Social Investment Organization Social Investment Forum The William Davidson Institute By Social Entrepreneurs, For Social Entrepreneurs® Welcome to SkollWorldForum.org former Social Edge users! Social Edge was an online community created by the Skoll Foundation from 2003 - 2013. The site has since closed as we have focused efforts on the new Skoll World Forum platform. However, if you were a Social Edge user, you will be pleased to know that all of your articles and comments have been saved and can be browsed below. We have moved over 2000 posts from SocialEdge.org to SkollWorldForum.org, and are constantly adding new, relevant content. Feel free to browse through our contributors and original content, or visit our homepage and customize your experience by filtering our content for exactly what you're looking for. We hope you enjoy your time on the site! Sincerely, The Skoll World Forum Online Team
Global Social Venture Competition Banks and Financial Service Providers Figure Prominently in FTSE4Good Attrition, DJSI Matriculation September 08, 2005 Banks and Financial Service Providers Figure Prominently in FTSE4Good Attrition, DJSI Matriculation by William Baue Corporate social responsibility plays an important role at banks and financial service companies, which are not only recipients but also increasingly purveyors of socially responsible investment. SocialFunds.com -- The two leading global socially responsible investment (SRI) index providers, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) and FTSE4Good, announced results of their annual reviews yesterday and today, and will reconstitute their indexes over the next weeks. Fully half (11 of 22) of the companies deleted for failing to meet FTSE4Good's Environmental Criteria inhabit the banking and financial services sector, including AmSouth Bancorporation (ASO), Bank of New York (BK), Charles Schwab (SCH), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), Keycorp (KEY), National City (NCC) and US Bancorp (USB). © 2014 SRI World Group, Inc. Top
Sparked (Sparked) How youth hostels have been given a new lifeline by social entrepreneurs The Youth Hostel Association (YHA) has been providing budget accommodation in England and Wales since before the second world war. It was set up to offer "young people of limited means better access to the countryside". But keeping up with modern expectations has proved challenging for the association, one of Britain's best known social enterprises. In February it was announced that eight hostels, including Derwentwater, Salisbury and Newcastle, would be sold at the end of the 2011 season. Wooler YHA in Northumberland was one of those sacrificed by the organisation that year. The new owner ois one of the many independent organisations that take part in the association's Enterprise scheme, which allows hostels to be owned independently while benefiting from the YHA's booking system and marketing. The Glendale Gateway Trust was set up for the benefit of the the people who live in a sparsely populated area of Northumberland. This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional.
The Reinvention of Philanthropy: An Interview With The Aspen Institutes' Jonathan Greenblatt Jonathan Greenblatt currently serves as the Director of The Impact Economy Initiative at the Aspen Institute and is the founder and former president of All for Good (Our Good Works [OGW]), the open source, web-based initiative to engage more Americans in service. It is the largest database of volunteer listings ever compiled and provides content to a wide range of government, nonprofit, and personal websites. Jonathan is the former CEO of GOOD Worldwide and the co-founder of Ethos Brands, the business that launched Ethos Water, the premium bottled water that helps children around the world get clean water. Jonathan served as vice president of global consumer products at Starbucks Coffee Company following its acquisition of Ethos in 2005 as well as joined the board of directors of the Starbucks Foundation. Jonathan also has worked at the highest levels of public service. As the Impact Economy takes shape, public policy can play a pivotal role to accelerate its evolution.
Social Entrepreneurs 2011: What It Means to Be a B Corporation To become B Corps, businesses must prove that they care as much about society and the environment as they do about profits. The Classic Example Method, which makes eco-friendly home and personal care products and sells them in recyclable plastic packaging, became one of the first B Corporations, in 2007. Why go the extra mile? "Rather than just being a business that talks about 'people, planet, and profit,' we have put it into our corporate structure," says co-founder Adam Lowry. Sales haven't suffered: Method's revenue exceeds $100 million. The Model Works Best When 1. 2. The Advantages Members of the B Corp network are good to one another. The Challenges The B Impact Rating System exam requires answers to up to 220 questions; since 2007, about 900 companies have failed to make the cut. The Tax Implications B Corps pay standard corporate income tax.
Social entrepreneur to feature on The Apprentice: Good or bad for social enterprise? Love them or hate them it's hard to deny that reality TV shows such as Dragons' Den and The Apprentice have generated a renewed interest in business. That's certainly true in my day job where as editor of BusinessZone.co.uk any content I publish focusing on the shows usually leads to a spike in traffic. What there is very little of in these TV programmes however is anything focusing on social enterprise. You may well have seen the clip in a recent episode of Dragons' Den when an entrepreneur pitching a social enterprise cookery school was met with confusion from Peter Jones, Theo Paphitis and co who struggled to work how they could get a return from any investment in such a business model. With that in mind I was interested to spot that among the contestants for the new series of The Apprentice, which were revealed today, is a successful social entrepreneur. The woman in question is Melody Hossaini, founder of youth training organisation InspirEngage International. So why is she doing it?
SUSTAINABLE BRANDS '11 | Sustainable Life Media Nearly 800 business leaders from 19 countries convened at Sustainable Brands '11 on June 7-10, 2011 for the 5th annual Sustainable Brands Conference. The global sustainable brands community, made up of sustainability, brand, and design professionals from global companies, socially responsible start-ups, investors, NGOs and government officials and a raft of service and solutions providers, are leading the change towards a brighter future, and it's annual flagship conference has become the center of gravity for individuals and companies around the world that are committed to leveraging sustainable innovation as a driver of business and brand value. Follow SB and join our mailing list to stay up-to-date with our upcoming SB Events, and SAVE THE DATE for Sustainable Brands '12, June 4-7, 2012!
Takeashine: The First Crowdfunding Platform For Students In the last three decades, college tuition has grown over 900%. It is one of the biggest burdens families face today. The inability to pay for higher education is even greater for families from underserved backgrounds. Through the proven effectiveness of crowdfunding, Takeashine’s online community platform will help students meet their financial needs for higher education. Students are not only able to attend college but they will also gain valuable business and marketing skills throughout the process. Every penny raised post-tipping point will go towards the upkeep and maintenance of Takeashine’s daily operations. For every $200 dollars raised after the tipping point, Takeashine will use the funds to execute awareness campaigns and inform low-income communities about their alternative solution to financing college tuition. If you’d like to help students proactively raise funds for their college tuition, please click here to make an impact today. Related Stories: