Acumen Fund et al: The young leading the way

Too many people my age and up are still writing checks to organizations that tackle global poverty in the same way it's been done for decades. Nothing wrong with that really, but is it fundamentally and dramatically changing the dynamics, shifting the outcomes? I'm not so sure.

In this video, Sasha Dichter talks about his "generosity experiment" and the ideas behind the remarkable Acumen Fund. He describes how organizations like it are diving into the unexplored, innovation-rich middle between pure philanthropy (with minimal focus on "return on investment") and pure markets (maximal focus on profit; minimal focus on social impact). Of late, I've been looking for and donating to entrepreneurial organizations like Nothing but Nets and Charity:Water. I'm thrilled to find another one and will donate to it, too.

It's interesting. I see lots of fresh, young faces in the Acumen Fund "communities." If only I were twenty or thirty again, I would join the local one here in D.C. But alas. I did the next best thing. I shared the Acumen Fund link with my think-outside-the-box, living-in-New-York-City-while-I'm-young daughter. Told her about the NYC community. At the risk of being quaint, I'll wager it's just her cup o' tea.

So, at the minimum. Donate to the Acumen Fund, Nothing but Nets, Charity:Water and others like them. And if your children are all grown up and searching for a community that is making an impact on the world in new and powerful ways, pass this information along to them, too.

I sense a revolution. New energy. New hope. New world. And I don't think it's naive nor temporary. No, I think it's smart. Very smart. And hopefully forever.


Sasha Dichter: The Generosity Experiment from TED Blog on Vimeo.