I started Social Good Blueprint to examine how others are creating awesome social change… I wanted some inspiration and thought you might too. If you don’t want to miss this, you can sign up below and receive it each week in your inbox!
[1] Look Out 2019
Triple pundit’s outlook for 2019 highlights that a third of startups have a social good component to their business, but found in research that as disposable income decreases, that people are more interested in purchasing the cheaper mass-produced products than their purposeful counterparts. The rise of impact investing helps provide new funding models, making it easier for social enterprises to grow… but these companies are going to continue to find ways to communicate the importance of impact.
[2] Teaching Tech
In NYC, PwC rolls out robots to help Students Learn Tech. By bringing fun technology into the classroom, they hope to inspire interest and engagement with technology. Hopefully, if they can get students to look away from their mobile phones for more than 3 minutes, then I suspect they’ve made a great start.
[3] Impressionable Impact
I love projects like Art & Clay on Main, with a social mission to provide training and employment for individuals with disabilities, but their business is delivering activities with artistic expressions – such as painting pottery, painting on canvas, and working with clay. Something about creating something physical brings people closer together.
[4] Appetite for Change
Okay, I shouldn’t be writing a newsletter when I’m hungry. But if you’re hungry, why not support a cause at the same time. In Columbus, Ohio, Hot Chicken Takeover has taken over… with an employment model of hiring people with barriers to entry. They can hardly meet the demand, so it’s exciting to see others join in, such as Freedom a la Cart, L.A. Catering and Too Good Eats. Enough talk, now it’s time for a snack.
[5] Social Impact Spotlight
Give Back Hack is one of my favorite events. It’s a fantastic weekend hack-a-thon centered around starting ventures that have a social impact, but unlike other hack-a-thons, they support ideas after the event ends. We went to Give Back Hack, Cleveland last year – and launched a t-shirt company called Wild Tiger Tees… employing youth experiencing homelessness. Coming full circle, the youth just printed shirts for the upcoming Give Back Hack event in Baltimore, MD on February 1st. How’s that for social change?!?
[6] Start Some Good
Need some quick inspiration to Start Some Good? This week I supported the project: Kindle a Fire: Help K-Lumet Create Inclusive Jobs! — partly because it’s snowing outside and fire starters sounded like a good idea, but also because I love people who create jobs for those with barriers to entry. Check ’em out!