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In the United States, people make a conscious effort to give back to society. Most Americans want to contribute to the betterment of the world in some way. This culture has been much appreciated, and imitated too, by the rest of the world.

The US has some of the largest charities in the world. Below is a list of some of the biggest names in charities. If you are looking for a new charity to support, you should definitely consider one of the following organizations.

Learn More About The Top Charities In The U.S.

In the social service category, the best organizations that you can donate to are Habitat for Humanity International, Doctors Without Borders – USA, and Feeding America. All of these aid agencies do excellent work in the world. In fact, Feeding America not only provides hunger relief to more than 46 million people, it also runs a program to educate people about hunger and poverty.

The Institute of International Education charity is one of the top 100 charities in the world. Its noteworthy programs include Central Europe Summer Research Institute (CESRI) and Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability.

Some Other Charities Also Worth Donating To

YMCA of the USA – The YMCA works to give care to young children and teenagers and is one of the top charities to donate to.
Food for the Poor – This organization works for relief and development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Goodwill Industries International – Through the ‘Donate Movement’ program, Goodwill distributes donated used goods.
American Cancer Society – Donated funds go towards research and cancer awareness programs.
The Nature Conservancy – The aim of this charity is to protect nature all over the globe.
Direct Relief – Direct Relief dispenses essential medical care and manages a program called Medical Reserve Corps.

Based In America But Doing Good Worldwide

There are a number of organizations all over the world that support hundreds and thousands of different causes. A donor should choose a charitable foundation whose cause touches the heart.

Many of the charities mentioned above have grown beyond geographical and economic boundaries, with good reason. The largest non-profit organizations in the world have reached that status by managing their duties with care and competence.

Why Donate To One Of These Charities?

By donating to the top charities, you can be assured that your money is making some difference. The management of the top charities hold themselves accountable for the work they do, and their hard work and care is evident.

Trends in Social Entrepreneurship

On March 9, 2017

In Community Builder, Social Entrepreneurship, Trevor Marca

While a large percentage of companies have participated in philanthropy over the years and individual entrepreneurs have attempted to make a positive impact with their work, the concept of social entrepreneurship has become increasingly popular in recent years. The Skoll Foundation recently conducted a survey of social entrepreneurship trends. This post looks at the survey’s findings.

Climate Change

The threat of climate change becomes more and more obvious with each passing year. Climate change has ramifications for many social entrepreneurs. While some entrepreneurs work directly to combat climate change, others have no choice but to deal with the results of a changing world. Some question whether the Paris Climate Agreement will have a significant impact, especially with the Trump administration’s attitude toward climate change. Yet others view the increased awareness of climate change as a small victory.

Youth

Many entrepreneurs worry about the future of the world’s youth. Last year the International Labour Organization (ILO) reported that youth unemployment was rising throughout the world. Youth who grow up with less opportunity than previous generations contribute to political instability and increased poverty. On the other hand, many observers realize that today’s youth are generally more educated than their parents—a fact that will contribute to their success later in life.

Nationalism

Nationalist movements seem to be gaining popularity worldwide, especially in Europe. The movements are a response to issues such as unemployment and feelings of exclusion from society. Leaders of nationalist movements often use language designed to divide “others” from the ingroup. Entrepreneurs worry about how these movements will impact their work.

Technology

Many social entrepreneurs are concerned about the impact that technology will have on their work. Some entrepreneurs embrace technology and the possibilities it has to positively affect the world. Yet others are concerned with there being a lack of digital literacy especially in relation to data. Plus, privacy is always a concern when it comes to online data.

Migration

The European refugee crisis is a topic of concern for many social entrepreneurs. This issue also relates to climate change since migration will increase as more location become uninhabitable. Refugees and migrants are at greater risk of radicalization and face a number of safety issues. Respondents believe that more work needs to be done to integrate refugees and migrants into larger society.

Inequality

Several social entrepreneurs are focused on reducing the amount of inequality in the world. Although inequality has always existed, the divide between rich and poor has widened in recent years. Entrepreneurs are paying particular attention to the Global South’s access to financial services and how policy decisions affect the world’s poorest.

3 of the World’s Most Notable Social Entrepreneurs

On March 9, 2017

Although social entrepreneurship has become increasingly trendy in recent years, social entrepreneurs have been making an impact for decades. This post looks at three of the most notable social entrepreneurs in history. Each entrepreneur listed below is a testament to the fact that monetary success and social change do not have to cross each other out. With the right business model and the right idea, success in both areas can be achieved.

Bill Drayton

Bill Drayton is credited with popularizing the term social entrepreneurship. In 1980 he created Ashoka, an organization that focuses on assisting social entrepreneurs. Ashoka fellows receive a stipend from the organization that helps funds their living expenses rather than their social enterprise. As a result, the fellows are able to exclusively focus on getting their enterprise to a point where it can become self-sustaining. By funding entrepreneurs, Drayton’s organization has helped make a significant impact throughout the world. Drayton’s work isn’t limited to Ashoka. He is also the chairman of Get America Working!, an organization that advocates the elimination of payroll taxes and the adoption of pollution taxes in order to decrease the price of labor and increase employment.

Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus is a pioneer of microcredit and microfinance. Because of his work with Grameen Bank (GB), he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. GB allows the poorest people in Bangladesh to receive collateral without any collateral. Usually, these individuals would be unable to secure any loans. However, with the help of GB, they have been able to pursue new business ideas or expand their current business. GB is particularly concerned with supporting women since women in India typically earn less income than men. Although Yunus has faced accusations of tax evasion in recent years, GB continues to operate and help individuals achieve their dreams.

Scott Harrison

For ten years Scott Harrison worked as a club promoter. After a trip to Uruguay, though, he realized that he wanted to make a difference in the world. He spent two years volunteering aboard Mercy Ships and then decided to create Charity: Water in 2006. Charity: Water focuses on creating “sustainable, community-owned water projects around the world” (How We Work). The organization focuses on water because so many people do not have access to clean water. When water is dirty, there is an increase in diseases, and people must spend more time searching for clean water.

If you are interested in learning more about individual social entrepreneurs, take a look at this list.

5 Ways Your Business Can Contribute to the Community

On February 10, 2017

If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur and you want to give back to your community, you may be surprised to learn that it’s not that difficult. There are a number of benefits for businesses that help the community. Giving back reflects positively on the business, builds better relationships between you and your customers, and helps advertise your services. Keep reading to learn about 5 different ways you can help your community.

Support a Charity

Donating to charity is one of the easiest ways to give back to the community. Not only will a donation campaign help raise awareness for your brand, you will also have a positive impact. There are many different ways that you can raise funds for charity. Some businesses donate the profits from a particular item to charity. You can also organize a fundraising event like a 5K race, or you can let employees participate in a “dress-down” day in exchange for a small donation. In some cases, it may be a good idea to team up with another local business and participate in some sort of competition to raise money for charities.

Go Green

Saving energy is a great way to help the environment and support the community. The last thing that any business should do is add unnecessary waste to the community where it resides. In most cases, green initiatives save money in the long term. Green initiatives also show community members that you care about how you conduct business—an attractive quality to potential customers. One of the easiest ways to go green is to recycle and use environmentally-friendly light bulbs. You can also consider installing solar panels on the roof of your building. Green initiatives are great for the community, and they may even save you money on taxes. Take a look at this article to learn more about the benefits of going green.

Pro Bono Services

One of the best ways to support the community is to give away your services for free. You can either donate the goods you sell, or you can provide your services free-of-charge to community members who are in need. The community will thank you for your generosity, and your business will gain respect.

Free Training

Get to know your community members by hosting a training event. For example, if you are involved in technology, you can teach people how to use computers. You don’t always have to look outside of your business to help the community. By offering your employees training opportunities, you benefit the community. Community members will understand that your business cares about the growth of its employees and customers will be happy to support you.

Landscape

Sprucing up the landscape of your business is one of the easiest ways to benefit the community. By planting a few trees and flowers you will also contribute to employee happiness. Numerous studies show that time spent outside contributes to a person’s well-being. Give your employees an area where they can take a break and enjoy nature. You’ll make the community look prettier and your employees will be happier.

4 Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs

On February 10, 2017

Good habits make great entrepreneurs. This is true whether your work focuses on social entrepreneurship or not. Oftentimes, finding success as an entrepreneur is just a matter of finding the right habits and sticking with them. At the very least, when you eliminate bad habits you gain more time and a clearer perspective on how to reach your goals. Keep reading to learn about some of the best habits that every entrepreneur should have.

Get Up Early

One of Benjamin Franklin’s most famous sayings is “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” The saying is more than just a cute rhyme. Waking up early gives you a jumpstart on the day’s activities. Some people choose to get up early so that they can workout and feel energized for the day. You can also get up early to work on any number of projects that you’ve been meaning to tackle. If you’re not a morning person start by getting up 10 minutes earlier each day for one week. Then get up 20 minutes earlier during the second week. You’ll eventually be able to get up an hour before you usually do.

Express Gratitude

Attitude is everything. If you only focus on the setbacks and roadblocks you encounter, you’ll make it difficult to find success. On the other hand, if you remain grateful for the positive things you have in life—not just career-related things but friends and family—you’ll feel a lot more satisfied and happy. A grateful attitude ensures that you don’t take anything for granted, and it’s one of the first steps of adopting an optimistic attitude. Read this article to learn more about how feeling grateful can lead to success.

Smile

Smiling is one of the simplest habits you can pick up, and it’s also one of the most beneficial. Did you know that people who smile tend to be happier? While that might seem obvious, you can begin to feel happier just by making a conscious effort to smile. Body language often dictates how we feel. If you sit slouched over and frown for the majority of the day, then there’s a good chance that you won’t feel too happy. Your mind takes its cue from your body language. Yet it’s difficult to feel down when you adopt a power pose and smile. Make the effort to smile more, and you’ll quickly feel the benefits.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the best habits that you can incorporate into your daily routine. There are a number of benefits to exercise including better sleep, improved mood, and more energy. You don’t have to workout every day to see results. Three days per week is a good routine to aim for. Being an entrepreneur is a demanding job. Physical activity will help ensure that you stay healthy and your mind stays clear.

4 Must-Read Books For Social Entrepreneurs

On January 11, 2017

If you’re just starting out as a social entrepreneur, it’s likely that you’re always looking for inspiration. Finding success as a social entrepreneur is no easy task. It’s helpful to see how other entrepreneurs navigated the business world. Reading a book is one of the best ways to gain inspiration. Plus, books offer more than just inspiration. They can point out potential mistakes to avoid, strategies to utilize, and a host of other things. Below is a list of some of the must-read books for social entrepreneurs.

Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard is one of the most important names in social entrepreneurship. In 1973 he started Patagonia—way before social entrepreneurship was trendy. (Read my September blog post to learn more about Patagonia.) More recently, he founded 1% For the Planet, an organization that encourages businesses to contribute 1% of their profits to environmental organizations. Let My People Go Surfing details Chouinard’s journey from adventurer to successful social entrepreneur.

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie

Blake Mycoskie is the person behind Toms shoes. His company was one of the first to pioneer the one-for-one idea that’s popular in social entrepreneurship. For every pair of shoes that the company sells it donates a pair of shoes to a person in need. The book emphasizes the idea that it’s possible to make money while helping the world at the same time, and it’s easier than most people think. In its pages, you’ll find six keys that will help you change your life or your business.

Get Big Fast and Do More Good by Ido Leffler and Lance Kalish

In five years Ido Leffler and Lance Kalish took Yes To Carrots, their natural cosmetics brand, from a simple dream to a successful brand sold in 25 different countries. Today the company is called Yes To, and it has multiple collections that focus on incorporating different natural ingredients. For example, there’s Yes To Cucumbers, Yes To Cotton, and Yes To Coconut. Get Big Fast and Do More Good is an inspiring, quick read that may give you insight into your own business.

Screw Business as Usual by Richard Branson

Richard Branson is one of the world’s most successful and famous entrepreneurs. Branson’s book provides numerous examples from his own life on how you can find success in business and change the world at the same time. Ultimately, Branson’s message is that no business should focus on profit alone. He believes that businesses have a responsibility to solve social issues. While every social entrepreneur will agree with Branson, his book illuminates the actual path that you can take to achieve profit and social change.

Tips For Starting A Nonprofit

On January 11, 2017

Starting a nonprofit is one of the best ways to make a positive impact on the world. While profit isn’t the main motivator behind nonprofit organizations, they still need to be run like normal businesses. Taxes, laws, human resources, and funding still play a role in the success or failure of nonprofits. Before you start your own nonprofit, take a look at the below list. These tips will help ensure that you stay on the right path during the creation of your world-changing organization.

Do Your Research

Nationwide there are more than 1.4 million different nonprofits. During your planning stage, you need to consider the competition that you’ll face once you’re up and running. There are some important questions you should ask yourself before you get too deep in the process. Check out this list to see some examples of the sort of questions you need to answer.

Start With A Business Plan

The first step for any successful business—whether it’s a nonprofit or not—is to write a business plan. A proper business plan will increase the chances that you secure funding from either private funders or a local bank. It demonstrates that you are serious about starting your organization, and it will help you attract your first volunteers. Not having a business plan is like not having a map to success. If you don’t have a plan no one will follow you.

Incorporate

There are many reasons why you should incorporate your nonprofit. One of the most important reasons is that you’ll be able to apply for grant money. Learn more about this reason and some other important ones by reading this article. While the paperwork associated with incorporating can be a headache, in the end, you’ll be happy you completed the process and gained tax-exempt status.

Write A Mission Statement

The vision or mission statement that you create will help you attract the right people. Board members, volunteers, employees, and donors will either embrace or ignore your organization based in part on the vision you share with the world. Your vision statement can be the first part of your business plan. It explains who you are, what you do, and why your organization matters.

Learn More

The National Council of Nonprofits has a number of resources that you will find useful when getting your nonprofit off the ground. Their resources include guides about best practices, financial management, and fundraising. Visit their Tools & Resources page for more information.

Trevor Marca: Resources for Social Entrepreneurship

Resources To Help Social Entrepreneurs

On December 12, 2016

Ask any entrepreneur, and they will tell you that finding success is difficult. For social entrepreneurs, though, success may be even more difficult to find. In addition to all the normal struggles that entrepreneurs face, social entrepreneurs also attempt to make a positive impact with their work—no easy task. If you want to be a social entrepreneur, the below tips will help you develop your business and find success.

B Lab – Impact Assessment Tool

B Lab is a non-profit organization founded in 2009. The company’s goal is to help social entrepreneurs and issue B Corporation certification to companies who score well on B Lab’s social impact assessment. While there is an annual fee associated with maintaining B Corporation certification, B Lab’s Impact Assessment Tool is free for any company to use. The B Lab site has many examples of B-Reports which can be used as references for creating a business that has a social impact.

Ashoka

Ashoka has been supporting social entrepreneurs for 35 years through fellowships. The fellows are able to use the grant money to support themselves while they work full time on their business. At the moment “more than 3,000 Ashoka Fellows [are] implementing system-changing solutions to human and environmental problems in 89 countries” (About Ashoka). Becoming an Ashoka Fellow is not an easy task. There are at least five phases to the selection process, and the business idea has to be truly innovative. However, the site also features inspiring stories and insightful articles that every social entrepreneur will find helpful.

NYU Speaker Series

Social entrepreneurship is the focus of the Catherine B. Reynolds Speaker Series. Entrepreneurs located in the NYC area should make a point of going to one of the discussions—they’re free and anyone can attend. The events can also be downloaded for free via iTunes. In the past, John Mackey (Whole Foods Market), Elie Wiesel (Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity), and Seth Goldman (Honest Tea) have participated in the series. Many other universities around the country have similar events, so if you don’t live in the NYC, you might still be able to attend an event in person.

Unreasonable Institute

The Unreasonable Institute “provide[s] entrepreneurs what they need to create scalable solutions to the world’s greatest problems” (We Believe). Entrepreneurs can apply for the chance to attend an “accelerator” program. Some of the programs are short (5 days) while other programs last for weeks. Entrepreneurs who participate in a program get the chance to speak with mentors and learn about numerous topics like raising capital and strategic planning.

5 Ways That Small Businesses Help The Community

On December 11, 2016

Small businesses are one of the most important aspects of every community. Not only do small businesses “account for 99.7% of all business in the US,” they are also leaders in giving back to the community through charity (Schmid). In fact, a survey conducted last year found that “92 percent of U.S. small business owners… [surveyed] said they personally donate to charities and nonprofit organizations” (Hernandez). To learn more about how small businesses help the community, take a look below.

Local Identity

Small businesses give a community its unique identity. Art galleries, bookstores, cafes, yoga studios, and corner grocery stores add character to the communities that they call home. Many towns are proud of the number of local businesses that inhabit their community. In an effort to attract visitors, local tourism boards often advertise the number of local businesses as a sign of community health.

Community Involvement

The above statistic makes it clear that small business owners want to give back to the communities they live in. Many small businesses sponsor local sports teams or donate money to local charities around the holidays. Since small business owners usually live in the communities where they work, they care about their neighbors. In general, they don’t make decisions that will negatively affect other community members.

Build Relationships

Small businesses benefit from customer relationships. When you visit a local business, it’s very likely that you will meet the owner. Oftentimes, owners make an effort to get to know their customers, learn their names, and remember their preferences. Small businesses don’t have all of the advantages that big businesses have, so they care about providing great customer service and establishing lasting relationships with their customers.

Help the Environment

When numerous small businesses are located in one area, foot traffic is increased and people don’t have to rely on their automobiles as much. This contributes to better air quality. Today consumers are increasingly concerned about the health of the environment. They also care about walkability. Since small businesses tend to be located close to one another, this helps increase a community’s walkability and attract health-conscious residents.

Local Employment

Small businesses provide jobs to community members. When someone can get a job in the area where they live, they don’t have to commute to another city, and they may even be able to walk to work each day. Also, when community members shop at local businesses, they help put money in the pockets of their neighbors behind the counter.

4 Ways Your Business Can Go Green

On November 7, 2016