Lets Break Good

How should social causes determine how much they pay their employees? Some argue that working in the world of doing good means sacrificing the type of pay one would expect in a corporate job. But does that mindset cause there to be less talent, money and results from organizations that are saving lives and improving our planet or does the enormous needs of the poor and vulnerable mean there is a moral obligation to keep salaries low.

On this episode we investigate the nonprofit pay dilemma We’ll explore the story of a man who raised millions for charity and then lost it all after the media took issue with his pay. How did he recover from this devastating set-back and go on to change the way many look at nonprofit compensation?

Have you ever clicked the like button on a social media post spotlighting a social cause without taking any other action at all? On this episode we explore if social media be a powerful tool for grassroots activism or if it is just a superficial hashtagification of social change. We will recount the story of one of the most notorious viral videos of all time that got hundreds of millions of likes around the world, inspiring celebrities, presidents and thousands of ordinary people into action for a nonprofit initiative. What lessons can the viral video teach the current social media campaigns on the environment being lead by youth?

On this episode we discuss critical questions on the power and pitfalls of technology in helping society take on the most serious social challenges with Professor Morgan Ames. Profess Ames is an assistant adjunct professor in the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. Her new book The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child is available now via MIT Press. Professor Aims holds a PhD in communication from Stanford as well as bachelors and masters from University of California Berkeley. For more information about Professor Ames and her book visit: https://morganya.org/

On today’s episode we will explore different definitions of failure, how to avoid failing and perhaps most importantly, what to do if you feel like a total failure. We’ll take a special look at failure in the nonprofit and social impact world, where limited budgets and lots of need puts extra importance on separating good failures from bad ones.

The nonprofit Kiva has helped millions of people in over 75 countries since it started in 2005. Our guest interview with founding member Chelsa Bocci covers her 14 years of amazing Kiva moments that includes turning down a dream school opportunity, Oprah's favorite things (twice) and reaching one billion dollars in support to entrepreneurs world wide.

Equipment giveaways in Africa, unpaid intern labor, software donations to charities..all with good intentions and supposedly at no cost to the receiver, but could these freebies actually have a hidden price? On our season two premeiere episode we ask the question, what is the cost of free when it comes to nonprofit, philanthropic and development work. For more information or to get in touch with the podcast staff follow us on twitter @LetsBreakGood and visit www.letsbreakgood.com.

It's been two months since our season one finale, and new episodes are in the works! Listen to a brief update from host Joe Agoada as she shares about a chance encounter at a coffee shop that got him thinking about the podcast and then goes into a few details about the upcoming second season. You can also access all the episodes on our new homepage www.letstbreakgood.com

On the season one finale of the podcast we look into the global phenomenon known as One Laptop Per Child. It was a project that took off like a rocket ship in 2006, raising enormous amounts of money, grabbing the attention of world leaders and making headlines on all the major news outlets.

How did a nonprofit take on the audacious goal of getting every child on the planet a laptop? And over a decade later, how far did they get in improving the education and lives of the poor?

A feature interview with the nonprofit leadership team of Public Lab, a community where you can learn how to investigate environmental concerns and use inexpensive DIY techniques to change how people see the world in environmental, social, and political terms. Shannon Dosemagen (Executive Director) and Jeff Warren (Director of Research) talk about their journey into careers in purpose, the founding of Public Lab during the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill environmental disaster of 2010, and how they have sustained the organization and its community over the past decade.

Many of us are searching for a job that allows us to reach towards our greatest potential. An environment in the workplace that gives us to the room be our best selves. It’s not easy to find that place. Even an opportunity that looks good at first, may become a nightmare once you are in it. What questions should you ask before accepting that new job to make sure the fit is right? What does it feel like when you are in an organizations that can nurture your drive and align with your goals? On this episode we go into finding a workplace that inspires.