of Pangea Empowerment and Paul Wilson of Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Gabriela Porras and a team of students at Brigham Young University of Hawaii are raising money to help an entrepreneur in Ghana raise the money she needs to launch a business selling handicrafts via the web to consumers in the developed world. Crowdfunding page: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pangea-empowerment-patience-s-beads/x/17606703#/ Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2hIK4VN. “We have grown far too tolerant of businesses not acting in alignment with the public good,” said Derek Fetzer, director of Johnson and Johnson’s CaringCrowd crowdfunding site for global health. “Shouldn’t all business, all entrepreneurship be for the public good?” “The spirit of social entrepreneurs is crucial in solving global health challenges, and has been a driving force in uncovering innovative solutions to tackle the ever-changing global health landscape,” Carol Pandak, PolioPlus director for Rotary International, said. (I am a member of Rotary and once wrote an article for the Rotarian Magazine.) Pandak noted that global health issues hold a unique space on the plant. “It could be easy to diagnose many global health challenges as problems of individual regions and nations.” After all, it has been decades since anyone in the Americas got polio. R

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2AFLbKp. Jennifer Williams, a school teacher in Arkansas, has now paid off all nine of her payday loans and hasn’t had one outstanding now for two years. She’s a success story for Southern Bancorp. Modeled on Shore Bank, which failed during the Great Recession, Southern Bancorp was organized by a collection of Arkansas’s most prominent people, including then Governor Clinton and Rob Walton, a member of the Walton family. Unlike Shore Bank, Southern Bancorp is profitable and growing today. “Governor Clinton wanted to create economic opportunities and stimulate the economy in Arkansas’s delta region, one of the most persistently poor communities in all of America,” says today’s CEO Darrin Williams. He notes that Hillary Clinton served on the founding board of directors for the bank. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2AFLbKp.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2zEtWw6. Everyone seems to want in on it. Even my septuagenarian neighbor who recently retired from her position as a clerk has taken up trading cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin jumped in value more than 50% in October alone. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being raised in new coin offerings every month. This surprising source of capital may be a natural match for social entrepreneurs. Dan Bates, 60, the founder, president and CEO of ImpactPPA is now conducting presales in anticipation of a $50 million initial coin offering or ICO in the coming weeks. Bates has been doing clean energy projects in the developing world for a decade but ImpactPPA is a new business. It will use not one but two cryptocurrencies. The first, a utility token, it calls NRG will be used to sell the electricity it produces on micro-grids and small utility-scale solar and wind projects. The sec

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2lF8S2e. "I look for a great communicator who can tell some of the most important stories in the world. Also, someone who won't complain about staying in a $2-a-night room with rats and roaches," New York Times columnist Nick Kristof summarized by email what he looks for in his annual "Win-a-Trip" contest. Each year, Kristof of the New York Times holds a "Win-a-Trip" contest to find a student journalist to travel with him on a reporting trip. For 2017, he selected Aneri Pattani to accompany him to Liberia. Pattani, 22, described her experience as a "one of the best" she's had. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2lF8S2e. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingforsocialgood.info.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2gR4JCV. We’re all familiar with payday lenders who are providing loans to people who can least afford it at interest rates that shock the greediest of corporate bankers. Can a fintech company that lends at rates up to 200% annual percentage rates ever be considered ethical? In this piece, I’m going to share my conclusion. To help me make this evaluation, I turned to Morgan Simon, a vocal advocate for using a social justice lens for impact investing. She is the author of Real Impact: The New Economics of Social Change and Managing Director of Candide Group. She framed the question for me: In general, when we think about fintech, from microfinance in the global south to financial services for working class populations in the US, we think a lot about the question of fairness. It’s common for a social enterprise to focus on providing better rates to a customer compa

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2z59TWj. One of the most controversial topics in impact investing is whether it is possible or fair to expect market returns on investments that do good. Gloria Nelund, chairman and CEO of TriLinc Global, says yes. Nelund says her firm, which manages about $320 million, is designed to prove it. “The whole firm is really dedicated to creating and sponsoring funds that will prove to investors that they don't have to give up investment returns to do good.” TriLinc is a private investment fund that lends money to small businesses, including businesses in the developing world. To do business effectively in frontier and emerging markets, the firm partners with local experts. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2z59TWj. Check out my free webinar where I share the secrets of successful nonprofit crowdfunding at http://crowdfundingfo

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2xLXP8g. Fifty bucks and five minutes will make you an impact investor. I did it. So can you. Swell Investing is a new impact investing platform created by social intrapreneur Dave Fanger, 40, of Pacific Life. The idea came, Fanger says, five years ago, thinking about how consumers were increasingly making buying decisions based on social impact and thought there ought to be a way for investors to do the same. What he came up with incorporated the latest fintech tools for investing, commonly known as robo-advisors paired with impact data to make informed decisions about impact. The technology allows for accounts as small as $50 with annual fees of just 75 basis points or 37.5 cents on a $50 account. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2xLXP8g. Check out my free webinar on the secrets of crowdfunding for nonprofits: http://cr

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2yhdosB. Meghan Waldron is 15 years old, runs track for her high school, plays in the school orchestra and is working on a novel. She is remarkable in many ways. One way is that she has progeria, a condition so rare only about 300 kids in the world have it; few are expected to live past their 20th birthday--unless promising new treatments are found. Waldron recently completed her first book, a children's book called Running on the Wind about a bird born under a rock that doesn't learn to fly but instead to run. The book was published by The Red Fred Project, a nonprofit publishing company that helps "children who live in extraordinary circumstances" like Waldron's to create a children's book that will both serve as an adult-like achievement to bring a sense of fulfillment to their lives and as a lasting legacy, evidence that their short lives mattered. The compan

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2yZTdwk. The fleeting memories of her childhood didn’t make sense until her mother told her the story of the poverty they’d experienced when Sheryle Gillihan was just a toddler. Now a CEO serving people experiencing poverty, she says she’s “come full circle.” As the head of Causelabs, a public benefit corporation that provides strategy, design, prototyping and software development services, she is focusing the social enterprise on reaching profitability while staying true to the mission and values of the business. The company finished 2016 with $1.7 million in revenue, an office in Denver and 16 employees. She says the company has pared expenses, including the office in Denver to give the firm a fighting chance at 2017 profitability. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2yZTdwk. Check out my free webinar on the secrets of cro

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2ywa8WX. Alex Scott, the second child and only daughter among four children, must have been born in 1996 with the genes of a social entrepreneur. Her resilience and her perseverance are the hallmarks of almost all successful entrepreneurs. Born prematurely, she manifested her fighting spirit immediately, defying the odds and quickly earning the right to leave the hospital. Her mother, Liz Scott, now 47, says it was a glimpse of what was to come. Before her first birthday, Alex was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer. She would battle the cancer for the rest of her short life, about seven and a half more years. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2ywa8WX. Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://corporatesocialresponsibilityspeaker.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2xGMU2L. Three impact investment players provide an interesting view of the broader impact investing ecosystem and how all the parts work together. Their approach helps to make capital more available to social entrepreneurs and investment opportunities open to more investors, including some ordinary investors. The three include Impact Assets, New Media Ventures and Better Ventures. Impact Assets, a nonprofit asset manager holding exclusively philanthropic capital, serves as a hub in this part of the impact investing world. New Media Ventures and Better Ventures use Impact Assets in strategic but almost opposite ways. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2xGMU2L. Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://corporatesocialresponsibilityspeaker.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2w3GwPQ. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN estimates that "roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted." Recognizing the journalistic injunction to avoid hyperbole, that truly is an enormous problem. Justin Kamine, his brother Matthew and his father Hal determined that was just what they were looking for: an enormous opportunity. The Kamines have been developing infrastructure scale-projects since the senior Hal got into the cogeneration business in the mid-80s. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2w3GwPQ. Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://corporatesocialresponsibilityspeaker.com.