Changed by Design

editors — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:58:26 +0000

[View the story "Microsoft at the 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference" on Storify]

Embrace design update and shared value partnership with GE Healthcare

editors — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 04:26:44 +0000

Since our coverage of the Embrace incubator alternative in 2009, the Embrace Infant Warmer has seen a complete redesign, organized with a new business structure, made some new alliances, and won a few more awards. Here, we’ll focus on the redesign and the business alliance with GE Healthcare. Adapting to user needs The original Embrace [...]

Attracting Funds to Your Social Enterprise

editors — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:08:02 +0000

Gone are the days when a thank you letter or annual report would suffice for communicating with your supporters. Today’s donors want to know exactly whose lives they are impacting, and they want transparency of how their dollars are being used. Whether you are seeking impact investors or philanthropic donations, the key is to demonstrate [...]

KickStart: a model for social innovation

editors — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:55:28 +0000

KickStart brings well-designed inventions to Africa, and they have successfully helped over half a million people because they have built a complete solution based on solving the fundamental problem of poverty. The product that they distribute is only one fraction of the solution. See their five-step process below.

How to choose charitable investments more wisely

editors — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:44:12 +0000

All too often, great design solutions for the developing world fall victim to dependency on charitable giving to achieve their goals. Few social enterprises have a truly sustainable business plan, so it is no surprise that there is no flood of wealth coming from traditional investors to fund these enterprises. This post focuses on understanding [...]

Emily Pilloton gives Stephen Colbert a new pair of specs

editors — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:20:58 +0000

We were delighted to see Emily Pilloton, founder of Project H Design and author of Design Revolution, appear as a guest on the Colbert Report last night. The highlight of the interview was the rousing response from Pilloton’s call for a new measure of success according to “the triple bottom line: Planet, People and Profit”. [...]

The Project H Redesign of Hippo water transport

editors — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:06:01 +0000

In a recent interview with Hippo Water founder Cynthia Koenig, we learned a bit more about the recent re-design of the Hippo Roller. It was a dream experience for this blog. The challenge In third-world countries, women and children must haul water over long distances in order to supply their communities with clean, safe water. [...]

Hippo Water: Smarter and ready to go further

editors — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:14:29 +0000

We’ve had the fortune of interviewing Cynthia Koenig, founder of Hippo Water International, to learn more about their recent re-design and their latest plans to spread Hippo technology to more communities outside South Africa. Before we dig in, Hippo most urgently needs your vote for a much-needed scouting trip in India to exchange ideas and [...]

Chicken a la Carte

editors — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:33:36 +0000

Sometimes, a well-told story can do just as much good for a problem as a well-designed solution. This principle attracted me to switch careers from engineering to advertising years ago...I'm still so far from becoming like the storytellers I so admire. This short film makes Ferdinand Dimadura one such storyteller. I won't spoil it by telling you what's in it, but I will say that people have been inspired to share this video so much that it has been viewed nearly 10 million times. In fact, I found this from my aunt who forwarded it to my entire extended family! [...view post to see embedded video]

Three mobile solutions to development challenges

editors — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:08 +0000

Two thirds of the world's 3.3 billion mobile phones are owned in developing countries. Social changemakers recognize this opportunity to reach those in need with information, tips, and resources that would otherwise be inaccessible at large scale. Here, we profile three innovative uses of mobile technology to combat developing world challenges. [...Read