Transparency and giving well….

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Regular readers will know that I often cite the delivery, quality, transparency mantra as important foundations for any socially-beneficial enterprise seeking to operate in today’s world/markets. Two of those, quality (including measurement) and transparency, have collided in a huge furore over a US-based philanthropic funder/evaluator called GiveWell. You know when the founder of an organisation has to title a blog post "I had a lapse in judgement, did a horrible thing, and I apologize", that things are not good.

Basically, one of GiveWell’s founders was caught asking himself a question (with a fake ID), then responding (with another ID) promoting GiveWell. He was also subsequently tracked using various aliases to promote GiveWell elsewhere online and, according to some posts, give their competitors a kicking. Not good, particularly when the organisation has shouted from the rooftops about the need for transparency and openness. This has made the reaction (see GiftHub and the original Metafilter post for the gruesome details) all the stronger and more vicious, alongside the fact that many seasoned professionals in the field had already been rubbed up the wrong way by GiveWell’s perceived arrogance and naivety (the two founders are recent converts from hedge fund management, and their initial response was to offer the MetaFilter community money by way of an apology).

The laundry continues to be aired in public too. The much-respected blogger Lucy Bernholz is on GiftWell’s board, and has posted here asking what she/the organisation should do.  Having put itself forward, as Jeff Trexler puts it, as a model of accountability, it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

What’s interesting about this, I think, is not only the importance of walking the walk as far as transparency is concerned, but also about really understanding the internet and its power (constructive and destructive). If people thought that this blog was being used to advertise products, or had press releases placed with it, it would damage the credibility…as would any suggestion that we were making up comments on this blog or other people’s. At the same time, people expect the blog to represent and inform about the work of SSE and its students and Fellows, amongst other material, in as fair and objective a way as possible. We don’t always get the tone right, and sometimes have strong, subjective opinions, but trying to manipulate the audience is never an option, as GiveWell are discovering.

Incidentally, our new intern Thor does exist and is not a figment of my imagination. He’ll be giving the unvarnished, barely moderated truth in his month-long stay with us here….

[UPDATE: the GiveWell founder has been demoted to Program Officer, according to this official statement from the organisation’s board]

Real-life Changemakers

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Happy New Year guys!

For those of you who don’t know me, (which probably amounts to everyone) my name is Thor Steinhovden and I will be interning with Nick and Suzanne here at SSE during January. Originally from Norway (where I lived until age 18) I now study Political Science and History at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Thanks to the work of Nick and the Center of Experiential Learning at St. Olaf, I’ve been given the opportunity to come and learn about what goes on here at SSE. Since I just flew in yesterday and I’m still reading up on what’s going on at SSE, I figured I’d write a bit about my first impressions of England.

I must admit that for the past two days I have on occasion nodded and smiled, pretending to understand all the slang and quick British chatter everywhere I go. In Minnesota we like to drag out our accent and after two and a half years of "Offfda" (you say it with a sigh) and "Lutefisk" (Norwegian fish dish, I wouldn’t recommend it) it could prove to be a bit of a challenge to get used to London. That being said, I am thrilled to be here and delighted to finally have met everyone at the office. I’ve learned the importance of making tea to my fellow colleagues, but I don’t think I’ll dare to attempt it today – according to Nick, a lot of the first impression is riding on this ritual….

"It’s so cold outside, I’m freezing to death," were the first words uttered to me by my new flatmate when she opened the door. Apparently, she has never been to Minnesota, where –10’c and snow was the daily routine all through December. It’s supposed to snow in London today, and I’m not certain but I think it’s the first snow this winter. A bit late isn’t it? Not exactly the way it used to be, but then again, things change. As I was reading through Nick’s latest blog, I came across the article about Alastair Wilson, the current head of the SSE. Alastair commented that "I think there is a change in the wind," talking primarily about the Rudd government in Australia. Although meant very specifically in this context, I noticed this line at once – it seems to resurface in a lot of the literature related to social entrepreneurship.

I bring this sentence up because that is one feature that’s not different whether one is in London or Minneapolis. I’ve heard a lot of talk about change, but this is my real-life encounter with it. I’ve seen it in my fellow students back at school, and it is surely present here at SSE. I remember reading that social entrepreneurship is the way of the future. I am sure some would disagree with the extent of its impact, but I think we’re already seeing that change today, which makes the future of SSE as bright as the first light the day after New Years. After sitting in with a class of future fellows, I am really looking forward to the next month when I will be able to see these "changemakers" first hand and learn from the very talented people here at SSE. It’s almost like putting a face to a well-known name, and I know now that the change so often mentioned in relation to social entrepreneurship is real. I know that the work these people strive to do here today will without a doubt make an impact on tomorrow.

Talk about a resolution…

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Happy New Year readers / subscribers / social entrepreneurs. Hope you had a nice festive period: I was delighted to find that this blog had had its busiest traffic day in a long time while it was on leave; not sure what that says, but welcome to all newcomers.

It’s traditional, of course, to start the new year with a whole host of lists and resolutions, and the blogosphere is no different. You might want to start with the mighty Merlin Mann over at 43folders who has posts about Fresh Starts and Modest Changes and then read about 9 great tools to help you achieve your goals. Or, if you want to be real about the new year resolution shtick, how about 5 hard questions to ask before starting a new project, followed closely by choosing one of these Free Tools to Manage New Year’s Resolutions. Being S.M.A.R.T. about those resolutions is the key, apparently….

There will be those reclining, wishing to be told what to expect in the year ahead. Here, I might point you to Lucy Bernholz or McKinsey’s  8 Business (Technology) Trends to Watch. And for those still wanting food for thought, you might enjoy the EDGE’s annual question to the great thinkers of the world (this year: "What have you changed your mind about, and why?") and John Thackara’s reflection on approaches to sustainability.

A few other things to catch up with over the Xmas break:

– Tom Savage on how social enterprise doesn’t have a monopoly on doing good (and how it is difficult to invest in). I missed this last year, but is worth a read, if only to ponder how one reverses through a glass ceiling. More seriously, it does raise some interesting points, in relation to educational background, barriers to investment, and the need for greater "remuneration".  Given that Al Harris is largely considered the driving force behind Blue Ventures, it will be interesting to note the progress of Tom’s Bright Green Talent recruitment agency….certainly seems to fill a niche at a good time.

– The government launched a new initiative called Spark (igniting social enterprise to prevent homelessness), which is:

"an innovative project developed by Communities
and Local Government, The TREES Group, Big Issue Invest (part of The
Big Issue group) and Eastside Consulting to build and inspire social
enterprise to prevent homelessness"

It will aim to scale up existing enterprises, support the growth of enterprises within existing organisations and encourage the sharing of skills and resources across sectors.

– A full list of third sector-ites on the new year’s day honours list to follow, but here’s some North-Eastern social entrepreneurs who made it on….

– Many SSE students and Fellows are driven by faith or spiritual beliefs of some kind. There’s a discussion about the relationship between spirituality and social entrepreneurship on Social Edge.

– And last, but by no means least, proof that SSE reaches beyond these shores….to the Sydney Morning Herald, no less: Calling all rebels: it’s your time

My resolution? Eat that frog.

 

Social entrepreneur and social innovation blogs

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An organisation doing PR for a big event in our world asked me recently for a list of blogs related to this field / movement, as they were having trouble deciding who / what to contact. I put together a list of what I think the most influential / readable / interesting / relevant blogs are, and then thought that it was quite a useful list, so here it is, broken down with no real reasoning into US / UK / Other; there’s lots of other feeds I subscribe to, but tried to pick the most directly relevant blogs; please add any others in the comments:

US-based
– Social Edge: www.socialedge.org
– Social Enterprise Reporter: http://www.sereporter.com/seblog
– Stanford Social Innovation Review: http://www.ssireview.org/opinion/
– Philanthropy 2173: http://philanthropy.blogspot.com/
 
There’s a few others that are tangentially relevant
(Tactical Philanthropy etc) with a very good blogroll here: http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/
 
UK-based
– me, obviously, here and on www.sse.org.uk
[I also blog at the www.GlobalIdeasBlog.com and at
Innovation Exchange: http://innovation-exchange.org/]
– Rod Schwartz et al at Catalyst Fund: http://www.catfund.com/blog
– Todd Hannula at Social Catalyst: http://www.socialcatalyst.co.uk/
– NESTA (various): http://blogs.nesta.org.uk/
 
[tangentially Intelligent
Giving: http://www.intelligentgiving.com/blog and
David Wilcox are relevant also: http://www.designingforcivilsociety.org/ ]
 
Other thoughts
– Doors of Perception: http://www.doorsofperception.com/

I’d also add that, on blogging + web 2.0 / third sector, you have to read:
– Beth’s Blog
– Have Fun, Do Good
– nfp 2.0
– Podnosh

Pre-Christmas social entrepreneurship round-up

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Almost the last blog of the year, methinks, so a round-up of all the news and views from the past couple of weeks in the world of social enterprise and entrepreneurship….and general affiliated stuff. Long overdue, through a combination of ill health, deadlines and travel, so here goes:

– I was at SSE Liverpool last Thursday, and it was great to see the progress the students have made, and that the SSE itself is making, under the guidance of Sylvia Pearson and Claire Dove at Blackburne House. And, of course, I must report the news that Claire is the new Chair of the Social Enterprise Coalition: great news, and a real signal of intent from SEC.

– 5 tips for socially responsible start-ups includes "Don’t let your mission cloud your vision", although being the Xmas season, there’s probably a few other things clouding the vision right now…

– Rod Schwartz has some interesting reflections from Catalyst’s latest conference for Social Business CEOs

– Can’t remember if I mentioned this before, but Barack Obama called for a "social entrepreneur agency to make sure that small non-profits have the same kind of support that we give small businesses" in a recent speech; see you in Washington

– Bill Drayton of Ashoka is named one of America’s top 25 leaders, along with Oprah, of course

– Stifle that yawn: the quest to be the new Facebook / MySpace / LinkedIn / social network of this sector/movement continues; see this article on Razoo, this article on MyCharityPage (the sector’s Facebook apparently, although if the site was up and running, it might be easier to judge…) and UnLtdWorld, which is now opening up; reviews to follow in the New Year.

– Jeff Trexler is always readable, wherever he’s blogging, and his post on Social Enterprise and the Recency Illusion is well worth your time: "What is new…is not so much the underlying structure as our awareness of the metaphor itself". Quite.

– Rob Greenland has kicked up a debate about bottom-up (in communities) vs. top-down (outside of communities) regeneration via a post on Ernesto Sirolli. Check out the comments….

– The Council for Social Action met for the first time….

And finally, for all those working with a miserable colleague this winter (i.e. anyone working with me this past week), check out Work Happy: 25 tips to improve your mood when people around you are miserable