The Ford Foundation in the US has said that it’s committing up to $1 billion from its $12 billion endowment over the next 10 years to mission-related investing (MRI). I really like what their President has said about MRI “We are making this commitment because we believe MRIs have the potential to become the nextContinue reading “Well said Darren Walker”
Author Archives: The Optimistic Cynic
Cambridge Taking on the World
This is an article I wrote for the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce. I want to share it because the core theme applies to so many communities. Businesses can, and must, be a key part of thriving, sustainable communities. “I’ve noticed something about business in Cambridge recently and it excites me. We all know thatContinue reading “Cambridge Taking on the World”
Your passion is your pitch
I believe that the standard “elevator pitch” works best when you’re selling widgets or when your business is so well known, that the pitch is just brand recognition. Your “passion pitch” doesn’t tell your whole story, it shares you enthusiasm and encourages people to want to know more. Tell people why your business excitesContinue reading “Your passion is your pitch”
Authenticity
These days, we’re all using the term “authentic” – it’s a simple message but one that is so important and it does say so much. As it is such an important term, I thought I’d just share the definition that I use.
When big business backs social enterprise
This is a great example of what can be done when we remember that businesses aren’t inherently bad. Generally they actually want to do good, and that includes supporting projects that are of public good as Lillian Grace so ably demonstrates in the Stuff article. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/92891606/lillian-grace-when-big-business-backs-social-enterprise-and-the-country-wins
Be better than that…
Yesterday I wrote a blog about disability services but thinking about it again, the thrust really does apply to all business. Traditional benchmarking quality against your competition limits your outcomes. We should always aim to give the customer the best possible experience, not just a better experience than they can get elsewhere. We keep sayingContinue reading “Be better than that…”
Champions
I had an great chat with Ben Scott from the Hamilton City Council yesterday. One of the points he made was that we need a Social Enterprise champions in our local area. Someone who is out there raising the profile of what it really means to be a social enterprise. I couldn’t agree more. IContinue reading “Champions”
Our thinking is what holds us back
A good friend shared this Ted Talk by Dan Pollata with me. It is from the perspective of a fund raiser but the message is true of our NFP thinking in general. Charity, doing it on a shoe string etc shouldn’t be seen as badges of honour because they hold us back from making significantContinue reading “Our thinking is what holds us back”
Growing The New Wave
How we can grow and develop our social sector A white paper from The Optimistic Cynic End Fragmentation We need genuine collaboration towards shared goals. Organisational interests need to take a back seat in our drive to achieve these goals. We need to look for partners outside of our specific sector to broaden ourContinue reading “Growing The New Wave”
Win : Win
Good businesses that are doing well, can be an important tool for our communities to also do well. We need to help businesses to achieve – and just as importantly, we need to help them to develop their passion for doing good. This is one of the reasons why I set up The Optimistic Cynic. I want toContinue reading “Win : Win”
