Trust is born out of something bigger than ourselves.

In the last week I’ve had at least three meetings with leaders of organizations working for social good.  If we were in a different industry, our discussions probably would have been a lot less frank and a lot less transparent.

I highly doubt that Larry Page and Mark Zuckerburg call each other up and swap stories on their strategy, approach and recent discoveries.  It just doesn’t happen.

Strictly for-profit businesses are focused on delivering growth to their bottom line, whereas social businesses are also focused on delivering the most impact.  Leaders of the for-profit social sector need to balance making money with making a difference. Read more »

For American readers, do you remember those charity cardboard boxes you would get in grade school that you had to assemble in order to deposit donations to the poor?  The instructions on the side of the box alluded to the fact that by every coin you dropped in, you were helping a home.

Then came those television commercials that opted for the ‘in-your-face’ method of thrusting horribly poverty-stricken scenarios into your living room (most likely as you stuffed your face with TV dinners). They attempted to bring the images of poverty close to home in the hopes that this would drive more donations – potentially out of guilt.  As a gift for donating, you would receive a packet in the (snail) mail providing you details on your recipient.  Yet, it still felt disconnected. Read more »