Causecast Blog

Last Fall, social innovation went to Geneva to attend the global prom. That’s how I looked at The Social Innovation and Global Ethics Forum (SIGEF), an international event organized by Horyou that brought together nonprofits, renowned speakers, social entrepreneurs and the general public for three days of dialogue around pressing issues, such as social empowerment and equal access to water.

As global leaders prepare to gather at the 46th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, I've been musing on the topic of their forthcoming discussion: Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The premise of this anointed age is that human progress is now fully oriented around science and technology, when tools that are small, cheap and more powerful than ever have transformed entire systems of production, distribution, consumption -- "and possibly the very essence of human nature."

The old proverb about how to feed a man for a lifetime has us teaching him to fish. Matthew Manos thinks teaching also works for changing the world.

By now, you’ve seen the earth-shaking philanthropy headlines. After the birth of their daughter, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, announced that they’ll donate 99 percent of their Facebook stock to philanthropic causes over the course of their lifetimes.

When you hear the word “lottery,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Empowering women has been held up as an answer to myriad global problems, starting with poverty. According to the Global Poverty Project, women make up half the world's population and yet represent a staggering 70% of the world's poor. As the report notes, “We live in a world in which women living in poverty face gross inequalities and injustice from birth to death. From poor education to poor nutrition to vulnerable and low pay employment, the sequence of discrimination that a woman may suffer during her entire life is unacceptable but all too common.”

I’ve never had a real job.  

Attending SOCAP15, the recent Social Capital Markets conference in San Francisco, was one of the highlights of my year. A world-renowned conference series dedicated to increasing the flow of capital toward social good, SOCAP brings together impact investors, global innovators, foundations, governments, institutions, and social entrepreneurs for a forum on how best to change the world. It’s nearly impossible to leave without feeling inspired and ready to take on any challenge to social progress.

As Thanksgiving looms, company leaders across the world are building thanks to their communities through their year-end giving campaigns. For many businesses, this year’s corporate philanthropy effort will reach its zenith on December 1st, also known as #GivingTuesday.