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In Brief
News and Items of Interest for May
Distributing Ideas Online
In The Sophist’s January 2003 “In Brief,” we mentioned Creative Commons had just released version 1.0 of its licensing project. Well, the project has continued to grow. In this month’s Business 2.0, “Giving It Away (for Fun and Profit)” looks at the potential for the model: “[A]s more and more artists use Creative Commons to tell the world that it's OK to copy, distribute, and build on their work, the first glimpses emerge of an economy based on the free exchange of digital content. The ‘sharing economy’ is built on a supply-and-demand equation wholly alien to traditional media companies….”
A “sharing economy” is one way to disseminate the blueprints, franchises models, and replicable systems that David Bornstein identifies as essential to the success of social entrepreneurship in the coming years in “How to Change the World: Can Social Entrepreneurship Be Taught?,” the feature article in this Sophist.
More at Business 2.0 >>
Social Entrepreneurship
Founded in 1982, Ashoka is a global nonprofit that identifies social entrepreneurs and supports them in their work through stipends and professional services that allow them, as Ashoka fellows, to focus full time on their ideas for leading social change in education and youth development, health care, environment, human rights, access to technology, and economic development. Ashoka has invested in more than 1,400 Ashoka fellows in 48 countries. Many of the individuals featured in How to Change the World, David Bornstein’s new book on social entrepreneurship, are Ashoka fellows. Be sure to read “How to Change the World: Can Social Entrepreneurship Be Taught?” in this issue of The Sophist.
Find social entrepreneurs and their ideas at www.ashoka.org >>
Part of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) promotes social entrepreneurship by engaging social sector leaders, business school faculty, and MBA students. As a research and education center, CASE strives to create greater social impact by fostering innovation and effectiveness in social sector organizations and helping affiliated faculty and students gain insights and abilities that will enhance their impact in both the business and social sectors.
Learn more about CASE >>
Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank started the micro credit revolution (micro credit extends small loans to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans), which has proven to be an effective mechanism for combating poverty, despite its recent origin. David Bornstein highlights Yunus as a leading social entrepreneur in How to Change the World, and profiled him in his first book, The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank. For more on Yunus’s contributions, read this issue’s “How to Change the World: Can Social Entrepreneurship Be Taught?”
Read about micro credit at www.grameen-info.org >>
E-learning
Brandon Hall, a leading independent expert in e-learning, sponsors the Excellence in Learning Awards, and 2004 marks the 10th year. The awards are divided into three categories: Web-based custom content, innovative technology, and outstanding learning programs and initiatives. Celisa Steele, Isoph’s own chief creative officer, is a judge for the Web-based custom content entries this year. Looking at the entries may give you ideas for how technology and learning can impact your organization.
Find out about the awards, and sign up to be notified of winners at www.brandonhall.com >>
Great Resources
Put out by the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, “Social Entrepreneurship and Social Transformation: An Exploratory Study” offers a comparative analysis of seven successful cases of social entrepreneurship. It’s interesting to read the study in light of discussions about the social entrepreneur’s importance in social entrepreneurship. In these seven cases, and the founders of the projects remained involved for a long time--from 10 to 50 years.
Read the abstract, and download the study as a PDF >>
The Social Enterprise Sourcebook profiles 14 nonprofits that have successfully started business ventures. Written by Jerr Boschee, the executive director of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs, and available for free as a PDF download, the book may spark ideas for earned-income strategies for your organization.
Find out more at www.socialent.org >>
Conferences and Events
On May 11, the American Society of Association Executives will host its fourth annual Distance Learning Symposium in Washington, DC. Association CEOs, executive VPs, education directors, and professional development staff will have the opportunity to examine distance learning trends. Bill Tucker, Isoph’s chief knowledge officer, will participate in a panel discussion entitled "Top 10 Mistakes Clients Make and Top 10 Best Practices.”
Find out more at asaenet.org >>
Organized by Action Without Borders and Idealist.org, the second national Nonprofit Human Resources Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, June 2 through 5, 2004. The need for this conference came out of a series of focus groups conducted in 2001 with over 100 nonprofit HR professionals in seven cities across the U.S. The goals of the conference include addressing the unique needs of HR staff in the nonprofit sector through workshops and panels, encouraging networking and community building among HR professionals, and building a national network of HR professionals who can work together on issues of common concern. Isoph staff will be attending the conference--we hope to see you there!
For more information and to register, visit www.idealist.org >>
"Building Connected Communities: The Power of People and Technology," the 13th annual CTCNet conference, will explore emerging themes in community building and its relevance for community technology centers as they engage and connect diverse communities to effect positive change. Held June 11 through 13, in Seattle, Washington, the conference will feature nearly 50 sessions. With WebJunction (http://webjunction.org/), Isoph will co-present the session “Design for and by the Community: A Look at Engaging Members in Online Community.”
For more information and to register, visit www.ctcnet.org >>
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