Help us complete our mission by telling us who the rebels are that have made an impact in your communities. What social entrepreneurship information would you benefit from hearing about here on Rebel for a Cause?

Regardless of the non-profit organization you hope to create or become part of, there are easily-accessible resources available that will make you a better rebel and business person.  Some of those resources are listed in our Recommended Reading List  on Amazon.

One of the books on this list I want to call special attention to, because it is one that changed my life. May sound lofty, but it’s true. Bill Strickland, author of Make the Impossible Possible, is my hero. In my mind, he defines what it means to be a rebel.

This video is 35 minutes long. It’s a commitment. But if I told you it just might inspire you to become a rebel TODAY, would you watch it?

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was reading this book and flying to meet Mr. Strickland in Pittsburgh that gave me the motivation to take Wounded Warrior Project to a larger place. This is not only a “thank you” to Mr. Strickland, but it’s also a plea to you. If you have an interest in creating social change, start working toward your goal by reading Make the Impossible Possible. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

ps-  All sales made through our Amazon store result in a commission. Thank you for supporting Rebel for a Cause.

Creative Commons Image Credit: Stuck in Customs

Every entrepreneur learns how to start a non-profit organization through hard work and, unfortunately, by making mistakes. Take advantage of the lessons other social entrepreneurs can teach you.  You may be the first to walk the road you are paving toward your cause, but you aren’t the first to walk the road to non-profit success.

Here’s the Rebel for a Cause do and don’t list for starting a non-profit:

Don’t let people discourage your from your goal. Rebels are never discouraged by naysayers.

Do create a community of evangelists. You can’t do this on your own. Rebels need help spreading the word.

Don’t overlook branding and its importance in your success.

Do create a professionally designed logo, and develop a strong mission statement and tagline. Consistently place these items on your materials, e.g. letterhead, business cards, and website, etc.

Don’t rely entirely on the web to tell your story. Print mailings, phone calls, and handshakes still work and always will work.

Do keep your word. Follow through with your promises. For example, if you say you are going to commit a certain percentage of funds to a cause, then you must do so.

Don’t forget you are running a business. It’s always 50% program and 50% fund raising.

Do wear your passion on your sleeve. When your donors and community members see how much you care, it’s contagious.

Don’t limit message sharing.

Do decide on your target audience, but don’t forget about everybody else. Implement the 80/20 rule. Focus 80% of your efforts and time on those who you know care about your efforts and the other 20% on those who might learn to appreciate your message.

What have we missed? What other do’s and don’ts should social entrepreneurs heed?

1.    I’m campaigning to fill the open seat in Florida’s House of Representatives for District 19. Election day is November 2. Don’t forget to vote!

2.    Bill Strickland of the Manchester Craftsman Guild is my hero. He is a rebel for a cause we should all aspire to mimic.

3.    Every year I organize the Thaw Out Open in St. Augustine, Florida, to raise awareness and funds for charity. Money raised at this year’s event (held March 12 & 13) will go to the Wounded Warrior Project and The Bosselli Foundation.

4.     I’ve been featured in Fundraising Success Magazine and named one of the Top 100 Irish Americans of the Year by Irish American Magazine.

What else would you like to know about me (John Melia)? As we move along in the book writing process, I will share more about my career and thoughts on running a non-profit.

But for those with academic ambitions, there are dozens of advanced academic programs that offer courses in social entrepreneurship or social enterprise. Below is our list, but we know we’ve missed many. Let us know which schools and programs need to be added to our list of schools offering social entrepreneurship programs.

It should also be noted that defining social entrepreneurship is not an easy task. We define social entrepreneur as any individual who starts a business with the intent to create positive social change. We understand that the term can mean many things to many people, but we’re not looking to split hairs. We only hope to open doors.

1. Alfred University
2. Austin Peay State University
3. Babson College
4. Boston College
5. Brandeis University International Business School
6. Carnegie Mellon University
7. Case Western Reserve University
8. Clarkson University
9. Colorado State University
10. Columbia Business School
11. Concordia University
12. Copenhagen Business School in Denmark
13. Cornell University
14. Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business
15. Duke University Fuqua School of Business
16. Duquesne University
17. East Carolina University
18. Emory University Goizueta Business School
19. Eramus University Rotterdam School of Management
20. ESADE Business School, Spain
21. Fairleigh Dickinson University
22. George Washington University
23. Georgetown University
24. Grand Valley State University
25. Harvard University
26. IE Business School – Spain
27. Kennesaw State University
28. La Salle University
29. Loyola College in Maryland
30. McGill University
31. Monterey Institute of International Studies
32. New York University Stern School of Business
33. Northwestern University
34. Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management
35. Portland State
36. Saint Joseph’s University
37. Samford University
38. San Diego State University
39. San Francisco State
40. Schulich School of Business
41. Simmons College School of Management
42. Standford Graduate School of Business
43. The University of British Columbia
44. The University of Nottingham UK
45. The University of Texas at Austin
46. Thunderbird School of Global Management
47. University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business
48. University of California – Berkeley Haas School of Business
49. University of California – Los Angeles
50. University of Califronia – Davis
51. University of Colorado – Boulder
52. University of Dayton
53. University of Denver Daniels College of Business
54. University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign
55. University of Iowa
56. University of Kentucky
57. University of Massachusetts – Amherst
58. University of Michigan Ross School of Business
59. University of Missouri – Kansas City
60. University of New Mexico
61. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
62. University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business
63. University of Oklahoma
64. University of Oregon
65. University of Oxford Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
66. University of San Diego
67. University of South Florida – St. Petersburg
68. University of Virginia
69. University of Western Ontario Richard Ivey School of Business
70. University of Wisconsin – Madison
71. Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management
72. Wake Forest University
73. Wake Forest University – Babcock
74. Warwick Business School
75. Washington University in St. Louis
76. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University
77. Yale University

Sources: http://www.aacsb.edu/members/communities/interestgrps/socialdoc.asp
http://compassioninpolitics.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/top-mba-and-business-schools-for-social-entrepreneurship/

Ask any Olympic athlete and I’m sure they’d tell you they’ve had their own fair share of opposition too. As we see it, rebels have a lot to learn from Olympic athletes. Here are five lessons you can take to heart.

Lesson One: When someone tells you what you’re doing is dangerous, buy a helmet.

Lesson Two: Can’t afford all that training and equipment? Find a sponsor. In fact, find several sponsors who will help you finance your mission and get on board with your rebel ways.

Lesson Three: Any cause can be organized regardless of the obstacles. Ever seen the movie Cool Running? It’s proof that nothing is impossible…if Jamaica can have a bobsled team, then your rebel cause can be successful.

Lesson Four: Even the most obscure cause can gain attention. No one knows anything about curling until the day it’s televised. Then, all of the sudden, we understand what it means to slide big stones across the ice.

Lesson Five: Any good athlete will tell you that controlled speed is essential for winning. Pointing your skis downhill and hoping for the best may work in some cases, but you’re better served with speed backed by control. Prepare and follow the momentum without anything slowing you down.

What else can the Winter Olympics teach us about becoming rebels? Do share.

Rebel for a Cause is about recognizing those who make change despite the obstacles. We can’t complete our mission without your help.

If you love a rebel (or even just mildly like a rebel), nominate them for recognition on the RebelforaCause.org site or in our forthcoming book. The mention will last longer than a box of chocolates or those chalky candy hearts.

The whole world will see your rebel nomination. Your rebel will feel loved. Is there a better way to say “Happy Valentine’s Day?”

Making a nomination is easy. You can leave a comment on this post, you can email us at info [at] rebelforacause [dot] org, or you can keep it anonymous and fill out our online form.

We look forward to hearing from you.

John knew firsthand what it felt like to return home injured after duty. He also sympathized with those young men and women who returned only to sit in a hospital bed unsure of what was next in their lives.

As a result, John recruited the help of his wife and two daughters to load up backpacks with comfort items such as playing cards, music, and clothes. They personally visited soldiers in nearby hospitals to deliver the packs. Although the project started small, this backpack project got big and it got big fast.

In just a few short years, WWP became an organized non-profit organization, and began doing more than delivering backpacks. Today, WWP connects veterans with counselors, mentors, and other services. The WWP mission is to raise awareness, offer effective programming, and help severely injured service members help themselves and each other.

In the beginning, many told John that WWP would be a difficult organization to run. But he didn’t care. He moved on with the plan and today he is glad that he did, because of all the people the project has helped and continues to help.

The Wounded Warrior Project is an example of a rebel for a cause. We plan to talk in detail about how John got the organization going and how the organization continues to operate despite challenges. Stay tuned for more information here on the site and in our forthcoming book.

We hope this brief description helps you understand what our site is about and helps you understand what a RebelforaCause.org is really all about too. Have you nominated a rebel?

1.    President Obama wants YOU to volunteer. Serve.gov posts an abundance of well-written information on volunteering and organizing your own volunteer event. The site also has a search option that allows you to find existing volunteer opportunities based on your areas of interest and zip code. However, the search results can be overwhelming, since the links take you to other websites…many other websites. 

2.    VolunteerMatch.org allows you to search by area/interest. The results are fewer than those on Serve.gov, and all of the results pages are self-contained within the site. Even better, volunteers can rate and review each volunteer opportunity.

3.    Idealist.org is similar to the above two volunteer matching sites in that you can search for volunteer opportunities by location and keyword. However, on Idealist.org there are search options for careers, consultants, internships, and more.

4.    HandsOnNetwork.org is an online resource to a degree, but like their name says, the organization’s true contribution is in the hands-on work they do. The Hands On Network organizes events, conferences, and the world-renowned National Volunteer Week held every April. The Hands On Network has over 250 locations across the United States where they organize volunteer events, which are posted on their site. All you have to do is search by category and zip code.

p.s. – Become a rebel. Start volunteering and then come back to RebelforaCause.org and tell us about your experience.

p.p.s.- The picture of violins/fiddles is reminiscent of the play Fiddler on the Roof , the inspiration for our headline.

Click here to view the embedded video.