Good Works and Almsdeeds

Corporate Social Responsibility  (CSR) ,  Certified B Corporations  (B Corp) , Real Solutions for Real People, and what makes a successful social impact company  are the main ideas and topics from this week's lesson material.  DEFINED: Corporate Social Responsibility is:  an outlet of social innovation  an exciting and upcoming industry and holds many possibilities for social innovators   a type of business self-regulation with the aim of being socially accountable ;  how companies measure and control their impact on society. This includes a company's contributions – both negative and positive – to the economy, environment and greater community .    striving to positively contribute to the public, the economy &/or the environment . A company/business who is CSR benefits in two ways:  by improving its brand image.  When customers or clients see evidence of social responsibility, they tend to respond posit...

This week's study focus was on New Business Model and Lean Start-Up.  Two of the main ideas that I took away from this weeks topics were, one, design thinking and the lean start up method for developing businesses and/or products go hand in hand. Two, that you've got to have a consistent plan model to help you track progress and set goals.  The New Business Model has proven valuable in doing just that. A visual chart documents existing business ideas and programs and efforts while aiding new ideas and expansion. This weeks activity of filling in a business model engaged my mind in two ways. First, being a visual learner, I was better able to take in the needful parts of the company, Obesity Action Coalition , I was learning from, and Second, I was better able to see the  Obesity Action Coalition   company's creativity, innovation, and impact.  Sharpening my business skills is helpful in aiding me in helping others just as ...

This past week I received a phone call that knocked the wind right out of me. For me the news was of the saddest kind. The news was that they were turning away from living gospel truths.  Since that call I have cried, prayed, and read --scriptures, general conference talks, & various church articles. Here are two things that were helpful --gratitude & hope.  " Everyone’s situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives. There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious.  We can be grateful ! …M ost of the scriptural references do not speak of gratitude  for  things but rather suggest an overall spirit or attitude of gratitude …  grateful to God  in  our circumstances  … in times of distress does  not  mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It  do...

  " Remember who you are! Make great choices! CTR! I love you " .. are the words that I would hear Tori Sue Jacobson shout to her teen kids as she dropped them off at high school.  The main idea this week  is that making good choices  is based on understanding priorities, trade-offs, and e mploying design thinking.  T he basics of business finance and sustainable funding  is valuable in order to pursue best matched capital sources.   To create social change one must think differently-- not just to find solutions, but to fund solutions.  A sustainable social venture model is how the social venture solves the social problem and does it in a sustainable way.  This week's reading teaches that the most common roadblock in social innovation is funding, specifically, nonprofits struggle to create sustainable income and often become dependent on grants and donations. If the money stops, impact stops. Therefore, sustainability is an important com...

The main idea and topic of this past week focused on “ Solution & Impact Evaluation”     Social innovation impact must be measurable and proven.   It’s not to measure impact in order to entice donors and investors, instead, evaluation of solutions and impacts  is for the benefit of the people in whom the program was intended to claim to help .  One of the most difficult social innovation roadblocks in verifying that a solution actually works and doesn’t create more problems.   Reflecting on the article “Hurling and Community Service” and how to go about setting goals . I  was taken back by the negative outlook & attitude of the article “Starfish Hurling and Community Service”. I had heard the story before, but in the context of individuals worth in a religious setting— and simply took away from it that each person matters versus looking at it from the perspective of an approach to solving “world problems”.  Despite the negative tone, ...

Today is Hannah's birthday. My heart is full and my emotions run close to the surface.  She's truly a gift.  I am fumbling to say more --to capture my many thoughts --retell one of the many stories of her life that I hold in my heart --to put these emotions into words... I type then erase... I type then erase...  nothing satisficing/good enough  … I can though tie all of it to one word, Love. She has given  love to her daddy, sisters and I. She has a gift for words-- she absorbs them to this day. She is gifted with a beautiful singing and engaging speaking voice. She has always been quick to vocally stand for justice and for her Faith.  HUG happiest birthday my luv.  ==== For the past four weeks or so I have been mentally-emotionally fighting an intense internal battle over the idea of remaining in school...    I do not feel like others do. Instead of feeling like I am getting closer to my goals, I feel further from those th...

    Having just celebrated Mother’s Day, the reading about the impact that one mother, Erzsebet Szekeres had on turning around assisted living for the disabled in Hungary, really made an impact on me ( chapter 9: "What Sort of Mother Are You?", How to Change the World  textbook ).      Szekeres experienced isolation in raising her son, Tibor, who was severely mentally and physically disabled,   young, and needed constant care. Her husband, family, and friends were ashamed of Tibor, served judgement, and offered little support. When she took her son to be examined, she was not given information or even allowed to view medical records or reports.  The state’s solution for severely disabled was institution for life in systems that were inhumane and ignorant. The disabled in institutions experienced sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.        Benchmarks that Szekeres experienced started with when Tibor turned ...