Stanford Social Innovation Review Podcast

Why have nonprofits historically been seen as workhorses rather than leaders in the search for social innovation? In this panel discussion, Dr. David Shern, CEO of Mental Health America, and Father Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, discuss the potential of nonprofits as catalysts for innovation in health care reform. Shern contextualizes the United States’ shortcomings and explains the need for equitable access to healthcare resources, both for preventative and treatment services. Snyder emphasizes the importance of a less monolithic measure of poverty and a more contemporary design for our current “safety net” solutions. “Leadership 18” members Dr. Shern and Father Snyder were invited by the Center for Social Innovation’s Public Management Program and the Center for Leadership Development and Research at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/dr._david_shern_fr._larry_snyder_the_role_of_the_voluntary_sector_in_the_er

The nonprofit sector and private sector have historically operated in vastly different ways, but is this always in the best interest of those involved? Jean Oelwang, CEO of Virgin Unite, would argue that nonprofit organizations have a lot to learn from the business practices of the private sector if they wish to maximize their impact. Oelwang sees nonprofit largely as a “market of good intentions” that in many cases fails to scale or incentivize cooperation in an effective way. By collaborating with members of the Virgin group such as Virgin Mobile, Virgin Trains, and Virgin Airlines, Virgin Unite strives to demonstrate that socially responsible innovations can bridge all sectors. Oelwang discusses Virgin Unite’s emphasis on core operational sustainability as means for long-term change, and their reasons for choosing a wider scope of impact. Jean Oelwang was speaking as part of the “Social Innovation Through Corporate Responsibility” class at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. https://ssir.org/podcasts

Whose interests should a company serve? How does corporate social responsibility (CSR) fit into that outlook? In this audio lecture, former Hewlett Packard VP Debra Dunn draws on her own background to talk about the technology company’s “DNA for CSR,” and how the firm engaged with internal and external stakeholders to be good citizens and help improve communities around the world. Dunn delivered her remarks to MBA students in the Corporate Social Innovation through Social Responsibility course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/debra_dunn_stakeholders_in_corporate_social_responsibility

It has been calculated that the global consumption rate of cigarettes is about 1,000 per person per year – with 6 trillion cigarettes smoked every year.  The modern cigarette is a carefully designed object, which the tobacco industry – with mass marketing and scientific engineering – has packaged into a product that will cause nearly 10 million fatalities per year by 2030. As a public health priority, curbing smoking on the global level can significantly reduce premature and preventable death. Presenting scholarly research and advocating for pressure against the forces of the tobacco industry, Stanford Professor Robert Proctor is introduced by Dr. Michele Bary and speaks in the 2011 Global Health Series organized by the Stanford Global Health Center in partnership with the Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/robert_proctor_global_health_speaker_series

The world-wide need for more usable water is a critical issue in environmental sustainability. Current water technologies are not effectively delivering the quantity of low-cost, energy-efficient, clean water needed. In this panel discussion, experts discuss why there are so few investments in water, where the opportunities lie for entrepreneurs and information technology, and what cleantech startups need to know about this sector. This program is edited from an MIT/Stanford Venture Lab event entitled “Blue Tech: Is Water’s Dry Spell Over?” https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/a_panel_discussion_environmental_sustainability_with_world_water

Bill Drayton has aptly been called the “godfather of social entrepreneurship.” In this university podcast, Drayton, founder and CEO of Ashoka, the world’s oldest support organization for social entrepreneurs, identifies key skills of change makers and lays out a plan to teach these skills around the world. He critiques the social sector for not having improved quality and reduced costs in education and welfare. His remarks were part of the Stanford Business School’s Global Speaker Series. Rick Aubry, a lecturer at the business school, is the interviewer. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/bill_drayton_promoting_social_entrepreneurship_among_youth

DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers post classroom project requests on the site and donors browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires them most. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Ashkon Jafari, founder Charles Best talks about how he started the organization and what some of its challenges have been along the way. He also discusses the organization’s use of cross-sector collaborations, initiatives it is currently working on, and the impact it is having on America’s young people. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/charles_best_grassroots_philanthropy_in_schools

The United States is currently experiencing “the worst economic episode since the Great Depression,” according to Joe Minarik, senior vice president of the Committee for Economic Development. In this audio lecture, Minarik talks about the macroeconomic perspective on the U.S. budget deficit and its impact on the US economy. He outlines how the budget situation has deteriorated to its current point, how attempts to stimulate the economy have increased our debt, and what it will take to change the situation. The event, “Demystifying DC: Is America Ungovernable?” was organized by the Public Management Initiative (PMI) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Sponsored by the Center for Social Innovation’s Public Management Program, PMI students select one topic to explore in detail throughout the academic year and engage the school community in discussion and debate. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/joe_minarik_macroeconomic_perspective_on_the_budget_deficit

Craigconnects helps link people who are working for the common good with effective nonprofits and organizations that get the job done. It does so by highlighting nonprofits that are making an impact in a variety of social areas. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Ashkon Jafari, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark tells us about how he started CraigConnects, chose areas to support, and selected nonprofits to focus on. He outlines the enterprise’s activities and vision for the future. He also discusses how he has been using social media to get the word out. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/craig_newmark_connecting_nonprofits

Developing renewable energy resources may be the best way to address environmental sustainability concerns in the long term. In this university podcast, Haas School professor Severin Borenstein argues that to have a significant impact in the energy market, any renewable alternative must be scalable. He discusses how this may, however, paradoxically drive down the price of fossil fuels, thereby creating a bigger problem than policy makers have realized. He suggests where policy interventions should be focused so as to pave the way for the greater appeal of renewable technologies. He also calls for more support of basic research that focuses on making low-emission sources the least expensive form of energy. Carl Pope, chairman of the Sierra Club, and Nancy Ryan, commissioner of CPUC, respond. Borenstein was talking at the 2010 Climate Policy Instruments in the Real World conference, an event convened by the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD) at Stanford University. https://ssir.org/podcasts

EducateNCare.com is an innovative online tutoring program for students struggling with math in the United States, as well as Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In this audio interview, EduCare founder and CEO Piyush Mangukiya speaks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Ashkon Jafari about the origins of his interest in the social entrepreneurship sector, his commitment to helping students in developing countries, and how he started the enterprise. He shares how the virtual tutoring experience is making a real difference in the lives of children around the world, and outlines future directions for the organization. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/piyush_mangukiya_social_entrepreneurship_in_education

The 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the greatest environmental disasters the world has experienced, and proved to be a serious setback for environmental sustainability efforts internationally. For 87 days, oil poured out a mile below the ocean. In this university podcast, Marcia McNutt talks about the leadership lessons learned from this calamitous spill. The event was part of the Von Gugelberg Memorial Lecture on the Environment, sponsored by the Von Gugelberg Memorial Fund. The fund, established by members of the Stanford MBA Class of 1987 to honor the memory of their classmate, Conradin von Gugelberg, aims to inspire and support students and alumni interested in environmental issues. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/marcia_mcnutt_gulf_oil_spill_and_environmental_sustainability

Growth and renewal will be critical if the United States budget and economy are to stabilize and thrive. In this university podcast, McKinsey senior partner Lenny Mendonca discusses the role the federal budget plays in helping or hindering research, development, and private innovation. He also outlines what activity will be needed at the national level to stimulate the kind of economy we need. What are the opportunities for building on what’s been done already? What is the role of the regulatory and business environment? How does energy productivity enter into the equation? The event “Demystifying DC: Is America Ungovernable?” was organized by the Public Management Initiative (PMI) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Sponsored by the school’s Center for Social Innovation’s Public Management Program, PMI students select one topic to explore in detail throughout the academic year and engage the school community in discussion and debate. Lenny Mendonca is a director (senior partner) in the San Francisco

Au coeur de la dynamique d’innovation sociale, le financement est une étape incontournable pour tout porteur de projet. Certains investisseurs cherchent aujourd’hui à concilier mesure de l’impact social et exigences de rentabilité. Trois de ces opérateurs exposent les leviers de financement pour les projets à vocation sociale qu’ils accompagnent. Pierre Carpentier explique comment Investisseur et Partenaire pour le Développement accompagne sur le plan financier et managérial les institutions de micro-finance et les entreprises dans les pays d’Afrique Sub-saharienne. À son tour Jean-Luc Lecuyer, retrace l’histoire de l’un des acteurs fondamentaux en matière de finance solidaire : France Active. Il propose un panorama du marché et des différents réseaux de financement social. Enfin, Céline Claverie, décrit l’approche innovante d’Antropia, l’incubateur social qu’elle dirige au service de l’émergence de projets d’entrepreneuriat social. Chacun des intervenants apporte de précieux conseils qui ne manqueront pas d’

Créer une entreprise sociale est un parcours difficile, peut être plus que pour une entreprise classique. Une étude a été lancée en 2010 à l’initiative d’Antropia, le 1er incubateur social et fonds d’amorçage français, pour connaître les facteurs clés de succès ou d’échec à la création d’une entreprise sociale ainsi que le portrait-robot de l’entrepreneur social qui réussit. Amandine Barthelemy et Romain Slitine, deux experts associés de l’Institut de l’Innovation et de l’Entrepreneuriat Social, nous expliquent la teneur de l’étude et en dressent une grille de lecture sur l’entrepreneur lui-même, le projet et la méthode employée. L’objectif est de permettre l’émergence d’entreprises sociales pérennes et à fort impact social, et de les accompagner au mieux dans leur démarrage. L’idée n’est donc pas d’entreprendre pour entreprendre mais entreprendre pour réussir. Amandine Barthélémy (IEP Paris, ESSEC Chaire Entrepreneuriat social) est consultante spécialisée dans l’accompagnement des entreprises et projets à fi

A world with 7 billion people, each of whom seeks to live the American Dream, will translate into increasingly serious environmental sustainability issues—among them greenhouse gas emissions that will cause hotter temperatures, rising sea levels, and natural disasters. In this university podcast, UCLA professor Matt Kahn talks about the scope of the problem. Kahn was talking at the 2010 Climate Policy Instruments in the Real World conference, an event convened by the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD) at Stanford University.   https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/matthew_e._kahn_environmental_sustainability_through_adaptation

Bats’il Maya is a micro-industry that was started in September 1993 in Chilo, Chiapas, Mexico. The enterprise organizes indigenous coffee producers so they are not subject to pricing abuse. In this audio interview, COO Alberto Irezabal speaks with Ashkon Jafari, Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent, about the social environment in Chiapas that led to the founding of the organization, and how the co-op works. He discusses the process for organic and fair trade certification, the establishment of coffee stores in Mexico City, and goals for expansion.   https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/alberto_irezabal_bringing_fair_trade_to_indigenous_farmers

The Peer Water Exchange (PWX), has energized and engaged over 40,000 local, grassroots water projects. Realizing that small-scale, community owned and operated projects were successful in driving change, the Blue Planet Run Foundation set up the PWX to manage and build on this capacity.  By providing a platform that is transparent, map-driven, and scalable, the PWX serves as a network to the global water, sanitation and health community where projects are selected, funded, managed, and tracked in a collaborative and efficient way.  In this audio interview, Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman talks with Rajesh Shah, the 2010 Tech Award winner in the Intel Environmental category, as he shares this social entrepreneurship model that leverages technology, new media and peer interaction to solve the water crisis. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/rajesh_shah_the_peer_water_exchange_a_platform_for_change

Catchafire is a social enterprise that pairs experienced professionals with nonprofits and social enterprises who need assistance. In this audio interview, CEO and founder Rachael Chong speaks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Ashkon Jafari about how Catchafire started and how the organization conducts outreach. She explains their funding model and how they use advisors, and gives examples of some of their projects. Chong also discusses some of the organization’s challenges and goals. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/rachael_chong_pairing_nonprofits_with_professionals

With 2 billion new people expected on the planet by 2050, mostly in the developing world, fast growing nations now drive the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions and present environmental sustainability issues. In this university podcast, Richard Morse, research associate at the Stanford’s Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, discusses carbon offsets as a way to engage the developing world in climate change mitigation. Morse demonstrates how difficult offsets are to implement in a way that unequivocally generates real additional emission reductions. He draws the lessons from the largest worldwide carbon offset experiment, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), one of the three market-based mechanisms established under the Kyoto Protocol as a means of allowing the industrialized countries to meet their national targets by investing in carbon reduction projects in developing countries. Morse was talking at the 2010 Climate Policy Instruments in the Real World conference, an event convened by the Program