Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • How to Grow a Social Business

    February 04, 2011 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Guatemala, Antigua Guatemala

    Two columns on microconsignment, a new variation on microcredit that helps poor people living in developing countries - particularly women in rural villages - start small social businesses without taking on debt or requiring previous business skills. The organization, Soluciones Comunitarias, partners with a non-profit and a university student program to manage the supply chain and other components of the business necessary to support the social entrepreneurs in successful micro-ventures.

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  • When Microcredit Won't Do

    January 31, 2011 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Guatemala, Nebaj

    Microcredit can get people into debt when used poorly. A company in Guatemala is giving products to poor entrepreneurs on consignment and then charging a commission upon sale and in this way removing the entrepreneurs' risk.

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  • A Light in India

    January 10, 2011 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: India, New Delhi, Delhi

    Access to electricity in India takes a huge economic, educational, and health-related toll. A small company called Husk Power Systems has created an innovative system that is turning rice husks into electricity and illuminating India’s poorest state.

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  • Green Strategies for the Poorest

    November 19, 2010 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Kenya, Elgeyo Marakwet

    The company that manufactures Lifestraw, a water purification device, has found a way to distribute their product to impoverished Kenyan families for free, while still making a profit. In the global carbon credit market, businesses receive carbon credits for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These credits can then be sold to companies who need to offset their carbon emissions, allowing green companies to make a profit off of their small ecological footprint.

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  • Clean Water at No Cost? Just Add Carbon Credits

    November 15, 2010 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Kenya

    The company that manufactures Lifestraw, a water purification device, has found a way to distribute their product to impoverished Kenyan families for free, while still making a profit. In the global carbon credit market, businesses receive carbon credits for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These credits can then be sold to companies who need to offset their carbon emissions, allowing green companies to make a profit off of their small ecological footprint.

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  • Can Ice Cream Help Pull Rwanda Out of Poverty?

    June 19, 2010 |

    Time Magazine |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Rwanda, Butare

    The opening of an ice cream shop in Butare, Rwanda is a small part of a larger effort to bring joy and personal health and happiness to communities who otherwise "ceased to believe they deserved it." A nonprofit based in Brooklyn -- and founded by owners of the popular ice cream shop Blue Marble -- pays for English classes and business training for the women running the shop as an effort to help the managers stay in the business of giving their neighbors joy.

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  • The Cost Conundrum

    May 25, 2009 |

    The New Yorker |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, McAllen, Texas

    Studies show that spending more money on healthcare, past a certain level of care, worsens patient outcomes. Mayo Clinic has one of the highest-quality for the lowest cost healthcare systems in the nation. They achieve this by pooling all of the revenue from the hospital system and the doctors and paying everyone a salary, removing the incentive to increase personal revenue by increasing spending, and encouraging physicians to work with their colleagues and their teams to provide a higher level of patient care.

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  • Grocery cooperatives help keep small towns alive

    January 14, 2007 |

    The Spokesman-Review |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Anita, Iowa

    Anita, Iowa faced many of the same challenges as other small towns when the last local grocer closed amid competition with large chains like Costco and Walmart. But when its residents realized the value of a local "mom-and-pop" food purveyor to the town's economy, they created the Anita Grocery Cooperative and a board to oversee it. The Coop marks a testament to collective action, resilience, and sustainable, locally-sourced solutions.

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  • From Spare Change to Real Change: The Social Sector as Beta Site for Business Innovation

    May 01, 1999 |

    Harvard Business Review |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Union City, New Jersey

    The corporate sector has a unique skill set that can be leveraged to bring innovative ideas and practices to the social sector. Companies are going beyond traditional short-term corporate social responsibility models, from IBM bringing a computer program to Florida schools or Marriott’s long-lasting job training program. The business world has particularly influenced public education, work programs, and inner city development, all of which show the power and responsibility that big businesses have.

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