There is a beautiful simplicity to the commercial sector. Anyone can create products and services that satisfy a real or perceived need in whatever market(s) they want. Then, with the right marketing and (hopefully) added value from the "better mousetraps" people create, the business can realize a profit. And that, ultimately, is the measure of your success. Unfortunately, finding the same simplicity in the social sector is difficult. While social enterprises, non profits and charities are on th...
May 02, 2017•51 min
We’ve be fortunate enough to have guests on this show from across the entire spectrum of the social sector and from around the world. One of the common issues we’ve talked about is resource scarcity and how that presents both unique opportunities for innovation and challenges in terms of programming, priorities and management. Today, we’re going to look at the other side of the coin and discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with an organization that’s focused on helping solve some ...
Apr 24, 2017•50 min
Let's say you woke up tomorrow to the sound of someone knocking at your door. And, when you answer, the person standing outside politely explained that they were a representative of a energy company that had recently acquired the rights to extract the natural gas in the area. Oh, and a great deal of that resource happens to be located under your house. Or, what if you were able to track changes in the water your community uses for drinking, cooking, bathing and cleaning physically change over th...
Apr 17, 2017•33 min
How obsessed are you with goal setting? I mean seriously - if you've been living on planet earth you know that, those invested in the science of achievement, have done an incredible of not only convincing, but actually getting us as a whole to adopt goal setting as a lifestyle. And, full disclosure, I am not only a living, breathing product of this paradigm, but I'm also one of its loudest proponents (at least in my mind). Goal setting has become something of an absolute in the design of product...
Apr 11, 2017•1 hr 8 min
Two very common themes in the aid and development community are “resource scarcity” (some even call this resource starvation) and “locally driven solutions.” The particular resource scarcity I am referring to is a lack of funding. This is a conversation you cannot avoid, because the challenges always seem to be greater than the available pools of money, and one that, unfortunately, will only become more acute as we navigate the age of Trump and the new populism. Locally driven solutions refers t...
Apr 04, 2017•44 min
While we live in a world of unprecedented prosperity for many, we also live in a world that is experiencing unprecedented levels of humanitarian crisis. You know the examples: protracted violent conflicts, devastation caused by earthquakes or hurricanes, the specters of famine or disease outbreak... unfortunately the list goes on and on. The good news is that we have a humanitarian community that does a fantastic job of responding to these crises with the resources available to them. In large pa...
Mar 28, 2017•46 min
We've had a lot of change makers on this show over the past two years - people and organizations that are redefining old systems and creating new products and processes that demand completely new ways of thinking about how we serve those in need. Across these interviews, one of the factors critical to the success of any endeavor is the ability to communicate effectively. This skill not only entails the ability to bring facts and evidence to the table, but to weave these into a narrative that con...
Mar 21, 2017•42 min
One reason that innovation has become one of those words that you just cannot escape in social impact, is the fact that the institutions that have occupied this space for the bulk of history are the anthesis of what we would consider "shiny new objects." But really, if we sit back and think about it, for many (and maybe most, or even all) of them, the rapid or constant change that we associate with innovation is actually the exact opposite of what these institutions we're built to achieve. Serio...
Mar 14, 2017•42 min
I invite you to pause just for a second and take a moment to think about the last time you changed your mind about something. Specifically, I'd like for you to identify something that was either very important to you or your worldview, or something that you had taken for granted, that today you have either the complete opposite or at least a very different perspective on. Got it? Now ask yourself, what was it that made you change your mind? And, again specifically, what evidence did you unearth,...
Mar 07, 2017•48 min
So, imagine for a moment that you're a college student getting ready to spend a summer working internationally. Maybe in a hotel in a tropical resort, or as an eco tour guide, or maybe helping teach children in an orphanage. The options are almost limitless if you look hard enough. This is exciting stuff! So, now your bags are packed, you've said goodby to mom and dad and you're on the plane. But, when you land at your destination, it turns out to be nothing at all like what you expected. You're...
Feb 23, 2017•52 min
The challenges faced by communities in developing contexts around the world are anything but simple. Climate change, protracted conflict, gender issues, food scarcity, natural resource management... these and the hundreds of other topics that development professionals work on everyday are complex by their very nature. Working effectively within these complex system requires an integrated approach that considers the many factors affecting a community, all at the same time. As one, off the cuff ex...
Feb 21, 2017•50 min
Do you ever have the feeling that your work in the Social Impact sector is akin to "plowing the sea?" That is - despite all of the time and effort you've put into your particular program or project, the effects are less than expected or, worse, completely disappear in a relatively short time? This was a lament of Rainer Arnhold, a pediatrician who, despite having helped countless children around the world and dedicating his life to serving others, felt that his work had not produced lasting chan...
Feb 14, 2017•37 min
If you're listening to this podcast, you're clearly a part of the digital revolution. Social media is a part of your life. Blogging may even be something you do. And... you even have a host of expectations about what minimum requirements you have for a job or an organization regarding your interaction with all things interweb. But how do we align this increasingly frenetic universe of digital options to ensure that they support the social impact we want to create? Enter Chris Wolz as my guest fo...
Feb 07, 2017•32 min
Would you agree with me that it is easy to become overwhelmed - in general? If I'm honest, which I always try to be, it actually pains me that this reality is, well, a reality. But, the truth of the matter is we are all a part of this brave new world where information, opinions, new ideas and old obligations are hurtling at us with both unprecedented speed and in abundant volume. So what, then, do you do, when its you're job to coordinate the implementation of innovation - of new solutions to ol...
Jan 30, 2017•52 min
Have you ever stopped to think about how many things in your life depend on the weather? Everything from your mood to your travel plans to whether or not you'll get to wear that awesome brand new pair of blue suede shoes you've been dying to show off. The weather is also, of course, important for farmers. Being able to predict when it will rain (or not) could mean the difference between raising a successful crop or ending up with a field of dead plants. For farmers outside of the tropics, weathe...
Jan 24, 2017•39 min
What do libraries have to do with innovation for aid and development? Total honest answer from my side: when I was doing my research for the 134th Terms of Reference Podcast, I knew there would be high value in a conversation with Chris Coward - who is the co-founder, Principal Research Scientist, and Director of the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the University of Washington - but I had no idea that our conversation would be such a fun, far ranging and wild ride. From TASHA's ...
Jan 17, 2017•41 min
I have a confession to make: I'm fairly certain I under-appreciate design. Especially design as the cultural phenomenon it has become in everything from mobile phones to toilets. If you're paying attention to the same types of feeds as me, (you probably need to get out more) you know that design, as a critical practice for success, has come into its own in a massive way over the past 10 years - ever since Apple took over the hardware space in technology. My guest today for the 133rd Terms of Ref...
Jan 10, 2017•36 min
I always get excited at the beginning of a new year. I think here is something important about moments like these that allow us a collective opportunity to not only enjoy time with friends and family, but also take stock of where things stand, and what we might like to change. While I remain humbled that you're now listening to the 132nd episode we're publishing here on TOR, I've also spent the closing of last year receiving feedback, working with our team and getting energized for how we will c...
Jan 04, 2017•44 min
One of the things I love the most about the stories here on the Terms of Reference Podcast is listening to the always incredible, but retrospectively obvious, paths which have lead all of our Aidpreneurs to their current passions. In fact, as I've documented in the eBook "Making It," this is one of the factors that defines those who have created a sustainable and satisfying career in development and humanitarian aid. My guest for the 131st episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Noam Angrist,...
Dec 20, 2016•34 min
What would you do if your job was to figure out, on a global scale, who doesn't have enough to eat? Or, more importantly, who had insecurity in their life specifically because of food scarcity? Just thinking about the scale of the problem blows my mind a little bit. But then, wait for it, what if you then had to also design and execute interventions that would, to a large degree, address those food security issues. Oh, and did I mention that this is a constantly evolving and changing process? Th...
Dec 13, 2016•33 min
For those of you who've been listening to the show for a while, it is fairly obvious that there is, quite literally, a ton of data out there related to development initiatives and humanitarian assistance. If you had the time, money and desire, you could find data about almost any aspect assistance: things like baseline data about a population, damage assessments, geospatial data, demographics of the people affected by a crisis, or things like which organizations, governments and companies are on...
Dec 06, 2016•48 min
You don’t have to be in development or aid to know that mobile has been disruption banking for a while. But those of us in the sector are acutely aware of how mobile banking has literally changed the lives of millions of people by providing financial access to even the most remote areas, and the results have been, generally speaking, fantastic. As just one example, we know that people who have access to mobile banking are more resilient to shocks and emergencies, a potential game changer in many...
Nov 29, 2016•40 min
So, let's say that you had a great idea for a commercial product or service that ultimately grew into a fairly large, sustainable and profitable company. Would you be the type of founder entrepreneur who would step back and say to yourself, "I wonder how we might give back some of the success we've had to help solve some of the world's more important problems?" Lucky for everyone, that is exactly what the folks that started Tableau Software have done through the Tableau Foundation. In this, the ...
Nov 22, 2016•53 min
Finding ways to empower those in need through better access to education has been a hallmark service of the development and aid community for decades. The education sector, like any other, is ripe for disruption, especially as we consider how we deliver curriculum over distance, customize education for individual needs, provide alternatives and outlets for both the gifted and those that have special needs, and much more. Michael Trucano, my guest for the 126th Terms of Reference Podcast, has ded...
Nov 15, 2016•46 min
Getting an idea off the ground is incredibly difficult, even when you have access to the right resources, tools, funding and networks. So what happens when you not only have none of that access, but the very place you live is known as an active conflict zone? Can entrepreneurship be used as a bridge to not only help people out of poverty, but also to change the dynamics of conflict? My guest today on the 125th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Hen Ben Saadon, believes this is possible. ...
Nov 08, 2016•37 min
There is no shortage of talk about innovation in the aid and development space - but how much of this talk has actually moved beyond small scale piloting programs into standard operations for funders and implementors? My unscientific read from the field continues to say "not much," especially in the case of large-scale implementors. Like any established system or process, fundamentally shifting the way business is done takes both time and unwavering leadership. The US Global Development Lab at U...
Oct 30, 2016•45 min
Having an idea to change the way we help others is one thing - getting it off the ground and into reality is an entirely different matter. While there are any number of amazing stories about Aidpreneurs who have bootstrapped their way to success, even those who started with no funding eventually find themselves in a place where filling the coffers is necessary to scale, pivot or just grow. My guest for the 123rd episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast knows a thing or two about funding innovat...
Oct 24, 2016•35 min
So often we find ourselves talking about innovation in the humanitarian aid and development space in terms of gadgets or technologies - the "shiny objects" of the future. While there is certainly a lot to be said about how the brave new digital world will allow us to help those in need more effectively, sometimes... it just isn't necessary to take a massive leap. My guest today on the 122nd episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Wanjala Wafula, is a classic problem solver and think-on-your-f...
Oct 17, 2016•36 min
As any Aidpreneur will readily tell you, putting together even the most simple service or product to help those in need becomes an all consuming affair rather quickly. That is, if you want to actually get it on the street, refine, grow scale and have a sense of sustainability that can see beyond the next payroll cycle. Then if you add in the need to measure impact and managing or marketing real human behavior change while satisfying the needs of government or private donors... well you see where...
Oct 11, 2016•41 min
Would you be willing to give up everything you have, and go into debt, to help some of the most impoverished people in the world? Would your answer change if I told you that you had to jump off that cliff without knowing exactly how you'd go about helping those people? This is exactly what my guest for the 120th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast did when she founded the Blessings Basket Project - an organization inspired by the small acts of kindness shown to her when life didn't work ou...
Oct 04, 2016•46 min
