Can charitable $ be recycled? In the words of famed venture capitalist John Doerr of KP, can you “write one $10M check and have that capital sustain itself?”

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DreamBikes started when John Burke, president of Trek BIcycle Company, suggested the idea and then donated the seed money to open the first DreamBikes shop in Madison four years ago.

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Rubies in the Rubble is a social enterprise providing employment to the needy and reducing food waste by making chutney and jam from surplus fresh produce.

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We all have old, well loved garments that never get worn anymore. Project Repat now offers an option to reinvigorate them via custom bags, ties, and more, made based on what you send in. It’s made domestically via a worker owned shop that pays fair wages, focusing on organic and local sourcing.

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Launch is a one-of-a-kind public-private partnership between NASA, USAID, US State Department, and Nike to use the “power of prizes” to encourage startups to develop an innovative solution that addresses the needs of the developing world. Next up: waste issues.

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By G. Nagesh Rao Social media has transformed the outlook for entrepreneurs and for innovation as a whole. The speed at which knowledge and information is spread around the globe has pulled down barriers and leveled the playing field for would-be entrepreneurs everywhere. At the same time, silos that separate businesses and economies are also [...]

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Post ads to let Massachusetts citizens express their dismay about recent votes to gut the Clean Air Act. The importance of fundraising as an element of any social marketing campaign is a consideration that should not be overlooked. Many social marketing campaigns are developed by nonprofits and governmental organizations that recognize the value of the [...]

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Getting rid of mattresses is difficult. Most landfills don’t want them as they are bulky and the springs in them damage the crushing equipment. This is where Spring Back, the mattress recycling initiative comes in. Nashville-based Spring Back Recycling is a non-profit organization that works to break down mattresses and build up the lives of formerly incarcerated [...]

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Eight19 announced Kickstart, a program that funds pay-as-you go solar energy in poor dual areas, this week at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

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Whether they benefit from visionary leaders, flourishing social enterprise, or commitment from community activists, the following 10 cities are well worth a visit to experience their transformation and resilience.

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3p is proud to partner with the Presidio Graduate School’s Managerial Marketing course on a blogging series about “sustainable marketing.” This post is part of that series. To follow along, please click here. By Griff Foxley In part 1 of this post, I explored some of the forces at play today that are creating a [...]

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Examining the changing role of corporate email use and making a case for the Social Enterprise.

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Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo give social entrepreneurs a way to test product and service ideas, reach new audiences and generate marketing buzz with minimal risk and upfront investment.

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By Jim Epstein and Alicia Epstein Korten As an investment advisor, I (Jim) am often asked to sit on nonprofit boards. I have grown uncomfortable with the term not-for-profit to describe these organizations, which often embrace business principles in their operations. For example, DC Greenworks generates income from government contracts and fees for green roof [...]

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Credit union membership continues to surge after the successful ‘Move Your Money’ campaign. The opportunity now exists to better articulate the connection between credit unions as cooperative businesses owned by the members and the need for them to invest more heavily in the growing cooperative business sector.

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As a long term, lifetime thrift store shopper, I have always taken great satisfaction in my ability to build wardrobes without paying retail prices. With a little patience and the thrill of the hunt spurring me on, I have spent many hours rifling through second-hand clothing racks looking for that something special for just $3.99.

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Social enterprises are picking up the where the system is leaving off, investing in human beings and equipping them with the tools to create a new world built around compassion, respect, innovation and imagination.

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What do you when you find yourself $25,000 short on your Kickstarter funding goal with only few days remained before deadline? Most entrepreneurs will start thinking about plan B (maybe it’s time to get in touch with that rich uncle of yours who once said he believes in you) or wonder if the whole idea [...]

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While yellow leaves to most of us signify the changing of the seasons, to the Mlabri hill tribe of Thailand they mean a complete change in their lives. Yellow Leaf Hammocks are a vehicle to change their health, environment, and financial independence. These resilient people were able to create their own livelihood via these high [...]

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Through Community Solar programs—which overcome the high upfront costs of going solar and the complexities of solar subsidy programs—we can jumpstart the solar economy, saving households billions of dollars and creating new jobs, while bringing these benefits to the country’s poorest neighborhoods.

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The following post is part of TriplePundit’s coverage of the 2011 Net Impact Conference in Portland, Oregon. To read the rest of our coverage, click here. By Eliza Huleatt Amid all of the big-name companies and organizations present at the 2011 Net Impact Conference, one new player was working hard to get noticed. KarmaGoat is a [...]

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Cause marketing has boomed in the last five years. From high-profile companies like Pepsi to small non-profits, it’s almost impossible to update your online status without being inundated by organizations promoting their issue. Clearly there are many differences between a corporate giant like Pepsi and a non-profit, the causes they are advocating being one of them.

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The food was great and the company was inspiring.  SOCAP 2011, a conference at the intersection of money and meaning, might have been the best party you can legitimately expense this year.  Entrepreneurs, investors, futurists, filmmakers, programmers, catalysts and you-name-it are converging to solve our planet’s most pressing issues in land management, water, climate change, [...]

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Yesterday, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff kicked off Dreamforce 2011, the largest cloud computing event of the year with over 45,000 in attendance and 35,000 joining online. Benioff took the stage at San Francisco’s Moscone Center to the pulsing sound of Metallica drawing an image of the future of social enterprise with Salesforce at the helm. [...]

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The intergenerational leadership at Two Degrees Food creates a unique perspective that informs our approach to sustainability, how our respective peer groups operate (and, critically, what motivates them), how best to shape what we do as a company, and how we do it..

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by Lorna Li The solar industry is booming these days and it’s easy to get caught up in solar startup fever. Firstly, solar is the top job growth driver in the US economy, in spite of the economic recession.  So now’s a great opportunity to get a green job in the solar sector. But also, [...]

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The 2011 Pipeline Fund Fellowship Pitch Summit had eleven woman-owned, for-profit, socially responsible businesses presenting their business plans, hoping to raise money from a group of ten women learning to become angel investors.   During a break in the pitches, Nithya Das, an associate at the law firm Goodwin Procter presented the keynote.  She represents and [...]

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By Matt Evans Aron Jakab runs Fruit of Care, a social enterprise selling high quality design home decor like fruit scented candles produced by people with disabilities employed in workshops across Hungary. Aron is a savvy entrepreneur now, but a few years ago, the talented designer had no knowledge and expertise in business management, finance [...]

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Business people have analytical skills.  Non-profit organizations have an increasing need for analytical skills. One would think it’s a match made in heaven. But due to misconceptions on both sides of the employment fence, there is a leadership gap.   Monisha Kapila, founder of ProInspire,  believes that the non-profit talent shortage has many sources – retiring [...]

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Produced by Penina Eilberg Schwartz and Amy Benziger The following audio interview is the first of a series brought to you by the HUB Bay Area – a 3p partner. The audio is produced in partnership with Storycorps. [soundcloud url="http://soundcloud.com/hubbayarea/hub-stories-rippleq-storycorps"] Listen to Ripple Q founders talk about how their company will revolutionize workplace culture via [...]

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