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Blogs provide reviews and musings on important topics for Social Enterprise, development using the triple bottom line, and impact investing to consider our place in the world and how to make a better tomorrow.

Submissions welcome that share humor, engagement, and advance understanding on emerging ideas.

 

Millennials Set to Bring Impact Investing to the Mainstream

Millennials are the critical drivers of impact investment as they take the reigns from the baby-boomers. Lisa Carter explains why this couldn't be better timing if three critical challenges are met.  READ MORE

A WorkSquare Life Story: Zachary’s Second Chance

Julie Fahnestock writes for See Change on behalf of Social Enterprise Associate about Zachary's employment success story. READ MORE

How to DPO in NM: The DIY guide to raising money

A primer on how to do a Direct Public Offering in New Mexico for businesses, non-profits and cooperatives.  READ MORE


Biking to Work

Sharif Bhuiyan challenged himself to become a bike-commuter-- for health, environment, and happiness. His blog shows how Bike to Work Week can inspire you next.  READ MORE



What’s the Matter with Kansas: How States are Changing the Crowdfunding Landscape

Tired of waiting on federal action around equity crowdfunding rules, several states have drafted their own laws that would prevail over proposed federal guidelines. The real trailblazer: Kansas. READ MORE


Watering the Shoots of Smallholder Agriculture

Modernizing smallholder agriculture has been on the agenda of many development organizations over the last decade. Anthea Choo examines some of the limitations to the current frameworks and how various perspectives can be combined to yield the best results. READ MORE



My Guangzhou Adventure

Sharif Bhuiyan writes of his recent trip to the city of Guangzhou in Southern China. His experience is sure to place the city on your "must visit" list.  READ MORE




Students changing the world-one business idea at a time.

10th Annual Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC): Students from across the world come to Seattle where they present their social venture ideas for alleviating the problems of poverty in the developing world. READ MORE



Funding Microfinance Institutions: Alternative approaches

AboutMicrofinance is an aggregator and disseminator of current and authoritative information and resources on all aspects of the microfinance industry. Here they present alternative approaches to funding. READ MORE




December in Bogota, Colombia

Drew Tulchin traveled to Colombia in December, and wrote of his experience as witness to the economic boom.
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Four Stages of Financial Literacy

Sharif Bhuiyan explains how good financial literacy provides lasting freedom from common money management mistakes.
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SEC Releases Proposed Crowdfunding Rules

Following through with the 2012 JOBS Act, the SEC has approved new rules regulating online crowdfunding for ventures.
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NM midwives respond to need in the Philippines

New Mexico midwife experience aims to help Filippino mothers who are expecting and in need, while rebuilding continues after Typhoon Haiyan's distruction.
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Solving Problems in the Developing World: Seven Startups Recognized for Innovations

Startup does not just refer to development of high-tech products or social media outlets, there is plenty of value in startup technology to solve problems in the developing world. READ MORE



Blog Action Day 2013: Breath of My Heart Birthplace

For Blog Action Day, we are spotlighting Breath of My Heart Birthplace in Española, New Mexico. READ MORE




Social Impact Bonds – Useful to Achieve Social Change?

John Perovich writes about the new financial tool for non-profit organizations to raise capital from private investors, generating savings to government and society. READ MORE

Introducing the Quadruple Bottom Line

Social Enterprise Associates presents a history and practice of this new model. READ MORE





An Open Letter to NM Governor Susana Martinez

From Drew Tulchin to New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez in support of Bill HB40: DESIGNATION OF BENEFIT CORPORATIONS. READ MORE




Visit Ecuador!

Drew Tulchin recently traveled to Ecuador on an assignment working with e-mortgages. He writes of the economic climate and his positive experience in the country. READ MORE

Three Books Every Global Citizen Should Read

Mohammad Zia suggests good reads offering insights into the issue of global resource scarcity, and the implications it holds for the health and stability of human systems. READ MORE



The JOBS Act

Making Access to Capital Easier for Entrepreneurs. READ MORE




Funding community ventures: DPOs and the SEC

Kevin Lynn explores Direct Public Offerings (DPO) and funding community ventures as an individual. READ MORE

Comprehensive Fiscal Sponsorship

Thought of as the non-profit form of the business incubator model, George Brighten shares how charitable programs can leverage the financial and administrative platforms of a non-profit organization by sharing legal and tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status.
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Innovation in renewable energy: floating solar arrays

Kevin Lynn explores a new frontier in solar power opening around the world, putting solar arrays on top of new available real estate- water.
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Innovation in real-estate finance: equity-sharing as a financing alternative for homeowners

George Brighten describes the pros and cons of equity sharing as an alternative for home ownership.
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Impact Forum 2012 – Igniting Capital Markets for Social Good

Sunny Yi-Han Lin writes of her experience at the 2012 Asian Impact Forum, themed Igniting Capital Markets for Social Good.
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Social Entrepreneurs are Tackling One of the World’s Biggest Problems – Cooking

Amanda West is the Marketing and Communications Director for EcoZoom. She writes of the problems with cooking fuel and systems in developing countries, and how EcoZoom is making a difference.
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CDFI v2.0 - Vision for a New Generation

Kevin Lynn writes about key principles of the emerging Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), and how the Opportunity Finance Netowrk (OFN) has brought together new leaders to shape the future of the industry.
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Manufacturing bikes for Uganda’s poor

Julian Rochlitz travelled to Uganda with fellow students to learn about economic activities and development. He found particular interest in how crucial bicycles are to life in the country.
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An Experiment in Rural Employability

Anand Kumar Padmanaban discusses the REAP program in rural India, which addresses strategies for education and training for gainful employment. READ MORE

A New Form of R&D

Sarah Hine discusses a unique challenge in entrepreneurship, particularly in India, through her experience co-founding a successful start-up. READ MORE



Understanding B Corporations and Benefit Corporations

Elle McPherson explains exactly what B-Corporations and Benefit Corporations are, and how they are challenging our business world to do better. READ MORE




Democracy In Brazil

Laura Tulchin set off to Brazil on a Fulbright Scholarship to study affirmative action in the public university setting. Her cultural revelations expand beyond. READ MORE



What can students do, anyway?

Dan Jodarski writes about his experience traveling to Japan this summer for the 63rd Japan-America Student Conference. READ MORE

 

Educational Social Enterprise Efforts in Peru (3)

In her final piece, Katie Marney describes how microbusinesses empower people in ways one might not imagine. READ MORE


Educational Social Enterprise Efforts in Peru (2)

Continuing her blogging series, Katie Marney illuminates her experience co-leading the Conectados project with the Peruvian NGO, Wasiymi Wasiki.  READ MORE



Educational Social Enterprise Efforts in Peru

Katie Marney is a recent graduate of McGill University, where she studied Political Science and Economics. Spending much of her life outside of her native US, she comes with a unique vantage point of issues related to development, particularly seen through her three part blog. READ MORE


Is there more then just fishing in Mopti, Mali?

Social Enterprise Associates' client Alex Stainburn of New Caledon recently traveled to Mali to consult on the country's fishing industry. He discovered a vibrant local and even international market for fish in the region, but entrepreneurs often struggle to find capital to fund startup businesses. READ MORE


Social Innovation or Inherent Irrelevancy?

By Gina LaCerva on July 21, 2011

Gina LaCerva is excited about the possibility of leveraging policy and business to achieve environmental goals.
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More than Milk: Organic Valley Enjoys Growth While Maintaining Values.

Dan Jodarski writes of his experience growing up in rural Wisconsin and the market paradigm shift in organic farming. Specifically he looks at Organic Valley(R) as the catalyst and how this sustainable business movement has transformed today's farming industry. READ MORE


Hiring staff for mission or experience: The Triple Bottom Line Conundrum

Drew Tulchin asks what the proper balance is between primarily skills hiring and seeking out passionate staff. The thinking is that while many people can do accounting, for example, not everyone can do accounting and be super psyched about helping indigenous plants (as just one for instance).  READ MORE


Understanding International Social Enterprise (6) – Health Improvement

The last field we'd like to highlight is a bonus to our list of five business approaches we're introducing. Development through Global Health Improvement is a critical model as impoverished populations deserve the right to proper medical treatment, health services, and insurance. READ MORE

 

Microfinance in the Honduran Mountains

by Mikela Trigilio on April 7, 2011

Mikela Trigilio is a 2nd year masters candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Development. She recently traveled to Honduras to work with microfinance in the Honduran mountains. READ MORE

 

Understanding International Social Enterprise (5) – Education Empowerment


The fifth of the five business approaches we're introducing is development through energy Education Empowerment. Education has been regarded as the most long-term solution to poverty in the developing world, as it provides low-income people with essential skills and resources to increase financial self-sufficiency and even generates social mobility. READ MORE


Understanding International Social Enterprise (4) – Energy Efficiency

The fourth of the five business approaches we're introducing is development through energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is a booming sector of international development, with the goal of improving the quality of life of those living in poverty worldwide. READ MORE

 

Understanding International Social Enterprise (3) – Fair Trade

The second of the five business approaches we're introducing is Fair Trade. Fair Trade is a current trade model to improve the social and environmental effects of comodity exghange throughout the world. READ MORE

 

Microfinance and the Benefits of “Skillanthropy.”

by Mikela Trigilio on November 20, 2010

Bankers without Borders® is a skills-based volunteer initiative founded by the Grameen Foundation, which draws upon a global reserve corps of more than 5,000 business professionals and recent retirees from Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and higher education institutions.
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International Social Enterprise: What’s really happening out there?

by Sarah Austrin-Willis on November 17, 2010

Sarah Austrin-Willis, of the Net Impact chapter at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), writes about today's social enterprise and explains the current state of affairs.
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Understanding International Social Enterprise (2): Microfinance

The first of the five business approaches we're introducing is microfinance. Microfinance is a model in which financial institutions provide banking, lending, and insurance to the poor and disadvantaged who otherwise have no access to these financial services. READ MORE


Understanding International Social Enterprise (1): Introduction


This series of 10 blog posts aims to enhance understanding about international social enterprise. When we talk about international social enterprise, we generally refer to non-profit, for-profit or hybrid entities working outside the U.S. Within this broadly defined category, many organizations work in developing countries in the ‘Global South' to serve the four billion people at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) who live on less than USD $2 per day, and therefore, have been called "BoP enterprises." READ MORE



Joe in Cartagena

by Joe Tulchin & Andres Lafe on June 15, 2010

Joe Tulchin writes of a recent trip to Cartagena, Colombia, where, despite social and economic improvements, the work of co-op groups like La Liga de Mujeres Desplazadas remain critical.
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Viva Moçambique

By Carmen Mauriello on July 12, 2010

Carmen Mauriello is a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Mozambique from 2004-2006, and currently teaches high school global history and journalism in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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Why Weddings Pose a Green Problem...And How You Can Solve It

by Sarah Ewing on June 30, 2010

ShoreBank's Sarah Ewing blogs about the importance of being a green guest when attending a wedding...domestically or abroad!
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Grameen Shakti Village Trip

by Aneri Patel on July 7, 2010

Aneri Patel blogs of her time in Phulpur, Bangladesh, where she traveled with a CNN film crew and interned with Grameen Shakti.
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The World Through Photos

by Moses Ceaser on June 22, 2010

J. Moses Ceaser has dedicated most of his life to support just causes including community activism raising awareness of the plight of powerless, marginalized people in the United States and abroad.
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Project Abeni

by Matt Kopac on June 2, 2010

Matt Kopac shares his experience in the Peace Corps, where he worked with an organization called Project Abeni, which focuses on education for girls.
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Social Enterprise Associates announces our blog partnership with ShoreBank

by Social Enterprise Associates on April 30, 2010

Social Enterprise Associates announces our blog partnership with ShoreBank. Enjoy!
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Don't Just Give...Invest

by Cristina on April 28, 2010

A simple guide for engaged citizens who are looking to make a lasting impact through social investing.
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Understanding Your Carbon Footprint

By Cristina Roman on January 27, 2010

Calculating your carbon footprint is a first step to attaining a net zero carbon emissions lifestyle and balancing the amount of harmful carbons you release.
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Anti-Corruption, Exploring Indonesia

By Jodi Fischer on January 15, 2010

Jodi Fischer traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia for a preliminary desk audit and pre-closeout mobilization plan for the Indonesia Control of Corruption Project (ICCP), oppereated by USAID and funded through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
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Ho Avy - Interactive Restoration

By Ho Avy on December 11, 2009

Project Ho Avy's mission is to curb excessive deforestation and reduce climate change impacts by promoting sustainable community resource management.
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Afghan ARIES Project

By Drew Tulchin on November 25, 2009

Drew Tulchin recently traveled to Afghanistan for a USAID ARIES project for AED. He facilitated a workshop on financing small and medium businesses and growing the sector.
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Taiwanese Influence

By Sunny Yi-Han Lin on October 10, 2009

Sunny Yi-Han Lin is a second-year graduate student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT at Austin. Last summer she traveled on an internship to Taiwan with Flow, Inc. and started to explore social innovation and social entrepreneurship.
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Trekking up to Machu Picchu, Peru

By Nicole Furman on  September 30, 2009

Nicole Furman is a student at Brown University. Last Spring, she joined a group of friends who set off to explore Peru for spring break. She writes of her wonderful experiences.
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Changing Farming Practices in Nicaragua

By Rachel Lindsay on  August 20, 2009

Rachel Lindsay is a 2009 Fulbright Grantee working with a US based sustainable investment organization called SosteNica, the Sustainable Development Fund of Nicaragua. She is based in the Pacific region of León.
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Colombia Chronicles

By Reid Sassman on  July 13, 2009

Reid Sassman recently completed a year teaching English and studying Spanish in Bucaramanga, Colombia.  He traveled the country extensively and reports that stereotypes about Colombia are exaggerated.

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Health Program in the Congo

By Mike and Nancy Haninger on May 13, 2009

Mike and Nancy Haninger were appointed in June 2000 to the Good Shepherd Hospital in Tshikaji. Mike is a physician, educating nursing and medical students. Nancy carries out direct patient care and educates village health workers..
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Ugandan Adventure!

By Lauren Simkulak on April 9, 2009

On Tuesday, February 11, 2009, Lauren Simkulak embarked on a 2 year Peace Corps adventure in Uganda where she will be a Business Advisor in an Economic Development program.
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Consulting In Indonesia

By Shoshana Hecker on March 9, 2009

Shoshana Hecker recently left Washington, DC to take a 3 to 5 month consulting assignment in Banda Aceh, Indonesia with CHF International.
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An Afternoon in Xi'an

By Judy Tulchin on October 22, 2008

Judy Tulchin is volunteering to teach English in Xi’an, China. This is the second blog entry she has made from China.
READ MORE

Click here for her first entry.


Travel to the Philippines

By Drew Tulchin on February 3, 2009

Due to popular demand following the stories from Afghanistan, I am pleased to share pithy travel and work insights from my recent trip to the Philippines. READ MORE




Life Stitches Project

By Katherine Gnauck on October 31, 2008

Katherine Gnauck is a doctor from New Mexico who is working in Uganda with HIV/AIDS mothers. READ MORE




Journey Through Morocco

By Erich Dehart on May 28, 2008

Erich Dehart is in the middle of his 3rd year in the Naval Academy, having just experienced a French language rotation to Morocco.
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Teaching in China

by Judy Tulchin on November 6, 2008

Judy Tulchin is volunteering to teach English in Xi’an, China.  Xi’an is in the heart of the country, near the Terra Cotta Warriors.
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Musings from Mozambique, Africa

by Drew Tulchin on February 24, 2008

meeting in MozambiqueDrew Tulchin was recently in Mozambique, Africa helping to launch a trade association of microfinance institutions.
READ MORE



Tales From Afghanistan

by Drew Tulchin on January 7, 2008

market in Afghanistan Drew Tulchin was in Afghanistan in 2007 for his second time. He was working for the DC based Making Cents on a USAID project with DAI. READ MORE


 

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