Ideas for Change
By Nell Edgington
In the midst of chaos comes opportunity. While the current government is trying to figure out the financial meltdown, the President-elect is assembling his cabinet, the ice caps are melting and two wars wage on, the chaos can seem a bit overwhelming. But at the same time innovation in the social space is taking off. People are coming up with and implementing new ideas to tackle some of the world’s most intractable problems. And in an unprecedented way it seems that everyone is talking about possible solutions to the many problems we face. Here are just a few examples.
In his column this past weekend, David Brooks talked with Michael Porter, economic expert from the Harvard Business School, about positive things an Obama administration could do to turn the economy around. At the end, Brooks offered his own idea for addressing the economic turmoil: a network of social entrepreneurship investment banks:
These regionally operated semi-public funds would invest in the best local community organizations, so they could bring their ideas to scale. These funds, first proposed by the group America Forward, would supplement the safety net and employ college grads entering a miserable job market. They’d have a powerful psychological effect on a country that desperately wants to feel mobilized and united. This is a mental recession as well as an economic one. Solving it means getting more and more people involved in a fundamental rebirth.
Getting more and more people involved in finding solutions is exactly what Change.org, a social network of people and nonprofits, has launched with their “Ideas for Change in America” effort. They have taken Obama at his word, in asking Americans to be involved in their own democracy again, by asking people to submit their ideas for solutions. The top ten winners, voted on by the Change.org community, will be submitted to Obama on inauguration day. There are some pretty interesting ideas. They include: creating a citizen news organization, developing a national youth policy council, restoring rail service, and launching a public service academy.
The best antidote to the chaos that surrounds is the hope that ideas like these bring.
No related posts.
1 Comment to Ideas for Change
One idea for change that would make a real difference and I hope you will like is the idea of empowering entrepreurs (the real changemakers) through a network allowing mentoring of entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs AND giving them access to funding resources that would be managed by this network.
More on the idea here: http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/blog/view/featured_idea_support_a_structure_for_entrepreneurs_to_support_entrepreneurs
And if you like the idea, please vote here: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/sponsor_a_structure_for_entrepreneurs_to_support_entrepreneurs
Leave a comment
Social Velocity Blog
Social Velocity is a management consulting firm that helps nonprofits grow their programs, bring more money in the door and use resources more effectively. Check out our Consulting Services.
Search the SV Blog
Facebook Like Box
Latest Tweets
- The Strategic Management of Charter
Schools written by Nell Edgington,
Peter Frumkin and Bruno Manno
offers educational entrepreneurs and
nonprofit leaders tools and frameworks
to effectively create social change.
- Read interviews with social
innovation thought leaders
and doers in our
blog interview series.
Click here to see
the Social Velocity
Interview Series
- Each month Social Velocity picks
the ten most compelling
reads from the social
innovation movement.
Click here to see
the 10 Great Social
Innovation Reads Series
- This popular on-going series
gives nonprofit leaders ideas
for completely rethinking how
they bring money in the door
Click here to see
the Financing Not
Fundraising Series
- This case study series profiles
a small arts organization and
their journey to raise the money
to strengthen their organization
and grow their impact.
Click here to see
the Raising Money
to Grow On Series
Recent Posts
My Favorite Blogs
- A Smart Bear: Startups & Marketing for Geeks
- About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs
- Against the Grain
- Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits are Using Social Media to Power Change
- Dan Pallotta: Harvard Business Review
- Deep Social Impact
- Dowser
- Full Contact Philanthropy
- GuideStar: Bob Ottenhoff Blog
- Money and Mission
- New Philanthropy Capital's Blog
- NFF's Social Currency Blog
- Philanthropy 2173
- PhilanTopic
- SocialEarth
- SSIR Opinion Blog: Nonprofit Management
- SSIR Opinion Blog: Social Entrepreneurship
- Tactical Philanthropy
- UnSectored
December 5, 2008