Help Build the Best Green Jobs Site EVER! Important Media, our parent company, is hosting an IndieGoGo campaign to crowdfund the best green jobs site ever. Sounds audacious, right? Perhaps a little self-important? But with our global network of clean tech, clean transportation, healthy food, and sustainable living websites, we are confident that we can build […]
Help Wanted: Build the Best Green Jobs Site Ever Read More 👉
Using the power of microfinance to help people help themselves out of poverty is something usually only discussed in the context of the developing world, where the loan of a relatively small sum of money could make the difference between barely surviving and thriving. But there are plenty of other places on the planet where
Microfinance in America: Muhammad Yunus’ To Catch a Dollar Read More 👉
Too often, we’re pretty disconnected from our money, our food, and our local community, and while we may have the desire to bring about positive change in those areas, we may not even know where to start. After all, what good can a small donation or loan do, considering the challenges facing small and local
Gatheround and Crowdfund Small Food Entrepreneurs with Slow Money Read More 👉
A unique microfunding venture is helping to give creative projects in the Detroit area a boost, via a monthly community dinner experience. Detroit SOUP offers the chance for participants to get soup, salad, bread, and a vote for their choice of who will receive the funds from the dinner, all for just $5. “Detroit SOUP
Detroit SOUP Dinners Microfund Local Creative Projects Read More 👉
A common challenge facing renewable energy development is the insecurity of funding. A new bill, HR 6275, the Clean Energy Victory Bonds (CEVB) Act, sponsored by Representative Bob Filner (D-CA), aims to give ordinary citizens the ability to invest in renewable energy through a program similar to World War II’s Victory Bonds. Supporters suggest the
Victory Bonds for Clean Energy Read More 👉
Like other rapidly developing nations, India has a housing problem. The rural-urban migration has overwhelmed cities like Mumbai, where the formally rural poor come to find new opportunity. Often times this migration is one indication of a country’s development. The major issue however is, where do all these people live? Up until now, more often
Indian Real Estate: Housing for the Poor or Another Debt Crisis? Read More 👉
Believe it or not, this is not some twisted April Fool’s Day joke, but as highlighted in today’s New York Time article “India Microcredit Faces Collapse From Defaults”, is something that is actually taking place in India and could potentially be akin to the sub-prime crisis in the United States. This is clearly terrible news
The Microcredit Industry May Need a Bailout Read More 👉
Despite all the bad news we’ve received due to issues in the financial sector over the last two years, it turns out some banks are doing significant work greater than the occasional philanthropic project. Mark Stoiber of Fast Company has outlined some of these cutting edge banks and the interesting work they are doing in
Has Banking Gone Nuts? A Look at Sustainability in the Financial Sector Read More 👉
Like many other aspects of international development (microfinance, I’m looking at you), there is a wealth of literature on the value and outcomes of fair trade and for the most part, the results have been inconclusive. That’s not to say that there haven’t been some positive impacts, but like microfinance there are some definite drawbacks
Is Fair Trade Really Fair? Read More 👉
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) has become a nearly $3 trillion dollar industry in the United States. Investors in SRI use screening and shareholder advocacy to influence corporations to improve their environmental practices, social impact and governance issues. What I was surprised to find out was that community investing is the fastest growing area of SRI.
CDFIs: Community Investing as Part of Your SRI Portfolio Read More 👉
Even a year gone since the failure of Lehman, fundamental questions remain regarding the core underlying assumptions of our financial system. Though currently derivatives trading and black boxes appear out of favour, what will replace them in terms of helpful and productive uses of capital still has yet to be determined. This question was what the Conference
Growth Potential: The New Intersection of Meaning, Metrics and Money Read More 👉
The founders from three bay area start-ups gathered in HUB’s first bay area home in front of a sold-out crowd to talk about their origins, give the audience – and each other – advice and insights on the “secret sauce” for creating impact.
Smart social entrepreneurs and their like-minded investors would be smart to think about the breadth of opportunities that a cell phone creates for citizens of emerging markets.
Cell phones: a platform for social innovation in emerging markets Read More 👉
Is there anything the iPhone can’t do?
Shazam figures out what song you’re listening to. A pocket flashlight (not to mention a light saber) is only two taps away. And Yelp can get the phone number, directions and even a review of the place you’re trying to find and meet your friends at in a quarter of the time directory assistance, Safari, Google or any mapping software can do it.
iPhone as Fundraiser Read More 👉
Investments, a for-profit company providing equity for microfinance institutions, and ACCION International, a leading nonprofit microfinance organization, today announced that they will invest in, and provide technical assistance to, Tanzania's Akiba Commercial Bank. The move is designed to help Akiba expand its operations and financial services, particularly in microfinance. ACCION Investments will take a 20
ACCION Invests in Tanzania’s Akiba Commercial Bank Read More 👉
The Person-to-Person (P2P) lending marketplace is an exchange where outsiders are allowed to lend at market rates and anyone who passes the underwriting is allowed to borrow. This space has grown in part due to the tightening of the conventional credit markets. Forbes recently posted a fantastic overview in their Entrepreneur’s Guide to Person-To-Person Lending
Banking 2.0- A New Source of Funds For Small Businesses Read More 👉
ACCION Savings & Loan, a microfinance bank formed through a partnership between ACCION(R) International, a pioneer in microfinance program development, and ECOBANK, the leading pan-African bank, has received its license to begin microfinance operations in Ghana. EB-ACCION will open its doors today, April 1st, delivering microcredit, savings and micro-insurance products to the Ghanaian market, thus
ECOBANK and ACCION Launch Microfinance Operations in Ghana Read More 👉
For the second year in a row, the Citi Foundation is funding summer interns to work with 20 organizations across the country that help entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. Known as the "Citi Microenterprise Researchers Program," the interns will help collect data on clients, while also learning about the microenterprise development field, which supports budding
Citi Foundation Funds Interns For 20 Microenterprise Organizations Read More 👉
DiscoverHope Fund (DHF) is a 501(c)(3) international development nonprofit seeking to lift women out of poverty by encouraging financial and spiritual abundance through microcredit and sustainable support systems
Discover Hope Fund Read More 👉
Basic, everyday financial services are out of reach for more than two billion people in developing countries. But the rapid growth of branchless banking — including mobile phone banking — is reducing the cost and expanding the availability of such services. “All of this innovation presents challenges and opportunities for regulators,” says Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO
Branchless Banking: Innovations Create Opportunity to Serve the Poor Read More 👉
Omidyar Network, a mission-based organization established by Pierre and Pam Omidyar, recently announced at the Clinton Global Initiative that it is expanding its efforts to include support of small to medium enterprise (SME). Building on the momentum of its work in microfinance, the organization plans to invest $10 million in the global SME sector over
Omidyar to Support Small to Medium Enterprise in Developing World Read More 👉
ACCION International, a pioneer and leader in microfinance, recently announced the launch of its new website, www.accion.org, offering major enhancements in functionality, appearance, resources and accessibility. The new site is a continuing expression of ACCION’s goal to bring the best possible tools to bear on the fight against global poverty. Created to better educate and
Microfinance Pioneer ACCION Launches New Website Read More 👉
Aneel Karnani of the Stanford Social Innovation Review offers an interesting take on microfinance, arguing that “despite the hoopla over microfinance, it doesn’t cure poverty. But stable jobs do. If societies are serious about helping the poorest of the poor, they should stop investing in microfinance and start supporting large, labor-intensive industries.” Click here to
Microfinance Misses Its Mark Read More 👉
