News on The Edge
Welcome to the Social Edge update! Most of us who have access to this newsletter can’t possibly imagine what it is like to live on a very small income in a rural area of the developing world. As a result, we often compare standards of living and wish we could change the lives of the poor. But, in this process, aren’t we simply attempting to graft our own notions about quality of life onto other cultures? Are we really sure that every human being needs or wants Nike and Starbucks to live a whole existence? We asked Lindsay Clinton, who is based in Mumbai, to help us find out what it means to be poor. Is it about lacking basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter? Is it about facing social exclusion, discrimination and marginalization? Being invisible? Or, as many believe, maybe the poor are actually happy living a simple existence. Is poverty a myth? Share with us what you believe is wrong with being poor, by joining Lindsay Clinton in this provocative (but constructive) conversation. Then visit Dr. O to see how social entrepreneurs approach this issue: “Some, like Forge, raise funds for food and shelter. Others, like d.Light, use innovation, or, like Kiva, provide micro-loans.” Alvin Hall highlights yet another model by showing how Friends International helps marginalized children escape poverty and become productive members of their communities. Jonathan Lewis strongly believes that results, not ideology, are what really count in the fight against poverty, whether they are brought by Chinese capitalism projects driven by centralized governmental policy, or microfinance initiatives run by the private sector. Fortunately, members of the millennial generation, like Saul Garlick, are also attacking the problem in thousands of villages and hamlets all over the globe, or, like Lara Vogel, in business school. Altogether, Jonathan Lewis reminds us that one in seven people lacks the minimal daily calories needed to survive: “In plain language, they are slowly starving to death –a global concentration camp of hunger.” That is poverty.
Join this Week's Live Discussions  What's wrong with being poor?
Are the poor actually unhappy? Do we want them to have things they don’t need? What is really wrong with being poor? Join Mumbai-based Lindsay Clinton in this provocative (but constructive) conversation.
Knowledge Transfer for Greater Impact
We need to provide knowledge transfer to build capacity building and move away from a system of dependency, writes Almaz Negash. But how do we support those social entrepreneurs who are trying to transfer knowledge? Theory of Change: A Collaborative Tool?
Your Theory of Change can simply be an in-house tool, or an in-sector methodology that you can use collaboratively to avoid needless duplication of effort. Join Charles "Hipbone" Cameron as we discuss how to get greater impact at the level of the issue. The Personal Bottom Line
Where do you fit on a three-axis graph with X=social, Y= financial and Z=personal? SVT Group’s Sara Olsen wonders what your personal bottom line looks like. Death by Definitions
Social investment, mission-related investment, or impact investing? Rod Schwartz answers: "Let’s spend our time growing the sector and leave it to future generations to decide what to call what we did." What do you think? The Fetishization of Metrics
If the value of social entrepreneurship is not reducible to simple quantitative terms, how do we define and capture the impact we are having? Join Charles (Hipbone) Cameron in the conversation.
Do you have suggestions for Social Edge or for this newsletter? Send us feedback. You can remove yourself from this list at any time. Hope to see you on The Edge and on Twitter @socialedge! Victor d’Allant
Executive Director, Social Edge
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"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington CarverWhat is Social Entrepreneurship?Statement of Faith
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