Social Innovations Must Start with a “Worm’s-Eye View”
Social entrepreneurs are solving big problems from the bottom up, with low-risk actions taken to discover, develop, and test ideas.
Microfinance - Articles
Financial services for people who lack access to money (more)
Skoll 2011 Interview: Susan Davis and Rumee Ali of BRAC
Exciting announcement revealed at the Skoll World Forum: BRAC and MasterCard Foundation announced a $45 million partnership.
Turning a Profit by Helping the Poor
Politically radical social workers didn’t expect to be working in a bank any more than white-collar bankers expected to be holding meetings in a crowded public market.
Collective Impact
Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, not the isolated intervention of individual organizations.
Dark Skies After All
A look at several troubling developments in microfinance.
Philanthropy’s Buzzwords of the Decade
The 10 phrases I have chosen to show the steady rise in market-based solutions for social problem solving, technology’s infiltration of all things fund raising, and a shift in attention from local to global.
Sunny Days for Microfinance
I think the current moment is the beginning of the golden years for microfinance.
Review
The Quintessential Entrepreneur
A FISTFUL OF RICE: My Unexpected Quest to End Poverty Through Profitability by Vikram Akula
Water, Microfinance, and Innovation
Although the market demand exists, there have not been sustainable ways to finance basic water needs. That is, until Water.org introduced WaterCredit in South Asia.
A Sobering Assessment of Microfinance’s Impact
At a conference last week of leaders in microfinance, attendees focused on the nitty-gritty of the social impact of microlending, and the results of the discussions were both sobering and startling.