In Awe of Jacqueline Novogratz – Social Entrepreneurship in Action
Never have I flipped to glance at the back cover of a book as many times as I did while reading Jacqueline Novogratz ‘s, The Blue Sweater. Why? I couldn’t help but stare in disbelief that all of these experiences, incidents, wisdom and action belong to just one woman. This one smiling, blue-eyed, refined looking woman. She may look like a mere mortal, but she is one amazing, tough, smart woman who is changing the world in a big way!
In The Blue Sweater, Bridging The Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder & CEO of The Acumen Fund, Jacqueline shares her journey from the start of her career in International Banking through decades of development work, much of it in Africa; specifically in Rwanda. I bought this book on Seth Godin’s recommendation last year, and although I loaned it to a student to read first; the book only now jumped out of the “nice to read someday” stack and I urge you to read it too!
Jacqueline Novogratz may not be a household name (yet) but mark my words, she soon will be! The Acumen Fund’s revolutionary concept combines the best of the Philanthropy model and the best of the Venture Capital model to identify and invest in high potential entrepreneurs serving the poorest people in the world.
Jacqueline’s unique perspective and approach are the result of working in the field in Africa and in organizations such as The World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, combined with skills she honed in the corporate world and in Stanford’s MBA program. This book, like Jacqueline herself, crosses over and interconnects the non-profit and for profit sectors, accountability and the bottom line with dignity and humanity, poverty and privilege. Jacqueline and the Acumen fund push innovation; not to serve the elite, but to drive down production costs to make life changing products and services accessible to the poor.
The Blue Sweater is not a typical “How to” business book. Instead it is an inspiring story of one woman tackling the most pervasive problem of poverty and igniting people and corporations to make a real difference in the world. The Acumen Fund has already funded over 30 thriving enterprises helping 36 million people. This is the ultimate example of social entrepreneurship and innovation in action!
Click here to see Jacqueline tell the story of the Blue Sweater. Check out the Acumen Fund Blog
To order the book, click here, (a few cents will go to the wbii).
To borrow my copy of the book, just ask:-)
Sharing Seth Godin
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It is no secret that I am a huge Seth Godin fan. Last week, a visitor in the office mistook Seth Godin for my husband, just because the photo of me meeting Seth in London happens to be the only photo on display? My immediate response, “Why would I have a photo of my husband in my office?” For the record, my husband is not (yet) completely bald, nor is he at all bothered that there is no photo of him in my office.
Last February, I flew to London along with my colleague Lisa to attend Seth Godin, the “London Session“. It was a truly great experience, a shared experience, and thought provoking to this day, even one year later.
So, it is no surprise that I was very excited to hear that Seth was coming as close as Antwerp for an event. The regular ticket price was not cheap, but there was a great offer for students, which made it easy for me to convince the Dean of the New Business School that this event would be a great opportunity for the students in my Business Development Elective.
The students were enthusiastic from the first mention and they all made the necessary arrangements to attend (these two factors can not be taken for granted with students). Yesterday most of us traveled together by train to Antwerp, and it was a pleasure to share the Seth Godin experience with my students. Some had watched videos of Seth Godin online, but the “Live” experience is something else. They were amazed by his presence and charisma, captivating an audience of over 1,000 professionals with his ideas, insights and call to action. Seth Godin is not teaching a formula for you to follow or preaching a method for success. His intention is to nudge you to think in new and different ways and most importantly, to take action.
The Seth Godin experience had a profound impact on these students, in a way that some could not yet explain. Several mentioned that it was an evening they would refer to for years to come. These students are not easily impressed and don’t go out of their way to score points with their teacher either, so I believe the sincerity of their remarks and their appreciation.
I am still smiling after an evening of sharing Seth Godin. There is so much to be learned outside the classroom and it was a great opportunity to get to know these students even better. If not for the train ride back to Amsterdam, how else would I have discovered that Dutch students unanimously prefer jelly beans over chocolate Easter eggs paired with Heineken!
Shattering the “Golden Ceiling”
Before taking the stage to host the WBII annual International Women’s Day Event in The Hague, I searched for fresh material and statistics. The latest research results and comparative data analysis are predictably published every year around March 8, International Women’s Day.
Statistics can always be found to support either side of an issue. For instance, this year the International Herald Tribune focused on women and science. Only 16 of the 540 Nobel Peace Prizes have ever been awarded to women in science, but the fact that there were 3 awarded last year could be taken as a very positive indicator.
Fifteen years have passed since the Beijing Declaration, but The Gender Wage Gap remains, with women earning 17.6% less than men on average worldwide and the disparity is over 30% in Korea and Japan. What strikes me when I review these statistics each year is how little the statistics change and how slow the wheels of progress actually turn.
It was a thrill to wake up on March 8 and see that the Golden Ceiling had been shattered on the Eve of International Women’s Day! What, you ask is the Golden Ceiling? It is, of course the “Glass Ceiling, Hollywood style! And now, thanks to Katherine Bigelow’s big win of the most coveted golden statue in Hollywood, the Golden Ceiling is finally shattered. It took 82 years for a woman to win the Most Important (and genderless) category of Best Director.
The broader statistics in the film industry are quite disappointing. Of the top 250 films made in 2009, only 7% had a female director. There is still a long way to go, but International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate progress. Katherine Bigelow’s Oscar is “a first” for women in a competitive industry with tremendous global visibility. Her high profile victory will undoubtedly inspire others and just the mention of it brought cheers and energy to the crowd gathered at our event on Monday night!
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Helping Hearts – How Small Business Helps Haiti
Millions of people around the world tuned in over the weekend for the Hope for Haiti Telethon organized by George Clooney. The show was an amazing spectacle that featured musical performances by Bono, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Coldplay, Beyonce, Stevie Wonders and many, many more! Hollywood celebs were out in full force to man the phones for the telethon. Julie Roberts, Robert Deniro and Steven Spielberg chatting with donors and giving heartfelt thanks demonstrated a perfect example of everyone pitching in for the cause.
HopeforHaitinow.org achieved record-breaking results, collecting over 58 million in the 24 hours following the broadcast. It was well organized with multiple ways to complete the transaction, including internationals, which is not always easy! Particularly ingenious was the the Donate Now button on the website becoming a Donate Again button after you give (each time). The money will continue to pour in through the sales of the recorded performance, which has reached number 1 in 18 countries. Wow and bravo all around!
So this morning when I glanced at Facebook and noticed the blog post, “Let’s do Something to Help Haiti” by Natalie Carstens of Tigs Creations Photography, I was not convinced that this link would lead me to a new and inspiring initiative to raise money for Haiti, but I was wrong to underestimate Small Business. Continue reading »
Filed under Entrepreneurship, In the news, Inspiring | Comments (7)
