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NexThought Monday: An Economy of Kindness
There is still another economy to be found in the world of social enterprise - an economy of scarcity. It is evolving as it matures as well. In the beginning of the explosion of mission-driven organizations, many people expected help would be given for free. It was noble to donate one’s time to people who were working to "save the world". And so many of us did. Until every second person we knew decided to save the world.
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- Social Enterprise
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Best Ideas of 2011: 2012, the Year of Archimedean Entrepreneurs
Around 200 BC, Archimedes made a formidable dare: "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it and I shall move the world". Two thousand years later, ‘Archimedean entrepreneurs’ are responding to this mythical challenge, moving Africa beyond the "starving-growth" paradox to address the greatest challenge facing us.
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- Social Enterprise
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NexThought Monday: Let’s Help Acumen Fund Write the Next Chapter
Acumen Fund helped create a new DNA to fight poverty - one weaving together threads business and philanthropy into double helix of impact. Acumen recently reflected on its anniversary with the 10 Things We’ve Learned About Tackling Global Poverty series. NextBillion Community: Now it’s your turn. Let’s help Acumen write the next chapter.
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- Social Enterprise
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For Arunachalam, MFI Industry Still Has Lessons to Learn
Ramesh Arunachalam, a development practitioner and staunch critic of the microfinance industry, recently published "The Journey of Indian Microfinance: Lessons for the Future." In a NextBillion interview, he suggests a practical framework that policy-makers and other stakeholders will need to follow in order for Microfinance to thrive once more.
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- Uncategorized
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Reinventing the Mobile Market in Mexico
Without a credit card, bank account, or official employment history, mobile providers are unwilling to take the gamble on providing a post-paid monthly plan option to Mexico’s poor. It sounds a lot like what many poor people encounter when attempting to obtain a loan. It’s in this environment where the founders of Finestrella saw an opportunity.
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- Technology
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Microfinance at a Crossroads: BRAC USA’s Davis on Microcredit, Then and Now
At a time of over-indebted clients, and fear in the face of microfinance exploiters and "loan sharks," Susan Davis, founding CEO of BRAC USA and industry veteran, is adamant: "If your mission is only to offer consumer finance, I wouldn’t call it microfinance. If your core mission is to try and defeat poverty ... then we’re talking."
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- Uncategorized
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Taking Stock of IRIS
There is no EBITDA equivalent for social impact. The Global Impact Investing Network’s Impact Reporting and Investment Standards is one solution, but there are still questions. One potential breakthrough case study examining the framework in action will try to answer those questions at the 2011 Social Enterprise Conference at Columbia University.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Microfinance at a Crossroads: Balancing Good Intentions with Critical Industry Structuring
As the microfinance industry matures, the cracks in the model have become more apparent. When an idea built from good intentions scales, hidden costs begin to grow and the call for more structure becomes louder. These cracks are not just on one side of the equation, and need to be addressed through collective effort by borrowers and lenders.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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