“Microfinance” is defined as – the field within financial services in which companies lend capital and provide financial services to low-income groups or individuals who do not typically have access to these services, in order to provide them with opportunity to become financially self-sufficient.
Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm started in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. Since 2004, the firm has invested close to $500 million in both non-profit and for profit ventures, all of which have a stated mission to catalyze social, economic, and political change. We’ve written about many of the companies that Omidyar has [...]
D.Light is a company we’ve covered more than a few times here on 3p. In a nutshell, the company makes inexpensive, durable solar lighting designed for sale in poor off-grid communities around the world. Their product sounds like an easy sell. It lasts a long time, it’s clean, and most importantly pays for itself.
For the second time this week, I found myself presented with the “Avon model” of product distribution in Africa. This time, Living Goods’ founder Chuck Slaughter did the talking. Living Goods mission is “Empowering micro-entrepreneurs to deliver life-saving and life-changing products to the doorsteps of the poor”. In a nutshell this means they’re basically a wholesaler for goods that are currently hard to get a hold of in developing countries – and which also have the potential for “high impact” in terms of improving people’s lives.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about why I want to become an impact investor and why I chose MicroPlace as my broker. Since then, I’ve been perusing investment options on MicroPlace to figure out where in the world my money is most badly needed—a pretty daunting task, considering that every single investment offered on the platform is worthy.
I’m not loaded, by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have enough savings to do something useful with, so I’ve decided that 2012 is going to be THE year I finally get hip to investing my hard-earned cash. And I am particularly motivated this year because impact investing—which focuses not only on financial returns but on social and environmental ones as well—has seriously piqued my interest and provided the inspiration to invest that I’ve been missing. Follow me on my journey through my blog series: My Two Cents on Impact Investing.
Impact investment is at a crisis point: Clean up now or lose credibility. How can they meet the challenge?
The following post is part of the course work for “Live Exchange” the foundational course on communication for The MBA Design Strategy Program at California College of the Arts. The rest of the posts are presented here. By Brian Schmierer Microfinance has a long history of helping the bottom of the economic pyramid to build [...]
It’s been a tough year for the image of microfinance. Mohammud Yunus was removed from his Nobel Prize winning Grameen Bank in March and scandals have erupted due to increased debt and high interest rates in countries such as India. Is microfinance just a fad that is now approaching its end?
As generous as human beings are, an investment instrument will almost certainly bring more dollars than philanthropy. Can we direct this flow of capital for good? This year’s marquee sponsor for SOCAP is turning philanthropy on its head by providing impact investment options to the everyday investor. Instead of giving, users of Mircoplace can invest, [...]
Nearly 50% of Colombia’s 46 million citizens live below the poverty line. Microfinance organizations such as Colombians Supporting Colombians (CAC) are giving budding entrepreneurs a leg up by providing micro-loans and other banking services that conventional banks are unwilling to offer. Some $3.5 billion in micro-credit was disbursed in 2010 to more than 2 million borrowers.
There was an article in Harvard Business Review last week by Deepa Prahalad entitled “Design Lessons from the Consumer at the Bottom of the Pyramid.” Deepa is the son of C.K. Prahalad, who, along with Stu Hart and Clayton Christiansen, popularized the notion of the base of the pyramid, meaning the economic stratum containing the [...]
By Julie Graham RN/PHN May 12 is internationally recognized as Nurses’ Day. I thought it would be a fitting opportunity to recognize professional nurses and acknowledge the potential they have to contribute to sustainable change. Nurses have a natural fit with sustainability. They dedicate their professional lives to making the lives of others, and their [...]
The following open letter is a part of the Presidio Graduate School’s Capital Markets course. For one of the course assignments, students write a letter to an oversight body, government entity or other appropriate institution. The topic: changing the sector of capital markets that relates to their chosen topic so it reinforces principles of sustainability. [...]
The following open letter is a part of the Presidio Graduate School’s Capital Markets course. For one of the course assignments, students write a letter to an oversight body, government entity or other appropriate institution. The topic: changing the sector of capital markets that relates to their chosen topic so it reinforces principles of sustainability. [...]
By Sara Herald One of the sessions at the Social Enterprise Symposium held at the University of Maryland last Thursday featured tales and advice from four social entrepreneurs: Janessa Goldbeck from STANDnow, Steve Ma from Live Green Inc., Josh Nesbit from Medic Mobile, and Robyn Nietert from the Women’s Microfinance Initiative. What do these individuals [...]
The following open letter is a part of the Presidio Graduate School’s Capital Markets course. For one of the course assignments, students write a letter to an oversight body, government entity or other appropriate institution. The topic: changing the sector of capital markets that relates to their chosen topic so it reinforces principles of sustainability. [...]
Earlier this month the Bangladesh government removed Mohammed Yunus as the head of the microfinance lender, Grameen Bank. Yunus founded Grameen Bank in 1983. Yhe Bangladesh government owns 25 percent of the company. The reason given by the government for Yunus’ removal is that Bangladeshi law company heads have to retire at 60 and he [...]
The number of women within lending institution’s higher management has decreased over the past eight years, while the number of women receiving micro loans has skyrocketed globally. Women’s World Banking (WWB) believes that the decreasing number of women in leadership roles within financial institutions has severe consequences. The major concern is the importance of the [...]
By Jonathan Kalan, Founder of The (BoP) Project. This is the second installment from The (BoP) Project, a journey to discover, document, and share stories of remarkable social entrepreneurs, enterprises and innovations across east Africa. Michael Mwakilasa is not your typical Tanzanian entrepreneur. With a beaming smile, warm handshake, and a half-New-York, half-Tanzanian accented “Hey man!” [...]
By Gerald McSwiggan and Taryn Bird. McSwiggan is the head of the U.S. Chamber BCLC Disaster Assistance and Recovery Program. Bird is the head of the Global Corporate Citizenship Program. This post originally appeared on the BCLC Blog. What is it about Haiti that keeps philanthropists and investors alike coming back? One year after the devastating earthquake, [...]
For readers that might have missed me over the last couple of months (Hi Mom), let me catch you up on where I have been: Finance class. Seven days a week, several hours a day. Exaggeration? Only a small one. True, I have come up for air a time or two (Thanksgiving for instance) but, [...]
By Jonathan Kalan Four billion people on this planet live in relative poverty. While each of their situations are unique, most of these 4 billion people share a similar set of economic constraints, collectively placing them at the Base of the Economic Pyramid (BoP). Among their daily struggles, they face significant unmet needs, a dependence [...]
By Peter Glenn As we commemorate another World AIDS Day, we have some cause for celebration. UNAIDS reports that new infection rates have decreased 20% over the last 10 years and 56 countries have “stabilized or significantly reduced new infections.” Also, millions of people living with the virus in the developing world now have access [...]
By: Brendan Rigby “The microlending movement that was supposed to help lift millions of people in India out of poverty has in recent weeks fallen into chaos.” This was the lead for the Wall Street Journal’s feature article on the current microfinance crisis in India. The article goes on to shine a rather critical light [...]
The biggest hurdle to microfinance sustainability might not be its financial viability, but social acceptance. In reaction to local regulation changes, thousands of micro-debt holders in India recently stopped making loan payments even though they have the money to pay. Microfiance, an industry with a history of overcoming criticism and obstacles in offering small loans [...]
By Abby Callard, Beyond Profit So, you have an innovative business model that you think will improve the lives of millions of people living on less than US$2 a day? Next step: finding capital. Finding, and maintaining, capital is one of the most challenging aspects of running any new enterprise, and businesses operating in the [...]
By C. Sala Hewitt 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the equally venerated and vilified concept of “Base of the Pyramid” first proposed in an academic paper by then business academic CK Prahalad. The concept gained considerable steam in business circles to become one of the millennium’s business game changers. “Base of the Pyramid” refers [...]
Andhra Pradesh’s government is considering legislation that would curb lending rates and avert abuses that MFIs often undertake in recouping their loans. These borrowers, most of whom are women, feel squeezed between the MFIs and the self-help groups (SHGs) under whom they work. But they may finally gain some help–their plight has caught the attention of officials who feel they can no longer just shake their heads as they read the daily newspapers, which have highlighted these deaths.
Lindsay Clinton, Beyond Profit This is the second post in a three week long series from Beyond Profit and Triple Pundit that will explore innovative business models aimed at tapping the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) market. There is a high probability that if you are compelled by the concept of impactful business, you’ve had [...]
Best Practices in Corporate Volunteering
Communicating Corporate Responsibility with AHA
The Future of Fair Trade with Fair Trade USA
Bard College MBA in Sustainability
Sustainability Ratings and Key CSR Topics
How to Invest for Income and Impact
Energy Options: Pros and Cons from Solar to Nuclear
[coming soon] The Green Beer Series 2012
San Diego: June 4-7
Sustainable Brands 2012: Join us as the Sustainability, Brand Strategy and Innovation Communities convene to shape the future. Discover and participate in the sustainable brand revolution by collaborating to shift consumer demand, drive heretical innovation, and evolve the business case. 20% Reader discount with code "nwtripsb12".
Webinar: June 5
Running an Effective Corporate Volunteer Program with AngelPoints: Key clients discuss how they put the AngelPoints Volunteering solution to work for them. Attend this webinar to learn best practices, tips & tricks - and how to get an effective volunteer program off the ground at your organization.
Seattle: June 11-12GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
Portland & Seattle: June 13 & 14
Sustainable Industries Economic Forum:
NYC: June 27-28Responsible Business Summit USA: Discover how to fully embed and integrate CSR in your organization. Learn how to collaborate with key stakeholders and establish competitive edge using proven CSR strategies. Hear best practices from GAP Inc, Timberland, Lockheed Martin, Life Technologies, Campbell Soup and many more.
Minneapolis: July 19-20GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
Boston: Sep 13-14GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
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