What would the world be like if every business took into account its effect on all its stakeholders: shareholders, of course, but employees, customers, communities, and suppliers as well?

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Forbes.com: Business Visionaries: Future of Microfinance

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Impact Investors: A New Source of Funding for Social Entrepreneurs

by Geri Stengel on Dec 9, 2009 - 12:41pm

Forecast / Prediction impact investing microfinance Nonprofit Small Business Social Capital social enterprise social entrepreneur

Financial Ingenuity

Ingenious financial solutions to the world's social and environmental challenges are becoming a global force for change.

The microfinance movement started in the '70s in Bangladesh. By 2007, the microfinance industry provided $15 billion in microloans to 106 million of the world’s poorest families, according to the Microcredit Summit Campaign. The campaign was to reach 100 million of the world’s poorest families, especially the women of those families, with credit for self-employment and other financial and business services by the year 2005. That goal was very nearly reached and in November of 2006 the Campaign was extended to 2015 with two new goals: reach 175 million of the world's poorest people and ensure that 100 million families rise above earning $1 a day.

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More Calls for Change in Way Non Profit Finances Are Evaluated

by Geri Stengel on Nov 18, 2009 - 12:59pm

Forecast / Prediction innovation non profit funding non profit leaders non profit managers non profit regulation non profit sector Nonprofit politics social enterprise Social Responsibility social responsibility

More calls to action have been made, urging funders, non profits and, yes, even the government to revise the way in which the financial effectiveness of non profits is evaluated. Hard on the heels of the Bridgespan Group report, which I discussed in my October 20 blog, Nonprofit Funding Standards Undermine Nonprofits, come two more reports, urging re-evaluation of what constitutes a “good” non profit.