Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2hOZLc9.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

-----------------

Upstart Co-Lab is a nonprofit that has partnered with the Calvert Foundation and Artspace Projects to facilitate impact investments that support artists.

Upstart Co-Lab is a startup itself, launching earlier this year. The Calvert Foundation is a leader in impact investing, making such investments accessible to ordinary investors–not just the wealthy. Artspace, also a nonprofit, develops live/work projects for artists around the country.

While not seeking to invest directly in works of art, the new partnership is intended to fund businesses that artists often own, being social entrepreneurs by nature.

Laura Callanan, Founding Partner of Upstart Co-Lab, says, art is a big part of the economy but not enough investment is being made there. “The creative economy is more than 4 percent of the US GDP. But JP Morgan and the GIIN report that art and culture are 0% of impact investing. There are currently no tools, funds or manager strategies enabling impact investors to align their capital with the creative sector.”

-----------------

Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2hOZLc9.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://corporatesocialresponsibilityspeaker.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2hwsNKp.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

--------------------

Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical behemoth, operates CaringCrowd, a crowdfunding site for global public health initiatives. The platform provides a way for nonprofits and others working in public health to seek funding for their projects.

Derek Fetzer, the Director of the program, notes that public health initiatives are chronically underfunded. “A considerable portion of the world does not have access to health care and many local organizations are ideally positioned to help. They possess unique knowledge of the communities they work with, thus understanding which interventions will truly make an impact on the lives of vulnerable populations. However, these organizations face a critical challenge: funding.”

Derek explains that the goal isn’t just to scale up what’s already working, but to drive innovation. “We developed CaringCrowd, a crowdfunding platform, to enable collaboration on global public health challenges, foster innovation, and support funding that can help get needed resources to people faster and more efficiently.”

The J&J team screens the projects to ensure that they align with corporate values. “All submitted projects are reviewed by a team of advisors to ensure they fall within our definition of public health. CaringCrowd is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and does not charge a fee.”

As the effort is relatively new, the challenge they face is building the critical mass needed have the intended impact, Derek says. “The platform has recently launched and we are diligently building awareness of the platform. Towards this end, we are active on social media and get involved in events (e.g., we were present at the Global Citizen Festival in September 2016).”

--------------------

Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2hwsNKp.

Need a crowdfudning speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://crowdfundingspeaker.org.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2hxaFjM.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

--------------------

Dr. Paula Fellingham is remarkable for many reasons. Not only has she earned a Doctorate of Education Degree, she did it while she raised eight children and 24 grandchildren. She has also been a talk show host. She is the founder of the Women’s Information Network and of the nonprofit Equity Serve Foundation. She is the author of six books. She seems unstoppable!

Never daunted by a challenge, she’s tackled what could be described as the world’s biggest: peace and prosperity.

Paula says, “Although hundreds of millions in nations worldwide lack love, prosperity, and peace in their lives, there has never been a better time in history to implement a Global Prosperity and Peace Initiative whose mission is ‘to increase the love, prosperity and peace on Earth.'”

So Paula is making it happen. “We have created a Master Action Plan (a MAP) to fulfill our mission. We have developed systems and processes. We have valuable content that can strengthen hearts, homes, and all of humanity. Additionally, we have Regional Directors, Peace Ambassadors, National Peace Ambassadors and hundreds of volunteers who are ready to implement our Global Prosperity and Peace Initiative in 196 nations, beginning in January, 2017.”

--------------------

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2hxaFjM

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://corporatesocialresponsibilityspeaker.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2gWVb8U.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

-----------------------

You don’t sail across the world’s seven seas and summit the world’s tallest mountains without learning something. Martin Frey, the Guinness World Record holder for being the first person to do it, sums up the key to success in one word: “relentless.”

Frey, a highly successful business leader who was an early employee at Cisco, says, “I've been an angel investor but am currently transitioning my time and focus towards projects that drive social innovation, and my portfolio towards investments that have a social impact.”

He explained key lessons from his adventures that have meaning for social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders.

Climbing the seven summits, the highest peaks on all seven continents, and sailing across the seven major oceans of the world of the world took 11 years. He began in 2005 and finished on April 17, 2016.

-----------------------

Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2gWVb8U.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://corporatesocialresponsibilityspeaker.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2fPolrW.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

----------------

Nicholas Kristof is a big deal. He is the winner of two Pulitzer prizes, author of two bestselling books, and is a New York Times columnist. He has almost two million followers on Twitter, putting him on a level of Twitter fame with Hollywood actors.

Nick covers politics, with a focus on social issues.

Each year, Nick holds a contest to choose a journalism student to travel with him to write stories for the New York Times. This year’s winner is Cassidy McDonald. Winning is a big deal. Now she is a big deal.

Last year’s winner, Austin Meyer, was a student at Stanford. Like past winners, Austin and Nick traveled to the developing world.

Nick Kristof, Larica Compton and Cassidy McDonald

Nick Kristof, Larica Compton and Cassidy McDonald

Cassidy is a student at Notre Dame. Her Twitter following, with 295 followers, doesn’t match Nick’s, yet. She may need a couple of Pulitzer’s to catch him, but there may be nothing like being the “Win-a-trip” winner to put her on the right path.

Cassidy says, “I’ve always been interested in the subject matter of Nick’s columns and books, but I decided to apply only after encouragement from my fantastic mentor, Tom Bettag (former Executive Producer of CBS Evening News, ABC Nightline, Discovery channel and CNN — and one of the nicest people in the world).”

The seeds were likely planted long before Tom encouraged her. She worked and attended school with the 2014 winner, Nicole Sganga.

----------------

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2fPolrW.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the int erview here: http://bit.ly/2fPpIXp.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

---------------

Todd Sylvester overcame addiction to create a successful life. Now as a speaker and mentor he helps others trapped by addiction or other behavioral challenges to overcome them. The lessons could be relevant for anyone seeking to overcome any self-limiting challenge.

Todd offers three keys to overcoming the challenges in our lives.

First, he says, “You’re OK.”

“Understanding that you are OK is one of the most empowering truths we can and should embrace,” he says.

People are trapped by their self image, he says. “I have found with my clients that the three most common limiting beliefs they hold onto is that they are powerless, broken or damaged, and they are a victim of their circumstances. This keeps them in a self-made prison.”

“These belief systems create a story they tell themselves about themselves and this story is a fairy tale,” he continues. “The fairy tale keeps them wallowing in their own misery but when they become aware that they are OK and have always been OK, the self-made prison is shattered. When they understand this simple yet powerful truth, they laugh themselves silly!”

---------------

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2fPpIXp.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2giv1Qm.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

----------------------

Former model Traci Lynn Johnson, wife of Tiki Barber, is making a difference for the autism nonprofit KultureCity. She’s leading the new campaign to help everyone understand that even though those with autism may struggle to use words to express love, they still do.

Traci says, “KC is launching a new national campaign called Love Without Words. This campaign is designed to show that while people with autism sometimes have difficulty demonstrating love verbally, it does not mean that they are not capable of love.”

Traci Johnson, courtesy of Kulture City

Traci Johnson, courtesy of Kulture City

“We have launched this campaign with different celebrities, influencers and companies,” she continues. “In this campaign, we are having these celebrities and influencers show how they demonstrate love on a daily basis without using words. We then have a call to action to ask everyone that we are reaching how they, too, show love without words. And of course, there is also a donation aspect as well.”

Traci notes that people with autism are often poorly understood. “We often face the challenge of people not realizing that children (and adults) with autism are a lot like able-bodied individuals, as well. People often think that just because someone has autism means that they don’t have feelings or emotions. This could not be further from the truth.”

The misunderstandings people have, lead to conscious and sometimes unintended discrimination, she says. “We live in a world where there is still racism, bigotry and discrimination and these feelings often are directed towards people with disabilities, such as autism.”

----------------------

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2giv1Qm.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2g02rAN.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

---------------------

Social entrepreneur Erik Melang is excited about opportunities in renewable energy and his attitude is not dampened by the election of a President who has not been friendly to the environment. Erik is the founder of Distributive Solar and is partnering with Solar Site Design to accelerate growth in the renewable energy industry.

Erik is excited to share “the phenomenal opportunity to participate in the new energy economy.” He says, “This transition [to renewable energy] is providing a ground floor opportunity to participate in one of the fastest growing sectors on the globe.”

He shares some numbers to make his point: “In fact solar, wind and [energy efficiency] has provided 1 out of 30 [new] jobs in the US since 2009. Solar alone has provided 1 of 80 jobs.”

The transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy will also bring another big shift to distributed power, he says. “We are and will continue to witness the disruptive effects of transitioning from a fossil fuel driven economy to a renewable energy driven economy. This transition will be distributive, where energy will be produced where it is utilized.”

“We will see an end to the monopoly where utilities control the production and distribution of energy,” he continues. “This transition is underway and we are seeing parabolic growth in energy efficiency, wind and solar across the globe. However we are still in the early stages of this transition and this is where the opportunity lies.”

---------------------

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2g02rAN.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2fJuB4u.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

-------------------

Per L. Saxegaard of Norway recognized years ago that there was no Nobel Prize for Business. The closest that one comes is the prize for Economics. Saxegaard decided not only to create a prize modeled on the Nobel Prizes, but to focus it on social responsibility, what he calls being “businessworthy.” (Disclosure: I recently wrote an unrelated piece for the Rotarian Magazine, affiliated with Rotary International, which is mentioned in this article.)

A former investment banker, Saxegaard founded the Business for Peace Foundation and assembled a team of past Nobel Laureates in Peace and Economics to serve as a the panel of judges. Ten years and dozens of winners later, the Business for Peace Awards are internationally recognized.

Past winners include Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO of GE and Sir Richard Branson of Virgin. The 2016 winners included Tore Lærdal, founder of Lærdal Medical and and Dr Jennifer Nkuene Riria who launched a successful microfinance institution in Kenya.

-------------------

Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2fJuB4u.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2fhLTp8.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher.

---------------

When you hear the stories of some people, you are simply impressed. Other times, you hear a story of someone doing something good and you are torn between being amazed and feeling guilty for not having done more.

Stephanie Woollard, a Rotarian from Melbourne Australia will receive the Rotary Responsible Business Award at the United Nations on Saturday, November 12, 2016.

A Rotary statement says, “In the last 10 years, Seven Women has trained and employed more than 1,000 disadvantaged women in Kathmandu and remote villages of Nepal and impacted 5,000 women through outreach programs.”

To better understand how this came about, I asked her how she got started.

“As a young girl touring the world like many of us do, I was leading groups of architects to Nepal, through a tour company called Duke of Edinburgh, when I came across seven disabled women operating in a tin shed in the backstreets of Kathmandu. I saw these women were living in dirt, poverty stricken and unable to make an income. I heard their stories of social isolation and struggle because of reasons they could not change and I felt their pain and suffering.”

You’re probably like me. After seeing this, I would have shaken my head and said, what a tragedy, before heading on my way. Stephanie did something else.

---------------

Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2fhLTp8.

Need a corporate social responsibility speaker? Learn more about Devin Thorpe at http://devinthorpe.com.