Spark*Blog

Warning - Mountains Beyond Mountains may make you want to become a doctor, work harder than you already do for social change, or travel to Haiti, Peru and/or Russia. Written by the Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder, the book chronicles the life and impact of famed social entrepreneur Dr. Paul Farmer and his organization, Partners in Health.  Their model is to partner with poor communities to combat both disease and poverty.

“I am the only child on my mother's side of the family, because my father did not want me as his son. I have no idea why, but at this point in my life I don't care. I don't want anything to do with him.”

What is your guess on the context of why these words were written? Would you have thought of a college admission essay? I wouldn’t have. But, these words are from Phillip Herring’s personal statement—one that he wrote as a student for the nationally recognized nonprofit College Summit.

Congratulations to 2001 Echoing Green Fellow Dr. Michael Bengwayan! Last week, Michael’s organization, Pine Tree, won the World Bank Ecological Award. The award, worth one million pesos, has been presented to Pine Tree to prevent further dengue infestation in La Trinidad, Benguet, in the Philippines. The organization plans to use these funds to study the production of dengue’s natural enemies and mosquito plant repellants.

Who are rising social entrepreneurs? What motivates them? What can we learn about them that will inform those who care about positive change?

Set your TiVo!

The leadership development pipeline is currently an issue that has received a lot of attention in the nonprofit world. Last Monday, some of the most accomplished thought leaders in the field gathered to discuss their views on what we need to do to attract and develop new talent in nonprofit organizations.

After receiving nearly 1,500 applications for our fellowship program this past fall, Echoing Green has narrowed this record-setting pool to thirty incredible finalist organizations. More than 200 social change experts, business leaders, and Echoing Green alumni from all over the world have spent the last two months reviewing applications and interviewing candidates. And now, their hard work and deep analysis make us proud to announce the following organizations as 2008 Echoing Green Fellowship Finalists:

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new online campaign: Chuck’s Challenge. This campaign is built on the notion that we ALL can do something to spark social change. At the end of it all, together, we will raise the funds to support a 2008 Echoing Green Fellow.

Once again, we’re excited to see 1994 Echoing Green Fellow Van Jones getting great press in The New York Times. The article explores the question of what is a "green-collar" worker..vs a blue-collar worker or vs an enviromental scientistic.

For me, opening the New York Times lately has felt a lot like Christmas morning. Two weeks ago, the New York Times Magazine “Money Issue” focused entirely on philanthropy and the recent trends in social change. Today, “Thoroughly Modern Do-Gooders,” an editorial by David Brooks, discusses social entrepreneurship and how these pioneers are on their way to forever changing the way we think about social service.