Tagged ‘social enterprise’

May 20th, 2010By Comments (4)

There is no shortage today of people using technology to advance social change. Check out the AshokaTECH blog to get a sense of some amazing ideas bubbling up.  Mobile apps help people volunteer with their handheld devices. Others assemble data from crowds to ...

May 13th, 2010By , No Comments

When the U.S. economy took a nose dive, and banks cut back on lending, many small American businesses turned to a credit source typically associated with the developing world: microfinance. Microlender ACCION USA, which has lent close to $120 million since 1991, was ...

May 5th, 2010By Comments (1)

Dowser is hiring an editing whiz with a knack for writing knockout content about social innovation. We’re looking for a smart, committed, resourceful type to come on board to fill our Editorial Manager position. Misanthropes need not apply. Applications will be accepted on ...

April 22nd, 2010By , Comments (1)

One time he was two weeks away from payroll and he didn't know how he was going to pay his staff. Another time, he delivered a customer coffee beans that were so hard they broke the blades of the man's coffee grinder. John ...

April 21st, 2010By , , Comments (5)

We all know that that time of the month is a pain, but who knew that it causes millions of women to lose up to 45 days of work and school every year? And for something as basic as a lack of sanitary ...

April 15th, 2010By No Comments

The Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada published an interview with our own David Bornstein this past Tuesday. We’re highlighting it here because David made a few points that really capture what motivated us to start Dowser. “Inspiration is overrated” - young people have ...

April 9th, 2010By No Comments

Each Saturday night at EcoAlberto Park in El Alberto, Mexico, tourists gather in groups awaiting a coyote to smuggle them across the U.S. border. The ritual takes place 400 miles south of the actual border. For $20, tourists -- mostly middle class Mexicans ...

April 7th, 2010By Comments (4)

Last week President Obama signed a bill that will make the government the primary provider of student loans, stripping banks of that power. This will lead to vast government savings, which will be reinvested to provide grants to students from low income families ...

April 1st, 2010By , Comments (7)

Ami Dar’s career as a social entrepreneur began with an epiphany, $1,000, and a childhood dream to change the world. Years later, he would act on that dream when he founded Idealist, a pioneering web-based portal that serves as a one-stop shop for ...

March 31st, 2010By No Comments

For decades, city dwellers have grappled with the question:  to car or not to car?  Own one, and you’ve got to park it somewhere, a process that’s nearly guaranteed to be a daily intrusion on your time, wallet, and sanity.  But go car-less, ...